Down and Out: A Young Adult Dystopian Adventure (The Undercity Series Book 1) (7 page)

Strange little cases with bizarre pictures all over them filled the rows of bins. It was music, at least, that’s what the signs said, but how did one listen to the stuff? He picked one case up and shook it.  The contents rattled, so he peeled off the thin plastic covering and opened the case. A round disc lay inside. He popped the object out, examined every facet, and still didn’t understand where the music hid.

“Teddy, anything useful?”

He gave a negative sway to his head, dejected. “No. At least, I don’t think so.” Throwing the disc back in a bin, he sighed. One day he would think of a way to figure out how things worked.

“Hey, wait, I think I struck riches,” he said as he caught sight of a display of batteries on his way out. He took down several packs of different sizes and gave some to his father who dumped them in his stash.

“Great stuff. If they are still good, we’ve got enough here to last for quite a while. Found some candles too, in glass holders with little green balding creatures on them.” He picked up a book lying on a pile near the wall. “New reading for you.”

“Yeah, lots.” He took the novel, a thrill running through him at the thought of a new story. The cover was shiny with a picture of a pale humanoid figure glaring back at him. He turned the hardcover over in his hands before stuffing the book in his pack. “For later,” he said, resisting the urge to open the pages.

They moved on, their footsteps making the only sound. This place seemed endless. It was amazing how little damage the area sustained. Sure, a whole bunch of trash lay scattered all over, and many of the glass windows shattered, but the structure seemed to be okay. At least, he didn’t detect any cracks or fractures in the brown stucco walls and the fixtures, though dead with a lack of power, still hung from overhead. He tried to picture the place as it was—the lights high above shining bright, people wandering from shop to shop—everything seemed colourful and exciting. Now, it all was empty and broken.  At least, he hoped it was empty.

“Pa, how do we know nobody lives here?”

His father stopped and turned, his face cautious. “What do you mean?”

“Well, if our people survived with all the damage our cities suffered, how do we know a similar city of survivors doesn’t live here? The place is ideal.”

Pursing his lips, his father thought about this. “Good question. We’ve seen a few bodies, yes, but we haven’t seen any signs of anyone living.” He waved toward the soiled hall. “If there were survivors, you’d think we’d find footprints and a lack of dirt. Plus, little usable merchandise available to us.” He stepped over a clutter of bags spilling out their items and stood in front of the next store. “All this stock, these dishes, the clothes, everything sits here as though waiting for people to return. No, I think if anyone ever lived down here, they are long gone.”

Teddy gazed around. His theory made sense, but he still felt uneasy. “I guess.”

“Tell you what,” Pa said, putting his hand on his hip. “We have gone far enough for today. How about we gather a few things to bring back to your mother and next time we’ll take Henri with us just in case.”

This did not make Teddy feel much better, but he helped his father pick out some choice clothing for the others. He lifted up a pair of long pants. “If these fit, that would be terrific.” He glanced down at his worn brown trousers with the tears in them. “I haven’t had anything this good in a couple of years.”

His father laughed, and held up a soft green dress with little white flowers. “Your ma will be so beautiful in this.”

Teddy caught his father’s excitement and found a flowing purple top, more pants, and a few decent tops. “Caden might not appreciate this, but she deserves something new. These trousers should work for Jolon, and we can share the shirts.” He dug up a large black and red jacket covered in skulls and bones. “Do you think Henri would fit this? Maybe it will make him appear tougher.”

Pa grinned. “It might.”

They laughed at the abundance their treasures gave them, but still, Teddy had a nagging sensation this was all too easy.

His father patted his back. “Come on, son. We can’t take too much. Might draw unwanted attention, right?”

He gave a disparaging grimace.  “Yeah.  Wouldn’t want to wander outside of our place.”

“No, no, not yet.  Our day will come.”

Teddy trailed behind his father as he guided them out of the building. Glancing back, he thought he caught a glimmer of something, but it disappeared in seconds, and he hoped it wasn’t a ratdog or worse. He clasped his knife just in case and hurried after his father. Their footsteps cascaded through the hall and up the stairs. He peered down the stairwell.

“How far down do you think this goes?”

“Who can say? Might go another floor, or three or four. We’ll find out soon enough.”

“Three or four floors? If they are in as good a shape as this one, we might be able to house more people than the whole population of Undercity.”

His father frowned. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We still need to find a clean source of water, a proper sewage system, and confirm a healthy source of air.”

Teddy felt the sombre weight of doubt in the bottom of his stomach. “And we need to find a way to grow plants, don’t we? Plus, fix the other staircase, so it’s sound enough for everyone to cross.”

“There’s that, too.” Pa agreed. “Yep, this is an extensive project.” His voice faded, and Teddy could tell he was mulling over all the details that went into changing their world.

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“S
o, what do I do with this?” Caden asked, holding up the blouse he found for her.  She raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

“Wear it?”

“Ha, ha.”

Deb twirled around in a new orange and white dress speckled in blue dots.  “It’s beautiful.” She touched the top. “If you don’t want this, can I keep it?”

Caden jerked the shirt away. “No, it’s too large for you and it’s mine. Too bad you didn’t find any pencils. Mine are all stubs. Can’t draw too much with stubs.” She wandered over to a chair and sat, her face pale under her sepia complexion.

“I’ll keep a lookout for some next time,” he said and turned toward his mother, and she met his gaze.

Ma took him by the arm and led him to his room. “Come, Teddy, let’s see how these pants fit you.” Henri wasn’t around. Pa needed his assistance to secure the secret door.

“I like the bed you made yourself,” his mother said, pushing on his airbed. “You sure it won’t fall?”

He pulled off his old pants, tossing them on a box in the corner. His shirt covered enough of him to make him less uncomfortable about undressing in front of her. “It’s fine, Ma.”

“Oh, I’m certain it is. You are a copy of your father, always inventing things,” she said with a smile. “You might not be blood, but you are your father’s son.”

The thought made him happy. “How is she?”

His mother sighed and sat on his bed, tweaking the leg of his trousers. “Caden? The day has been difficult for her.”

“Ma, you gotta take her to the doctor. I understand he doesn’t help anyone unless they can pay, but there must be a way.”

“It’s not just paying, Teddy.”

He tugged at his pants. “We found all this new junk; we could use some to see him.”

“He doesn’t treat Underlings no matter how much they offer him.” Her voice stuck in her throat. “And he doesn’t have to. He doesn’t have to. No laws exist to make him and he is the only medical person in the city. No one else possesses the knowledge he does. The profession was a tradition passed down from his ancestors, which they didn’t share with anyone else.” She threw her hands up, her eyes glistening with tears. “There’s nothing we can do except love her and comfort her.”

“Not right,” said Henri as he appeared, filling the doorway.

“Oh, Henri, yes,” Ma said. Weariness hunched her shoulders as she stood. “I know, but some things no amount of muscle can alter.”

His open, happy face crumpled and Teddy clasped his shoulder.

“I don’t understand either. No one seems bothered by a few slugs thriving off the suffering of others. I think things were different once. At least, that’s what the books I’ve read say. It’s possible those are only stories or myths. I don’t know. Not important, I guess.”

“It matters.”

Ma kissed Teddy on his forehead. “Yes, but a good night’s sleep will help. The pants are good. Wear them out a little before you venture beyond our walls. Don’t want to stir up any attention.” Her tired voice cracked as if she wished they didn’t play so many games to survive. She patted Henri on his broad shoulder as she left the room, and he swayed his head.

“Teddy?”

He sat down in the hammock and let it swing. “Yeah?”

“We can fix?”

As Teddy laced his fingers behind his head, he contemplated the giant who stood wringing his hands. The jacket fit him and made him seem a little tougher, but too much kindness and emotion shone from him. His eyes danced as though searching his brain for a thought, a plan. “We’ll try.”

“We’ll try what?” Jolon asked, sauntering in. He didn’t carry any bugs or food and his new clothes almost made him appear as though he belonged up top despite his slight limp.

Henri dumped himself on the bed. “To fix this.”

He made a face. “To fix what?”

“Our situation,” Teddy said, knowing he was vague, but not certain how to share the thoughts crowding his brain. “Where are the others?”

His brother plopped in his chair. “Deb is attempting to read Caden a story. She is enduring it because she can rest and the parents are in the warehouse dealing with a visit from the Mercury brothers. Someone wants to purchase a wedding dress and four matching bridesmaids’ dresses and they must get them now.”

Teddy snorted. “Luck with that.”

“Yeah, finding a matching anything these days is almost impossible, but it’s one of greenhouse baron’s daughters marrying one of the water barons. She’s sixteen, and he’s something like fifty. He was the guy who turned up last week complaining he shouldn’t have to go through any middle people; he should be able to purchase things direct from us. Now Ma and Pa need to soothe ruffled feathers and assure Mercury Brothers Inc. They have no intentions of going against convention.”

Frowning, Teddy sat up. “We should go help.”

“I can fix.”

“Na, they want to appeal to them on a more passive level. Any show of strength may cause them to think we’re hiding something,” Jolon said.

Henri bounded to his feet, pacing. “Why hire brute if I can’t brute?” He jabbed at his chest. “I fix.”

For a moment, he almost believed him except his eyes were glistening. “We don’t need impulsive actions; we need cool, calm planning.”

“Don’t get wired, big guy.” Jolon patted the brute’s leg. “You’ll get your chance. Don’t want to tip our hand too fast.”

Teddy laughed. “You look like a cheap gambler,” he said as his brother put his feet up. “You were sneaking off to the games at Under Smith’s again?”

He spread his hands and tried to appear innocent. “Speaking of gambling, you and Pa find anything interesting aside from clothes today?”

“Dead bodies, skeletons. That sort of debris.”

Jolon’s eyes were wide, and he moved to the edge of his seat. “Honest?” He sat back, blinking. “Bet you were scared shitless.”

“Was not.”

His brother laughed.  “Yeah, bet you tossed your cookies.”

“Did not,” he snapped though he could feel his face flushing. “Okay, let’s go and see how you do.”

“Yes.”

The two of them stared at Henri, surprised by the brute’s word.

“What do you mean? Yes, what?” Teddy asked.

“Yes, go. Explore. We know here. Nothing for likes us. Might be something there. Don’t you want find out?”

“We, we can’t,” Jolon insisted, his voice shaking. “Pa never lets us go into the tunnels without him, and Ma will skin us and feed us to the dogs.”

Henri stared at them, expectant and serious, his jaw clenched, but his eyes innocent and hopeful.

“So what do you think, shiny knight syndrome or boredom?” Jolon asked.

“Either that or love at first sight, but I think that’s a plot device to save time.”

His brother cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, you need new books to read, don’t you? Plot device, okay, but we can’t go exploring alone. Pa says we need to be careful.”

“Yeah, but a little more research shouldn’t hurt much,” Teddy decided with a shrug.

Jolon choked. “You’re kidding.”

He shook his head. “Come on, Jol. It’s time to show me just how brave you are.”

“Funny. You know I don’t own a brave bone in my body.”

“Well, maybe it’s time we found one.” Teddy hopped to his feet and took Henri’s hand. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

The brute took on a toothy expression. “K.”

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O
nce they were certain everyone slept, Henri helped them uncover the door, and they entered the tunnels. They continued in silence for a while, inching their way through the passages. The darkness seemed deeper without their father’s presence. Their footsteps boomed as they reverberated all around. It was as though all the ghosts of the past lingered behind them in a drawn-out procession to their doom.

“You are joking,” said Jolon when they got to the lower level of the mall.

“This not so bad,” Henri said, striding behind them with his light held high over their heads.

“It’s dark. I hate dark. I lived in dark for too long,” his brother went on, his voice warbling.

“We all have,” Teddy said, feeling uneasy too. “I understand, Jol, but things are not too horrible down here or up here. I’m not sure. We went down the stairs, but we went up and up before we got here. Those passages back there go through so much rubble nothing makes much sense even with the map. This place was a lucky find. I don’t like the dark either, but here we are. We can’t escape the darkness. We can’t do anything. At least, that’s what they say. That’s what they all say. Could be true or we’re all wishing for a different destiny. This is all ridiculous. We’re here because our ancestors wanted to save themselves. Well, if this is saving themselves, maybe this wasn’t the right choice. I don’t know.”