Squawk: Beginnings (Book #1)

by Craig Halloran

  Looking back at the compound from time to time, he weaved his way toward the tunnel in the hillside. The walk seemed longer than before, but he made it. By the time he got there, the compound seem so far away—quiet and dim with a few twinkling lights in the windows of the buildings. It almost looked like a nice place to live. He scuttled over to the outside of the tunnel, hunkered behind a bush, and waited. Nothing stirred inside it.

  This is it. He took a breath and went in the tunnel.

  CHAPTER 60

  Squinting, he waded into the dreary darkness of the tunnel. His toe caught a piece of scrap metal, and he kicked it across the pavement. The sound echoed and faded. His vision adjusted to the dimness. The night sky could still be seen at the other end of the tunnel. He didn’t look back. The whiteness of the stars would spoil his vision. That was something he’d learned from his father.

  Hands out at his sides, he felt his way through the obstacles of abandoned machines. The lane on the left was clear, but he shuffled away from it. Slowly, he scurried through remnants of the old world, a forgotten time made of rusting steel. His hand glided over the metal frames. His feet crunched shards of broken glass.

  A drop of sweat stung his eye. The tunnel was filled with stagnant air. A scuffle caught his ear. He stopped. Something moved inside one of the cars. He crept along its side for a look. The window of the car door was partly open. He stuck his head in. Something squirmed in the back seat.

  “Hello?”

  Something let out an angry hiss. Gabe jerked. The back of his head smacked into the door. All of his hairs stood on end. He backed away, heart racing. The creature slipped out of the car. Hissing, it waddled right at him. Gabe knew it. It was the two-headed possum.

  “Oh! I hate you!” He kicked at the varmint. It scurried out of sight. “I hope they put you in the dragon games!” Wincing, he rubbed the back of his head. “You ugly pest!”

  Somebody drove something into his back and said in a hollow, muffled voice, “Don’t move.”

  Gabe froze.

  “Hands up,” the voice said.

  He complied.

  The person poked him with what felt like some type of cane or a staff. “To the end of the tunnel. Move. Not too fast.”

  Gabe did as he was told. He waded into the open lane that led outside of the tunnel and came to a stop. A gentle rain started falling. He turned his head. The stick jabbed hard into his back.

  “Stay still.”

  There was something familiar about those words and the way they were said. Something forgotten.

  “What is your name?” the person asked.

  “Uh, Gabe.”

  “Uh-Gabe is an odd name.”

  “Gabe. Just Gabe.”

  “I see. Why are you here, Gabe?”

  Not knowing whether this was the person he was supposed to meet or not, he said, “I’m not sure.”

  The stick poked him again. “Out with it!”

  “I got a note. It told me to come here tonight.”

  “What did it say?”

  He closed his eyes and concentrated.

  “Out with it,” the voice commanded.

  “Be ready. Meet at the tunnel tonight.”

  The staff cracked him on the top of the head. “No, it said, Be ready. North tunnel outside of the compound. Tonight.”

  “Okay.” He heard the mysterious person walk back a couple of steps. The wind rustled through the trees. The metal of the looming bridge groaned. “What now?”

  The voice changed from the hollowness that came from a breathing mask to something more distinct. Female. The hairs on the nape of his neck rose when she said, “Turn around, Gabel.”

  He pivoted. His heart leapt from his chest. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, wondering if what he saw was real or a ghost or apparition. “Mabel?”

  CHAPTER 61

  His grandmother leaned on Saul’s metal spear. Saul’s goggles were on her head. A breathing apparatus hung over her chest. She wore much of his father’s hunting garb. She extended her hand. “It’s me.”

  He rushed into her arms. Mabel gave him a fierce hug with surprising strength in her limbs.

  Gabe shook and stammered, “I-I thought you were dead!”

  “I’m very much alive.” She rubbed his back. “Come, we have much to talk about before you go back.”

  “I’m not going back. I’m staying with you.”

  “Come on.” She led him into a grove of withering trees near the base of the tunnel hillside and sat down with a moan. “Oh. The only thing bad about sitting down is getting back up again.” She patted the ground. “Sit. Sit.”

  He sat right beside her. It was hard to believe his eyes. It was Mabel from every fiber of her white hair to every wrinkle. She seemed younger, though, by at least a decade, and she moved better than before.

  She picked up a jug that lay among the stones. “Take a drink and listen.”

  He gulped down the water. With his eyes as wide as the moon in the sky, he hung on her every word.

  “First, I want to say I’m proud of you. I didn’t know if you’d make it or not. It was risky. But I know you, Gabe. You are brave. Fearless. I had faith that if you could make it, you would make it. Now, the hard part begins.”

  He was staring right at her lips.

  “What?” she said.

  “I’m just not used to you talking. I didn’t think you could anymore. It seemed like a dream.”

  “True. Let’s start there, then, shall we?” She took the jug and drank. “Ah, I’m going to need this.” She patted his leg. “The old ones—like me. Silent. Fear filled. Over forty years ago, a great war fell over the earth. A nuclear war is what they called it. It set the earth and the skies on fire. Great cities the likes of which you’ve never imagined—filled with millions of people in buildings that reached into the clouds—crumbled to dust in days. Bombs. Missiles. They were weapons of great destruction. The entire world fought for supremacy. The entire world lost. Before that, we had everything at the touch of our fingers.”

  “Like water?”

  Hands on her knees, she rocked back and forth with a smile. “Oh, Gabel, it was water, food, toys, clothing. Things you couldn’t even imagine. And there was ice cream.” Her eyes shone. She licked her lips. “Oh, I miss ice cream. Ice cream, a soft bed, and television. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm. Sometimes I dream about it. Then I wake up and wish I were dead. Chocolate was my favorite. Let me tell you something—if you ever come across any chocolate in this world, steal it. Chocolate will probably get you any woman you want.” She winked at him. “Trust me.”

  Gabe wiped the corners of his mouth. Whatever she was talking about had made him salivate as if he could taste it himself.

  “Let me show you something.” She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a flat, rectangular device. She handed it to him. “You see that? It had a screen full of pictures. You could touch the picture and make things happen. You could order new boots and have them delivered to your room in the cove. I could talk to a person with that same device from here to Newton. I could see their face in it just like me looking at you and have the same conversation. They use the carrier birds now for long messages. Heh-heh. We have a way to get them.” She grinned. “We fool them.”

  He ran his fingers over the smooth glass and polished metal case. What she said was impossible. She’s loony. He handed it back to her. “If you say so.”

  She chuckled. “You know, I don’t really miss it.” She tucked the device away. “The world isn’t as noisy and confusing now.” She gazed up into the stars. The misty rain coated her face. “I have a better appreciation of things. As for the old ones and things like this device, well, that is what the dominion doesn’t want us to tell to the new generations. They want your mind in darkness so they can control things. That’s why the wars were fought. At least that’s what we believe. The likes of the dominion couldn’t hide their lies anymore, thanks to things like these devices. The truth caught up with them. The people rev
olted. So in their demented and divine reasoning, the rulers took it upon themselves to wipe out the world’s vast population. That’s one theory.”

  “What else could it be?”

  “God.”

  “God?”

  “Some believe there is no God. Others believe that God abandoned man. It’s a matter of faith.”

  “What do you believe?”

  “I believe that man abandoned God. The travails of the world are the outcome.” She sighed. “Hence, in man’s wisdom, they decided to reduce the people into something they could manage. How many of us are really left, God only knows. Billions were murdered in a flash of light. People like me still know the truth. But if we speak about it, they quietly kill us.”

  “But the blood law says they can’t kill. Life is too valuable. Those pamphlets I learned to read were about preservation of the people.”

  “Hogwash. They give out all of those pamphlets because they burn all the books. The dominion is a new government, but it’s run by murderers just the same. They take the troublesome old ones to a place where they are left to die. They just don’t call starvation or being devoured by the wild beasts murder. They make the rules. The truth is how they see it. You see, Gabel, knowledge is important, but it’s also dangerous. It’s what got your father killed.”

  He stiffened. “What do you mean?”

  “Adults don’t play well with their children,” Mabel said, touching his face. “We tell you to do something one way, and we go and do it the other. We try to shield you from the truth when you should have been told it all along. Saul, like me, is part of a rebellion.”

  In a hushed voice, he said, “NA.” In the dimness, he could see her eyes brighten. “What is it?”

  “New America. That’s why Saul died. I saw it coming too. That day at the pavilion, I grabbed what I could and fled.” She kissed the side of his head. “I’m sorry you had to see that, Gabe. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay, but if I did, we wouldn’t both be here today.”

  “Dad said something, but she shot him before he finished.”

  “What was it?”

  “‘Let freedom…’ And she shot him.”

  “Let freedom reign. That’s the mantra of the rebellion. You see, Gabe, the only reason the citizens are allowed to exist is so that they can serve the dominion. The citizens receive just enough to keep them satisfied. In the meantime, the dominion lives off the fat of the land. They live quite well in their ivory towers. They use fear and a taste for avarice to keep the citizens under control.”

  “That’s what the Count said. The citizens serve.”

  “She did, huh? She’s only a squirrely witch. She twists the truth with a lie to gain your trust.”

  Scraping his heel in the dirt, he said, “They said Dad was a murderer. He wasn’t a murderer. I was there. Malak is the murderer.”

  “What I’m about to tell you won’t be easy to hear, and you can’t take it the wrong way, so hear me out.” Looking him in the eye, she clasped his hands. “Saul was set up to die. They suspected he was part of the rebellion, but that was only part of the reason. There was a bigger reason. Much bigger—you.”

  CHAPTER 62

  “They wanted to out Saul. But something special happened. You happened. You found that egg and bonded with that dragon. It was what we would call a game changer. A citizen bonded with a dragon. Not the dominion. But you have a special control over your dragon that the gamers of the dominion don’t.” She rubbed her shoulder. “Damn rain always makes my shoulder ache. Anyway, the Count saw an opportunity. You see, there is an old saying in this new world that the dominion fears for some reason. The one who rules the dragons is the one who rules the world.” Fanning herself, she drank. “Boy, I haven’t spoken so much in quite a while.”

  “The one who rules the dragons is the one who rules the world?”

  “The dragons are an anomaly. Like many things, they weren’t part of the old world and are a part of the new world now. There were plenty of things that the mighty powers that caused the fallout couldn’t have predicted. Mutations and such. The dragons are one of them, and for some reason, based on what we know, the dominion fears them.”

  “Squawk is a little dragon.”

  “Size isn’t everything. Everything big comes from something small.” Her tone became more serious. “Gabe, they killed your father so that they could have control of you. You see, it’s all a lie. Every word the Count says is deceit. She killed Saul so that she could control you. If she controls you, she controls the dragon. All that matters to her and the dominion is power. Saul was a sacrifice.”

  “You mean if I hadn’t found Squawk, Dad would still be alive?” His head sank into his hands. “It’s my fault for sneaking out that night.”

  “Disobedience can be deadly. It can also be destiny when we learn from our mistakes.”

  “I feel so bad.” He sobbed. “I don’t want to go back. Please, let me stay with you!”

  “No, they’ll find us.”

  Sniffling, he said, “But they haven’t found you.”

  “That’s because they think I’m dead. Sage had a hand in that. He was a friend. The Count found him out and killed him too.”

  Gabe sat up. “Who else is on your side?”

  “I can’t tell you that. It’s too dangerous. You just have to trust me.”

  Picking his lip, Gabe tried to process all of the overwhelming information. He couldn’t fathom his part in any of what Mabel was saying. But something stirred inside him. Anger began to build. “I miss Squawk, but you’re all I have left. I don’t want to leave you.”

  “No, I’m not all you have left. There is more to our family in the beyond. Your mother, Grace, is out there in the beyond. You have brothers and sisters too. The dominion separated all of us when we were assigned a city.”

  “I have a mother?”

  “Almost as beautiful as me.” She cackled. “I’m the mother-in-law, so to speak. She’s always been kind of mad at me since Saul named you after me. She never would call you Gabel, though. That’s why Gabe stuck. I don’t know where to find them. I only know where to start.”

  “Where?”

  Mabel threw her hands out. “The beyond. You aren’t ready for that yet, but you will be. Gabe, I need you to do something. It’s the main reason I brought you here.”

  “What is it?”

  “I need you to steal Squawk and bring him here.”

  His heart skipped. “I can’t do that.”

  “If you do, the dragon will be yours forever.” She stood. From a standing position, spear in hand, covered in Saul’s gear, she seemed to tower over him like a dragon hunter. “Will you do this?”

  Her image inspired him. He stood. “Yes.”

  “Good.” She touched his cheek and rubbed it with her thumb. Her eyes watered. “You’re the image of your father. I miss him. It hurts me to send you. There will be more dragon games. That will be the moment. Be ready. Life changes fast. Soon you will have your freedom.”

  “Who will help me?”

  “I can’t tell you that. It will probably come when you least expect it. Don’t hesitate.” She filled him in on a few more details of what to expect. “Always be ready.”

  CHAPTER 63

  The rain poured. Water rushed through the pipe that led back into the compound. Gabe pushed through, spitting out the foul water that flooded the washout. He squeezed through the metal bars, tearing his shirt as he did so. “Perfect.”

  He crawled out of the washout and into the sloppy alleys between the shanties. The drenching rain was a good thing. No one would be looking for him. The guards would seek shelter. It made for the perfect cover. Taking no chances, he peeked around the corners and through the streets on his way back to the compound. There was too much at stake. If he got caught, all would be lost.

  Pressing himself against the wall of the building that led into Sage’s cove, he waited. The rain pitter-pattered on the metal stairs on the outside of the building. He took t
he steps two at a time all the way to the roof then looked over the edge to make sure that he was alone.

  Coast is clear. Gabe had a twofold problem: his clothes were soaking wet, and so was he. He couldn’t get back into the cove without leaving a trail of water behind him. That would be suspicious. He waited. The stormy clouds hid the moon, blanketing the sky in dark rain that was barely visible. The foul weather didn’t let up, either. Thunder rumbled in the sky. The booms shook the building.

  Gabe’s hopes fled. The guard stationed with him would certainly wake up.

  He’s probably looking for me already. I’m dead.

  Getting pounded by the rain, he chewed on his nails. Peering over the rim of the building, he spied the empty streets. Someone moved below. It wasn’t a guard. He was sure of it. The body was too small. The person shuffled from trash bin to trash bin that sat on the porches. Lightning flashed. The figure looked up. The bright light and thunder came again.

  Jack! The poor boy was in need of something. He hit the bins, removed some items, and moved on. It gave Gabe an idea.

  It’s worth a try. On the roof were clotheslines, all of them empty. Only the wooden clothespins still hung on the wire. He stripped down and hung up his pants and shirt but kept his belt and boots. It would be too hard to explain soaking-wet clothes if someone found them. The belts and boots would shed water quicker.

  Don’t forget to get them later. He hustled back to his building, opened up the hall window, and squeezed through. Dripping wet, he slunk down the corridor to Sage’s cove and put his ear to the door. He heard nothing. He turned the knob and looked inside. The guard’s feet stuck out over the end of the couch.

  Gabe eased inside, quiet as a slithering snake, and grabbed a towel from one of the hutches. The guard snored. Whew!

  He toweled off his face, slunk back into the hall, and wiped up his watery trail. Back inside the cove, he closed the door, secured it, and tiptoed back into his room. He dried off his boots and belt, slipped on a pair of shorts, and crawled beneath the sheets, grinning from ear to ear. I did it! I did it!