The Cellar: A Post-Apocalyptic Novella (7 page)

“You’ll need a disguise.” She took the gray hooded robe and held it up in front of him.

“Wait a minute.” He held up both his hands. “You mean I’m wearing that and riding on the wheel platform thing?”

“No. You can’t handle the vehicle yet. So we’ll
both
have to be under the robe, and we’ll
both
ride the wheel platform thing.”

“You’re kidding me.” Daren looked at the robe. “We’ll be riding together and you think that’ll cover us both?”

Lara gave a shrug. “We’ll just have to hope the wheels don’t peek out too much. And if they do let’s pray that people will be too freaked out to notice.”

⊕
 
⊕
 
⊕

D
AREN
AND
L
ARA
CARRIED
GREEN
glowsticks to light their way as they climbed up a long flight of concrete stairs. Strapped to Daren’s back was a bag of food supplies from the cellar. He could just imagine everyone’s reaction when he showed it to the village. That’ll beat a horde of rats anytime. They can go extinct for all he cared.

“I can’t wait to tell everybody about this place!” He rushed ahead of Lara. He felt too happy to feel the weight on his back.

“You can’t tell anyone, Daren!”

He stopped, turned around, and looked at her in slack-jawed amazement.

“What are you talking about?” His voice echoed down the tunnel. “There’s infinite food in there. As in it will never…NEVER…run out. Enough for everyone we know and twice more. There’ll be no need to fight over meals again.”

“First off, you promised me you wouldn’t tell a single soul about the food stash.” She stomped her way past him. “Second, how can you be sure the food supply is infinite? That cellar could lose its magic anytime and we’re back to scrounging for scraps. And suppose the food renews forever?” She turned around and placed her hands on her hips. “You think that’ll stop people from being the bastards they are? Clans and villages for miles around would slaughter each other for control of the cellar. That’s exactly what I meant when I said the knowledge was too dangerous.”

Daren had to admit she was right. The cellar and its treasures would be powerful leverage in a starving world. It had to be kept a secret.

The sound of their footfalls bounced around the tunnel as they continued on their way up. A couple of rats scurried their way down past them. He gave them a passing glance before resuming his climb. Just a day before he would’ve turned around to hunt them down.

“So what do you tell your village when you bring them fresh food?” he asked, breaking the silence. “They’ve gotta be curious.”

“I tell them it was a gift from the Angel of Death,” she replied. “And after all the ‘sightings’ in the area by yours truly they all believe me and are too scared to ask any more questions.”

“And you get away with that?” He adjusted the straps on the bag.

She looked back and shot him a smirk. “Apparently.”

“So…” He held his shoulder straps while sticking up his thumbs. “I must be special, huh?”

Lara faced him and raised an eyebrow. “How do you figure that?”

“You didn’t tell anyone else about the cellar,” he said. “But you let
me
see it.”

“That’s because you begged me like the sad boy you are. And so I took pity on your sorry ass.”

“Maybe. Or maybe you might have a little crush on me.”

She quickly turned her head back and cleared her throat. He liked the way her hair flipped when she did that. He had a sneaking suspicion she was hiding a blush.

Eventually the tunnel ended, and they emerged inside an old cabin. Odors of dampness and rot assaulted Daren as he looked around. Wispy layers of cobwebs dangled from the rafters, and a thick layer of dirt covered the floorboards. All around were broken barrels and empty crates. The place had been looted decades before.

Lara kneeled down by the hole in the floor from which they got out. She closed the trapdoor, making it squeak from its hinges, and pushed it down shut. Then she used her hands to push dirt over the door to conceal it.

She approached a dark corner of the cabin and shone her glowstick on the area. There were a few crates and some plywood propped up on the wall. She pulled them aside to reveal a wheeled platform vehicle—exactly like the one he saw in the cellar.

“So you keep one up here, huh?” Daren walked over and shone his light on it. “How’d you get this thing up those stairs?”

Lara mounted the vehicle and fiddled with the handlebars.

“Willpower, perseverance, and a lot of free time,” she said.

She leaned forward slightly to propel the platform to the center of the room. The aging floorboards moaned in protest as the wheels passed over them. She turned the vehicle around to face Daren.

“Okay,” Lara said. “Open the doors so I can ride out. Then you come out and close them as soon as I’m outside.”

After Daren complied with her instructions he found himself standing outside the old cabin. It was still night so most of it was shrouded in darkness, save for whatever was revealed by the greenish glow of the tubes. He looked over at Lara standing on the wheeled platform. She was on the front walkway leading away from the cabin.

“Tell me,” he said. “How exactly did you carry me from the woods, up to this cabin, down the stairs and right into the bunker?”

She drove the vehicle around him in a circle while she smirked at him. “I have my ways.”

“No, really,” he prodded. “How?”

Lara shook her head. “Never mind. You’ll just get mad at me.”

“Mad?” Now Daren really wanted to know. “Why would I be mad?”

“Just drop it, okay?” She stopped the vehicle by leaning back. “You’re alive, breathing and mostly uninjured, so just let it go.”

Daren kept asking her but she seemed to tune him out. She pulled out the gray robe and placed it over herself. She grasped the hood, pulled it over her head, and adjusted it until it concealed her face.

“All right,” she said. “Step under the robe and do everything like I told you to.”

“So you’re not telling me how you transported me, huh?”

“Are we doing this or not?”

“Okay! Okay!”
 

Daren went under the robe.

It was like crawling into a dark, tiny claustrophobic tent…with a girl in it. Daren swallowed hard as he stepped on the platform. He made sure his feet were in the proper position beside hers and carefully slipped his hands around her waist.

“Watch it mister,” Lara said pertly. “Don’t let your hands go wandering off where they shouldn’t be.”

He felt his mouth go dry. “Understood.”

“I want you to hold on tight and stick close to me. Lean when and where I lean so we don’t wobble too much…”

He couldn’t hear much after that. All he could think about was how warm and soft she felt, how good her hair smelled, how he wanted to bury his face in it. Next thing he knew they were on their way through the forest. He was literally in the dark as the robe flapped around him. He trusted that she had a good view as she peeked out the cowl.

The movement was unsettling—especially when it went over the bumps. He’d never been on a vehicle in his life. He remembered there was a time when horses were still around to pull carts. But they were all dead by the time he turned six.

He looked down for a moment. “I think the wheels are visible,” he whispered near her ear. “The hem is a few inches too high.”

“It can’t be helped,” Lara replied. “I’ll just make sure we don’t get too close for anyone to notice.”

They rolled along in silence for several minutes—until both of them heard a cry of alarm. Lara slowed the vehicle down to a crawl.

“Why are you slowing down?” he asked, trying to keep his voice low.

“There are several people up ahead. If I go too fast it might make the wheels more obvious.”

“What do they look like?”

“Like people.”

“Could you at least try to describe them?”

“Well, there’s a bearded bald guy with scars on his face and his toothless girlfriend has half her head shaved.”

“Oh shit!” Daren exclaimed. “We’re screwed.”

“Friends of yours?”

“I threw dirt in baldy’s face. And I’m the reason why semi-baldy lost her teeth.”

“You need to work on your people skills.”

“Duly noted,” Daren retorted. “What are they doing?”

“I don’t like this.” Fear crept into Lara’s voice. “They’re not reacting like people normally do. They’re not running away.”

“It’s our wheels. They can see them.”

“I should light more glowsticks.” He felt Lara reach for her pockets. “Maybe we’ll look more ghostly that way.”

Daren heard boots breaking twigs from somewhere behind. Someone was sneaking up on them. He saw the distant flicker of a torch from underneath the robe.

“Let’s go, dammit!”

“Not yet,” said Lara. “We might still be able to pull this off if we keep calm.”

There was a whizzing noise. Daren knew what it was the moment he heard it. His fears were confirmed when he heard an arrow hit the ground right beside them. A second whizz pierced the air and another arrow landed nearby.

“They’re shooting at us!”

“I am aware,” Lara snapped at him. “But the fact that they haven’t charged at us means they’re still scared.”

“Obviously not scared enough to avoid sticking an arrow in us.”

Daren heard something rip. He closed his eyes and prayed it wasn’t what he thought it was. But the shift in the backpack’s weight told him all he needed to know. If he removed his arms from Lara’s waist to fix the problem he’d lose his balance and their cover would be blown. He felt Lara flinch as she registered the sound.

“What was that?” she asked.

“My shoulder strap. I think it’s coming off.”

“No.” Lara’s voice shook. “Not now.”

“Let’s get the hell out of here, Lara.” He squeezed her tighter.

As the vehicle went faster, Daren heard shouts all around him. He heard Bryson give orders to the others. The sound of running feet got closer. Lara was going over uneven ground, and he felt jostled as she tried to navigate at a higher speed.

“Light it!” Bryson’s voice rang out clearly.

“Oh no!” Lara shouted.

“What’s wrong? What’s ha—”

A flaming arrow shot through the back hem. The robe instantly caught fire and threatened to engulf both of them. Lara began to scream. Daren couldn’t tell if it was from pain or terror. He raised his leg, unsheathed the hunting knife and slashed through the robe. The flaming portion fell to the ground and left their back completely exposed.

Lara, in her panic, steered the vehicle into a ditch. The movement pitched them over, and they ended up sprawling in the dirt. The backpack tore away and its contents scattered all over the forest floor. Daren got up and looked around to find Lara. She was a few feet away and face down on the ground.
 

“Lara!” Daren grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up. “Are you hurt? Did you get burned?”

Lara’s face and hair were covered in dirt. She coughed and spat some out of her mouth.

“I’m fine.” She held on to Daren as she got on her feet. “Just a bit shaken up.”

Angry shouts were headed their way. The glow of torches was getting brighter against the surrounding trees. Daren looked around at the food strewn about. He had to at least take home something. He picked up a few cans and shoved them in his coat pocket.

Daren looked at Lara as she pulled up the wheeled platform.

“I think it’s broken,” she said.

“Then let’s run!”

Daren grabbed her arm and dragged her through the trees. He kept a strong grip on her as they both hurtled through the woods, determined not to lose sight of her no matter what. He kept on for a full minute before he heard Lara’s protests.

“Oww!” she squealed. “You’re hurting me. I can run fine on my own.”

Daren reluctantly let go of her arm.

“Sorry,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure you were with me, that’s all.”

“That’s really sweet, but I can manage.”

There was a loud thud just above them. Both of them ducked and looked up. An arrow protruded from the bark of the tree. They turned to see a man about twenty yards away reloading his crossbow.

“Go! Go! Go!” Daren shouted as they both scrambled away.

“I don’t think we should worry too much.” Lara avoided some low hanging branches. “He’s been a pretty lousy shot.”

Daren dodged from side to side as he ran. “He’ll keep at it and get lucky.”

“My, aren’t we upbeat tonight,” huffed Lara, keeping pace with him.

At that point they had run almost five minutes at top speed, and the exertion was starting to wear on them. Once or twice they nearly tripped over a few rocks. Daren heard Lara gasping for breath. He heard her falling farther and farther behind. Soon he had to stop and run back to where she stood. He found her beside a large tree. She leaned her back on the trunk and closed her eyes. Her chest heaved with every breath.

“I can’t do this, Daren.” She wiped the sweat off her forehead. “I’m not fit enough. I’ve been riding that damned thing too long.”

“You have to.” He grabbed her arm. “You have any idea what they’ll do if they catch us?”

“Okay…okay…I’ll try.”

They were on the move again but at a much slower pace. His heart fell when he noticed she was practically hobbling. Daren had to drape her arm over his neck as he held her rib cage to support her.

“Perfect excuse to cop a feel, huh?” she quipped.

“Yeah, now that you mention it.”

The battle cries of the raiders came surging back again. Whatever ground they gained earlier was being lost with every passing second. There was no way he could support Lara and outrun them. And he was certain she knew that, too.

“We’ll never get away at this pace, you know.” Lara looked over her shoulder.

Daren guided her forward. “Look who’s upbeat now.”

“I’m serious,” she said. “I don’t want to hold you back.”

“Are you even listening to yourself? There’s no way I’m leaving you with those savages!”

A whizz passed through the air again. A sharp blow struck him in his left calf. Intense pain radiated from his wound. He yelped in agony as he stumbled to the ground. Lara collapsed along with him.