Chapter 7 #3
“No shit.” And I headed to work. The dishes were dirty, but there wasn’t any wasted food, and I assumed food was as valuable below the surface as it was on the surface.
But I was a hard worker, and four hours later, I had everything clean, including the counters and stove. I rang the bell with a sharp tap of relief. When he didn’t appear right away, I stepped into the café area to see Burgess waddling toward me from the other room.
“You’re finished?”
I held open the door. “See for yourself.”
He made his way around the kitchen, running his finger along the counter before examining a glass. He didn’t say a word as he opened the refrigerator and removed a plate with a sandwich on it. He handed it to me.
I eyed it suspiciously. “Do I have to work another four hours for this?”
He smiled. “No. This is a gift. You’re a good worker, and you work fast. You earned it.”
I accepted the sandwich and took a bite. It was a giant mushroom with a meaty texture. Not too bad.
This is very nutrient-dense. You should eat here for every meal.
The old man filled a glass with water from the spigot and handed it to me. “If you want to barter, I need this kitchen cleaned every day.”
I considered as I chewed, and took a drink before answering. “I could use a place to stay.”
“I’m afraid I cannot help with that. I have a personal rule against taking in strays.”
“Then do you know of somewhere I can lie low for a night, maybe two?”
He shook his head sadly. “I don’t get out much, so I don’t know of anyone with a bed for rent.”
That is unfortunate. You require rest, Cal.
“I don’t need a bed. Just need a safe space.”
He seemed to consider me for a moment. “You know, I think every crawler over the age of twelve has had a run-in with corporate police at one time or another. The enforcers won’t enter the Crawl—it’s the only place they know they’re outnumbered.
They have the weapons to easily kill us all, but if that news leaked, it would look bad on their earnings report.
Keep your head down, and don’t break the rules, and you’ll get along just fine here.
You’re safer here than up there, I promise. ”
“I only need to lie low for a couple of days until I know it’s all clear upstairs,” I said.
Burgess chuckled. “Is that what you think? I’m sorry, son, but you’re flagged in their system now. All it takes is one drone to spot you, and you’ll disappear for good. The Crawl is your only option if you want to stay alive.”
My jaw tightened.
“Uh-oh. I’ve seen that look before.”
My brow creased. “What’s that look?”
“Young and foolish.”
“I’m not young. I’m old enough to be a lunger.”
He frowned. “You haven’t coughed once since you’ve been here.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “I guess I’m in remission or something.”
Or something.
“Pulmonary fibrosis doesn’t go into remission,” he said, eying me as if deciding whether I was an idiot or a liar.
Time for me to go. I handed him the empty plate and glass. “If I need another meal, I’ll be back to barter.”
He nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
I exited the café and walked through the market.
I recommend we return for food in six hours based on our nutrient needs.
“Yeah, and work four hours for a meal every six hours? That’s not a great deal.”
A person nearby eyed me funny, and I clamped my mouth shut.
The underground market had cleared out some—over half of the shops had shut down—but there were still a few dozen people milling around the remaining open shops.
Annie was gone, which meant I knew no other person in these tunnels, and I had a feeling there weren’t any info screens down here to list any rooms for rent—not that I expected there to be any of those either.
I glanced across faces as I walked through the market.
Most didn’t make eye contact; those who did bore wary expressions. No one looked approachable.
I stopped by a shop that wasn’t busy. It was a cart filled with random machine parts and metals. The man sitting there was covered in oil stains, and his fingernails were black with grease.
“Hey,” I said. “I don’t suppose you know of a place a guy could crash for a night.”
“Buy something,” he replied.
“Buy something, and you’ll tell me what you know, or buy something and you’ll hook me up with a place?” I asked.
He gave a noncommittal shrug.
I looked over the junk. There wasn’t anything I could use, so I picked up a coil of wire. “How much?”
He looked me over. “I’ll take that belt.”
I grunted. “My belt is worth a hundred times what this wire is.”
When he didn’t budge, I scanned the table and noticed a bowl filled with chips. I grabbed three of those. “My belt for three of these and the coil.”
“Two and the coil.”
“But you don’t even use chips down here.”
“Some people go to the surface. They need chips.”
I cursed under my breath and flicked one chip back into the bowl. I removed my belt, handed it to him, and grabbed my goods. “All right, so tell me, where can I find a place to stay?”
He looked. “I’ll take the wire and the chips.”
He is far better at bartering than you are, Cal.
With my jaw clenched, I handed back the items I’d just bought. “You could’ve just asked for my belt to begin with.”
“You wouldn’t have parted with it that easily,” he said.
I couldn’t decide if he was right or not. One thing I knew was that I didn’t like him. “All right, do you got a place to stay?”
“I don’t have a place, but I know Ambrose had a bed for lease. He’s at 44-22-DG.”
I bit back my frustration. “Thanks.” I left, feeling— knowing —I’d just been ripped off. I hustled through the market, reading the numbers on the walls that would guide me in the right direction. A tingle ran up my spine, and I spun around, searching for my tail.
What is wrong, Cal?
I’ve lived on Dreswick’s streets my entire life.
I knew to trust my gut, and I could’ve sworn I was being followed.
But I didn’t see anyone looking suspicious.
If someone was trailing me, they were good.
More likely, I was overly tired, and my gut was all screwed up with getting an amp shoved in my head.
“Probably nothing, but keep an eye out,” I said softer than a whisper.
I am constantly monitoring for threats. I detect no immediate danger, but I am confident that these tunnels are not as safe as Burgess said.
“You think it’s any safer upstairs?”
Most assuredly not. I recommend you move to a safer environment at your earliest opportunity. Ideally, one with access to systems where I can download data.
“I’ll get right on that. After that, how about we buy a ship and fly off to some beach world outside the corporate belt?”
At least you are in a good enough mood to be sarcastic.
I made my way through the Crawl. Once I figured out how to read the painted signs, it was straightforward to navigate the tunnels.
When I reached tunnel 44, I continued until I found branch 22.
Before I turned, I paused. I still felt like I was being followed, but Byte hadn’t alerted me, and the amp was definitely better at using my own senses than I was.
I entered and found the door with a D on it, then knocked.
A full minute passed, and I knocked again. Nearly another minute passed, and I was about to knock when the door opened. A middle-aged woman stood in the doorway. “What do you want?”
“I’m looking for a place to stay. A guy at the market told me you might have a bed for rent.”
She shook her head. “I rented that bed four days ago. He’s staying on for a month, so check back in…” She started counting on her fingers.
“Twenty-six days,” I answered for her.
She scowled. “Check back then. Maybe I’ll have a bed. Maybe not.”
“Do you know of any places who might have a place for tonight? I don’t even need a bed, just a place to rest.”
“Nope.” The door closed on my face.
That is disappointing.
“That’s an understatement.” I walked to the end of the branch, which ended in a darkened dead end. I took a seat in the darkest spot and lay on my side, using my arm as a pillow. “Can you monitor while I catch some shut-eye?”
Yes, however, I am dependent on your body’s senses. As you sleep, your senses will be dulled, thus restricting my ability to protect us.
“I’ll try to sleep light.”
It felt like I’d just fallen asleep when I heard Byte calling my name.
Cal, we have trouble.
I blinked awake instantly and sat up to find three men standing before me. They looked to be about my age and all had knives sheathed at their hips.
The man in the center spoke. “I was beginning to think you were dead. As I was saying, you can’t sleep here. This is Condor territory.”
“Condor?” I asked.
He tapped an embroidered bird on his jacket. Ah, gang territory.
I started to drag myself to my feet.
The man held out a hand. “You can’t sleep here without paying a toll, I mean.”
I sighed. “Then I’ll find another place.”
“But you already slept here.”
“For all of two minutes,” I snapped. Yes, I was really tired. It’d been a long day.
You actually were asleep for twenty-eight minutes. Most of it was deep sleep, which is good for recovery.
“Sleep is sleep,” the gang member said.
If it was only one guy, I wouldn’t hesitate to take him on, but three on one weren’t odds I wanted to take. “What’s the toll?”
“What do ya got?” he asked.
“Not much.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a chip. “You look like guys who visit upstairs.”
The leader seemed to chew as he thought. “Make it three chips. One for each of us.”
I guffawed. “Three? You’re crazy.”
All three unsheathed their knives at that comment.
I do not believe they appreciate their sanity being questioned.
I scrambled to grab two more chips and held them up. “All right. Three chips are all yours.”
The leader reached out with his free hand, and I gingerly placed the coins in his palm, keeping a wary eye on his knife-hand. I took a step back to stay out of arm’s reach.
The leader examined the chips and then tossed one to each of his pals. He turned back to me with a sneer. “Pleasure doing business with you.” His sneer fell. “But if we catch you in our tunnel again, you’re going to pay up a lot more than a few measly chips.”
My chest remained tight until they were out of sight. I leaned over and took a deep breath. “This place is more fun than I can handle.”
If this is your definition of fun, I need to update my dictionary.
I started walking.
Where are we going now?
Good question. It was clear I had no friends here, and curling up in dark corners seemed a good way to get robbed or worse.
I needed rest. I couldn’t wander these tunnels forever, which meant I needed to find somewhere else to lie low until this mess blew over.
I’d seen other exits to the surface while walking.
But if I returned to the surface, what then?
My place wasn’t safe. If the enforcers were still after me, they’d station a drone, at minimum, at my building, if not an enforcer pair.
And I couldn’t go to Nolan and put him in danger.
After today, the enforcers would know we were connected.
That left me one person who I knew would take me in without hesitation—one person who the enforcers couldn’t know I had a connection with. With her amp, she was wiser than all of Dreswick put together. She’d know what to do and where I could go.
“We’re going to Grandmother’s house.”