Chapter 42
The hot water from the shower was refreshing against Esmie’s skin after the cold night out.
She wondered if this would be the last shower she would ever have.
If it came down to it, which it could, she would turn herself in to save Leo and her parents in a heartbeat.
It didn’t matter if she never saw the light of day again, or the torture Samson and Leo eluded she would go through.
Her family would not suffer for her mistakes anymore.
She wished she could say goodbye to Mindy and Tessa.
They deserved to know the truth of what happened to her and about their beloved city.
Grief wrapped around her stomach, almost ejecting her breakfast. Samson.
She carried a mound of regret. The biggest, not having the chance to let him know how much he meant to her.
Next being the relationship they could’ve had.
She could never feel for someone else the way she felt for him.
Hot tears streaked down her face. Esmie leaned her forehead against the tile, letting the water slap the back of her head and wash down with her tears.
There was a tiny twinge within her which hoped he would show up.
When she opened the front door, a small piece of her expected to see him standing there, in her foyer, demanding to know what took her so long.
Yet he wasn’t there. He was gone. Maybe it was better she was unconscious on a testing table in a Genetronetics lab.
Facing the truth, knowing she cost him his life was a torture she didn’t know if she could bear.
The minutes ticked by with dread coiling around her. She wished she could put on pajamas, curl up in her bed, and take a long nap to wake up and find out all of this was only a nightmare. But Chad’s text nagged at her. Leo couldn’t wait.
Dressed in black yoga pants, a long sleeve shirt, and black jacket, Esmie pulled on her hiking boots before trotting down the stairs ready to go. Papi was waiting for her in the kitchen. He handed her the old map, fraying at the edges. A green marker plotted her way.
“You can stay underground most of the time, except when you get to the river. You’ll have to exit here underneath the bridge, then reenter here on the other side.
” He pointed at one of the bridges they rarely took as it was in another suburb city.
“There should be a rope connected to a boat attached to a pulley system that can get you across. Be careful when you pass by the Capitol Building. Some people there still use the tunnels. You’ll want to avoid them. ”
Mamá exited from the sala, rushed past Esmie into the kitchen, then handed her a backpack.
“Toma. It’s food to hold you over until you get back.
There’s also a portable charger in there.
Your phone should be dry now. When you come back with Leo, we will find a plan on how to get out of here, as a family.
Papi and I talked. We know they’ll come here next.
We’ll find a place to hide until we can figure this out. There’s a flashlight in there too.”
“Gracias Mamá. Gracias Papi.” Esmie took turns hugging each of her parents fiercely. Tears brimmed her eyes. She swiped them away. They mimicked her movements, wiping away their own tears.
“Be ready for when I get back. I’ll bring Leo home. I promise.” Esmie turned to walk out the door.
“Mija,” Mamá called. Esmie stopped to turn around.
“Be careful when you get to Genetronetics. They know about the tunnels and will have them guarded. Text me when you get close by. Papi and I have set up a distraction to help you inside and out without being detected. You won’t have long, maybe twenty minutes at most, but we’re praying it will be enough time. ”
Esmie nodded surprised at her parents’ insightfulness. They definitely knew a lot more than what they let on. While this bothered her at some level, on another she was grateful they could provide help in her time of need. In all of their time of need.
“Los amo y bendiciónes.”
“Bendición y cuídate,” Papi said.
“May Elohim be with you on your journey,” Mamá said before Esmie turned away, placing on a new pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap then walked out her parents’ home, carefully checking if anyone was watching or following her before she exited.
Glancing at the map, it marked a route through their suburb and into the next one called Matayór, well, now it was called Shady Lane.
Their houses were similar to the ones in Brookshire but with more trees as they were an older suburb.
Esmie cut across lawns and yards, not caring about sticking to the streets.
She lost precious time at her parents’ home, although it was needed.
She checked her phone to see if Chad or anyone else had texted again, but it was silent.
A few cars passed by as she half-walked, half-jogged to Shady Lane.
Running would have been better, but she needed to conserve her energy for when she arrived at Genetronetics.
It was already getting close to noon when she finally arrived at the place Papi said the entrance to the tunnel was located.
She glanced around but only saw a one-story brick building with a white sign and red letters that said, “Carl’s Hardware Store”.
No cars were in the parking lot, so she wasn’t sure if it was open.
She made her way around the brick building, but no other signs of an entrance were there.
In fact, the only thing near the building was a garbage dumpster bin that appeared to have seen better days.
After circling the building, she walked up to the glass front door and peered inside.
The lights were off and the place a mess as if someone left in a hurry.
Boxes were stacked up along the side walls and tools scattered along the floor.
Carl’s Hardware Store hadn’t been open for a long time from what she could see.
Esmie bit her lip, unsure of what to do.
She didn’t want to text her parents already.
“Esmie, you got this. Think,” she told herself out loud.
Why not check the door? Couldn’t hurt. Esmie grabbed the handle and yanked.
It didn’t budge. Of course it would be locked.
But she could pick a lock easily! Esmie swiveled her head around to ensure no one was watching, then she placed her hand on the lock and using telekinesis, she turned the latch.
It groaned in response but clicked open.
With one last glance around, she opened the door and sneaked inside, locking it behind her.
The dark hardware store smelled of iron and tires.
She crept along the aisles, avoiding the different nails, screws, and tools on the floor, searching for another exit.
When she arrived at the back of the store, she found a door that said, “Employees Only”.
Well, she had already gotten this far. Pushing it open, a dark hallway greeted her.
She entered, pulling out her flashlight.
The door closed behind her, sending the area into an inky darkness until she clicked on the flashlight.
At least there wasn’t a bunch of stuff on the floor she had to skirt around.
Different doors lined the hallway. One led to a bathroom, another a breakroom, and the other was something like a changing room with lockers for employees to put their things away.
Esmie arrived at the end of the hallway to find the last door opened to an office, with a desk and an old computer.
It reminded her of Deepika’s office with rows of binders and papers everywhere along tall bookshelves.
She turned around unsure where to go now.
There was nothing to indicate a door, hidden or not, to enter the tunnels.
She decided to enter the office and see if she could find any clues.
The cluttered office had piles of file boxes on the floor.
The owner most definitely left in a rush or didn’t care to clean up after him or herself.
Esmie tried to squeeze between the desk and a crooked bookshelf but hit the shelf with her hip.
Several items knocked onto the floor. She jumped at the sound, reaching for the heavy bookcase to keep it from falling on her.
That’s when she noticed an object behind it.
Esmie planted her feet on either side of the bookshelf and shoved it away from the wall. A metal door welcomed her like an old friend. She pulled on the handle. It creaked open and released cool, stale air. Shining her flashlight, she found a landing then stairs leading down. Here it was.
Taking her time, Esmie traversed down the stairs, shutting the metal door behind her, trying to make as little noise as possible.
When the stairs ended, a tunnel lay ahead of her, dark and ominous with flickers of light from what appeared to be railroad lanterns hung along the ceiling every several feet.
When she shone her flashlight on them, to get a better look, the lights had small LEDs inside instead of lit by fires as in the olden days.
Inhaling a calming breath, she took off at a brisk pace forward, checking the map to ensure she oriented herself properly.
The way the tunnels branched off, she could easily get lost and it would take her days to get to Genetronetics.
Different noises made her jump. Dripping sounds of water.
A slamming grate or door, she wasn’t sure.
Skittering feet of rats or other bugs. Esmie shivered at the thought but was grateful to Elohim that nothing crossed her path.
Especially the rats or bugs. The further she went, the faster she walked until she was almost at a jog.
The tunnels felt like they were closing in on her.
Then she turned a corner and a distant swishing sound reached her ears.
She slowed her pace, trying to pinpoint the noise.
After several more feet, Esmie arrived at another door.
She prayed this was the exit. Pushing on the corroded metal door, it groaned open to reveal a gushing river in front of her at the end of a short muddy bank.
Sighing with relief, Esmie exited and shoved the door closed again.
She walked to the edge of the bank searching.
Her eyes skimmed the area as the sound of cars zoomed overhead. Something was wrong.
The boat wasn’t there.