I watched through the monitor screen as more cameras were strategically placed around our compound. Several now pointed straight in the direction of Soriah. I wanted to know every step President Cane and his sidekick Sharon made.
“Helicopter,” I said through the men’s earpieces.
They ducked into hiding until the aircraft passed, then resumed their work. Normally, monitoring the cameras was left to Lars and Dayton, but on occasion, I took a shift to study the layout of the city and plan how best to take down the army. So far, we’d only managed to thin them out a little at a time, nibbling at their ankles like the rats that roamed the city.
If we could destroy the army, we’d deal Soriah a blow the white city might never recover from. I glanced at the monitor showing the area around the army’s camp. We couldn’t get close enough to see the actual camp, although we had people working on increasing the distance.
Eb shuffled into the control room, leaning heavily on his cane. “I found the blueprints behind one of the energy panels.”
I grinned and called for Lars over the loudspeaker before turning to the old man. “Was I right?”
“In thinking this place is larger than what we can see? Yes. Come. Fawke is waiting.”
“You could have called me.”
“Need to keep moving or die. We’re in the dining room when you’re free.” He limped back out.
Eb had lived in the underground compound his whole life, yet there was still much to be discovered it seemed. He’d been alone for so long, content to tend his gardens and keep the place running he obviously hadn’t felt the need to look further. Me, on the other hand, suffered from a strong case of curiosity.
When Lars arrived, I headed to the dining room. The only room in the compound with enough room to spread anything out on a table. It had become not only a place to eat, but a meeting place.
Fawke glanced up and smiled. “Good morning.”
“Good morning. Good news, too.”
“Hopefully.” He moved over so I could stand next to him at the table. “This is where we’ve been living.” He circled an area with his finger. “The doors leading outside. But here is another door. One we’ve not discovered.”
“It looks as if there is a lower level.”
He nodded. “Maybe more than one. If we can find this, we’d have room to house a lot more people.”
I glanced up. “You think more will come?”
“Yes. Mom said there’s a lot of unrest in Soriah. Food shortages, water and power rationing. If her group could get out, then so can others.”
Which would draw the Malignants back from wherever they’d been hiding. No one had seen one on camera in weeks. Common theory was that they’d gone to the mountain to avoid the army. But, if the city started to fill with people, would that draw them back?
“We need more room for gardens,” Eb said. “We’re running out of meat. Why not have someone find a way to catch those birds outside? These are the things we need to think about if our numbers keep growing.”
By meat, he meant rats, something I did my best not to think about when meat was on the menu. “I’ll get someone thinking about it. Will the pumps work for more gardens?” Right now, rainwater was captured in a huge basin, then filtered to rid it of the poison that kept humans and Malignants inside during the rain.
“Something else to deal with.” Eb lowered himself into a chair. “I can’t remember how my father did all this, but their numbers had to have been as big as ours.”
“I can’t believe you haven’t explored.” I sat across from him, my mind spinning with the preparations we’d need if Fawke’s assumption was correct.
“It took all my energy to keep up with what I have. You’re the leader. This falls on your shoulders now. I’m an old man nearing the end of my days.”
Which was another thing to consider. Where would we put people when they died? So far, we’d lost them to the army or Malignants, but people in the compound would die. Death was inevitable. I needed to make a list, in order of priority, of what needed doing. First, find the door that led down.
I studied the blueprint deeper, flipping it to look at the next one. “What if each of these pages are a separate floor? There’s five, if I’m correct, and a myriad of tunnels.” A possible five stories that could provide solutions to the problems we faced. “Eb?”
“My father would have known. I didn’t take over until he died. A lot of what I do, I had to learn.”
“I want to go outside.” I planted my hands flat on the table and pushed to my feet. “I’d like to study the entire area the amusement park had once stood on.”
Fawke nodded. “Let’s go.”
After stopping by the infirmary to collect our weapons, Fawke and I stepped into the wasteland of a once prospering city. A city Soriah now wanted in order to expand.
“Area’s clear,” Lars said into my earpiece.
I stepped from behind the pile of debris we used to cover our entrance. Time had claimed the area, covering everything with a gray dust. Bombs, both recent and decades past, had finished what nature hadn’t.
“How big do you think this park was?”
“Let’s assume it spread to where the taller buildings started. I’d say acres.”
“Then the compound is only a very small portion.” I climbed on top of the debris to get a clearer look.
Weeds stretched for a mile in every direction. Smaller buildings, in varying degrees of decay, poked up from the weeds. There would have been many more rides than the Ferris Wheel that hid our compound. What had happened to them?
I jumped off the pile and moved slowly through the dried weeds. A flock of birds cawed overhead, disturbed by our presence. I swept my foot through the dust in search for what had once been there. There had to be evidence of other rides.
“Where did everything go?” I glanced at Fawke. “It’s as if someone removed everything.”
“Smaller bits would be buried under several feet of dirt. Parts would have been used for repairs in the compound. We could ask Eb. Is that what we’re out here for?”
“Mostly to get an idea of how big the compound is. I can’t imagine Eb’s father and his people not using every bit of what was available.”
“I agree. Jenkins might remember something. He lived here before his father led a group to the mountains.”
True. I gazed to where the mountains rose in the distance. A place I’d loved until the army discovered the Rebel City. Even with the gray that covered everything, I preferred outside over the confines of underground. “Let’s talk to him.”
We returned to the compound and headed to the training room where Jenkins taught a few teenagers how to wield a sword. “Sure, I remember there being other things buried in the dirt out there. My father had some things dismantled to use the materials to build our home on the mountain. I don’t remember any floors below this one, though. But, we left when I was small. You really think this place is much larger?”
“If the blueprints are correct, yes.”
“Wow. A life changer.” His eyes widened. “This place could hold more people than Rebel City ever could and go undetected.”
“That’s the plan.” I turned to Fawke. “Let’s find that door.”
After another study of the blueprint, I followed Fawke to the room where Eb had stored supplies. All weapons and ammunition had been moved to the armory. Bolts of fabric and boxes of food packets still filled the space. A large shelving unit full of tools covered most of one wall. That’s where the door should be. But why cover it up?
It took over an hour for us to clear the shelves and be able to move the unit. I stared at the door we’d uncovered. “Why hide it?”
“Maybe there’s something behind it no one wanted found.”
Dread filled me. Curiosity had me reaching for the door.
“Crynn to the control room.” Lars’s called over the intercom had me pulling back from the handle.
Fawke laughed. “Maybe we really aren’t supposed to open that door.”
“Oh, we’re going to.” I whirled and marched to the control room.
“We’ve got a big problem,” Lars said the second we entered. “Take a look.” He rolled his chair away from the monitors.
I stepped up.
My blood ran cold.
Marching from the gates of Soriah came soldiers numbering at least a hundred. Behind them came tanks and a large truck which most likely carried supplies. “Where did they get that many?”
Fawke peered over my shoulder. “Some of them aren’t more than kids.”
“I don’t think The Wheel matters anymore. They’re snatching young people from their homes and handing them guns.” Which made our job a lot harder. I didn’t think I could kill a kid, even if they pointed a gun at my head.