The Life Beyond (10 page)

“Fine. But you’re on your own. This is a suicide mission,” Quentin said harshly.

I wanted to scream. “But if you helped us, we could really stand a chance.”

He glared at me. “This isn’t my fight.”

“How can you say that? It’s everyone’s fight, Quentin. This world is so messed up. We have to change it, so those kids–” I gestured toward the youngest Undergrounders – “don’t have to live in fear.”

But I could see he had stopped listening. “I have to keep those kids safe. That’s precisely why we’re staying out of your mission.”

Then, refusing to look me in the eye, he stood up and walked away. Alexis followed.

Defeated I buried my head in my hands and tried not to cry. After a little while I heard someone approaching; it was Joshua.

I pulled myself together and sat up. “How are you?”

His eyes darted away. “I’m fine,” he said. He hadn’t seemed to notice that I wasn’t.

“Do you want to talk?” I reached out for his hand.

“No. I’m
fine
.”

I tried to swallow my hurt at his rebuff.

“So when do we leave for the lab?” I asked, forcing my voice to sound calm.

“Tomorrow morning after sunrise. Quentin said it’s easier to leave town during day time,” Joshua said.

“What about Tyler?”

Joshua stood. “We should talk to him. He might not be up to it.”

I followed Joshua toward the sleeping quarters; only a single light bulb illuminated the room. I could make out a lump on the bed at the back. We walked toward it but Tyler didn’t move. I exchanged a look with Joshua before I perched behind Tyler’s back and touched his shoulder. He was trembling. “You okay?”

Stupid question.

“We want to talk to you about our plans,” Joshua said. His voice seemed loud and harsh in the silence of our surroundings.

Slowly Tyler rolled over. His eyes were hollow and his skin pale.

“Quentin showed us where to look for the lab that they might keep the cure in. It’s in the Rockies. We want to leave tomorrow,” I said gently.

He nodded but didn’t say a word.

“It’s okay if you’d rather stay here. Sherry and I can go alone,” Joshua said.

Tyler sat up, his eyes darting to Joshua. “No, I’ll come with you. What have I got to stay for?”

Joshua hesitated before responding. “It’ll be difficult and we can’t risk one of us breaking down. That would be the end of the mission, and probably of us. If you don’t think you can do it, then say now.”

Joshua’s words were true but I wished he’d said them a little less matter-of-factly. This life hardened people from the inside out.

Tyler stared down at the floor. He looked small and almost embarrassed. Eventually he raised his head. “No. I can handle it.”

I wanted to protest but before I could speak, Joshua clapped Tyler on the shoulder. “Good,” he said. “Come on, you should eat. It’s your chance to have the best rat in the world.”

Together we returned into the neighbour duct leaving Tyler with Marty who eagerly showed him how the barbecue grill worked.

As soon as Tyler was out of earshot, I grabbed Joshua. “I’m not sure if it
is
a good idea to take him with us.”

Joshua sighed. “I know. He’s pretty fragile. But that’s kind of why I don’t want to leave him here.”

I nodded. It was decided now, so there was no point arguing. Besides, there was something I needed to ask Joshua. “Do you think your dad will help us if we manage to talk to him?”

Joshua stared at his feet. His hair covered his eyes, making it impossible to read his expression. “He owes me,” was all he said.

Chapter 9

Alexis shook us awake shortly before six. I’d barely slept. I’d spent the night alternating between thinking about Dad and Bobby, and worrying about Joshua.

Cockroaches scuttled around our feet as Alexis and Quentin led us out of the drains. Bullrush grass shot out of the cracks in the wet channel and a swarm of dragonflies whirred around us.

“Don’t forget these!” Alexis said, handing Joshua a set of car keys. “It’s the old Buick.” Quentin pushed his hands into his pockets but didn’t say anything; just watched us leave.

Joshua, Tyler and I climbed up the rusty ladder, the straps of my backpack, loaded with the camcorder and provisions, digging into my shoulder.

Joshua and I got into the fromt seats, with Tyler in the back. He hadn’t said a word all morning.

I unfolded the map on my legs.

“Ready?” I asked.

Joshua’s hands around the steering wheel tightened. “No, but that won’t change.”

As we pulled away, I could only hope we’d get the chance to return to this place. And that when we came back, we’d have the cure.

The purring of the engine and the stifling heat soon pulled me into slumber, and it was past noon when Joshua woke up.

I blinked back sleep. A storm was brewing, coloring the sky dark grey. Mist clung to the street, so we couldn’t see what lay more than a few feet in front of us.

“Are we there yet?” I asked. I almost sounded like Bobby on one of our family’s roadtrips from our other life. The thought sent a stab through me, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from making a sound.

“No. Sorry.” His eyes darted to me. “I couldn’t stand the silence.”

Tyler sprawled on the backseat, eyes closed. I took Joshua’s hand.

“No, I’m sorry. I should be awake to keep you company.”

Despite the mist, we drove without lights so we wouldn’t be spotted by any helicopters. At first the streets were deserted but soon signs of life appeared. We spotted shabby houses with illuminated windows, and several cars passed us on the road, some of their lights broken and the bodywork rusted.

“Do you think people have any idea what’s really going on?” I said, glancing at Joshua. “Wouldn’t they do something if they knew about the Weepers? Or the kids in the sewers – or us in the Void?”

“Sometimes I think they don’t really want to know. They have their own problems to deal with. People worry about jobs, looking after their family. The last thing they’re thinking about is government conspiracies,” Joshua said.

I couldn’t believe people would keep ignoring the problems once we told them the truth. I remembered what Alexis had said about riots on the east coast. I was sure people were desperate for change.

I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. Intantly, images of Bobby’s body littered with gun shots sneaked into my mind. Heat gathered in my chest and travelled up my throat. Blinking back the prickling in my eyes, I looked out the window. I knew we had to succeed. I had to do it for Bobby.

Gradually the landscape became woodland as we drew nearer to the mountains. The incline slowed us down and raindrops began pelting the car. Our view was close to zero.

“I think I’m going to have to stop,” Joshua said, rubbing his eyes. “The visibility’s too poor right now to carry on. Besides, I could do with a break.”

I glanced at the clock in the dashboard – it was nearly two in the afternoon.

6 hours and 53 minutes – that’s how long we’d been on the road without a break. I suddenly became aware of how hungry I was, and remembered the bottles of rain water, expired cookies and smoked rat that Quentin had given us.

We pulled into a small dirt road that meandered up the foothills through dense forest. The leaves of the trees were withered – a wall of yellow and orange. Many of the trees were dead, nothing left but gray stumps reaching into the sky with their spindly fingers. Joshua put the car into park. “We’ll have to stay here. We can’t risk looking for a better place.”

Tyler rummaged in the backpack and handed two cookies and a strip of rat to each of us. I bit into the meat but it was stringy and rubber-like. With a few gulps of water, I washed it down. A metallic taste spread in my mouth.

“Horrible?” Joshua asked.

I shrugged. “Better than nothing.”

Tyler grimaced as he drank but he didn’t complain.

I stuffed the cookies into my mouth; though they were like dust, they at least tasted sweet. After we were done eating, silence fell in the car.

Joshua stretched his arms and flexed his fingers before he slumped against his seat. “Let’s wait until the weather gets better,” he said. “Try and get some more sleep.”

The rain had stopped when I woke. The clock in the dashboard said it was half past three; I must have been asleep for over an hour. Fear blasted through me. The driver’s seat was empty. My hand came to rest on the fabric – it was still warm.

I turned around. Tyler’s chin rested on his chest and he was snoring lightly.

I crawled over to Joshua’s seat and looked out. Shadows shifted but I couldn’t see him anywhere. I stumbled out of the car. My legs prickled as I stretched them. There was a sound.

I started. It was coming from behind me. Slowly I crept toward it to find Joshua. He was crouched on the ground, leaning against a tree. His face was buried in his hands and his shoulders shook. He was crying.

I hesitated, torn between the urge to hug him and to let him be alone. A feeling of deep helplessness, mixed with a kind of sickness overwhelmed me. I had no idea what to do. Eventually, I backed away, careful not to be heard. Joshua didn’t look up. Back in the car, I curled up on my seat, unease twisting my stomach.

“You okay?” Tyler asked. His voice startled me.

“I don’t know.” It was the truth. “I don’t think Joshua’s doing very well.”

Tyler just nodded.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Joshua approaching the car. “He’s coming,” I whispered and closed my eyes. A moment later, the cool air filled the car and I heard Joshua shut the door.

Joshua pulled me against him, unaware that I was awake. “I’m scared,” he whispered. His voice was so quiet, for a moment I was sure I’d imagined it. I was desperate to ask him if he was okay.

3 minutes and 21 seconds later Joshua took a deep breath and his muscles relaxed.

I forced my own breathing to stay slow.

In and out.

In and out.

What would we do if this didn’t work?

Joshua shook my shoulder. “Sherry, wake up. The rain has stopped.”

I pretended to be waking up, squinting against the hesitant sunrays peeking through the trees. Joshua leaned in and brushed hair from my face to reach my mouth for a kiss. His eyes searched my face. “You alright?”

“Yeah.”

He looked doubtful.

Tyler stirred on the backseat, waking from his pretend sleep.

I opened the door and got out of the car. I stretched, glad for the cold air that cleared my thoughts. A few seconds later Joshua was at my side.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, brushing my shoulder.

I looked at my feet. “I saw you.”

Silence.

I raised my head.

Embarrassment twisted his face and he turned his back to me.

“I didn’t mean to,” I said. “I was worried when I woke up and you weren’t there.”

“Were you asleep when I got back?” His voice was strained.

“I — no. I wasn’t,” I admitted.

Joshua didn’t say anything.

I reached for his hand but stopped myself. “You don’t have to go through this by yourself. You know I’m here.”

Joshua turned to me. “You don’t get it Sherry. I’ve faced death so often over the last years - I honestly thought I could face anything. But this … my father? Seriously, no one knows what I’m going through.”

I touched his arm. “I can’t pretend to know how hard this is for you. But Joshua, you’re not alone. It’s not you against the rest of the world. You have me.”

A look of irritation flashed across his face. “You don’t know what I’m dealing with. Nobody does.”

Hurt swelled in my chest. “You’re not the only one who’s lost someone and who’s hurting.”

“Look, we haven’t got time for this now. We need to find the cure. That’s all that matters now,” Joshua said. It was like he hadn’t even registered what I’d said. The hurt quickly turned to anger.

“You’re right. We don’t have any time to waste,” I said, my voice emotionless. But inside, I felt like I was going to burst.

Four hours later we arrived in the Rockies. No one had spoken since we’d set off after our break. Joshua left the road and stopped the car behind a cluster of trees so it couldn’t be seen by other drivers. But we were still miles away from the lab.

Tyler leaned forward and scanned the map on my lap. “It’ll take hours to find the lab on foot. If we get lost, even longer.”

“I know but I don’t want to risk driving around. It’s much harder to stay undetected with a car. There must be military patrols around the lab and the colony. By foot, our chances are better,” Joshua explained.

We got out of the car. A soft drizzle covered us and I zipped my hoody up to keep the cold from seeping into my body. The groan of old bark, the rustling of trees and the occasional cry of a bird were the only sounds.

“Which way?” I asked.

Joshua looked around. “Away from the road.” He glanced at the map that I’d spread on the bonnet. “Quentin said the lab was situated further up the mountain. He wasn’t sure where the scientists had their colony though. We’ll just have to work our way up the incline and hope we find something.”

Tyler slung the backpack over his shoulder and we began our search. 1 hour and 7 minutes later and still no sign. Soon the drizzle soaked our clothes.

“Are you sure we’re not going in circles?” I asked when we crossed a small clearing I could’ve sworn we’d passed before.

Joshua shot me a glare. He unfolded the map, though I didn’t know how it could help him. None of us really knew where we were. After a moment, he pushed it into the back pocket of his jeans. “Maybe we should pay more attention to the incline. If we carry on up the mountain, we have to be going the right way.”

Purposefully, he turned right and Tyler and I followed in silence. My calves began to burn as we trudged upwards. 2 hours and 21 minutes – and still no end in sight. I thought of Dad, alone in L.A. How close was he to turning into a Weeper? Five days since I last saw him. Karen had said she thought it was anything from a six to eight days incubation period before the symptoms started. A wave of annoyance hit me. I’d give anything to know my Dad was safe and alive. For one strange, bleak moment, all my sympathy for Joshua drained away. Hurriedly, I pushed the thought away. We had to stick together if we were going to get through this.

Suddenly Tyler interrupted the silence. “I need a rest.”

Though Joshua looked reluctant, we stopped and sank to the ground. Tyler handed the rest of our rat strips and a cookie to each of us. We ate in silence while Joshua tried to make sense of the map and Quentin’s instructions. I had no doubt that we’d lost our way. We’d probably walked in circles for the last two hours.

A roar sounded.

I flinched and pulled my gun. Tyler was frozen, the cookie half-way to his mouth, but Joshua was already crouching beside me, gun ready and eyes alert.

“What was that?” I whispered. “It … it sounded like-”

“A Weeper,” Joshua finished for me.

“But that’s not possible, is it? They aren’t on this side.”

“Maybe they have a few of them for scientific purposes like Geoffrey thought. To study them and to test the cure,” Tyler said.

Joshua didn’t loosen his stance. “That must mean we’re close to the lab. I doubt they’d let them loose.”

We got up and continued walking, heading in the direction of the roar. A soft purr carried through the forest toward us but it grew fainter by the second.

“An engine,” Joshua said.

Tyler nodded. “Sounded like a truck or a bus.”

We ran through the trees, trying to follow the sound. Our steps and panting drowned out everything else but eventually the forest thinned and a ribbon of grey peeked through the trees. A road.

We slowed and took care to stay hidden as we moved closer.

A smaller path branched off and led toward an enclosed cluster of houses. Behind it, a huge white building emerged from the trees, standing out against the surrounding hills like an ugly vulture. Solar panels surrounded the building and covered the white dome-like roof. It reminded me of a cathedral, like the scientists had built a shrine to worship their scientific success. The entire complex was enclosed by a vast wall of barbed wire and accessed by a set of electric iron gates. It was the lab. “Should we film this?” I asked.

“No,” Joshua snapped, avoiding my eyes. “Quentin said this had appeared on TV before. Don’t you remember?”

I hated how awkward things had become between Joshua and me; it was suffocating.

“I guess those houses are where the scientists live,” Tyler offered, trying to break the tension.

Joshua nodded toward Tyler, ignoring me. “We should stay here for a while. Check things out.”

I knelt behind the bushes beside Joshua, being careful not to encroach on his space as I observed the lab. Guards armed with machine guns patrolled the gates, and I noticed that the wall of barbed wire was topped with state-of-the-art security cameras. I had no clue how we would get inside.

After what must have been a couple of hours, dusk began to fall, tingeing the forest gray. Down the road, two spotlights approached. The roar of an engine grew louder and moments later a bus turned down the road toward the gates and came to a stop. Blurred faces stared out from behind the windows.

“Do you think they’re the scientists?” I whispered.

Joshua didn’t take his eyes off the bus. “I guess. It seems they aren’t allowed to set foot outside the colony, except for work.”

“They’re like prisoners,” Tyler said.

How we would ever get the chance to talk to Joshua’s dad now?

The iron gates fell shut behind the bus and we were left to stare at the guards again. Now that it was getting dark, it was probably safe for us to move in.