After the Fall- The Complete series Box Set

by Charlie Dalton

  “It has to be,” Donny said.

  “How will we even know how to fire it?” Jamie said.

  “That’ll be Lucy’s job,” Donny said. “So long as she can plug into the system I assume she’ll have access to everything.”

  “What happens after we fire the cannon?” Jamie said.

  “Then we get the hell out of there,” Donny said. “We know what these Bug characters are capable of. Wiping out entire communes once they get too big and successful. They’ll do the same to us at the City if we fail to take them down. Who knows what they’ll do. I don’t want to be there to find out.”

  “How will we know we’re successful?” Jamie said.

  “We’ll probably get to see the biggest fireworks show in the world,” Donny said. “If not, then we’ll head home and grow the commune and if they’re really dead, they won’t stop us from growing.”

  “And if the Rages do attack us?” Jamie said.

  “Then at least we tried,” Donny said.

  The next day, they continued on their journey. Jamie was a little sad to wave goodbye to the tree dwellers. He felt there was still so much to learn from them. But their destination beckoned. They couldn’t explore and learn forever. Man, what a life that would be. He imagined a future where he roamed from town to town, learning their secrets and skills and passing them on, connecting all the people together in a kind of web. . .

  Maybe one day, he told himself.

  They didn’t stop at any more communes, only other traders on equally tired steeds, where they bartered and haggled, Isabelle always managing to get the better deal.

  “How much further to the City?” Fatty said, whining for at least the third time that day.

  “Go pull that branch aside and find out,” Isabelle said.

  “What branch?” Fatty said, checking over his shoulder.

  Isabelle was referring to the corner of a sheet metal sign protruding from a thick plumage of foliage that had long since grown and obstructed it.

  “Can’t you just tell me?” Fatty said.

  “If you want to know the answer, go check,” Isabelle said.

  Fatty sighed and sat up. He glared at Isabelle as he hopped off the cart and approached the thick branch. He struggled with pushing it aside, the leaves slapping him across the face. He finally hefted the branch with both arms, raising it high enough to peer at the sign. It said:

  DENVER - 2 MILES

  JURY - 0.5 MILES

  Fatty let the branch drop, its pent up energy knocking him to one side. He fell on his big ass and rubbed it as he got back up.

  “Two miles,” Fatty said, climbing back onto the cart. “Priceless piece of information, that. Thanks a lot.”

  “You were the one who wanted to know,” Isabelle said. “Now you know.”

  “And got a sore ass for it,” Fatty said. “Well worth the effort.”

  “You’re in a particularly foul mood today,” Isabelle said.

  “I wonder why,” Fatty said.

  Jamie had long since stopped listening to the unravelling argument. His eyes were fixed on the sign. Through a gap, he could still make out the letters UR from the town name JURY. Just half a mile to ahead.

  86.

  THE SIGNS weren’t visible from the cart, but the numbers that stuck out of the side were. A countdown to the town of Jury.

  Four hundred yards.

  Three hundred.

  Two hundred.

  Jamie’s head was buzzing with questions begging for answers. Could it be the Jury Dr. Beck had told him about? How had he known Jamie would pass this way?

  “Should you find yourself travelling east, you will come to a town called Jury,” Dr. Beck had said.

  Should? Could it be a coincidence that Jamie found himself exactly in the place Dr. Beck had told him he might go all those days ago? It couldn’t be. It had to be part of some kind of plan. He’d always intended for Jamie to come this way. He knew he was going to pass the town of Jury. How long had he known? Jamie wondered. Did it even matter?

  Jamie shook his head. It wasn’t worth getting himself worked up over. He wouldn’t go in the house. He wouldn’t check to see what was under the floorboard at the foot of the bed. Dr. Beck’s past was in there. He would forget about this place and focus on getting to Denver City. He could resist the temptation. He knew he would.

  The last sign lay at a two-pronged fork in the road. They would be taking the road on the right. The road that veered left, heading deeper into the woodland, would lead to Jury.

  Jamie felt nervous, a thick sensation in the pit of his stomach, pinching at him from inside. Like someone had hold of a lever and took great joy in churning his stomach over and over. He was going to be sick.

  “Stop,” he said, bending over the side.

  “What’s up?” Donny said. “Sick?”

  “A bit,” Jamie said. “Just need some air.”

  “I think we could all do with a short break,” Donny said. “Can we pull over for a second?”

  “Sure,” Isabelle said, pulling Humperdinck to the verge.

  “Fatty, give Jamie some water,” Donny said.

  Jamie sipped on the bottle, his stomach delicate. He handed the bottle back.

  “I knew we shouldn’t have eaten those mushrooms,” Isabelle said. “Never touch wild mushrooms, that’s what my ma always said.”

  “I told you,” Fatty said tiredly. “They’re boletes. They’re edible.”

  Jamie hopped over the side of the cart and started for the woodland.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Donny said.

  “Get some fresh air and take a leak,” Jamie said.

  “We go in pairs, remember?” Donny said.

  He turned to the others.

  “Anyone else need to take a restroom break?” he said.

  “I do,” Fatty said, raising his hand. “If it’s a real restroom and not a bush.”

  “You’re in luck,” Donny said. “This area is famous for its naturally-occurring modern bathrooms. The urinal grows right out of the ground.”

  “Really?” Fatty said.

  “No,” Donny said flatly.

  He put a finger to his temple.

  “Think,” he said.

  “You’re a dick,” Fatty said.

  “Maybe,” Donny said. “But at least I’m not afraid of using it.”

  Jamie felt relieved. The last person he wanted to go on a secret mission with was Fatty. He would simply refuse to go or else tell the others what Jamie was up to. And Jamie didn’t want them to know just yet. It might lead nowhere.

  “Lucy,” he said. “Do you need to go?”

  “No,” Lucy said. “I went earlier.”

  Jamie raised his eyebrows and mouthed “Come on,” with his lips. Lucy glanced from Jamie to Donny and back again.

  “But like I always say, you should use a bathroom whenever you can,” she said, hopping down off the cart. “You never know when your next chance will be.”

  “Hm,” Fatty said. “That’s a good piece of philosophy. I think I will go.”

  He bent his arms to leap off the cart.

  “Whoa,” Donny said, stopping him from going. “You had your chance.”

  “What?” Fatty said.

  As their argument ensued, Jamie took Lucy by the hand and led her into the forest.

  87.

  “WHERE ARE we going?” Lucy said. “You know I don’t really need the toilet, right?”

  “I know,” Jamie said.

  “What are we doing out here?” Lucy said.

  Jamie found it difficult to explain. He wasn’t ready to share yet. He didn’t want to upset Lucy. She would likely be the most affected by anything Dr. Beck did or said. They were still mad at him for dumping them in the hyperloop train the way he did. It must have felt worse for Lucy. He was, essentially, her father and he had abandoned her.

  “I need to check on something,” Jamie said. “You trust me, right?”

  Lucy didn’t need
a second to think about it. She smiled and nodded her head.

  “Of course,” she said.

  And that was it. No followup questions, no hesitancy. Just pure trust. It made Jamie smile until he realized the burden of responsibility. He had to ensure he deserved that trust and make sure she came to no harm.

  He wouldn’t have much time to find the house. Donny wouldn’t wait forever. Not when there were Rages in the area. He’d come looking for him if he took too long.

  They marched through the forest noisily. The forest back home wasn’t as dense as this one and there was too much nature on the forest floor. The sign had pointed this way. He hoped it was accurate.

  The forest gave way to a wide open road. The “town” of Jury turned out to be just ten houses, five on either side of the road. There wasn’t even a local shop for daily items.

  Jamie looked at each house and ran it against the description Dr. Beck had given him. A bright red brick building with a black tiled roof. A tree out front with a swing in it. Two of the houses matched the description, but only one had a second floor. It had to be that one.

  A shiver crawled up Jamie’s back, his hair standing to attention. It was a regular house, in good condition. Kids toys lay outside in the front garden that were in desperate need of TLC. A small tree had taken unlicensed root along one wall and, unless Jamie had missed his guess, would eventually grow large enough to tear down its neighbouring wall and, potentially, destroy the entire house.

  “Wait here,” Jamie said, unshouldering his backpack and handing it to her. “I’ll be five minutes. Let me know if you see anything.”

  “Okay,” Lucy said.

  She was clearly curious why he’d chosen this particular house from the others. Jamie approached the front door, relieved to find it unlocked. It was carved from expensive wood and then painted white and varnished over. A one-way window at head height. Jamie pushed it.

  It creaked open on rusty hinges. He peered down the hallway. Clean, not a blemish on the hardwood floor. A little dusty, perhaps, the air musty, but in good condition.

  The stairs rose like a tidal wave. Jamie took one heavy thudding footstep after the other. Halfway up, hand on the carved banister, he began to regret his decision. He looked back at Lucy, standing outside in the sunshine. His lookout. He never should have taken this risk.

  But he couldn’t turn back. That floorboard with its hidden secret beckoned him. He had come this far, he reasoned. He should finish the job. He scaled the half a dozen remaining steps and reached the landing.

  He stopped again, his experience and training telling him to listen. He quietened his mind but heard nothing. No rustling clothes, no low tortured groans in torn throats. He leaned forward and checked both directions. He had no idea how these houses were built, no instinct for where the main bedroom would be. Choosing at random, he turned right.

  Three doors, one on each wall. Gripping his weighty wooden bat tight, he pushed the left door open first. He pulled the bat back and prepared to release it at a moment’s notice. A small upstairs bathroom. White ceramic and a metal tub.

  He pushed the next door open, revealing a single open-plan space. It had a large bed with adjoining workspace. It looked like what would constitute a “master bedroom” to him. He edged into it, bat again raised.

  Papers were spread across the floor. Most of the pages were wet, drenched from rain that spilled through the open window. Those that weren’t wet pirouetted across the floor from a strong breeze.

  Jamie turned to the master bed. Wide, with stylish high-class silk blankets and pillowcases. The kind of thing Isabelle could have sold well. But to defile the bed of its bedding would be to admit he’d gone wandering in a house in the first place.

  He moved to the foot of the bed and got down on his hands and knees. Checked underneath it. Nothing there. The floorboards looked in good shape. Those beneath the window had already become warped and disfigured by the rainwater.

  Jamie felt at the floorboards. He ran his finger over them, searching, prying. He hissed and pulled his hand away as something bit his finger. He looked at it.

  A splinter. He put his lips to it and tugged the fibres out. The smaller fragments were still in his skin. He’d have to take care of them later. He shifted to the offending tile. One corner stuck up. He ran his finger over it—carefully this time—and pulled on it. It rose a few millimetres. He hooked his fingertip over it and pulled harder. It came freely. Jamie lifted the board and placed it delicately to one side.

  Underneath it was a dry shallow space. Cables crisscrossed a pair of copper pipes, feeding electricity to the utilities. Something lay in its belly. Jamie reached in and picked it up.

  The cover was thick high-quality leather. It had no title. Jamie ran his hands over it. A piece of worn string attached to the back and wound around a knob on the front, clasping it shut.

  Dr. Beck’s journal.

  88.

  “THEY’VE BEEN gone too long,” Donny said.

  “Give him some time,” Isabelle said.

  “Who takes this long to take a slash?” Donny said.

  “Maybe a number one turned into a number two,” Isabelle said.

  “Thanks for the image,” Fatty said.

  “Fatty, I’ve got a question,” Donny said. “When someone as big as you takes a dump, what’s it like? Do you suddenly lose ten pounds? Or does most of it get stuck inside you and that’s the reason you’re so big? Maybe you should get an enema. You’ll lose half your weight overnight.”

  “I’m not even going to dignify those questions with a response,” Fatty said, sniffing.

  “Did I touch a nerve?” Donny said. “Difficult to do that with you, I suppose. With all that padding.”

  “Leave him alone,” Isabelle said. “We all have our issues. You’re not perfect.”

  “That’s debatable,” Donny said. “What you see is what you get.”

  “That’s the problem,” Fatty mumbled.

  Donny turned to confront Fatty. He’d been nettling him all day, spoiling for a fight. And it finally looked like Fatty was ready to take the bait.

  “Here they are,” Isabelle said.

  Jamie and Lucy walked calmly from the forest, hand in hand. No chance of anything being on their tails when they were walking so slowly. Donny spread his arms.

  “What happened?” he said.

  “Was a bit more, uh, difficult than I expected,” Jamie said.

  “Spare us the details,” Fatty said tiredly. “Get on so we can get out of here. Your brother’s cranky again.”

  “What you got there?” Donny said, nodding to the journal under Jamie’s arm.

  “Just a book,” Jamie said. “Nothing important.”

  “You’re the only person I know who goes to the lav to get reading material,” Donny said. “Most people take it with them.”

  Jamie climbed onto the back of the cart and reached down to help Lucy up.

  “Thank you,” Lucy said.

  “No,” Jamie said. “Thank you.”

  He’d never have been able to sneak out and get the journal if it hadn’t been for her. They shared a smile, the kind of smile only best friends could have, the kind of smile that said they shared a private secret.

  Pop pop! Pop pop!

  Gunshots somewhere in the middle distance. Donny arched his neck, gauging its proximity. Somewhere behind them.

  “Somebody needs help,” Jamie said.

  “They can take care of themselves,” Donny said. “So should we.”

  He nodded to Isabelle.

  “All set?” Isabelle said.

  She clucked her tongue. Humperdinck leaned forward and continued on their journey. The journal felt heavy in Jamie’s hands. He clutched it tight and wondered what kind of secrets it contained. He wasn’t sure he looked forward to discovering them or not.

  89.

  “WE’RE HERE, folks,” Belle said.

  The gang hopped off the back of the cart and approached the cliff f
ace. It was a formidable-looking thing built directly into the mountain. No attempt had been made to hide or disguise it. It was covered in so many lumps and bumps it was difficult to figure out how it fit together. Nature had begun to reclaim the metal, wrapping around its edges. With time, Jamie was certain nature would envelop it completely.

  “What have they got in there?” Fatty said. “A giant? Why did they need to build the door so big?”

  There were small hacks and chip marks at the base of the door where others had attempted to break in. They’d made hardly any impact at all.

  “You guys,” Fatty said. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this.”

  “If we don’t try, who will?” Jamie said.

  Fatty didn’t know how to respond to that.

  “If Lucy can’t get in or it looks like something isn’t right, we’ll turn around and head back home,” Donny said. “All right?”

  Fatty nodded, consoled. A little.

  Donny turned to Isabelle, who fed Humperdinck a carrot and brushed his mane with her fingers.

  “If you like to keep things simple, I suggest you turn away now and not watch what happens next,” Donny said. “I know what’s about to happen and I’m not sure I want to see it either.”

  “You’re doing a poor job of making me not want to see,” Isabelle said. “Don’t you know people always do the thing you tell them not to?”

  “Then watch,” Donny said. “You’ll love it.”

  “Don’t mind if I do,” Isabelle said.

  Donny frowned. Outsmarted. Again. Isabelle put a hand to his cheek and tickled his chin with her fingers.

  “Don’t worry, you’re still handsome,” she said. “Brains aren’t everything.”

  Donny was too rattled by her touching him to take offense.

  “You seriously think I’m going to turn my back while you guys crack open the door that no one has ever bested before?” Isabelle said. “I’ll watch, thanks.”

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Donny said.

  Isabelle approached and stood with her hands on her hips.

  “No weapons?” she said. “No powerful animals? What are you going to use? Prayers?”