The Tunnels of Ferdinand

by James Moloney

  Dedication

  FOR BEDE, KRISTAN, BEN AND KIERAN

  CONTENTS

  Dedication

  ONE Berrin

  TWO Escape with a Stranger

  THREE Dodgem

  FOUR The Rats

  FIVE The Legend of Ferdinand

  SIX Silent to the Death

  SEVEN Following the Wire

  EIGHT A Man with Skin Like a Ghost

  NINE Malig Tumora and the Time Before

  TEN A Change of Strategy

  ELEVEN A Playful Kind of Enemy

  TWELVE How to Eat a Girl, Slowly

  THIRTEEN A Quick Death

  FOURTEEN Buildings Made of Glass

  FIFTEEN An Old Friend and a Wild Ride

  SIXTEEN Doomsday is Coming

  Excerpt from The Scorpion’s Tail

  Excerpt from Malig Tumora

  About the Author

  Other Books By James Moloney

  Copyright

  ONE

  Berrin

  BERRIN STOOD ALONE IN the exercise yard. Behind him he could hear the little girl scampering away on her hands and knees. He glanced back and saw her jump to her feet and start to run. She was safe for the moment, so he turned back to face the lumbering figure in front of him.

  The Dfx* was holding a hand to his bottom where the boy had spanked him. He was big, like all of his kind, but his tongue was slow. Words plopped out of his mouth like stones he had found in a spoonful of porridge. ‘Why you do that?’ he growled.

  ‘You were going to hurt her,’ Berrin answered boldly.

  The Dfx stared at him as though this made no sense. Of course he had been going to hurt the girl. She had been running, shouting to her friends. It was against the rules.

  His face hardened as he remembered the sharp pain of the boy’s slap. Then it slowly relaxed into an ominous smile as he read the number on the boy’s tunic. ‘You been in trouble before. You be sorry. Tonight, you be very sorry.’ He walked away to join his companion.

  Horrible creatures, Berrin thought to himself. They look like us, they speak the same words, but the light has gone out behind their eyes.

  He looked about him, at the hundreds of children crammed into a square of stony ground. Dormitories enclosed them on three sides. A high brick wall blocked off the fourth. Beyond it he could see the tops of a few stunted trees and, in the distance, still more buildings. No wonder the little girl had been running and shouting at the top of her lungs. It was to show she was alive.

  The dull blare of the hooter called the children in from the yard as it did at this time every day. All the girls headed towards one gate, the boys towards another.

  ‘You must be mad, hitting a Dfx like that,’ whispered one of Berrin’s friends. ‘And it’s not the first time you’ve got in their way. You’ll end up a Non-Cop B if you’re not careful.’

  They entered their dormitory through a heavy steel door and began to climb the stairs. No-one came near Berrin, not even the friend who had spoken to him. That was not a good sign.

  Had he gone too far this time? Non-Cop B. Non-Cooperative Being. Last time there had been a Non-Cop B in his dormitory, they had dragged the boy away in the middle of the night. There had been terrible roars from the other side of the brick wall. They had all heard the boy’s cries for help as the roaring grew louder. Then his screams, so clear in the still darkness of night. Then nothing. What had the smiling Dfx said to him? ‘Tonight, you be very sorry.’

  Berrin began to sweat.

  When it was time for the evening meal, a different Dfx singled him out. ‘Not you,’ he said with the same cruel smirk on his face.

  The other boys turned pitiful eyes on Berrin, as though he were already dead.

  The worst part was the waiting. The others came back from dinner, silent and ashamed to look him in the face. No-one spoke to him. The dim lights were turned off altogether, except for the one that never went out. It illuminated a single portrait on the wall at the end of the dormitory. A gentle face smiled down at them, a handsome man with hair a mixture of charcoal and ashes. The Great Father, they were told to call him. The one who cared for them all.

  Berrin was too afraid to look up. The hours passed and he began to tell himself that it was all a trick to teach him a lesson. He became drowsy and lay down on his bed at last.

  He was almost asleep when they came for him. The light snapped on, though none of the other boys dared open his eyes. The heavy boots of the Dfx tramped along the bare floorboards. Berrin lay still, hoping they would march straight past. They were ten beds away, then five, and finally they were level with his. The marching stopped.

  ‘This one,’ said a dull voice.

  ‘Stand up,’ came the command from a harsher, more determined mouth.

  Berrin forced himself off the bed. There were three of them towering over the boy, who was rather small for his age. He didn’t know that he was small. He didn’t even know that he was ten years old.

  ‘You are troublemaker. You hit your supervisor for no reason. Maybe you even one of the saboteurs who make life hard for Great Father,’ the Dfx said, nodding towards the picture on the wall. Then, turning back to Berrin, he pronounced the terrible words. ‘You are Non-Cop B.’

  Around the dormitory, a hundred frightened boys drew breath. Many were Berrin’s friends but they could do nothing to help him. One word of protest and they would share his fate.

  ‘Take him,’ called the leader. Out in the yard, Berrin would have evaded their clumsy hands with ease, but inside his escape was blocked by beds on either side and the wall at his back. The Dfx who had tried to beat the little girl gripped him tightly above the elbow and tugged him, stumbling, from the silent dormitory.

  Berrin had lived in this long, windowless hall for as long as he could remember. As he was dragged through the doorway he knew that this would be his last glimpse of it.

  OUT IN THE EXERCISE yard, Berrin was pushed towards the brick wall. ‘Open the gate,’ the leading Dfx ordered one of his companions.

  A key was turned in the rusty lock and moments later the hinges of the heavy wooden gate complained loudly. ‘Good noise. Dilian will hear and come looking.’

  Berrin didn’t like the sound of that. He could guess what the Dilian was, even if he had never seen it. He began to struggle, but the Dfx were twice his height and five times as strong. They laughed at his panic and he forced himself to stop. Whatever happened, he wouldn’t let them see he was afraid.

  Then, in the distance, he heard it. The deep wailing of a beast on the prowl. Like the other children, he had heard it many times before, but never from this side of the wall. His legs gave way beneath him, forcing the Dfx to carry him the last few metres to a small clearing.

  In the middle, a thin tree trunk seemed to grow out of the bare earth. All the branches were gone and not a single leaf was left on the ground around it. When Berrin was flung down beside it he saw that it was actually a stake hammered into the ground. Dangling from a notch cut high above his head was a length of sturdy rope.

  The blood-chilling roar echoed through the dispirited trees a second time. Berrin couldn’t help but stare towards it into the darkness. He turned back quickly, though, when a Dfx began to tie his hands with the end of the rope. ‘No!’ he shouted, writhing and kicking. But they were too strong for him. One held his arms still while the first finished his knot.

  The Dfx he had slapped in the yard remained behind when his companions hurried towards the gate. ‘You sorry now,’ he said, pushing his sweaty face close to Berrin’s. ‘We close gate, then we listen. Hear bones breaking when Dilian chews you up.’

  He checked that the rope was tight around Berrin’s wrists then walked off, laughing quie
tly. Through the trees the roar started up again, and this time it was definitely closer.

  EVERY DAY OF BERRIN’S life had been much like any other until now. He had rarely known fear, just as he had rarely felt happiness. And like the little girl he had wanted to protect, he suddenly found he was alive through what he felt. All he could feel was the fear of being torn to pieces by the wild beast. If he could only see it as well as hear it, perhaps he wouldn’t be quite so afraid.

  This thought made him laugh at himself. Why did he want to see the terrible thing? The longer it took before he saw it, the longer he would stay alive. There was the roar again, no louder than before — or was the creature playing games with him already?

  He had a little time, it seemed, so he began to work on the knots. No, they were too tight. The Dfx might be stupid in so many ways but they could pull on a rope until the knots became like steel.

  Then, a closer sound. Had the beast become impatient to feast on the prize left here for it? There it was again, movement, this time from the only thick clump of bushes bordering the clearing.

  Suddenly the undergrowth exploded with violent shaking. Berrin backed away as far as the rope would let him. That wasn’t far. He forced himself to look towards the clump of dark bushes, expecting to see a slavering, ravenous creature emerge. He waited, every muscle tensed, every nerve stretched more than he could bear.

  Before he knew it, he let out a terrified cry. Something had bitten him just above the knee. At least, that was what it felt like for a moment. Then the pain was all but gone and he stifled his screams. It was as though … it was as though he had been hit by a stone.

  A new sound reached his ears, a soft whooshing, and instinctively he ducked. A length of dry tree branch narrowly missed his head. What was happening?

  He didn’t have long to consider. The bushes began to shake and boil more furiously than ever. This was it. The beast was coming to get him. He was going to be eaten, maybe even hear his own bones breaking as the monster took its first bites. These would be his last breaths. He tried to be brave, to deny the Dfx their fun, but fear took hold of him and he let out a loud, desperate cry.

  Finally the bushes parted. Here it came …

  Berrin made himself look this terrible death in the face. But to his amazement, he found himself looking at a darkened shape he recognised all too easily. It was a human being.

  TWO

  Escape with a Stranger

  THE DARKENED HUMAN FIGURE came on towards Berrin. Somehow, he had expected the beast sent to eat him alive to be a bit bigger, and a lot more frightening.

  The figure stopped a few metres short of where Berrin strained desperately against the rope.

  ‘Go on, shout a bit more,’ a voice whispered. It was definitely human, the voice of a boy just like him, though taller and a few years older. ‘Come on, scream,’ urged the boy.

  ‘What! No, I’m not going to scream just because you tell me to.’

  The boy gave an exasperated sigh. The stick he had thrown at Berrin earlier lay on the ground. He picked it up and started poking him hard in the ribs. It hurt. ‘I’ll keep doing this until you make enough noise,’ he threatened.

  Berrin cried out in pain and, when the jabbing worsened, he screamed.

  ‘That’s better,’ said the boy, tossing the stick aside. In the moonlight Berrin could see his face now, his thin nose and hollow cheeks and ears sticking out from his head. His clothes were ragged too, especially around the knees, where the material had worn away completely.

  The boy reached up behind his shoulder, and with a deft flick of his arm, he was suddenly holding a short sword in his hand. Berrin grimaced and turned away as the blade was pushed towards him.

  ‘I’m not going to hurt you. Here, hold out your wrists.’

  Berrin held them out in front of him, watching as the sword cut through the rope with ease. The edge must be razor-sharp, he thought.

  As soon as Berrin’s hands were free, the boy took the end of the rope and chopped at it roughly.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘Fraying the rope,’ came the reply. Then the boy spat on the rope and worked the spit into the fibre. ‘Now you,’ he commanded.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Spit, like I did.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘To make it look like an animal has chewed and slobbered on the end of the rope, of course.’

  When they were finished, the boy reached inside his shirt and brought out what looked to be some white sticks. He scattered them on the ground.

  ‘Bones,’ he explained. ‘To make it look like you were eaten.’

  A roar broke through the trees, much closer this time. ‘Ah, it’s coming at last. About time, too.’

  ‘Aren’t we going to run?’ Berrin demanded.

  ‘Not yet. It’s just a Crocodilian. Gets its name from a much smaller animal, not that I’ve ever seen one. Supposed to be pretty dangerous, from what I’ve heard.’

  He didn’t seem very worried. Instead, he led Berrin into the bushes where he had been hiding.

  ‘What are we going to do?’

  ‘Stir it up, of course. Make it roar as though it’s having a great time eating you. ‘When Berrin still looked confused, the boy explained, ‘It’s big but it’s very slow. That’s why they tied you to that stake. It could never catch you otherwise. If the Dfx didn’t feed it, it would starve. They only keep it to frighten the children.’

  ‘How did you know they were going to feed their beast tonight?’

  ‘I didn’t. Just luck that I was passing and saw them drag you out to the killing post.’

  A roar from close by made Berrin jump. There it was, the Crocodilian, long and low to the ground, savage jaws nosing towards the stake.

  ‘Come on,’ said the boy. He emerged quickly from the bushes and began to throw sticks and stones at the beast. It turned slowly, its short legs too small for the massive weight of its body. The stones falling about its eyes brought terrible roars.

  ‘You have to scream as well. Pretend it’s eating you so the Dfx can have their fun.’

  Berrin didn’t hesitate this time. He let out a petrified wail louder than even the Crocodilian could manage.

  ‘Hey, that’s very good,’ said the boy with genuine respect.

  ‘Thank you. Can we go now?’

  ‘Yeah, I suppose we’ve done enough to convince them.’

  He ran off into the trees with Berrin following closely behind, leaving the noisy beast with an empty stomach.

  AT FIRST THE BOY led Berrin through open fields with thick grass beneath their feet. Berrin couldn’t help staring around him, fascinated by his first glimpse of the outside world.

  ‘This was called a park once,’ the boy explained. ‘People came here to play games and lie in the sun. That’s what I’ve been told anyway. Now only the Crocodilian lives here, mostly in that creek over there,’ he said, pointing into the darkness.

  The park ended suddenly, and now buildings lined every street, each one dark and lifeless, as though the bricks and mortar had died along with the people who had once lived inside. They ran at a steady pace, avoiding the wide and empty roads, sticking mostly to the narrow back alleys. Occasionally they passed a dormitory like the one Berrin knew so well. Looking up from the street, he could see pale light spilling from windows and sometimes the hated silhouette of a Dfx against the glass.

  ‘Stay in the shadows,’ his companion warned as they edged around a pool of light and began to run again.

  After twenty minutes — or was it only ten? — they reached the top of a hill. Panting, Berrin stopped to stare at what lay before him beneath the full moon. For as far as he could see in every direction, the buildings continued, many of them surrounded by high walls.

  The boy came to stand at his shoulder. ‘It’s called a city. You’ve lived in it since you were born. There are hundreds of children’s colonies like yours. There are thousands of children just like you, maybe hundreds of thousands.’r />
  The Dfx had taught them about numbers, but these numbers sounded too large for Berrin to imagine. ‘Does it go on forever?’

  ‘No, the city comes to an end. There are open lands beyond it. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.’

  ‘Is that where we’re going?’

  ‘Yes, I am, if I can reach there before they catch me. But not you. Not yet.’

  ‘Who are you? What’s your name?’ Berrin asked.

  ‘I can’t tell you my name. You might be caught by the Gadges so it’s best you don’t know.’

  ‘Gadges?’

  But the nameless boy had moved on and Berrin had to trot quickly to keep up. The boy was more wary now, keeping to the darker side of alleys and the doorways of abandoned buildings. Berrin couldn’t help but notice. ‘Are there more Crocodilians here? I thought they were too slow to catch people.’

  The boy turned on him harshly. ‘Keep your voice down,’ he hissed, then, moving closer so that he was almost whispering in Berrin’s ear, he said, ‘That was just a game back there. That stupid beast was one of Malig Tumora’s early experiments — a failure, like the Dfx.’

  ‘Malig Tumora? Who’s that?’

  ‘You know him as the Great Father. Look, there’s no time to explain now. But I’ll tell you this. He created some beasts much more dangerous than that Crocodilian.’

  ‘You’ve seen them?’

  ‘Seen them! Here, I’ll show you something,’ and as he spoke, he rolled up the right-hand leg of his ragged pants. A livid scar ran from ankle to knee. ‘A Gadge did that,’ he said. ‘You’d better pray you never get as close to one as I did. And don’t let that picture they hang in the dormitories fool you. Malig Tumora is an evil man.’

  Berrin had another question ready. ‘If I’m not coming with you out of the city, where are you taking me?’

  ‘You’ll find out when we get there,’ the boy answered bluntly. ‘If you don’t like the sound of that, you can head back to your dormitory right now.’

  ‘All right, I get the message,’ Berrin answered hotly. The boy was obviously becoming more nervous, but there was no need to be cruel.