by Harper North
“What’s going on?” the man I just picked up asks.
Narrowing my eyes, I peer forward, ignoring the man’s question. Bricks yanks Yasay up by his shirt while Jase points his gun at him.
“Stop!” I yell, charging toward them.
I’m brought to a halt as the tunnel ends, nothing ahead of us but a black wall of dirt and rock.
A deep rattle shakes the corridor from behind me, forcing me to turn. Lacy and Elias charge past me, weapons drawn. I try to grab hold of Elias’ arm, but he shakes me off.
“Lacy, don’t!” I scream.
She steadies her gun, grumbling, “This is really messed up.”
“We need him!” I shout. Even though I’d like to be the one who puts a bullet in Yasay’s head right about now, we don’t know what’s going on. “Be calm.”
She ignores me and holds her gun high, following in Elias’ footsteps. They’re only feet away from reaching the front when a hot, white light flashes at the end of the tunnel. There’s no time to take cover.
Boom!
The tunnel walls shake, dirt collapsing all around us, burying some of the Dwellers near the front. Screams echo and a dull vibration pulses in my ears. I clutch my head.
A hand reaches out of the dust to grasp my arm. “What’s happened?” a woman cries. Or, at least I think she does. I can only read the movement of her lips.
“Someone must have thrown a seismic charge,” I shout, but my voice sounds very far away.
The group pulls back, knocking me to my knees, their weight crushing me. Hand over hand, I manage to pull myself to the side of the tunnel, gasping for breath. Thick, suffocating dust fills the air. Tears stream from my eyes. I cough and shield my head from the falling debris as more Dwellers scream and cry for help.
I have to stand.
I ease myself back up the wall, straining to get a view. I watch in horror as Yasay tears apart his cuffs as if they were made of paper and tosses them to the ground. He darts ahead.
He’s been modified.
The room spins. Again, I clutch my head, trying to make it stop. Through the group of huddled Dwellers, a blur moves swiftly to the front. A long-haired man I’ve never seen sweeps past. In his hand, he carries a mod-kit. Its sleek design is easy to recognize. I clutch at my sides, feeling for the kit, and coming up empty.
Rage boils up inside me. He must have picked my pocket before we left, but how did they have time to use it? Yasay must’ve been playing us since we left, waiting for his opportunity. This thief had to of been hanging back with my device, waiting too. And how did it work on Yasay when it didn’t work on any of the other adult Dwellers?
Uncertainty swirls in my mind, clenching my teeth tight. This guy must be a Dweller, and a hell of a pickpocket. Traitor. I should’ve watched the device better. I have to get to him, but with each step, my legs wobble. My lack of balance forces me against the wall, and I cling to it, sucking in a deep breath of filthy air. A Drape-sized figure lunges out of the dust cloud to crumple at my feet, one bloody arm dangling at his side. He turns his dust-caked face up to me, and I feel terrible for it, but relief floods my heart.
Not Drape. It’s not Drape.
I touch his shoulder, mumble empty words of comfort, and then I’m around him, running into the dust. There’s no time to tend to the victims. I need to find Yasay. I can’t let him get away.
As the dust settles, I make out a small outline in the wall. They disappeared into a side chamber. I twist my hands together and turn back. There’s so much destruction around me. One man carries a limp body, blood trickling down the arms of the lifeless form. Several people cry out to each other. Blood pools on the tunnel floor. Confusion and chaos radiates from the survivors as they frantically search for answers.
“Drape? Elias?” I call out. “Lacy? Sky? Where are you?”
I strain my eyes looking for them, but my friends—my family—they don’t answer. None of them. Strangers’ shrieks echo through the tunnel.
I must get to Yasay. He has to pay.
I force my feet toward the opening in the tunnel wall, but two steps later, another flash blasts before my eyes. Thrust back several feet, I regain my balance and shrink down, screaming in anger.
The walls of the tunnel shake as I cover my head. Dirt and rock cascades down all around me, pelting my back. Then, everything turns black.
CHAPTER 4
A deep exhale, then a painful cough forces me to sit up. My head aches and the thick air attempts to suffocate me.
I slowly stand and brush the dirt off my body. Somewhere ahead, cries come from the dark, then more from behind. The walls of the cave shake, knocking me slightly off balance. An occasional flicker from the last few remaining lanterns light the space. Three Dwellers rush past me, hurrying back down the tunnel. Around me lie the wounded and dead. My stomach twists at the sight of blood and dangling limbs.
I turn toward the front, where I last saw Elias, and try to make my way there, wiping away stinging tears. A few steps ahead, beneath exposed electrical wires, kneels Drape. Sparks fly off to his side, lighting the air for a split second. There’s still traces of power running through these long-forgotten tunnels. He holds his head and rocks back and forth. Beside him, Lacy tugs at his arm, pulling him to safety.
“Lacy,” I call.
Her eyes lock onto mine and, in a flash, she’s at my side. “I knew something like this would happen!”
My chest tightens. “We didn’t have a choice. You know that. Now get everyone together.”
Drape comes closer, eyes watery. A cut on the side of his head catches the dust on his skin as blood seeps down his cheek. “So many hurt,” he mutters. To his left lays the freckle-faced girl, her hair coated in dirt.
“You shouldn’t have trusted Yasay,” Lacy spits out at me. “I’ve nearly died twice now because of him.”
“I never trusted Yasay. I calculated all our options, and the best odds always came back to him. There’s no sense in blaming anyone.” I look around us. “But now we have to get everyone out of here.”
Drape pats Lacy’s shoulder. His touch seems to trigger something in her. Lacy’s chin trembles, the anger on her face crumbling. Her arms fall to her side, limp, and she breaks down into sobs.
Lacy’s change in demeanor takes me back. She’s been so affected by the modification, so aggressive, I’d almost forgotten that this is all still new for her, too. And it is overwhelming. Life is no longer familiar like it was before. It sucked, but it was what we knew.
“It’s okay.” I try to sound calm, soothing, but inside I’m coming unglued, too. “You’re right. I messed up. But right now, I need your help.”
Drape nods. “What do you want us to do?”
“Help the others.”
“What about the dead?” Lacy asks, her voice breaking.
My heart sinks at the words. If we take them back, we risk everything.
“Leave them,” I whisper. “For now. We’ll send others for them later.”
Drape runs his hands through his hair as he turns to the people crying for help. Overwhelming shock washes over his face.
I take his shoulder and turn him to face me. “We have to keep going. Those who don’t want to continue should take the wounded back to the operations area.”
Drape’s lips tremble. “What?”
“The resistance isn’t going to stop,” I reason. “We’ll find another way up.”
Lacy wipes her eyes and squares her jaw. “Good.”
“We’ll need your strength,” I tell her. I only hope she can balance that strength with the person I know she truly is.
Lacy turns to help a man propped up against the cave wall. Drape disappears further into the back of the tunnel. I step over the body of someone buried beneath rubble. Only their hand juts out. The dust-filled air coats the inside of my nose and mouth when I try to breathe. I pass two more bodies and climb over a mound of dirt and debris, spotting Elias up ahead when the cave walls shudder.
Crack!
Another ceiling beam crashes to the ground, a giant black hole opening above me.
“Give me your hand!” Elias shouts.
I reach out and he helps me past the beam. On the other side, Jase sits on his heels, his weathered face streaked with dirt. His graying hair’s so full of dust it looks nearly white. When he sees me, he rocks back onto his feet. His dark eyes narrow, then shift to the body before him on the ground.
A knot forms in my stomach.
Bricks.
“He’s dead,” Jase mutters. “Was that part of your plan?”
I bend over Bricks’ crumpled body, blank eyes staring unseeingly at the ceiling. I cover my mouth and turn away.
Jase scoffs. “Where were you a week ago?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ll tell you,” he snaps, venom lacing his words. “A week ago, you were a miner down here. No training, no real experience, and now, just because you lucked into Noble class, you think you know what it takes to beat the EHC.”
His words hit me in the gut. “The Dwellers need a leader. We can’t stay underground forever. This is our chance.”
“A leader?” He laughs and glances at Bricks. “Some leader, letting Yasay lead us out here.” He looks back at me. “How old are you? Eighteen? Nineteen?”
“Seventeen,” I mutter.
His eyes widen. “This wasn’t a resistance, it was a death march.”
“Don’t say that!” I shoot back. “We have something those Leeches don’t. Desperation. All of us have the same right to live on the surface as you do.”
He sighs and surveys the wreckage. “Whatever. This is still on you.”
I push back tears. “How was I supposed to know one of our own people would betray us?”
Elias glares at me.
Jase clenches his jaw. “What are you talking about?”
I ease myself back against the cave wall. My head still feels light. “That first explosion… There was a guy that helped Yasay. I remember him now. I’m pretty sure he’s one of the people we modified. I think he set off that charge.”
“A Dweller?” Jase asks, sounding incredulous.
Elias lowers his voice. “A traitor.”
I nod. “And that’s not the worst of it. Yasay was modified, too.”
“Modified?” Elias’ brows draw together. “How?”
I swallow again and push myself away from the wall. “I brought the kit with me, okay? I thought it would be safer with us than stashed in the operations center.”
Elias throws his hands up, muttering out, “Unbelievable,” and walks away.
Jase turns and punches the wall, sending another layer of dust sifting down on our heads.
“Stop fighting,” a voice says behind us. “There are enough dead people already.”
I turn to find Sky climbing over a pile of rubble. His blond hair is caked with dirt, and a scratch lines his cheek.
“Sky!” I rush to help him over the mound.
“We can’t stay here,” he says. “The walls have been compromised from the blasts. There could be a cave-in any second.”
I nod, refocusing, scanning the tunnel. I’ve been so wrapped up in other things I didn’t even notice that most of the supports had been destroyed. “Let’s get everyone together and move back.”
“Where are we going?” Elias asks.
“We need to find a new way up,” I say. “Maybe there’s another way.”
Jase growls and shakes his head, shoving past me to follow Sky.
I grab his upper arm before he gets too far and look him in the eye. “We’re going to need your help.”
Elias lingers by my side. “What’s our plan?”
“Ask Jase.”
Jase scowls back at us. “Heading back to the mining operations would mean our defeat. The Leeches will be swarming the place by now. We need to see if there’s still a viable way out of these tunnels.”
“It’s our only option,” I say, standing as tall as I can. “We need to keep going. We owe it to those who’ve died.”
Elias nods. “Let’s do this.”
“Let’s get everyone settled and move out in five,” Jase insists.
Elias turns to me, brow wrinkling in a frown. “How did Yasay get modified? He’s old. The modifications only work on the young.”
I shrug and shake my head.
“It’s possible to manipulate the kits,” Jase says. “The kit was originally for him, right?”
“Yeah,” I say. “His name was on the crate.”
“It must have had the option to calibrate to his genes then,” Jase reasons.
I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of that. It feels like a lifetime ago since I got the mod kit.
Further down the tunnel, Lacy and Drape have the able-bodied already moving away from the blast zone. The cave walls shake again, and everyone hurries around the corner and away from the damage. Another crash reverberates through the air behind us, and a plume of dust kicks up, rolling in our direction. I breathe a sigh of relief.
“What’s this?” Elias asks, pointing to the wall.
I step closer, examining the surface, fingertips tracing the jutting, rippled outline. “I don’t know. Maybe Sky would.” I call ahead to him and wave him back to us.
“We’ve checked for survivors,” Sky says before I have a chance to ask him about the wall. “Everyone who hasn’t already fled back to the operation’s center is waiting on you to give the next order.”
My chest tightens. “How many want to stay? Who’s coming with us?”
Sky shakes the dust from his hair. “There’s Oliver and Knuckles and seven or eight others. We’ve lost more than half to the blast or to fear.”
“Okay,” I say. “We’re heading out in a few minutes. We’re not done here, no matter how many we have.”
Sky nods, eyes moving past me and stopping when they get to the cave wall. “What are those?”
Elias runs his hand over the trails of brittle lines that stick out from the smoother surface. “We were going to ask you.”
Sliding his hand along the wall, Sky whispers, “Lava.” He steps back. “But, it’s cooled… which means there has to be a dormant lava chamber nearby.”
“What if we follow the trails?” I say, already moving down the tunnel. Elias and Sky follow as I pound against the wall with my fist. “The dirt is solid here.”
I rush ahead and hit the wall again. Elias and Sky do the same. Soon, we’re walking and hitting the wall every few feet until my fist makes an indent in the dirt. I push it through, the wall crumbling away beneath my hands. Elias and Sky kick the wall, sending dirt cascading to the ground.
It’s not long before we’ve made a small opening. The remaining Dwellers join in, pounding at the wall with their fists. I laugh, glad to see they still have some fight left in them. Within minutes, the wall’s been broken down and the rest of the group follows us through into the chamber.
I take a moment to survey my surroundings, retrieving and clicking on the flashlight I keep stashed in my belt. The walls are grey and have the same lava trail marks we saw in the tunnel. The air is dry. I walk a few steps, finding myself climbing upward.
“This could be an exit,” Sky calls back from ahead of me.
Elias nods. “There’s a good chance this chamber will lead to a surface vent.”
“Good,” I say, handing him my light. “But we should move ahead carefully.”
I turn back to face the Dwellers. With the light at their backs, filtering through the unsettled dust in the tunnel behind them, they’re hardly more than shadows. I clear my throat and look to Jase for input.
He leans into me and says, “We have to go first. Tell them if we don’t come back in a few hours, they need to go deep into the Slack and hide with the others.”
I pause for a beat before stepping forward, positioning myself in front of the opening. Leading people is still difficult for me, but most of them are my people. My
Dwellers. But in the low light, their faces are filled with doubt and uncertainty.
“I knew there would be dangers,” I say to the remaining few. “But I can’t ask you to follow until we know it’s safe.”
Knuckles steps forward. “Oliver and I will watch their backs.”
I nod and turn back to face Elias and Jase. I won’t make another mistake that will cost the Dwellers more lives.
“The leadership will scout out the path first. If it’s safe, then everyone can follow.”
CHAPTER 5
I push a lighting spike from my pack into the brittle wall to guide the way for the other Dwellers, sending a small crumble of debris to the ground. I calculate the optimal lighting dispersal will be no greater than one spike every fifteen feet.
Up ahead, Jase and Elias move uphill quickly, quiet and determined, heading further into the darkened chamber.
“Every ten feet or so,” I say to Sky, who helps with the spikes. I hand him another one. “That should give everyone else enough light to see their way uphill.”
“Got it.” Sky eases a spike carefully into the wall, eyes flicking up to the ceiling. “All we need is another cave-in.”
I shove in another light. “Don’t think about it,” I say, but my glance shifts to the spiraling crack that weaves its way up the wall to the cave’s ceiling. I instinctively duck a bit as I make sure the spike’s anchored, but nothing falls.
“Let’s get a move on!” Elias shouts back at us.
I sprint to catch up. Sky does the same. My lungs burn, and already the heat and radiation of the surface is bearing down on my body. The spikes rattle together as my bag bounces against my back. The climb isn’t as steep as before, but still it’s hard for me to catch my breath.
“How much farther do you think?” I ask, coming to Jase’s side.
“Not much,” he says, scanning the walls. “The trails are thicker here. We must be getting closer to the vent where the lava poured out.”
