The Beneath (19 page)

“So it’s true? That’s where you’ve been? Is it as horrible as they say?”

“It isn’t horrible at all. They have some very strange customs, but the people I met were all really kind. And it’s so, so huge. The sky is so far away – you would never believe it. And there are so many people. You have to try and talk with him, Carita. His plan is just ridiculous. There are far too many Aboves for him to be able to attack them.”

“But do they have medicines?”

“They seem to. Everyone looked healthy, even the really old ones. Some of them get to be a hundred years old.”

She believes me. She can see it in my eyes.

“They must have something that will help then,” she mutters, turning and pacing across the room. She looks at her baby but doesn’t pick him up to stop the crying. Then she is back beside me.

“I think Reilly might be sick.”

I feel fear clutch my stomach.

“What’s happened? How can you tell? Is it…” I let the word hang, unspoken.

She nods briefly, her eyes damp.

“It started in exactly the same way with Mary and Daniel, and the other Breeders say the same. He won’t have long if he does have it. He needs help.”

“But how are—” Carita silences me with a finger to my lips. She pulls a piece of paper from her pocket and I step back in surprise.

“What are you doing?” I lower my voice to a whisper. “He’ll have you sent to the Crop if he knows you have some writing!”

“This is what Reilly needs. This is the name of the medicine that the Listeners can’t get.”

I look at the paper in her fingers. It’s a long word starting with an “A”, but I can’t read it.

“Lily can read that. She taught me some words but that’s too difficult.”

Carita leans in close, desperation in her eyes.

“Do you think she can get it? If I can get her back Above, will she bring back some medicine?”

“I’m sure she would help, but do you really think that the Farmer will let her go?”

“I know he’s getting desperate too. By the time Reilly can be Farmer – if he lives that long – our Farmer will be really old. Maybe too old to control the Crop. All his other children have died.”

“There isn’t one?” I ask, horrified. She shakes her head.

“No, I’ve checked with all the Breeders.”

I look at the paper again. “How do you know this will work? Where did this word come from?”

“It’s a secret among the Breeders. Years ago,” she says, keeping her voice low, “when the infection first started, a sick baby was taken up Above. The Aboves gave the baby this medicine and it started to get better, but the mother couldn’t answer their questions and had to run away. The baby was stolen by the Aboves.”

“I’m not surprised she had trouble. It’s really hard up there.”

“The mother managed to get away and come back down with a bottle of the medicine, and that cured another child, but it all got used up. The Breeders asked the Listeners to go and get more, but the Farmer heard about it and had everyone he thought was involved re-Assigned to Feeder. He doesn’t want help from the Aboves.

“Another one of the Breeders kept the bottle, though, and someone who knew how to hold a pencil copied
out the name. We’ve been waiting for our chance to get someone to bring some down.”

“And the Listeners who the Breeders asked to help never came back,” I add as she pauses.

She looks at me in surprise. “You know the story?”

I nod. “Some of it. I didn’t know that you had the name of the medicine though.”

“The Breeders have been waiting for years, and now finally we have a chance.” She stops for a minute and looks over at Reilly. “The problem is, we have to get your friend to go up Above but then come back down again.”

“That’s not a problem. She’ll do it, I’m sure,” I say confidently.

“Really?” Carita looks back at me in surprise. “And will she definitely come back?”

“Of course. The medicine is the only thing that can help her friend Will right now. She’ll come back to save him.”

CHAPTER 18

A low bench had been cut into the wall outside the Farmer’s chamber, and I sank down on to it gratefully. The man who had been leading me by the arm must have decided that I wasn’t going to run off so he left me there and walked up the tunnel a short distance. He reached the corner where Aria had been taken and stopped. The other guard was there too, and the pair of them leaned against the wall, talking in voices too low to hear. The one watching over me glanced in my direction every few minutes.

I was grateful for some time alone to gather my thoughts. I had to try and do something to help Will, and quickly too. I just had no idea what. I was sitting with my head in my hands when I heard the heavy curtain across the Farmer’s doorway being pulled back. Dane stepped
into the corridor.

He saw me there and stopped, glancing up and down the long, smooth tunnel. I saw him wave at the men and they leaned back against the wall and carried on talking.

He took a short step towards me.

“The Farmer seems to have agreed to our deal – I wasn’t sure that he would really go through with it. He’s going to want to talk with you in a minute though.”

“Why? What on earth can I tell him?”

“I suggest telling him that you won’t be any trouble – that’ll keep you alive longer.”

“But what about Will? I must see him! What’s wrong with him?”

“If he was bitten by the Crop then there’s not a lot anyone can do, not down here anyway.”

“There must be something we can give him.”

“Look, Lily, the Crop – whatever it is – carries an infection. It’s part of the Farmer’s plan for when he takes over. The Crop will infect the population and they’ll die, but we’ll be all right as we’re immune. If Will has been bitten, then…” he paused and shrugged his shoulders, “nothing will help. It’s put the Farmer in a good mood though. I think he’s pleased that Will has succumbed so quickly – it’s a good test for him.”

“No, that can’t be right,” I cried, leaping to my feet. “There has to be some way that you can help Will. He can’t die! He just can’t!”

“Calm down,” he said, grabbing me by the shoulders.
The guard, looking puzzled, started walking towards us. Dane glanced at him and shook me slightly. “Listen,” he hissed in a low voice. “You need to keep your wits about you. Stay alive for now, and then we can worry about your future. OK?”

“But…”

“Just do as I say! I can’t tell you anything else now.”

As he spoke the guard reached us. I didn’t understand what Dane meant, but when I glanced at him he was looking stonily ahead.

“Bring the girl.” The echoing voice made me jump. The guard took me by the arm and led me through the ornately carved doorway.

The room inside was unlike any of the others that I had seen in the Community. On one side there were soft chairs covered in a grey, velvety material, each with some colourful cushions. Opposite was a beautifully carved wooden desk with one high-backed chair behind it. Behind that was a tall cabinet criss-crossed with iron bars. I could just see the spines of some books inside. Instead of the usual single light bulb on a trailing lead, this room had several lights built into the walls. In the third wall was a doorway, its heavy red curtain pulled back with a fancy gold tie. Beyond the curtain I could see into another room with a large bed on the far side.

The Farmer was sitting at the desk, leafing through a small, leatherbound book. The guard led me towards him then turned and left the room. The Farmer continued
turning the pages, ignoring me completely. There was nowhere close enough to sit down, so I stayed where I was, standing tall and trying to keep breathing evenly. I had to stay calm, whatever he wanted from me.

Finally he looked up from the book and fixed me with a penetrating stare that sent a shiver down my spine. I looked away quickly.

“So, you’re going to be a Breeder then.”

I glanced back at him and he was looking me up and down. I stayed silent, hoping that he couldn’t see me shaking.

“It seems an odd request. You don’t look strong enough, and I don’t see why your children would bring the immunity we need. It could be a fascinating experiment though – maybe they will gain it from their father.” He sat back in his chair before he continued, tenting his fingers and raising his eyebrows. “You have no immunity either.”

“I … I’ve not been bitten.”

“No,” he said, smiling slightly. “You haven’t. Not yet.”

A cold cloak of fear settled over me. Not yet? What did he mean? I tried to speak but nothing came out. Swallowing hard I tried again.

“Farmer, please. My friend is sick. I need to help him.”

The laugh was cold and made me jump.

“He is beyond your help. Tell me, how long ago was he bitten? I’m curious about how long it takes.”

“I don’t really know. My watch was stolen by one of your men.”

“Guess.” This time it was a command.

I thought back. We had started down the stairs in the morning, but that had taken hours, then we had wandered around the tunnels in the dark before getting thrown in the cells. I had no idea how long we had been in there. With no natural light it was really hard to keep track.

“I don’t know how long ago it was, but it happened about lunchtime.”

The Farmer nodded briefly.

“It’ll be interesting to see how long he lasts.”

“Can you let me see him, please?” I was happy to beg if that was what it took.

Before he could answer there was a noise outside in the corridor. I caught an unfamiliar voice.

“…don’t care what you say. I’m going in there now.”

I turned to see Carita marching into the room, her baby in her arms. The guard was hurrying after her.

“I’m sorry, Farmer, she wouldn’t stop…”

“We need to speak,” she said to the Farmer, her head held high.

The Farmer sighed and shook his head. “It’s all right, Lance. I’ll deal with this.” He turned to look at Carita. She wore a long, dark skirt and a baggy jumper that couldn’t conceal her skinny frame. Her dark hair was swept up into an elaborate knot, emphasising her thin neck. She looked exhausted.

“Really, Carita, couldn’t you have waited? Why have
you disturbed me?”

She looked at him stonily, then her gaze fell to the baby in her arms. When she looked back up her eyes were damp.

“He has a temperature.”

“So? Babies get temperatures all the time.” He sounded nonchalant but I saw his knuckles whiten as he gripped the arm of the chair.

“I know what it is.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. But this time our baby doesn’t have to die.”

“What are you talking about?”

“This girl here,” she said, pointing at me but not taking her eyes off the Farmer, “she can get what we need. She can get the medicine that will make him better.”

“How do you know what he needs?”

“We’ve always known. We just need the chance to get it!”

The Farmer pushed back his chair and stood up slowly. His voice was low and menacing. “How dare you speak to me in that tone.”

Carita held her baby closer to her chest. “If he dies I have no future here anyway. I can’t keep doing this. Don’t you want him to live?”

“Of course I want him to live, but he needs to be strong. A weak Farmer will be no good to the Community.”

“Strong? You want him to be strong? Look at him!”
As she spoke she thrust the little bundle towards the Farmer, and the blanket fell back. The baby was tiny, his thin little arms and legs sticking out of an oversized vest. As he started to cry, his tiny hands made tight fists. Carita swiftly wrapped him up again, holding him tightly. “He’s just a baby, only a few weeks old. And it looks as if he’s never going to have the chance to get strong. But
you
can be strong. You can admit that – finally – we need to get some help. Let her help us!”

“What are you talking about?”

“She can get us this.” Clutching the baby close with one hand, she slapped the other on the desk. A scrunched-up piece of paper fell out of her palm.

“What is this?”

“Why don’t you read it?”

“You are crossing the line here, Carita. You know the punishment.”

“Don’t you understand? Have you not been LISTENING? If he dies I don’t care! Read it.”

The Farmer picked up the paper and turned it over before letting it flutter back down to the desk.

“Where did you get that?”

“It doesn’t matter, but it’s what he needs. Let her go and get it for me. For Reilly.”

“If we did that, why would she come back? She’ll tell everyone about us and this will all be over.”

“She’ll come back. If she gets the medicine she can save her friend too.” Carita spun round to face me.
“That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

Stunned at this unexpected twist, it took me a moment to get the words out.

“What … what do you expect me to do?”

She grabbed the paper from the desk and thrust it towards me. “If you go back Above, can you get us this?”

I took the crumpled sheet and turned it round. One word was written on it:

The “y” was written back to front but otherwise it was readable.

“Is this what Will needs?”

“Yes.” Carita nodded fiercely. “It will stop the infection if he gets it quickly enough. It’s the same medicine that will save my baby.”

“You will get this and come back.” It wasn’t a question from the Farmer, but a statement.

I looked again at the word, rubbing the letters on the paper with the side of my thumb, and for the first time in hours I felt a spark of hope.

“Yes,” I said, standing up straight and looking him in the eye. “Yes, I can get this.”

“How?” he demanded, his eyes narrowing.

“If I tell you that, you won’t need me. I will go and do this, and come back, but I have two conditions.”

My heart was pounding with fear. What if he said no?
It was my only chance. I clenched my fists, willing myself to stay calm. Eventually the Farmer raised an eyebrow. I swallowed hard before I could speak.

“This is the deal. I will bring medicine for your babies if you let me treat my friend, then set us all free.”

I folded my arms and looked at him, trying to appear confident. The Farmer regarded me for a moment.

“If you don’t come back, Aria will die. Your other friend is already dying. You won’t be able to save him.”

“But you’ll let me try?”

The Farmer nodded.

“I’ll be back as quickly as I can. Can I see him before I go?”

The Farmer turned to the guard. “Lance, take her to him and meet me by the lift. And get Mason to find a Listener.”

Lance took my arm and led me towards the door. I glanced back to see the Farmer picking up his book again. In the split second I had before the curtain fell back, I could have sworn that he was holding it upside down.

We walked for a few minutes before reaching a doorway covered in a thick, dirty cloth. Lance pulled it back and ushered me inside. It was really gloomy, with only a single dim light bulb. There was no furniture, but a body was propped up against the far wall. Shaking off Lance’s hand from my arm I ran across the room.

My heart lurched, but Will was still alive. He was
deathly pale with large dark circles under his eyes and covered in a sheen of sweat. His T-shirt was filthy from the blood that had dripped on it and a dark graze was smudged across one cheek. I touched the other side of his face gently.

“Will? Can you hear me?” I thought I saw a brief nod, so I carried on. “They are letting me go to get some medicine for you. Hang on until I get back, eh?”

His mouth moved but only a dry croak came out.

“Water, please,” I begged Lance. He hesitated for a second before giving a curt nod and disappearing outside of the room. I heard him calling to someone else.

I looked around the room for something – anything – to make Will more comfortable, but it was completely bare. Lance hadn’t returned.

“Will, I’m not sure if you can hear me, but I’ve got a plan. They’re going to let me go back up Above to get some antibiotics for you. It’ll be no problem – I know where I can get them easily, but I need you to hang on, OK?”