The QuaranTeens, #1

by Keith B Darrell

  “What sort of place is Utopia?”

  “It depends on who you are. Proctor’s a misogynist: he thinks girls like us have little value other than to serve men. That’s why he took me in and made me a maid and had me look after my brother until he was old enough.”

  A puzzled look formed on Esme’s face. “Old enough for what?”

  “One of the first things Proctor did was vaccinate everyone in Utopia against the virus.”

  “Your people found a cure?”

  “Not a cure but a vaccine made from antibodies of those that had been infected. Dr. Carstairs devised it. She was a top doctor before the plague and that’s why Proctor treats her with more respect than he shows most women. But there was no way to test it. The vaccine worked but it was flawed. It made the men unable to father children. But Proctor dreamed of a son: an heir to the empire he was building. He thought he could turn my baby brother into a surrogate son and potential heir. But he couldn’t be bothered caring for a little boy. That duty fell to me, along with my other household duties. I had to look after Donjay until he was old enough for Proctor to take him under his wing and groom him to become his heir.”

  “But this Proctor guy doesn’t treat you like his daughter?”

  Maga laughed. “Like I said, he doesn’t value women. He’s never shown any interest or emotion toward me.”

  “Where’s your brother now?”

  “Donjay? Probably with Proctor, trying to impress him and earn his praise.” Maga sighed.

  Proctor looked up at the knock on his door. “Come in.” Donjay entered, holding a clipboard. “I’m sorry I barked at you earlier, my boy. I was having a rather frustrating morning but your news has brightened my day. What can I do for you?”

  “It’s the Humvee, sir. It’s on the move.” He offered Proctor the latest coordinates.

  “Hmm. Perhaps they did manage to find a generator and we haven’t located their bunker. We need to be certain. Take a squad of five men to the initial coordinates and investigate. If it’s not their bunker, then bring back the generator if you can.”

  “And if it is the bunker?”

  “Report back to me. If there are dozens of teenagers then you’ll be outnumbered. We also don’t know what their defenses are; if you can determine that it would be useful information.”

  “Yes sir. Shall I take three Humvees?”

  “You’ll have to leave them at the perimeter and walk from there. The batteries won’t get you that far and back and we can’t leave the dome unpatrolled. I want you to send two patrols to converge on the stolen Humvee. It looks like it’s heading in our direction. If the stolen Humvee doesn’t cross the perimeter then they’ll also have to disembark and pursue it by foot once they have a stationary read on it.”

  “Yes sir. When do you want me to leave?”

  “Why, immediately of course, after you’ve made those arrangements.”

  “I was hoping I might have time to say goodbye to my sister. Between her schedule and mine, I haven’t seen Maga all week.”

  Proctor gaped. “Oh, yes. Maga. Why don’t you wait until you return. If it does turn out to be the bunker then you’ll have exciting news to share with her.”

  Donjay smiled. “Great idea, sir.”

  “And be careful out there, son.” Proctor watched him leave. He stepped down the hall and walked into a laboratory. “Dr. Carstairs.”

  “Proctor. Did you change your mind about the anxiety pills?”

  “No, at least not for me. I may need you to provide some antidepressants to Donjay, however. We’ve neglected to break the news to him about his sister. I’ve sent him on a mission; when he returns, I plan to tell him Maga went outside the dome on an errand while he was away and was attacked by wolves. I anticipate that news may cause him some depression for several days. I trust you can devise the proper chemical cocktail to lift his spirits.”

  “I’m sure I can come up with something.”

  “Thank you, Doctor. Get plenty of rest; I think you may soon have a laboratory full of specimens.”

  Kai sped toward the store, thoroughly enjoying the ride in his not-a-sports-car. He had figured out alternating the amount of pressure on the gas pedal would control the speed of the vehicle and he was now testing how well it could cover different types of terrain. He was disappointed when the small town came into view. He slowed the Humvee to a crawl as he searched for the pane glass window of the store Covid had described. When he sighted it, Kai reluctantly switched off the engine and hopped out of the Humvee. He pulled out several large empty sacks and carried them inside the store.

  Kai was overwhelmed by the selection that awaited him. The abandoned store was a virtual treasure trove. Even more intriguing, all of the boxes and tins had colorful pictures on them, unlike the government-manufactured prepackaged foodstuffs with which the bunker had been stocked. He held up some of the cereal boxes and laughed at the imagery on them. He walked from aisle to aisle filling a half-dozen large of the large empty sacks, which he then lugged into the Humvee. His shopping trip had taken more than two hours but, to be fair, Kai had to examine each item carefully before placing it into a sack, as he was unfamiliar with all of them. When the last sack had been hefted into the Humvee, he took a final look at the amazing abandoned store and prepared to climb into the vehicle himself. A voice boomed out, “Step away from the Humvee and place your hands in the air.”

  Startled by the flying shards of glass surrounding him, Kai looked around to see where the voice had come from. He saw two men with rifles aimed at him standing across the street. He turned to his left and saw two more pointing their guns at him. He glanced to his right and saw another pair of armed men down the road targeting him. Kai didn’t know precisely what the rifles were capable of but he remembered being warned by Archer and Robin they shot projectiles. What he didn’t know was Proctor had ordered his men to capture anyone in the Humvee unharmed. Kai’s eyes darted back and forth as he tried to formulate a plan.

  “Put your hands up and surrender.” One of the riflemen fired in Kai’s direction, striking and shattering the store’s plate glass window.

  Startled, Kai dove beneath the Humvee and climbed into it. The men opened fire on the Humvee, taking care not to aim directly at Kai. “Hey! Quit shooting at my not-a-sports-car!” He scrambled up to the gun turret and grabbed the rifle. “How hard can this be? Just aim it like a bow and arrow and pull the trigger as if releasing an arrow.” Kai aimed at the two riflemen across the street and fired. He missed them, understandably as it was his first time firing a rifle. Yet the riflemen didn’t know that so they ducked for cover. Kai pivoted, shooting down both sides of the street causing his attackers to scramble. He swiveled the gun against the edge of the turret, firing wildly with a wide grin on his face.

  “Not so arrogant now, are you?” Kai called out in-between bursts of gunfire. Then, he heard the loud crack of gunshots replaced by a soft clicking sound. “What’s wrong with this thing? It’s stopped shooting.”

  All six Utopian riflemen, realizing Kai was out of ammunition, converged on the Humvee.

  Chapter Twenty

  Kai scrambled to clamber into the driver's seat. He was about to switch on the engine when he looked up and saw two riflemen standing in front of the Humvee aiming their weapons at him. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw two more approaching, and the final two targeting him from across the street directly opposite the driver’s side of his vehicle.

  “This is your last warning. Step out with your hands raised.”

  Kai knew they could fire before he could start the engine and place the Humvee in Drive. He opened the door and stepped out, holding up his hands. The two riflemen in front of the Humvee took a step toward him. Kai heard a whoosh, as an arrow shot by him and impaled one of them. A split-second later, a second arrow whooshed by, striking the other rifleman in the chest. The pair positioned behind the Humvee pivoted, nervously scanning their surroundings while their trigger fingers tensed. Two m
ore arrows sliced through the air cutting them down. The two gunmen across the street crouched back to back, each firing blindly in the directions the pairs of arrows had come from.

  Kai leaped back into the Humvee and started the engine. He swerved left and drove across the road plunging the Humvee directly into them. He backed up the vehicle and placed it in Park, waiting for some sign of his mysterious rescuers.

  Archer stepped out several yards in front of the Humvee lowering his bow, while several yards in the opposite direction behind the vehicle Robin appeared, strapping her bow over her shoulder. “Corona was worried about you,” Robin said. “Looks like she was right.”

  “There was no reason for her to be worried. I had the situation completely under control.”

  Archer slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry; we’ll be sure to tell her that.”

  “Do you need a ride back to the bunker?” Kai asked, pondering how he would rearrange the bags of supplies in the Humvee.

  “No thanks,” Robin said. “We tied our horses about five hundred yards away so we could sneak up on them.”

  “They look like Utopians,” Kai said. “But what were they doing here? We’re not near Utopia.”

  “I don’t know but leastways they ain’t gonna tell no one about our store now,” Robin said.

  “We’ll have to make more trips to empty the store in case the other Utopians know about it,” Archer said.

  “I’ll fetch our horses,” Robin said, returning a few moments later with two horses.

  “Thanks for the assist,” Kai said, as Archer and Robin mounted them. “Let’s head back to the bunker. I’ll drive slowly so you can keep up.” Kai executed a three-point turn and headed in the direction of the bunker.

  Archer turned to Robin and laughed. “Guess he ain’t never seen a horse at full gallop before.” He smacked his horse’s rear and the pair of horses shot off.

  Varian stepped into the social area. Although there were few people there – most of the teenagers were outside helping build several structures – Varian pretended not to notice the room emptying as he entered. Fiona had told him it would take time for him to be accepted again but he hadn’t realized the degree of antipathy his actions had engendered among his peers. He wondered if there was no one other than Fiona willing to give him a second chance.

  “Varian. Just the person I wanted to see.”

  Varian looked up hopefully. Then, he sighed, his hopefulness dissipating. “Corbin. I should have guessed only you’d speak to me.”

  “Why, of course I’d speak to you; we have business to conclude. You may recall there’s a slight matter of six thousand credits you owe me. I realize you’ve had an extremely stressful week so I’ll waive the interest and late fees.”

  Varian rolled his eyes. “Look, Corbin, I know I promised you six thousand credits but you may have noticed I’m no longer the bunker’s leader and I no longer have access to the cache of casino chips.”

  “How the mighty have fallen. A short time ago you were our supreme leader, someone to be admired and praised for his principles and integrity. And now, you’re lower than a worm, trying to welch on your obligations. Or do you deny your indebtedness to me?”

  “I’ve already admitted I owe you the credits; I simply have no way to pay you.”

  Corbin shrugged. “That’s easily arranged. You can provide a service to me and I’ll consider your debt paid in full.”

  “What sort of service?”

  Corbin grinned. “Does it matter? Would you really prefer the alternative: being indebted to me for the rest of your life?”

  Varian grimaced. “I won’t hurt anyone.”

  “I wouldn’t ask you to.”

  “All right. What do you want me to do?”

  “You once bragged about your ability to pick locks. There’s one I want picked. A few minutes of your efforts and you can wipe out a rather large debt.”

  Varian frowned. “I’m not going to help you steal from anyone.”

  “I’ve no intention of stealing from a single living soul. Now come with me and let’s get this over with while nearly everyone is still outside the bunker.”

  Varian sighed. He followed Corbin out of the social area. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.” Corbin led Varian past the sleeping quarters to a seldom-visited section of the bunker.

  “What are we doing here? This section’s off-limits.”

  “This section was off-limits.” Corbin grinned. “This is the designated living quarters for the grown-ups that were supposed to raise us and care for us. Of course, all but one died in the first few months so only one person has ever lived here for any length of time, and now he’s dead too. So technically, we’re not trespassing or invading anyone’s privacy and there’s no one to steal from… No one living, that is. In fact, there’s not much here to steal; I know, I’ve looked.”

  “So why are we here, Corbin?”

  Corbin pointed to the wall. “If someone went to the trouble of installing a wall safe in an underground bunker despite anticipating what might be the end of the world, then I suspect whatever’s inside must be of great value. Imagine how frustrated I was when I found I was unable to open the combination lock. And then I thought of you and your self-proclaimed skill at opening locks.”

  “So what if you find gold or jewels or any stuff people valued before the plague? What good is any of that now? A can of beans would be more valuable.”

  “Then, at least satisfy my curiosity. It’s the mystery that piques my curiosity. Can you open it?”

  Varian studied the safe. “Simple tumbler lock. Shouldn’t be difficult.” He closed his eyes and let his fingers glide across the dial. He stopped when he met resistance and turned the dial in the opposite direction, stopped at the next level of resistance, and dialed it back until he reached the final resistance level. They heard a click and he pulled the door open.

  Corbin and Varian peered inside the safe. Varian pulled out what appeared to be a diary. “Looks like this is all there is.”

  Corbin frowned. “A diary? You can keep it. I’ve no interest in someone else’s memoirs.”

  “Sorry you didn’t find a hidden treasure trove but I did as you requested.”

  “Yes, yes,” he replied annoyedly. “Consider your debt paid in full.” Corbin sighed. “It was worth a try.”

  Varian flipped through the diary. A wide grin filled his face. “Corbin, I take back every miserable thing I’ve ever thought about you.”

  Corbin gave him a puzzled look. “I had no idea you'd get so excited over a salacious memoir.”

  “It’s not that kind of diary. It was written by one of the scientists and talks about the bunker. There’s a hidden room they didn’t want the children to know about that contains a weapons cache. And the bunker itself has an emergency lockdown mechanism and defense grid that can be engaged or disengaged using the coded instructions in this book. I’ve got to show this to Keiana right away.” Varian dashed out of the room leaving a perplexed Corbin behind.

  Donjay paused to massage his aching calves. It had been a long walk for quite some miles but he and his five men had reached the outskirts of the encampment being built around the bunker. He motioned for his men to crouch down behind the bushes. “It’s a base of some kind,” Donjay said. “Hand me your binoculars.” He peered through them. “It looks as though they’re building the base. They don’t appear to be Raiders. They’re the age range Proctor said the bunker kids would be. There are too many for us to capture. We need to report back to Proctor and…” Donjay refocused his binoculars. The image came into crystal clarity. There could be no mistake: It was Maga! The bunker kids were holding his sister prisoner.

  He had no idea how she might have been captured or when, but Donjay recalled he hadn’t seen his sister in about two weeks. He watched as one of teenaged girls grabbed Maga’s hand and led her into the bunker. Donjay realized it would be impossible for his small squad to infiltrate the bunker and e
scape with Maga. He would have to tell Proctor and hope he would launch a rescue mission. Unless they could barter for Maga’s freedom. But what would the bunker kids want in exchange for his sister, Donjay wondered. He glanced out and saw two boys approaching and the epiphany struck him.

  Maga sat on a boulder watching the others building the base camp atop the bunker. Corona joined her. “How are you settling in?”

  Maga shook her head. “I’m not. I have nothing in common with your people. Your lifestyle is so different. In Utopia, I was nowhere near the eldest. I served a function. Here, you’ve all shared the identical experiences and live by the same code. I feel like an outcast.”

  “I’m sorry. I guess we take it for granted. But Archer and Robin are also strangers and they’ve found their function. They’ve shown us how to shoot arrows, grow crops, ride horses, and build things.”

  Maga looked around. “I don’t see them. Are they down below?”

  Corona looked chagrined. “I asked them to do me a favor. I was worried about Kai going to their store alone so I asked Robin and Archer to follow him in case he ran into any trouble.”

  “The Raiders did that for you?”

  “You shouldn’t think of them as Raiders. Archer and Robin are just kids like the rest of us.”

  Maga lowered her head. “Not quite. They’re in pain. They’ve suffered a great loss. I can see that when I observe them. It conflicts with everything I know… everything I’ve been told about Raiders. They’re not the callous, brutal savages we were led to believe. As you say, they’re merely children.”

  “They’re also angry. They want vengeance for the deaths of their grandmother and friends. I feel sorry for them. They’ll always wonder who killed their grandmother and why. It’s a mystery that will haunt them forever.”