Feed the Machine (21 page)

Chapter 32

Ash

Ash pulled on the rope, hauling Raj up another level, his hands burning in pain.

“C’mon damn it,” he grunted.

Raj moved higher until he was above the shelf. Kin pulled him in.

“Lower him down.”

Ash tried to follow Kin’s instructions but his arms were weak. He lowered him but then couldn’t hold on. Raj dropped the last few centimeters, landing with a thud. The shelf creaked.

Ash collapsed back against the wall of junk.

“That’s it. No more.”

“Pull him closer. Only six minutes to go.”

Ash looked into the dark. The red numbers on the timer were counting down second by second.

“Bugs get back down here.”

He waited two minutes, gathering the last of his strength before he grabbed onto Raj and pulled him away from the edge. In the dim light provided by the bugs he saw Raj’s lips were cracked and dry. Days without water or food. Days of unconsciousness.

Even if they made it back to Cago and healed him, who knew if he’d recover?

“Two minutes.”

Kin stepped onto his lap and nuzzled under his chin. Ash stroked his hand down his back and relaxed. Muscles locked like iron released. He had done all he could do—there was nothing more. If the bomb exploded and killed them all then so be it. He was too exhausted to care.

He’d dug down and found it sitting there waiting for him. The timer was already running, counting down. There was tiny package of food with it—some sort of dried pap that he had to force himself to choke down. Once he’d eaten he climbed his way to the top and put the bomb against the door, his arms trembling. He’d nearly fallen on the way back down. Then he’d spent endless hours hauling Raj as close as he dared. As soon as the bomb went off he wanted to be able to climb out the hole. According to Kin it would only explode in one direction.

Ash hoped it was true.

“One minute,” Kin murmured, his deep purr echoing in the small space.

“I love you buddy,” Ash said.

Kin didn’t respond. He kept purring and kneading his chest with his paws. Soon the hole grew dark as the final remaining bugs climbed down to where Ash was sitting. He put them in his torn pocket and told them to stop glowing. The hole went dark, lit only by the red counter.

Then the minute ended.

Chapter 33

Nola

Nola ran through the dark, the bar in her hand, Hefnan beside her holding the solar light.

The storm was weakening, the lightning flashes growing infrequent, the cold rain turning into a drizzle. The ground was mud and slop, mixed with small pieces of metal washed free from the pile.

“How long so far?” Nola called out.

“Twenty minutes maybe?”

Neither of them had a watch to time this. Nola wished she’d had Hello with them—they’d know how much time they did or didn’t have.

“We’re close,” she said, looking at the hills around them. Now that the clouds were passing, the stars and moon were casting a silvery glow over everything.

A hazel howled in the distance. It sounded like it was behind them—towards Cago.

She glanced back. The city was still dark. She could just make out small dots of light near the gates. There were no hazels—not that she could see at least.

They turned a corner and the city disappeared. The hole wasn’t far from there according to the map.

“Okay stop,” Nola called out.

The clouds obeyed her too—hitting them with a final burst of cold rain and then shutting off entirely.

The junk around them gleamed silver. The dirt and dust had been washed away by the rain, leaving what wasn’t rusted glowing. Small pools of water shimmered, the stars reflected.

“Where is it?” Hefnan asked, water dripping off his nose.

A plume of fire answered, shooting up from the ground. There was no explosion. It was more like the hot beam of a cutter, flaming into the air. Then it was gone, leaving both of them blinking away afterimages in the dark.

“Ash! Are you there?” Nola called out.

She moved towards the hole that had appeared in the ground. It was round, about two meters across it.

“Ash! Raj!”

A black shadow climbed out of the darkness.

“They’re here,” Kin said and sat down to wash a paw.

It took twenty minutes to haul Ash, Raj and their packs out of the hole. All the time, Nola was expecting hazels to come bounding over the hills, teeth gleaming, ready to kill. Apart from the iron bar she stole from Burl, they had nothing to defend themselves with.

They hauled Raj first and then Ash. He collapsed beside Raj, holding his battered pack to his chest.

“Did you get Raj’s pack?”

“We got it.” Nola opened the top, her eyes widening at the sight of the gold watches.

“We’re gonna get warm,” Ash said.

A hazel howled from somewhere nearby. A moment later came a howl in reply—but human.

“Scabs!” Ash said, trying to get to his feet.

Nola pulled on Raj’s pack and then helped her brother. He wore his threadbare pack on his front. It was falling apart—gold glimmered between the stitches. Hefnan hauled Raj up. He was still breathing but fast, like a frightened rabbit.

“We need to run,” Kin said from their feet.

“I have him,” Hefnan said, pulling Raj’s arm over his shoulder and dragging him back towards Cago.

“Let’s go brother,” Nola said.

The Scabs howling grew louder but then seemed to fade away as though they were moving farther away. Nola knew this was due to the hills—shouts at the top carried on the cold night air. There was no doubt Scabs were coming closer.

It was slow going. Ash was stumbling along beside Nola, his weight bearing down on her shoulder. Hefnan was dragging Raj, his feet carving lines in the mud. His head lolled and moved with every step.

The gates were only open for sixty-two minutes Garrick had said. How could he know that?

Why did his accent change is the better question.

Nola focused on putting one foot ahead of the other.

“We found watches. Hundreds of them. We’re gonna be warm,” Ash mumbled.

The night lit as the lights around Cago blazed to life. Nola squinted at the glare. They were closer than she thought—the darkness deceiving her eyesight. Guards were standing at the open gates, crossbows at the ready. Black shapes ran from the light, howling in protest. Hazels, at least five of them.

“Oh fuck,” Nola swore.

They had hazels running into the dark and the lights were on—so the gates would presumably close soon.

A shout came from behind her. She glanced back to see Scabs cresting the hills, laughing and hooting, jumping down the wet pile.

“Faster!” she yelled.

A hazel screamed from the pile but didn’t chase them. Instead it vanished down behind it. Something splashed into the mud at their feet and she knew it was a crossbow bolt. Kin ran ahead, yelling commands to get inside the gates.

“Help us!” she called out to the guards but none of them moved. They were only there to defend Cago—not go rushing out into the night.

Fifty meters then forty then the ground rushed to meet her as something thudded into Raj’s pack. She landed hard, her breath knocked out of her. Ash fell too, collapsing in a tangle of limbs.

Something pulled her back, sliding her through the mud.

Nola stood but was immediately hauled off her feet. She landed on her back, the watches crunching underneath her. Nola twisted, getting her arms free of the pack.

She stood, seeing Scabs twenty meters away. They were holding on to a rope. It was connected to the pack, a homemade grappling hook sticking out. They pulled on the rope and the pack shot away into the dark.

Ash stood, took a step, fell over.

“Get it!” he yelled, waving at the pack.

She pulled him up. Scattered between them and the Scabs were gold watches, glinting in the light.

“It’s gone.”

“We need them,” Ash yelled.

Behind them came a buzz—the same warning given at sunset. The gates were closing.

Nola pulled Ash towards the gates, her brother sobbing.

Hefnan was ahead of them. He dragged Raj through the gates and inside. He dropped him and then ran out, back past the shouting guards. He grabbed hold of Ash and Nola and suddenly they were flying towards the gate as he hauled them with freakish strength.

They were inside the gates when the alarm sounded again. The three gates swung fast and heavy. Hefnan dived, taking Nola and Ash with him. They landed in the mud, the gates locking behind them. The fence hummed as it electrified.

Nola got to her feet. Her hands were shaking, her lungs and legs burning fire.

“What is wrong with you?” a guard shouted.

“Scabs are coming,” another called.

Hefnan was already up, covered head to toe in mud. They helped Ash off the ground. As they did a few watches dropped out of his pack.

“Get them,” Ash whispered, his voice urgent. Nola ducked down to retrieve them. “For Hefnan.”

Nola tried to give them to him but he refused, shaking his head and walking away into the night.

Outside the gates a skinny Scab crept down into the light. She was young, wearing only a small loincloth and carrying a black bag. Her body was mostly smooth—only a few dots and swirls traced over her upper arms and around the curves of her breasts. She picked up the spilled watches, coming closer to the crackling fence.

The guards trained their crossbows on her.

“Get away from here,” one called out.

“I’m taking what they stole from us,” the Scab replied. She picked up the last of the watches, slipping them into her bag and then scurried away into the darkness.

“We need to get medicine for Raj,” Ash gasped. “Take the pack, please.”

Nola pulled the pack off Ash, holding the front of it closed. It was half-filled with watches, some still in perfect condition, although covered in mud.

She looked down at Raj. He was on his back in the slop, his breaths fast and shallow, his lips wet with blood. The wound in his shoulder was wet and gleaming in Cago’s lights.

Then she saw another crossbow bolt sticking out of his side.

“Fuck.”

Chapter 34

Ash

Yelling and screaming and blood and pain and people shouting and a rush through the dark to bash on the door of the medicine shop.

All of Cago was awake, peering out their windows, homemade weapons clenched in their hands.

Munro, the man who sold the medicine, yelled at them through the door to stop kicking it or they could go die as far as he was concerned.

Nola shouting but not kicking and then Munro opened the door.

Bright lights above and Munro looking down on them as they spread mud and blood on his clean floor.

“We need yellow heal,” Ash said, fumbling in the pack. He dropped three gold watches on the counter.

There was still enough to get warm—even giving half to Raj. Even buying medicine for himself and Silver. Not enough to be rich but enough to be free of the quota, free of Fat Man.

“I want half,” Munro stated. He wiped mud off one of the watches.

“This is a fortune! Give us the medicine!” Nola shouted.

“Your friend is going to die without it so if you want it, give me half. You’re welcome to try your luck throwing it in the Machine for cash and coming back if you want. I’m not sure your friend will survive that long though.”

Munro put the watch down and folded his arms.

“Fuck you,” Nola hissed, her hands clenched by her sides. She looked ready to launch herself at him.

“No, it’s okay,” Ash said, waving his arm at her. He pulled out half and set it on the counter.

“I can make it to the Machine and back before Raj dies,” Nola insisted.

“It doesn’t matter,” Ash said, his throat aching. Kin still had the cube and with that, they were free. They still had enough to buy heal for him and pay off the quota, just enough to get under the line.

Munro scooped the watches off the counter into a box. He took them into a back room. He returned moments later with a gleaming bottle of yellow heal.

Ash passed it to Nola. She knelt down and dripped it into Raj’s mouth.

“How is Silver?” he asked, his face throbbing.

“Sick.”

He turned back to Munro who was looking at his pack greedily.

“Half for two bottles of blue.”

“All of them.”

“Half.”

“That infection you have looks serious. Think you’ll make it through the night?”