Olivia's Escape

by Cindy Matthews

  Caveman took her arm and drew her back. "When it goes, we might get hit by debris."

  A shriek of tortured metal and a violent bang announced the destruction of the shaft. Pieces of iron flew past the windows. One smashed the glass pane mere feet from where she'd stood. A rapid clattering sound and a rising cloud of dust told Olivia the devastation hadn't ended.

  As the locomotive gathered speed, she stepped to the rear windows and peered back at the building. Still attached to the engine inside the building the stump of the shaft flailed the ground violently, sending up dust, gravel, and fragments of metal and rock. It looked like a giant going berserk with a stick the size of an oak. A staccato rattle of debris against the passenger car made her pulse race with fear for her companions' safety, but within moments the car passed the building and the danger passed.

  "That'll attract attention." Hernando had stepped beside her unnoticed during the commotion. He slipped an arm about her waist. Olivia relaxed against him. It felt natural.

  Caveman laughed. "Don't worry! By the time they figure out something's happened in this remote corner of the planet, we'll be halfway there."

  A quarter of the engine tender's upper floor consisted of accommodation for its crew. Olivia discovered the locomotive normally carried a crew of six, the three pairs taking the equivalent of a ten-hour shift each. Three sets of double bunks lined one wall, the rest of the space being given over to a small lounge, a galley area, and a washroom. Windows like ships' portholes dotted the walls on either side with two positioned to look behind. Unlike the other places she'd seen since coming to the world, honest-to-goodness electric lights lit the room.

  Ten miles out from the farm, Caveman went back to check all was well with the passengers. When he returned to the engine he looked thoughtful. "It seems the two Overseers have disappeared," he announced.

  Hernando furrowed his brow. "What? We cuffed and chained them up. How did they escape?"

  Caveman tilted his head and shrugged. "I didn't say they escaped, lad. They've disappeared—they're no longer aboard."

  Goose-bumps rose on Olivia's skin. "We haven't stopped anywhere yet," she reminded him. "Do you mean someone threw them overboard?"

  "Possibly." Caveman scratched his beard. "There's a funny atmosphere back there. They know what happened to them, but no one's talking."

  "That's... that's cruel," Olivia managed to say after a moment.

  "Ruthless, certainly." Caveman frowned. "I'll find out what happened eventually, but for now, let's settle down and get some rest. We've all been busy." He pointed to the bunks. "You two can choose a bunk each. Make yourselves comfortable."

  Olivia headed to the washroom to splash away the dust and grime caused by today's exertions. After her brief bath, she wandered toward the front to gaze out the windows. Powerful headlights pierced the perpetual darkness ahead of the engine, the rails gleaming silver all the way to the horizon. The train formed a small warm nucleus of humanity, speeding through the night. She shivered at the thought of the cold and impersonal desert beyond the metal walls and the cold heartedness of some of her fellow Resistance fighters who dwelled within them.

  She made her way back to the crew quarters. Hernando had beaten her there. He lay beneath a blanket in a bottom bunk with one arm across his eyes to block out the harsh electric light. Olivia looked down at him. "Are you okay?"

  "Tired, is all." He moved his arm and peered up at her. "You're turning in?"

  She nodded. "I'm tired. Scared, too."

  He blinked. "Are you?"

  Olivia gestured to the walls around them. "I keep thinking of where we're going and what we have to go through to reach it. The thought of running into the Pure Bloods again scares me."

  Without a word he pulled back the blanket and moved over to the wall side of the bunk. She hesitated then accepted his unspoken invitation, climbing into the bunk beside him. The bed felt deliciously warm from Hernando's body heat.

  "I'm an only child." Olivia turned to her side, facing away so he couldn't see the blush growing on her cheeks. "I haven't shared a bed with anyone since a sleep-over when I was twelve. I've never shared a bed with a boy."

  "Does it worry you?" His baritone sent shivers up her spine. She sensed he felt nervous, too. "Olivia?"

  She cleared her throat and rolled over to her back. "Yes, Hernando?"

  "I want to tell you that you can trust me not to...not to try anything."

  "I know." She chuckled. "I have to remain special to tempt those nasty Pure Bloods, don't I?"

  "It's not just that. I... I love you, Olivia. I won't try to do anything you don't want me to. I respect you."

  His words filled her heart with a warm glow. She relaxed for the first time in hours. "I love you, too, Hernando. I trust you, too."

  He drew the blanket over them both then reached up to turn off the light above the bunk. As his arms slipped around her, she turned toward him and their lips met. "I love you," she repeated, as drowsiness crept over her. "Good night."

  "Good night, my love."

  For the next few hours they slept and forgot their troubles.

  They reached the mine after what felt like an Earth day to Olivia. The train slowed to a walking pace, and Hemi and Sidi ran ahead to change the switch. The train eased into a loop within the mine complex and groaned to a halt. Nina activated a searchlight situated on the side of the engine, turning the light remotely by means of a small brass wheel inside the cab. The bright beam swept the area. Satisfied the area was abandoned, they disembarked.

  Olivia scanned the ruined buildings stretching a good mile along the length of the track. Sand had blown across the area, leaving many structures partially buried, their functions only guessed-at. Twisted tracks ran from a network of ore bunkers and up the slope of a rocky hill to disappear into a yawning cave mouth. Hernando stood beside her, his closeness a palpable pressure on her skin. It was like they were touching even when they weren't touching. Since spending the night in each other's arms, he'd seldom moved far from her.

  Olivia reached out and squeezed his hand. "We're here."

  "So I see." His crooked grin held a note of anxiousness about it. "It gets harder from this point on."

  "We'll make it."

  Hernando glanced over to where Caveman stood on the platform, conferring with the train crew. He lowered his voice. "We'll make it only if Caveman remembers the way."

  Caveman turned and glared at him. "Don't sweat it, kid. I remember it perfectly."

  Hernando blinked and stood taller. "That's good to know."

  Olivia hid a smile at his discomfort. A flustered Hernando was kind of cute. Caveman must have ears like a bat. He really has been hanging out in the caves.

  A short while later, Cavemen headed out with a party to scout the area. Olivia and Hernando watched as they prowled through the ruins, sweeping through the mine yard toward the cave mouth. They entered the cave and disappeared for a few heart-stopping moments. To her relief, she saw Caveman signal the go-ahead toward the train.

  She squeezed Hernando's hand again. "I guess we're good to go." She waved as the engine began to pull away. "Good luck, everyone!"

  The train slowly rolled back toward the mainline toward BloodDark City. It carried Byron and the Resistance members from the Alphan plantation. There they would leave the train on the outskirts, ready to instigate rebellion with the city servants when the signal was given by Olivia's party entering the city from the caves.

  She watched the train roll away with mixed feelings. It bore with it the only degree of comfort and protection she'd experienced for many days. Her time on the farm had been cut short. She had wanted to spend more time with Valori.

  "Go on now, child," Valori had chided her. "I'd be no use of you in a street brawl. It's best I stay here on the farm for now until things are settled in the city."

  "You'd be of tremendous help," Olivia had tried to convince her friend. "Many are coming with us to help take the Portal and BloodDark City.
Are you sure you want to stay?"

  A far-off look entered the gray-haired woman's dark eyes. "Yes, I wish to stay here on BloodDark, my dear. I know you and the other humans desire to go home, but this is my home. I am part Pure Blood. The eternal darkness of the city is bred into me. Although the constant light troubles my eyes, I'm getting used to the farm. While I no longer wish to serve the Pure Bloods as a slave, I don't want to totally abandon my people and leave them behind without the benefit of my experience as you wouldn't want to abandon yours."

  "You could still come with us to the city." A strange sensation had come over Olivia at that moment. Can Valori see into the future? What does she know about my future that she's not saying?

  Valori pulled Olivia into her arms and patted her back. "Go now, and find your own place in the cosmos, child. I have found mine."

  Olivia had sniffed back tears as she waved good-bye to her dear friend and the others who chose to stay behind on the farm. Perhaps they had found their place and felt content to leave the fighting to others. She knew she had found contentment with Hernando at her side.

  Will I be able to leave him once we've taken the Portal and I can return home?

  "It must've been quite a fight."

  Hernando's voice brought Olivia back to the present.

  "A fight?"

  "Yes, here at the mine. The slave revolt totally destroyed the mine's opening it seems."

  She nodded and took in the chaotic scene in front of them. Twisted beams of steel and shards of metal, glass and other heavy materials lay strewn haphazardly about the area. Had a giant lost his temper and broken all his toys?

  "Yeah, it really did. It doesn't look like the Pure Bloods ever came back to clean up, either."

  Caveman chuckled. "Yeah, it was quite a fight. A guy from Earth started it and the Overseers didn't know what hit 'em. We scared the pants off the lot of them. From what I heard later, the Mungenast came back and finished the job after we'd all left."

  Olivia turned and looked at Caveman. "What happened to the guy from Earth?"

  He scratched his jaw. "I heard he escaped and hooked up with a band of smugglers. His name was George, or Greg, or something." He shrugged. "Whatever, it's of no importance right now. C'mon, we've got work to do."

  They carefully picked their way across the debris field and headed toward the cave entrance. It appeared to be a natural cavern that had been worked by human hands for some time, allowing miners to reach deeper deposits of mineral ore. A slope ran down into the bowels of the hill, the rusting lines of ore cart tracks showing the way. Following the slope, they passed occasional piles of bones and even whole humanoid skeletons, some of them large enough to have belonged to Overseers. Olivia shuddered at the sight and clung tighter to Hernando's hand.

  Most of the party carried lanterns. Caveman ordered all but a few extinguished. "We'll be in the tunnels some time. We need to conserve oil," he explained.

  Olivia was allowed to carry a lit lantern. She wondered if Caveman had sensed her rising sense of dread. Whatever the reason, she found comfort in the warm yellow light as they walked deeper into the unknown.

  Chapter Eleven

  Caveman's memory of the caves proved remarkable. Olivia followed his lead, scrambling over rock piles and squeezing through small gaps, happy that Annara had lent her leather clothing to protect her skin from the sharp edges. The brown leather chaps, gloves, and very flattering fitted jacket even matched her leather cross-shoulder carrier bag full of climbing rope, tools, and provisions. She wouldn't have looked out of place at a steampunk gathering. Who knew cool fashion could be so practical?

  Olivia realized she was acting vain and somewhat silly musing about her outfit, but it helped her not to think of the crushing weight of the mountains above her. Some people are born spelunkers. I'm not one of them.

  They traveled through dark passages for endless hours before Caveman gave the signal to halt and make camp. The cavern he decided upon had room enough for all. He tossed his bedroll down on the time-worn floor and stretched to the point his joints cracked.

  "Eat and get some sleep, people," he told them. "We'll move out again in a few hours."

  Olivia and Hernando ate some of their provisions and then unrolled their bedding. Olivia curled up in the crook of Hernando's arm, her head against his chest. The regular beat of his heart comforted her.

  Hours passed. Olivia tossed and turned, nightmares waking her in spite of her exhaustion. Memories of her last time in the city haunted her. I wish I had more of that scent-masker. Valori's concoction had saved her from the Pure Bloods, but was her scent invisible to them now? Or would she awaken their blood thirst within seconds of crossing one of their paths?

  Olivia rose from their sleeping nest, careful not to disturb Hernando. She grabbed a glow stick made from a cave moss possessing a natural phosphorescence and strolled into a large adjoining cavern. She didn't feel entirely surprised when Hernando met her there a few minutes later.

  "I can't sleep," he admitted. "You, too?"

  Olivia nodded. "I think my big mouth and great ideas have gotten us into trouble. What are we going to do when those bloodsuckers smell me again?"

  "They won't. We're approaching the city through a crypt. The dead can't smell anything."

  "The dearly departed's family members sure can!"

  Hernando pulled her into his arms and hugged her until the shudders passed. "I wish Valori could have made more scent-masker for you on the farm, but Caveman is right. We had to leave when we did since the suns are moving into optimum position. We didn't have time to scrounge for ingredients."

  Olivia snuggled closer, savoring his warmth and comfort. "Can Pablo's group go back and get Valori? It's sort of part of the plan—the twofold attack. Valori could meet us there and make some more magic potion before we're found out, right?"

  "You're forgetting group two is approaching from outside the walls, and we'll be entering from inside them. By the time we meet up, the Pure Bloods are definitely going to know you're in the city."

  "Rats. I knew you'd say something like that." She sighed and pressed her cheek closer to his heartbeat as he stroked her hair.

  "I hope you'll still talk to me after this is all over," he said, sighing.

  She raised her head and narrowed her eyes. "Why wouldn't I talk to you?"

  "Because I'm placing you in danger, that's why." His muscles tensed and he pulled back, not meeting her gaze. "You're bait for the trap. The thought of how they'll go insane at the scent of you makes me... makes me..."

  She grinned. "A bit jealous?"

  He laughed and the fear dispelled. "More than a bit jealous—very jealous. I don't want anyone sniffing after you."

  "I'm yours alone to sniff, is that it?" Olivia chuckled.

  "Exactly."

  Hernando lowered his head and kissed her lips with a tenderness that made all the hardships of the day fade away. She melted against him and forgot where she was and how much danger they faced. Labeled a nerd at school, no boy had ever looked twice at her before. Olivia pretended she didn't care or have time for that sort of thing, but here she was in Hernando's arms. Who would have thought she could attract such a brave and handsome guy? A boy who expressed jealousy at the idea of others finding her attractive, even if it was to snack on her blood... Was this true love?

  Find your own place in the cosmos, Valori had said. What was her place in the cosmos? Did it include Hernando?

  Mom, Dad, I promise I'll make it up to you when I get home...

  The thought of her parents broke the romantic spell. Olivia knew she should concentrate on returning to her family. After all, Hernando could be manipulating her, trying to get on her good side so she'd cooperate with the Resistance. Perhaps he thought she was using him to get to the Portal and return to Earth without helping them throw over their oppressors as she'd promised.

  Suddenly Olivia felt cold and uncertain of both their motives. She broke off the kiss and stepped away from his
arms.

  "I... I think we should get some rest while we can. Separately. Tomorrow is a busy day." She averted her eyes, not daring to look at him as she backed away. "Good night."

  "Good night."

  He sounded hurt. Olivia blinked back tears. Ollie girl, you may have ruined your first chance of going steady.

  *****

  "A lot of people think I'm mad, but I tell you this is the safest way to enter the city."

  Charlie the Caveman unwound the rope and looped a part around each of his team's belts. It had taken a whole day and another period of sleep since Olivia had first suffered doubts about Hernando's—and her own—motives to get to this part of the caverns. In truth, dwelling on the problem of their relationship and its future had kept her from thinking too much about the fathomless chasms and perpetual shadows lurking outside the weak light of their lanterns.

  Olivia took her usual place in line behind Annara. Hernando stood seven people ahead of her, just behind Caveman in the lead. Hernando had mumbled hello to her as the group gathered and ate a quick breakfast, but it was all he said to her for the remainder of their spelunking orientation.

  Had she hurt his feelings? Would he ever speak to her again? She took a deep breath and forced her nerves to settle. Now wasn't the time to dissect her heartache. They had important work to do.

  "Everyone tied on?" Caveman looked up and down the line as they all nodded in turn. "Good. Let's head out."

  Caveman set a brisk pace as they headed deeper into the caverns. Annara walked beside Olivia where it was practical. The other girl seemed to sense that something was amiss between her and Hernando and tried to distract her.

  "The Resistance fighters have lived in caves for many years," Annara said. "Most humans born and raised on BloodDark know the stories and songs about the caverns beneath the surface. They've been a part of our culture since anyone can remember. Really, there's nothing to worry about as long as you take care."