Feed the Machine (7 page)

“Your pack is fucked and I’m carrying most of them. We move faster without so much weight. We’ll come back after Feed.”

Ash stared at his friend, his mind whirling. Leave this fortune behind? Never!

“Swap packs with me if you have to but we’re not leaving any of this here.”

Raj bit his lip and looked at the floor.

“Fine, don’t worry about it. I’ll carry my own pack.”

They bent the door and crawled out into the sunlight, silently awkward.

As usual, hazels had been fighting. One was halfway up the pile of junk, torn into pieces. Its head was missing and guts were ripped open. There was blood and bits of muscle and wire spread everywhere. The hazel that had been tormenting them all night was nowhere to be seen.

Ash realized he hadn’t had any water today and reached for the bottle on his hip. It was too light—barely three mouthfuls left in it. Ash made himself sip it. Kin lapped at a small puddle collected on a bent piece of metal sitting in the shade of the pile.

“Is that safe to drink?”

“Not for you,” Kin replied.

Ash felt his bag of bugs. At the bottom sat the tempcube Silver had programmed for him to enable a new hasdee to process shit and piss. If they didn’t get home today, they’d have to use it.

How they’d survive the night without cutters to weld a hole was a different problem. There wasn’t even enough time to use the bugs to collect organic matter from the dead hazel.

“Let’s go,” Raj said, hitching up his pack. Chirp fluttered down to sit atop it.

The humid wet morning vanished as the sun rose and seared away all traces of moisture. They passed a few mud puddles and water pooled on bent pieces of metal but they didn’t have the time to stop to collect it. It would most likely be toxic, polluted with heavy metals and chemicals, some of which lingered in your body for a decade before killing you.

Lunch came and went without stopping. They had nothing left to eat. Despite the half a can of stew for breakfast, Ash’s legs were weak and he found himself falling behind Raj. Kin followed behind him, pushing at his heels, keeping him moving. Soon it was midafternoon and they were trudging, each step getting them closer to Cago. Raj walked in front of Ash, his pack bulging with a fortune in gold watches.

“What are you going to do with your half?” Ash asked through cracked lips.

“Huh?”

“Your half of the watches—what are you going to do with them?”

“I dunno… food and water. Beer. Wire Pub.”

Ash looked at Raj’s pack, his thoughts crawling sluggishly. The guy who played the “imagine if” game practically every ten minutes has no plan for his fortune? The fortune he’d wanted to risk leaving most of behind?

He was going to ask another question when his cheek throbbed in pain. He brought his hand up to touch his face. The wound was infected and swollen, the skin hot and tight. His ear was throbbing with every heartbeat.

He’d have to trade watches for medicine straight away. There was no way to know if the crossbow bolt was poisoned or if this was a random infection from climbing around the pile. It didn’t matter—it was red and painful and getting worse by the minute.

Ash squeezed his eyes shut as the pain throbbed again, feeling like it was in the side of this throat now. He opened them again and looked past Raj at the winding path home.

Something moved.

“Stop,” he commanded. “Up there at the furthest bend.”

Raj squinted his eyes and looked ahead of them.

“Is that a… fucking Scab tied down? Chirp, check it out.”

Chirp flew up high and darted forward, circling around before returning.

“Fuck yes!”

“Is he alone?”

“Fuck yes!”

“Any traps?”

“Fuck no!”

He looked back at Ash.

“You think we need weapons?”

“Stop talking, both of you,” Kin interrupted. “You need to keep moving or you’ll miss the gates closing.”

“How long do we have?” Ash asked him.

“Didn’t you just hear me? Move, now!”

Kin took off and they scrambled to follow him.

The Scab had been tied and nailed to an enormous piece of metal. He had spikes driven through both hands and ankles, his arms outstretched. Blood streaked down his naked body. His face was a mess of claw marks.

There was no doubt he was the one who shot Ash with the crossbow yesterday.

He was alive, his scarred chest rising and falling with every slow breath.

“Is that your rope?”

“We’re wasting time!” Kin said from a few meters ahead of them.

“It is.”

“Fuck. They’re ahead of us.”

“Need to move!”

The Scab opened his eyes and looked down at them. He tried to lift his head but failed. It lolled to the side.

“Help me,” he whispered, the metal tips of his teeth glinting.

“You tried to kill me with a crossbow.”

“Meat fair game in the Scour.”

“We can’t wait here!” Kin, pacing.

“Take me back to Cago.”

Ash glanced at Raj and then back at the Scab. He was dehydrated and suffering blood loss. Even if they had a team of people he had no idea whether they’d be able to carry him back to Cago before nightfall. Without medicine he’d die on the way back anyway.

But what could he do? Pick up a rock and bash his head in to save him from the hazels tonight? Untie him and pull the spikes out so he died in the dirt rather than stuck to a piece of metal?

If the Scab’s aim had been a little higher, Ash would have taken a crossbow bolt through the heart. If he hadn’t died immediately he would have toppled down the hole and broken every bone in his body snapping at the end of his rope. Or maybe he’d have dropped to the ground, a meal for hungry Scabs who’d take his collar far away, keeping it, forcing his family to carry his quota for the next seven years.

Despite all this, he couldn’t bring himself to pick up a rock to kill him.

“Are your people nearby?”

“Ahead of you.”

“Where?”

The Scab grinned, showing his sharpened teeth.

“Not telling. Meat.”

“You don’t want us to help you?”

The Scab didn’t get a chance to answer. Kin leapt up his body and slashed his throat open. Blood shot out from the gaping wound in his neck, splattering the dirt. Kin deftly avoided the gush and landed on the ground before turning to them.

“No more talking!”

The Scab shuddered and died, the blood slowing to a trickle as his heart stopped.

“We needed information from him Kin!”

Kin growled and flattened his ears.

“We need to get inside Cago before dark or both of you will die. At our best speed we’re inside the gate with four minutes to spare. Now move before I bite you!”

Ash had seen Kin angry before but never like this. He was baring his teeth, his tail lashing back and forth.

“Fuck, okay,” Ash said.

They tried to jog to increase the time buffer but soon devolved back to a shuffle. Chirp flew high above them looking for Scabs. There was little point in stealth now—there were only limited direct paths back to Cago that didn’t involve climbing the pile and they didn’t have the time to waste on detours.

The dead Scab was soon lost behind them. The world narrowed and Ash felt the same hysterical exhaustion rising. Just one more step. Just one more step.

Time seemed to skip, the hot sun fading away as it raced for the horizon.

“How far?” Ash gasped, his feet numb.

“Under two kilometers. Keep moving,” Kin replied, leading the way.

The distant glow across the Gap grew brighter as the sun descended. Soon the light sensors on the outer fence around Cago would fall into shadow. The gates would automatically close and couldn’t be opened until daylight.

“Motherfuckers we’re nearly there!” Raj grunted from ahead of Ash.

“Fuck no!” Chirp screamed from above. Raj toppled, a crossbow bolt through his shoulder. He crashed to the ground.

All around them screaming and cheering erupted from the hills.

Ash didn’t have to look up to know they were surrounded. The path ahead split into three directions and Scabs appeared in two of them, carrying crossbows.

Somehow, despite the heavy pack on Raj’s back, Ash managed to haul him up. They staggered towards the empty path.

Blood was bubbling on Raj’s lips and he was gasping, sounding like he was drowning.

“Come on,” Ash yelled, dragging Raj along with him.

Behind the terror came cold calculation. Even if he had the strength to drag Raj back to Cago, there was no way they’d get there before the gates closed. So why not drop him, take the watches and run home? Perhaps if the Scabs had Raj they would let him go…

They were so close to home. One more bend and they’d be within sight of Cago. It was late but perhaps there were scavengers out this far, digging as long as they could.

“Help us!” Ash called out, feeling his grip on Raj slipping as his friend’s weight grew heavier.

The Scabs responded by cheering as they jumped down the hills behind them.

“Stop!” Kin yelled, somewhere near Ash’s feet but Ash couldn’t, didn’t understand why he would with death so close behind them.

Then there was a mechanical clunk and the ground opened up.

They fell into the darkness.

Chapter 7

Kin’s tongue rough and warm on his face. His low voice insistent in his ear.

“Tell Raj’s bugs to light. Don’t move.”

Ash opened his eyes but it made no difference. There was only blackness.

“Kin…” he croaked.

“Tell Raj’s bugs to light. It’s very important you don’t move.”

Kin pricked his arm with his claws to emphasize his point.

Ash took a breath, feeling some gaping space above him.

“Raj’s bugs, light now.”

Four bugs glowed to life, sliding from dim green to a brighter yellow.

“That’s enough. One of you climb to the top,” Ash said, his eyes adjusting. He was on his back, lying on junk looking at a smooth tube of metal vanishing into the dark.

Raj appeared on his left as the bugs moved, lighting the area. He was crumpled against the wall, the crossbow bolt still sticking out of his shoulder. He was still wearing his pack full of watches.

“He’s unconscious but he’s not going to die yet,” Kin said.

Ash turned his head to the right and froze. He was on the edge of a platform of junk, the black depths dropping away beneath them.

“What is this Kin?”

“A trap. Something ate the wall away down here and the pile broke in, made a landing spot. Don’t move too much though—it’s barely holding on and there are spikes at the bottom.”

“Who did this?”

“It’s mechanical so I don’t think it was the Scabs. Roll over towards Raj. We need to check his cutter.”

Ash took a breath, feeling it catch in his chest. The side of his face was throbbing furiously and he could taste blood in his mouth. The back of his left leg hurt. Something had cut into the flesh.

“Okay, here I go,” he said and moved.

The junk platform underneath him creaked and small pieces of metal clanged off into the darkness beneath them. He turned over onto his side, facing Raj and started feeling down his body. He found his belt and the cutter. It was dead flat.

“If the bugs to chew a hole up there we might be able to get some sunlight on it tomorrow. Charge enough to cut out. Make it big enough and I can get to Cago to find help.”

“It would take a day to get a few percent.” Ash put the cutter down and started checking Raj’s pockets for anything else useful.

“Build a hasdee, put Silver’s cube in it for food and water. Use the cutter to make a hole that’s safe. Charge it again and dig out.”

“Will Raj live that long?”

Kin looked down and twitched his ears.

“Don’t think so.”

“What about me?”

“You have an infection but I think you have a few days.”

“I take it we’ve missed sunset.”

“The gates are closed now.”

“Where’s Chirp?”

“Don’t know. Haven’t heard him. The Scabs either.”

Ash found a small knife in Raj’s pocket. He flicked open the blade and tested it on his finger. It was dull, the blade pitted with age.

“I think he still has some pap,” Kin said, sniffing at Raj.

Ash felt down Raj’s body again, touching the many inside pockets of his jacket. There was something small and hard in one. The metal teeth of the zip holding the pocket closed were lightly corroded, as though they’d been wet and let to rust. As gently as he could, Ash tugged at the zip until it opened. He reached inside and pulled the object out.