The Beneath (26 page)

“Lily, their leader sounds like a megalomaniac. We can’t leave them living down there. Who knows what they might do next? Now, enough arguing. We need to know how we get down to the lower levels.”

As she spoke, a policeman appeared by her side. She stepped back as soon as she realised he was there.

“Status report, please, DI Harding. And quickly.”

He was obviously the one in charge.

“These are the missing kids, sir. I was just about to get some intel from them about the set-up down here.”

“What do we know so far?” he asked sharply.

“This is the rat level, sir. I believe that the people are further down. They may offer us some resistance, from what these two are saying.”

“Well, let’s execute the plan then, shall we? Get the
children back up top immediately.”

Will pulled himself up to his full height and looked the new police officer in the eye.

“What plan? We have friends down there. Will they be safe?”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine if they do what they’re told, if the leader down there is sensible,” said DI Harding. “The guns will be just a precaution.”

“Before you do anything you’ll need to deal with the rats,” said Will, pointing in the direction they had gone. “The leader of the Community may well be dead – he’s just been chased in that direction by several thousand of them.”

He paused for a moment until the policeman looked back at him.

“I think they might be eating him,” he added in a deadpan voice.

There was a moment of silence. The man’s jaw dropped.

“What? Which way?”

“Down there.” He pointed towards the back of the cavern. “And whatever you do, don’t whistle. It’s a sign to attack.”

He shouted the last bit at their backs as they raced into the depths, calling for the lights to be moved. In the momentary confusion Will grabbed my arm.

“We have to go and warn them. If these guys burst in with guns it could be a bloodbath.”

I nodded, too shocked to talk but realising instantly that he was right. Looking around we could see that we weren’t being watched, so we made a beeline for the lift shaft. There was just enough light from the trail of lamps across the cavern to see the edge. Will swung around to the ladder and jumped down without hesitation, then turned to catch me as I followed him.

This time I didn’t stop to consider the yawning drop, stepping straight on to the ladder and then down on to the ledge. Within seconds we were through the big metal door, running down the stairs as fast as we could, racing to warn the Community that their enemies were on the way down.

CHAPTER 24

I run through the corridors of home, reaching out to touch the familiar, smooth walls as I pass, trying to memorise the stone before I leave forever. There is only one choice left to me, and I need to see Dane before I go back into the secret entrance to the Crop to escape back Above. I’m still numb at the sudden turn of events. I wonder if the Farmer had seen something familiar in Lily and realised she was a threat.

We are being led by a madman, and the medicines were not worth the price that we paid for them. I think about Lily and Will facing the Crop, and I have to stop and steady myself, feeling the bile rising in my throat. I swallow hard. What do we do now? Can we save our Community for the future? Should we?

Are we worse than the Aboves?

I can’t answer all the questions that are spinning around my head. I have to speak with Dane to find out if he will come with me.

As I turn a corner I see Dane running full pelt towards me. He barely slows down, just grabs me by the arm as he passes.

“Quick, Aria, we don’t have much time. We have to get to the Rotunda!”

“The Rotunda? Why?”

I gasp as he drags me along with him, struggling to keep to my feet as we race.

“The Farmer – Carita said she saw him running past, muttering the name. She said he looked crazy. We have to stop him.”

“From what?” I gasp as try to keep up.

“He didn’t come down in the lift. Maybe Lily was able to use the Affinity to beat him and escape. He’s going to be very angry.”

“You think they’re not dead?” I finally drag him to a stop.

Dane turns to me, his dark, brooding eyes looking more worried than I have ever seen them before.

“Something has gone wrong for the Farmer, and we need to get to him before he does something stupid.”

We start running again. Lily has beaten the Farmer! But why is he going to the Rotunda? It doesn’t make sense, but my heart is singing. My friends are OK! I run faster to keep up with Dane.

He pulls me through tunnels that I’ve barely visited since I was a child learning the map. It’s an area we rarely come to now that we don’t need the space, and what they used to do here is a mystery to me.

“It’s the only thing he can do now,”says Dane, slowing down as we get close to our destination.

“I don’t understand.”

“I’ll show you.”

As he speaks we arrive at the entrance to a thin, low tunnel. Crouching down, we creep along it until it opens out into the Rotunda – an old circular room, a couple of steps lower than the tunnel. On the far wall is what looks like an immense gate, built in two semicircular halves. I had forgotten that it is here – the whole place is some ancient relic from the Aboves. It’s something they built years ago and then abandoned. Instead of stone walls it is built in red brick, just like the ones up Above, only cleaner-looking.

The Farmer is hunched over some machinery by the gate, examining wheels and cogs. Dane puts his fingers to his lips and slips to the side behind a huge iron cylinder with thick pipes coming out of either end. The pipes run into a line of iron boxes. Once he is out of the Farmer’s line of sight, he waves at me to speak.

“What are you doing?” I call.

He whips round and sees me, his eyes glittering with anger. His clothes – usually immaculate – are ripped and bloodied. He has a cloth wrapped around his hand.

“This is all your fault. If you hadn’t gone Above none of this would have happened. I was so close!”

He slaps his palm on to the machinery before returning his attention to a huge, cogged metal wheel. Taller than me, it is connected to a pipe that goes into the wall.

I can see Dane on the far side of the room.

“Keep him talking,” he mouths at me.

“So close to what?”

“To paying them back! Releasing the Crop and watching the havoc it would play on their smug faces. They are so nearly ready – just one more breeding round and I would have had enough for it all!”

“Are Lily and Will dead?” I ask, desperate to know for sure.

“She’s a witch,” he says icily. “I should have had her killed immediately. There was no need for what they did.”

I’ve known the Farmer for my entire life, but I’ve never seen him look so dangerous. I can’t see a hint of reason left in his eyes, and I have no idea what he might do next. I take a few steps towards him, wanting to keep his attention until Dane can get closer, but careful to stay out of reach.

I can see the tendons on his arms, taut where he is pulling at the wheel.

“What exactly did they do, Farmer?” I ask.

I am trying really hard to keep my eyes fixed on him and not glance behind him towards Dane.

“She has turned the Crop against me. There’s no protection for us now. There is only one thing left that I can do for my people. Here, pull hard on this.”

He is trying to turn a wheel on the machinery. I must obey to keep his focus on me. I wish I could see where Dane has gone. I take a firm grip on one of the rusty handles, pulling on it with all my weight, and very slowly it starts to give.

“Perhaps the Aboves will help us, Farmer. They all seem very reasonable to me. We can ask them.”

“It’s too late for that,” he grunts as he continues to strain against the rusty old wheel.

“I don’t see why. Once we’ve explained to the Aboves about our lives and they understand, then we can live a bit more openly. Above is a strange but beautiful place – I’m sure the others would like to visit.”

I see a movement out of the corner of my eye. Dane is edging closer. I must keep the Farmer talking until Dane can do whatever he has planned.

“You really don’t get it, do you?” the Farmer is saying. “That was our last chance. Once we’re breached, this is the only solution.”

He gives a final heave. The wheel groans loudly and suddenly starts to inch round. There is a dull clanking noise behind me and I look round to see the huge gate in the wall moving slowly upwards.

“What are you doing? What do you mean, it was our last chance?”

The gate continues to move as he wrenches at the wheel again, and a tiny trickle of water appears at one side. With another wrench the gate inches up again, and the trickle turns into a torrent as a gap opens up across the wall. Water is spraying out in a wide waterfall, splashing on to the floor close to my feet. I realise with horror what I have helped the Farmer to do.

“No! Stop him!”

As I shout I look over towards Dane. He is nearly in reach, but the Farmer sees my glance and turns. He grabs a long metal rod and in a single movement swings it round. It connects with Dane’s head in a sickening crunch. Dane drops to the floor where the water swirls around him. He doesn’t move.

“No!” I scream. “You’ve killed him!”

The torrent of water has turned into a river of evil-smelling scum, which is already lapping up towards my knees. Within seconds it will be up over the steps and down the corridor. Our world is flat, and flooding has always been one of our big fears.

“No, you can’t do this! All your people, the women, the babies – you’re going to kill them all?”

“It’s for the best, believe me.”

The water reaches my thighs. It’s cold and nearly takes my breath away.

“For whose best?” I shout over the roar of the waterfall now cascading through the opening gate. “I don’t want to be a sacrifice!”

He catches me by the hand as I try to pass him to reach Dane.

“We pay the price, Aria. You let the Aboves follow you in, and you must suffer the consequences. You can see that it’s the only way.”

“You’re mad!” I scream.

I try to shake off his hand, but his grip is too tight. He is too strong for me. The water swirls around my waist. It’s already pouring through the tiny entrance into the Community tunnels. I grab the wheel and try to wrench it closed, but he drags me away from it.

“No, Aria, there’s no use fighting. We must be the first to pay.”

He pulls a length of rope from round his waist and loops it over my head and shoulders.

“Don’t struggle,” he says. “You’ll only make your death more uncomfortable.”

He wraps the rope round my hands and ties it to the machinery next to the wheel. Struggling makes the rope tighter.

“Please don’t do this,” I beg. “Think of Carita and Reilly, of your family. Reilly is your son – do you really want him to drown?”

His voice is calm.

“We can’t live up there, you know that. They fight and kill each other, abuse the women and the children, let people starve… We’re better off like this.”

He gives me a twisted smile and turns away.

“Please, untie me,” I beg again. “They’re not that bad. They can help us!”

The water has pushed Dane’s motionless body up towards me. I strain across, trying to lift myself up so that I can reach him with my feet. He’s so close! But I lose my grip and sink under the oily water. Spluttering, I pull myself back up and try again. I catch his arm with my foot and pull. He bobs towards me. In the noise and confusion in the shadowy, echoing room I can’t tell if he’s alive or dead, but I manage to wedge him between my body and the machinery. He is on his back in the water, and I fight against the current to get my face close to his to see if I can find any sign of life.

On the other side of the wheel the Farmer is smiling calmly as the water rises, swaying gently as he turns to watch the torrent. I think he has lost his mind. I shout over the thunder of the water.

“Have you realised why Lily was able to control the Crop? Why Dane sent me up Above to bring her down?”

I see him stop swaying, his back to me. He is listening.

“Do you remember the Breeder – your Breeder – who sneaked a baby Above to stop the sickness? Do you?”

He doesn’t turn.

“The baby lived. Lily lived, and she came back down to help us.”

“That girl is no daughter of mine,” he says.

“She is! Let her help! The Aboves are kind – they don’t want to hurt us!”

He turns round, and his gaze is as icy as the water churning around us.

“She’s not my daughter. My Breeder made a big mistake. She took another’s child Above for medicine, thinking I wouldn’t punish her, but she was wrong. When she came back I sent her to the Crop, and disowned our child. I didn’t want her filthy blood contaminating my line.”

“So who is it? Who is your daughter?”

He laughs.

The swirling torrent is at my chest. If I wasn’t tied on I wouldn’t be able to stand.

Fighting the current, the Farmer grabs another rope and lashes himself to some huge pipes leading away from the wheel. The water is now close to the top of the tiny tunnel, which is the only way out. He shouts over the roar of the water.

“I should have got rid of you then!”

Then he disappears under the spray and foam. I pull against the ropes but they are too tight. There is no time to think about what he’s told me. Dane’s face is next to me as the water rises, and I try with every last ounce of strength to keep him close. I wish that I could stroke his cheek. But by bending over I can just reach his lips, and I kiss him gently.

“Goodbye, Dane,” I whisper as the water rises over my chin.

It’s time to die.

Will and I tore down the spiral staircase and shot out of the doorway at the bottom. I struggled to run in a straight line.

“Wait,” I gasped to Will. “There’s no point just running off; we need to know where to find people. Why don’t we shout?”

He took a deep breath, lifted his fingers to his mouth and gave a deafening whistle.

“HEY! COMMUNITY! We need you here – NOW! This is an EMERGENCY!”

People started appearing at the ends of the tunnels and from doorways, then a large group of men came running round the nearest corner. Among them were some of the group we had first run into. They didn’t look happy at being disturbed again.

“What do you two think you’re playing at?” spat the one with the beard. “You’re supposed to have gone.”

“There’s no time to explain,” I panted, still trying to get my breath back. “I don’t know how, but there are police from Above up by the Crop, and they are going to be coming down here at any moment.”

“What!” The man nearest to me stepped back in indignation. “You’ve let the Aboves down here? That can’t happen!”

“It’s true,” said Will, “and they’ll be here any minute. You mustn’t fight them. They have guns.”

“Now you’re talking nonsense. If there are Aboves
down here looking for a fight, then they’re going to get one.” He smashed his fist into his palm and looked around at his friends. “Who’s with me?”