Deliverance (17 page)

Heat creeps up my back and explodes through my brain. I leap to my feet and race after him, reaching him as soon as he's outside. “What's wrong with you?” I demand, grabbing his arm.

He scowls and jerks away. “You're the one with problems, Middle. You don't belong here.”

“I didn't ask to come here.”

“You could have refused,” he says. His voice drips with hatred.

“And be demoted?”

“Like that would have bothered you. You love them so much.” A wicked grin spreads across his face. “You could have lived with your mom.”

I lunge at him, fingers shaped like claws, and shove him against the dome. His head
thunks
the sleek metal structure and he winces. “How did you know where my mom was?”

“Hana! What are you doing?” Professor Higgins' voice interrupts my investigation, and his hands pry mine off Berry's chest. “Violence isn't allowed among Greaters, Hana. Not ever. Every Greater in the Dome just saw what you did.”

I had forgotten about the see-through walls.

“That's exactly my point,” Berry says, rubbing his chest where my arms had been. “She doesn't belong here.”

Professor Higgins frowns. “Yes, well, you should be going Berry.”

“This isn't done,” I warn him.

He throws his hand up in a
whatever
gesture but keeps walking.

Professor Higgins turns to me. “What were you thinking, Hana? Violence against another Greater cannot be permitted. If a guard had caught you, it wouldn't have ended well.”

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. Then, slowly letting out the breath, I relax. “I'm sorry, Professor Higgins. It won't happen again.”

“I should think not. Go on home now. Get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, Professor Higgins.” I hurry away. The last thing I want to hear is more of his lecture. A more important thing to concentrate on is Berry, and what he's up to.

 

 

 

 

26

 

The city is booming as I move through the streets after supper. Transporters line the roads, and citizens move in and out of restaurants and stores. I act casually as I mingle among them, but my insides are anything but casual. I scan faces constantly, checking for anyone who might be watching me or following me.

So far, everyone on the street seems oblivious to my movements. My feet take me closer and closer to the lake, to the bridge. Traffic thins out, but I'm still able to move without drawing attention. Teenaged Greaters laugh and splash near the lake. They seem completely carefree, and I stop to watch them. They have no idea how corrupt their city is. They'll Test soon—probably this year—but they are oblivious.

One boy grabs a girl and kisses her right on the mouth. I watch, fascinated, when no one stops them. My cheeks burn when I remember how nervous I was for Keegan to hold my hand just a few weeks ago.

Putting them out of my mind, I continue my walk. I find a pier and take a seat, considering the path I should take from here.

Professor Higgins' talk today gave me some ideas. He talked about the old, broken parts of the city—the parts the citizens were always shifting away from. Kassy calls them Broken City. If the Christians in Middle City 3 use the dilapidated parts of the city to meet, then maybe the Christians in Greater City do as well.

If only I knew exactly where these broken parts were.

I watch people come and go, when I notice a girl near the restaurant on the street corner. She's my age, with unruly, curly hair. It's dark and cut short around her head. She wears the typical city garb of holey and unraveling clothes, but they don't look bad on her.

Something about her isn't right, though. She watches the area too closely. Her gaze darts around too quickly.

She raises her hand to call a transporter, and just before she climbs in, she glances my way.

Our eyes meet and then she is gone.

The transporter zips away, headed who knows where. I watch it as it drives further away, down the shore line, until it's out of site. It went the opposite way of the bridge. What is down there?

The girl's weird behavior has caught my attention. I unfold myself from my seat and begin walking. I'll never catch the transporter, but I can see what's on that side of the city.

The night sky begins to fall over the city. Street lights flicker on, something I never saw at home. Instead of hurrying inside as we would do in Middle 3, the citizens pour out of their buildings, going about their lives. How much freedom they have!

As I walk, I realize that I have freedom, too. I am out walking and no one gives it a second thought.

Everyone should be able to enjoy this.

The change in the city becomes apparent gradually. Buildings go from glassy and new to made of brick or block. Some of the bricks are chipping and lying on the sidewalk, but most of the buildings are intact and in use. Who lives here? Wouldn't the Greaters feel they were too good to have the “older” buildings?

Then the buildings begin changing to wooden structures. Some are kept up and appear in use, but the further I walk, the less cared for they are, until all of the buildings are crumbling.

I stop and gasp, looking out over the wreckage.

I've reached Broken City. How did this part of the city fall into such disrepair? Greater history tells us these parts of the city were used at one time. The first Greaters lived in these houses and walked these streets.

Did the sewers collapse? What could cause this much carnage of an area?

No one walks on these sidewalks now. I look around, hoping to catch sight of anything besides ruins. It must have been some kind of neighborhood. Houses line the streets, and trees and grasses grow up over and around them. The pavement is mostly broken, but not so much that a car couldn't still drive over it.

The place is a ghost town. The air is still and silent, and I shiver. There is nothing here but death.

I turn away when something catches my eye. It's just a flicker and then it's gone, but I definitely saw it. I narrow my eyes and push forward into Broken City. The flicker came from a ruined house a ways down the street. If something or someone is there, I don't want to frighten it away, so I move quietly, working to hide myself behind trees or old fences as I make my way closer.

One house away, I stop, straining my eyes to see any evidence of something there. Another small light flashes in a different spot. The distance closes quickly as I dart through the overgrown yard. I squat under a window, holding my breath. Now that I'm closer, I hear footsteps. A floorboard creaks. Someone is inside.

Another flash of light blinks and I can't resist taking a look. I rise up and peek over the window ledge. At first all I see are shadows, but as my eyes adjust to the darkness inside the house, I see a girl. She holds a small, black machine to her face and the machine flashes again.

She moves the machine away and I hold in a gasp. It's the girl from the transporter!

The sky has turned completely black now. Stars shine in the distance, but the moon is only a sliver, and without the street lights, there is only murky darkness. Without my sight, I am useless. Whatever she's doing inside this house is a mystery to me.

Minutes pass as she flashes again and again.

A twig snaps somewhere down the street and I freeze. Curly freezes too. Her gaze darts to the window, and I'm not quick enough to drop down. Footsteps pound across the floor, and I hear the backdoor slam. She's running.

I sit tight for only a moment, contemplating whether someone else is here and whether I should follow the girl. Glancing around one last time, I run after her. She has a head start, but my legs are longer and before I know it, I'm gaining on her.

“Please stop!” I shout. My legs ache and I suck breaths in through my nose.

She glances back at me, but her steps don't slow.

On and on we run, past the broken houses, until we reach a place that looks like a city. Huge buildings, some with signs, line the streets. Windows are busted out of the frames, and glass glitters on the pavement.

She bolts across a field of pavement and runs inside an old store.

My lungs scream at me to stop. I put my hands on my knees and breathe deeply. A dull ache nips at the back of my neck, and my vision blurs. I can't chase her any further.

After a few minutes pass, I straighten and look around.

Was this where people used to shop? To work? To live?

This area is nothing like Greater City. It doesn't even look like Middle City 3 or the Lesser cities. There are huge block buildings, not skyscrapers, which line the road. There are wall to wall houses and businesses and schools. It is more opened, more relaxed, but its vast emptiness is unnerving.

The girl is probably long gone, but I can't help trying. I inch across the pavement until I reach the entrance to the store. The sign on the building says
Priceco
.

I definitely didn't come to Broken City for nothing. Taking a deep breath, I step inside.

 

 

 

 

27

 

The building is enormous, much bigger than any stores we had in Middle City 3, which were all small shops. I haven't set foot in any of the stores in Greater City, but I also haven't seen any that looked like this building.

Dust covers everything in sight. It's mostly empty shelving. Boxes lay scattered around the area, torn and empty, but a few look unopened. Clear footprints through the filth indicate a well-worn pathway.

“Hello?” I step forward, following the path. She can't live here because I saw her in the city. That means she comes here often, and most likely, others do, too. “Is anyone here? I'm just—” I pause. What am I doing? What if these people aren't the good guys? I could be stepping into something that won't help me at all.

I've just about decided to turn around when a shuffling sound catches my attention. It comes from further inside the building, from a place I can't see. The shelves block my view of anything beyond the front of the store building, so I follow the dim light coming through the window front to see the path.

“Is anyone here?” I repeat.

“What do you want?” When I hear her voice I nearly jump out of my skin. My heart thunders so hard it rattles my chest.

I take a moment to catch my breath. “I was looking for Broken City. I'd never seen it before, and then I saw the flash of your machine, and I was curious.”

“Why did you follow me?”

I'm getting closer to the voice, but it's hard in the dark.

“A hunch?” It's a weak excuse, but it's true. “I was coming to Broken City for a reason.”

“What reason?”

I squint into the darkness. “Can't you come out? I can't see where I'm going.”

A light flicks on, blinding me. My hand shoots up so I can block my eyes. “Thanks,” I mutter.

“What is your reason for coming here?”

“I was looking for people who believe.” I lick my lips, hoping it is enough and not too much.

The girl is silent. Her face remains hidden in shadows, but after a moment, she lowers her flashlight enough for me to see her more clearly. “People who believe what?”

I swallow hard. “In God.”

“Wait here.” The light disappears and her footsteps fade into the darkness.

“Where are you going?” I'm suddenly trapped by the night. I've never been in utter and complete black, and I wring my hands together.

The seconds feel like hours, and after a few millennium pass, the footsteps return. The light flicks on and quickly finds me again, but this time she's holding the light so that I can see her. She isn't alone.

“Who sent you?” the woman asks. She's tall, taller than anyone I've ever seen. Her clothes aren't grunge, not like the girl's. They're not like any of the clothes I've ever seen at all—not in Middle 3 or the Lesser cities. Her shirt is made of a soft material. It looks comfortable and light. Her pants are made of denim, but they aren't work pants. They're almost attractive. Her skin is a deep tan color, and her hair lays in black waves down her back.

I stop ogling her and shake my head. “No one sent me. I've lived in Greater City for a few weeks, and I've been trying to find Christians the entire time. I was assigned a guard until a few nights ago. I've been exploring ever since I've been on my own.”

“How do you know about God?”

They're so suspicious where Fischer wasn't suspicious at all. Of course, he approached me, not the other way around. “I learned about God in Middle City 3, where I came from. There was a group there, led by a man named Mr. Elders. He told me about Jesus Christ.”

The woman's suspicious gaze lets up some, but her shoulders still seem tense. “Follow me.”

She leads me through the long-deserted aisles of the store. We walk what feels like a city block before we pass through a door. Inside, I stop and gasp. Dozens of people cluster around a small fire on a concrete floor. I notice right away that most of their clothes are like the woman's, but not everyone's. A few of them are dressed like the girl and me.

“My name is Miriam. I need you to convince us that you weren't sent here to turn us over to the Greaters.” She sweeps her hand around the room, indicating the crowd before us.

“I'm not,” I say, shaking my head vehemently. “I was in trouble in Middle City 3, because my mom had the mutation, and I had heard about chemo drugs. I wanted to know why she wasn't getting them. My search led me to Mr. Elders, who told me about Christianity. The Greaters were watching me after that, and so when I tested as Greater, they assigned someone to watch me here.”

“What happened to your guard?”

Poor Guard Nev. “He was punished because of me. I kept—tempting fate. They warned me to obey their rules, or they would do worse to others I love.”