Ascendant Unrest Read online

  10

  Road Warriors

  The restaurant owner returned carrying two plates, each holding a burger and a portion of fries. Both meat patties had a suspicious, perfect roundness, which told Maya they’d come from the Sanc, most likely artificially grown beef, since the only cows left roamed free, away from civilization. It struck her as odd that the elite in New Baltimore Sanctuary Zone regarded real meat as an expensive delicacy, but in the wildlands, people had gone back to farming. Out there among the ‘savages,’ keeping live animals for food had once again become commonplace. In the supposedly horrible, deadly, unlivable wildlands, people thought nothing of eating a steak that would cost someone $600 here.

  All thoughts of economics and ridiculousness blanked from her mind when she got a whiff of the food placed in front of her.

  “Go on, eat up.” The man smiled. “You both look like you could use a decent meal.”

  Sarah murmured gratitude around a mouthful of burger.

  “Thank you for being nice.” Maya smiled at him and picked up hers.

  Like a pair of starving dogs, the girls attacked their food. Maya inhaled the first half of the huge hamburger before slowing down enough to taste it. After a few breaths to let her stomach settle, she munched on fries between mouthfuls of beef. Despite feeling full, she kept going until she licked meat juice and salt from her empty plate.

  “That was so good,” whispered Sarah. “Okay, so what do you wanna do? We could sneak down the alley and check the place out. If we don’t see anything, go in?”

  Maya sucked at her teeth, trying to dislodge a stuck bit of meat. “Maybe. What if we told the Authority and asked them for help?”

  “No.” Sarah frowned. “They’ll arrest us for bothering them. Or just zip-cuff us and leave us with our hands tied to our feet in an alley because it’s funny.”

  “They didn’t do that to me when I told them about the creep.” Maya raised an eyebrow. “You can hide and I’ll talk to them.”

  “No. We need a new plan. I don’t trust them.” Sarah gave her a pleading stare. “Please.”

  Maya tapped her fingers on her knees, racking her brain for something that didn’t involve walking straight into a trap or involve blueberries. Maybe the restaurant owner would let them stay here until Genna came home?

  “Ready?” asked Sarah.

  Maya scratched at her overfull belly. “I can’t move yet. I don’t think it’s a good idea to go back so soon.”

  “I gotta find my dad.” Sarah looked down at her lap, picking at her fingernails. “I need to know if he’s okay.”

  The urgency in her voice made Genna’s absence hurt even more. “He wouldn’t want you to get hurt. If those men are still watching, they might just shoot us. I’m scared.”

  “We have to do something. We can’t just sit here all day.”

  “I know. I know.” Maya grasped her hand. “What are we going to do? We’re a couple of little kids. Barnes and Weber are on the same trip as my mom. Book is too old to fight. Doc doesn’t have any guns. I don’t want to be responsible for anyone else being hurt.” She choked up. “I’m…” Cough. “Sorry about.” Sniffle. “Your dad. It’s my fault.”

  “You didn’t know they’d come after you.” Sarah picked up the cloth napkin and wiped Maya’s tears. “We don’t know that they even came after you on purpose. Maybe they just wanted to rob us, or grab a couple of kids.” She shivered.

  “They had a drone,” said Maya in a quiet, guilty tone. “I’m sure they were looking for me. They broke into the apartment on purpose. If your dad didn’t have that alarm….”

  “Yeah.” Sarah squeezed her arm.

  Maya jumped as the door opened; her body tensed, preparing to run. A man in an olive-drab poncho walked in, pulled down an air-filter mask, and cleared his throat a few times into his fist. An explosion of shaggy brown beard hung from his face, merging with his unkempt hair. Green camo pants swished as he approached the counter and took a seat at a stool. The sight of the scruffy veteran triggered a memory:

  Pope.

  The ex-soldier/hermit had offered to help her if she ever needed it.

  Guys trying to kill me counts as needing help.

  Of course, he lived way off in the Dead Space, so getting to him could be more dangerous than going home. That it seemed a better option made her wonder if she’d allowed herself to get too scared to think straight.

  “I got an idea.” Maya turned in the seat to face Sarah. “When I was trying to get Genna back from the Authority, this guy found me. His name is Pope, and he said if I ever needed help, he would.”

  Sarah bit her lip, looking disappointed. After a second, she took a breath. “Okay. Umm, where is he?”

  “Near the Spread. He lives underground in old tunnels.”

  Sarah blinked. “Are you serious? That’s out in the Dead Space. There’s like cannibals and crazy people there! Dosers stealin’ my clothes is bad enough. I don’t wanna die.” She pulled Maya into a tight hug. “You got so lucky going out there. You could’ve been killed.”

  Maya looked down. “I know. Every time we play those cards, it reminds me how stupid it was of me to go. I always think about how scared you must’ve been when you woke up and I was gone. When I got lost, I was really sad that we might not get to finish that game. I should’ve told you.”

  “And I would’ve made you stay.”

  A weak smile curled the corner of Maya’s lips. “That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

  Sarah sighed.

  “We can follow the road this time. It shouldn’t be too dangerous if we stick to the highway. All the bad people are hiding in the ruins or the grass.”

  “No way. Missy Hong is out there and she’s got enforcers with guns. They’ll definitely sell us to DeeDee.”

  “She won’t. I met her.” Maya shook her head. “She’s actually nice. She gave me food. A dumpling.”

  Sarah gawked at her. “But she sells like all the drugs in Baltimore.”

  “Pope will help us. Come on.” Maya started to slide out of the booth seat. “We’ll have to find a place to sleep once. It’s not too bad.”

  “But…” Sarah pulled her back. “Walk for two days? Are you nuts? Genna will be home by then. We should just hide somewhere and wait.”

  Maya exhaled. Worry got her hands trembling. “If those men are still there, they will come after us. What if your dad is hurt? We can’t just sit here.”

  “Not fair.” Tears ran down Sarah’s face, but her expression remained serious. “I dunno. It’s too dangerous out there.”

  “What if we walk back home and get grabbed or shot?”

  Sarah bit her lip, eyes shifting side to side. “Mmm. I dunno.”

  “Okay.” Maya nodded once. “We’ll try sneaking up without getting too close and look. If those men are there, we’ll go to the Spread.”

  “All right.” Sarah frowned.

  Maya slid to her feet and approached the counter where the large man stood. “Thank you for the food. As soon as I can get home safe, I’ll come back and pay you for it.”

  “Aww, don’t worry about it, hon.” He smiled. “You already helped us all. Things’re changin’. Took a lot o’ nerve ta do what you did. More on ’count o’ you knowin’ exactly what that witch is capable of.”

  Maya shivered. Yeah. That’s the problem. “Sorry. I thought it would be different.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you did. Things aren’t always as simple an’ easy as they seem to a kid, but don’t lose hope. You kicked that stone down a hill. It’ll hit the bottom eventually.”

  If it doesn’t run me over. She offered a nervous smile. “I hope so.”

  “Thanks for the food.” Sarah smiled up at him.

  He nodded. “You two stay safe.”

  “We will,” said Maya.

  She headed out the door and turned right, walking among pedestrians going the other way, mostly adults all in similar dull grey ponchos and air-filter masks. The Ascendant-controlled media had con
ditioned everyone to believe the air carried billions of bacteria and other pollutants. After realizing the truth, it all seemed like lies so no one would question it when they got sick. Seeing so many people with them on made her question the wisdom of breathing without one, but then again, they all worried about catching Fade, and Maya knew exactly where that came from.

  And being vaccinated didn’t hurt.

  “Go left up there,” said Sarah, ducking under an armload of plastic crates carried by a fat Chinese guy.

  She pointed at an alley on the opposite side of the street about halfway up the next block, full of awnings and patio porches covered in laundry. Perfect cover from flying eyes.

  “Okay.” Maya stopped once they’d gone far enough to be able to see into the alley. She hid between a pair of parked cars, looking high and low for any sign of a small, black drone. Seeing none, she started to cross the street.

  A split second after her toes touched blacktop, an e-car careened around a corner toward her, tires squealing. Sarah screamed and pulled Maya back onto the sidewalk as the sedan whipped past her, half a meter or less from clipping her. The car skidded in a swerve and came to a halt in front of a noodle restaurant at the corner adjacent to the alley. The driver, a reedy young man with a shotgun, in jeans and black leather jacket, leapt out and ran into the place, leaving the car door open.

  “Idea!” shouted Sarah.

  She dragged Maya into the street, sprinting for the car. Inside the restaurant, the driver pointed his weapon at the owner, Mr. Nori. The middle-aged man rambled in frenetic Japanese, pretending not to understand English. Maya halted, staring at him with one hand on the door, the other on the side of the car. She hesitated, wanting to find the Authority so the poor man didn’t get hurt. Sarah grabbed a fistful of Maya’s T-shirt, pushing her up into the car, accidentally exposing her butt to a brief cold breeze.

  With a squeal, Maya leapt forward, crawling on all fours over the driver’s seat to the other side. Sarah jumped in behind her, tossed the Hornet on the floor by Maya’s feet, and slammed the door. She stared at the instrument panel with an ‘okay, now what’ face.

  “Do you know how to drive?” Maya blinked.

  “Umm. Not really. Just that game in the basement. How hard can it be?”

  Maya gulped. “Judging by the number of explosions, I’d say pretty hard.”

  “That’s a game. There’s no aliens shooting at me here. I just gotta put the lever on ‘R’.” Sarah pulled the gearshift back and stepped on the accelerator. The car lurched to the rear, swinging around in a sharp turn that tossed Maya into the dashboard. She scrambled to hold on to anything, but couldn’t get a grip on the smooth, dusty plastic. Sarah’s hands slapped the wheel as she tried to straighten out, but they backed into a parked car with a loud bang.

  The impact threw Maya against her seat.

  Inside the noodle bar, the driver whirled toward them, his expression one of complete shock. The instant his attention left Mr. Nori, the restaurant owner pulled a handgun out from under the counter and shot the younger man repeatedly in the back. Three streams of blood sprayed from his chest.

  The would-be thief fell to his knees, teetered for a second, and went over forward onto his face.

  Maya screamed and cowered down so she couldn’t see out the windshield.

  Sarah stomped on the accelerator, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. The e-car hesitated for an instant before taking off with a jolt like a truck had hit them from behind. They scraped another parked car and caromed away, sliding closer to the center of the road. A man with a dog on a leash shouted and dove for his life. Sarah let out a sharp, short, “Yeep!” as she swerved to avoid the animal.

  Maya got her arm up before her head bounced off the window, and clung to the handle on the roof while bracing one foot against the dashboard.

  They ran over a bag, which burst into a cacophony of cluttering and banging on the undercarriage. Cans scattered into the road behind them.

  The car emitted a faint electric whine, but the noise of its motors remained quieter than Maya’s panic-stricken breathing. Sarah’s concept of ‘straight’ appeared inconsistent with reality; parked cars along the right drifted closer and closer.

  “Left! Left! Left!” screamed Maya.

  She overcorrected and started to fishtail, bouncing Maya off the door. They shaved the side-view mirrors off three cars parked on the left side of the street and again bounced into the middle of the road.

  “I think I’m getting the hang of it. It’s way more sensitive than the game,” said Sarah. “Game’s pedal is just drive or stop. If I push this one too hard, we go too fast.”

  Maya stared at her, speechless.

  “Where should I go?”

  “There’s a highway to the Sanc. I remember seeing it on my right when I was walking out to the Spread. We should be able to see where we need to go from the road.”

  A few minutes later, and by some miracle without an Authority drone chasing them, they left the Habitation District behind. Sarah leaned forward, gazing toward the distant glow, hunting for the same long highway that all the commuters took to the Sanc. Sarah managed a passable right turn once they reached a place where the buildings crumbled. Dozens of plastiboard boxes littered the street, along with upwards of thirty children and a handful of adults. Only about half of them had even attempted to scavenge clothing. A cluster of grime-encrusted children swarmed around the road chasing a dingy soccer ball.

  Sarah screamed and stomped on the brake with both feet.

  That time, Maya had expected it and caught herself before she sailed into the windshield.

  Kids scattered like roaches in the light, scrambling into their plastiboard homes or hiding behind dumpsters. Once the kids cleared, Sarah nudged the car up to a bit faster than a person could jog, and slalomed shopping carts, concrete dividers, other ballsy children who seemed unafraid of a moving car, and one angry-looking old man with a skirt made out of shag carpet and a necklace of DVDs. He whacked the car on the roof with a length of pipe when they passed.

  “I don’t see it.” Sarah turned left onto a deserted stretch of street, empty except for a dusting of concrete rubble that had fallen from nearby buildings.

  A block and change down, a missing high-rise on the right offered a break in the concrete canyon and a view of the highway Maya had been thinking of. “Over there!” She pointed at the road leading out across the wide-open nothing toward the Sanctuary Zone. From here, the fancy Citizens’ city looked like a gleaming silver castle set upon a foggy moor, studded with winking lights.

  Sarah turned and drove into the gap, unconcerned at the lack of roadway. They left the paving with a double ka-thump of rubber on dirt. Maya held on tight as the car rocked side to side over the uneven terrain. Sarah seemed to get a thrill out of navigating between piles of rubble and sped up even more.

  “This is much cooler than the game!”

  “Yeah,” said Maya, deadpan, “but the game won’t kill us for real if you crash.”

  Sarah cringed, flashing an ‘oops’ smile. “Sorry. But there’s no Frag kids in the way here.”

  “Right…” Maya rolled her eyes.

  “Hang on!” yelled Sarah when they reached open field after the swath of ruin.

  She stomped on the accelerator, leaving the sprawl of the once city-center behind. A two-minute drive over bumpy grassland ended with a loud bang when they hit the edge of the highway and caught a few inches of air. Maya screamed, clinging to the handle above the window as the maneuver bumped her head on the roof and drilled her into the seat again. Tires squeaked with another hard leftward swerve. Sarah lined up with the road and mashed her foot down on the pedal again.

  “See? That was easy,” said Sarah, grinning.

  Maya sat motionless for a second, grateful at no longer being thrown around like a rock in a clothes dryer. She stared at the oncoming road until something didn’t feel right, then glanced out the passenger side window at a double-yellow l
ine. “Umm, Sarah?”

  “What?”

  “You’re in the wrong lane. We’re supposed to be on the right side of the middle line.”

  “Oh, crap.” She veered into the other lane with only a little fishtailing. “Are we in trouble?”

  “Yes, but not with the Authority. We could’ve hit someone head on.” Since the car traveled straight and wobble-free, Maya shifted onto her knees and looked around for a chasing drone, but the skies looked clear. With a long sigh of relief, she rolled around to sit normally and pressed both hands over her heart. “No one’s chasing us.”

  Sarah sat tall, both hands on the wheel. “No two days of walking now.”

  Maya glanced at her. “Did you have to pull my shirt up? You made me moon everyone.”

  “That was an accident. I just wanted to shove you in the door since I didn’t think you’d get in if I just said ‘get in.’ You’re too much of a good girl to steal a car.” She grinned.

  “You’re so sure?” Maya folded her arms. “We have a good reason, and that guy was robbing Mr. Nori’s. He probably stole this car. So we didn’t steal it. We found it.”

  Sarah leaned close to the wheel and peered out over the endless open nothing. Far to the left, scraps of crumbled buildings and the scar tissue of once-city formed a grey murk across the land. Maya remembered her last trip out here, square in the middle of that ruin, on foot, with nothing but a silk nightie on. She frowned at Genna’s T-shirt.

  “I’m going to start sleeping with pants on. And shoes.”

  Sarah spared a half-second glance. “Why?”

  “Because I keep getting attacked at night and stuck out in the middle of nowhere with nothing on.”

  “You don’t have nothing on. You’ve got a shirt. I got stuck with nothing when those dosers robbed us.”

  “I mean sleep stuff. Nightdress. Not supposed to go outside like this.”

  Sarah corrected a slight drift, re-centering them in the lane. “How many nights do you go to sleep and nothing happens compared to how many times something happens?”