Chapter Thirty Four
Coal grabbed my hand and pulled me into the storage cupboard. He barricaded the door behind us, using some shelves which he pulled from the walls.
"We should be fine now, there's no reason for them to force open a random door," Coal said, turning to face me and flicking his torch on.
He looked very calm. Too calm for the situation as far as I was concerned.
"Unless they know we're in here," I whispered, backing up to the far wall.
Coal followed me, smiling slightly.
"I'll just have to protect you then," he said, leaning against the wall next to me.
"I can protect myself," I said with more confidence than I felt. I took out my pistol and removed the safety catch before laying it on the shelf next to me. "If it comes to it."
"So long as one of us stops them, I'm good with it." He laughed darkly before sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. "Come on, Alicia and Laurie aren't coming back for a while," he said, tugging my hand to pull me down next to him.
The floor was cold beneath me and I shivered a little, hoping we weren't going to be stuck waiting for long. The shrieks of the Creepers echoed down the hallway outside and I shifted slightly closer to Coal.
He placed his torch on its end, the beam pointed at the ceiling, casting strange shadows around the small room. I stared up at them, wriggling my fingers so that the light danced around us. I watched my hand for a moment as I tried to hold it still and it continued to tremble. I hoped it was due to the cold but I couldn't be sure.
"Come here." Coal shifted closer to me and took his coat off.
Beneath it he wore a khaki shirt that hugged his broad frame and I tried not to stare as he leaned over me to drape the coat around my shoulders. He paused for a moment and glanced at me, staying very close, then dropped his gaze and moved back to lean against the wall again.
"Thanks," I murmured, pulling the coat around me and breathing in its scent. "Did Alicia get the device in place?"
"I can check it's working properly, though I don't see how we'd get back down there if it's not," he said as he pulled a receiver from his pocket and flicked on the screen. "It's downloading. This just streams what they're receiving back in Franklin. Hunter gave it to me so that we could be sure we'd done everything properly."
"Are those the lists?" Names were running down the screen, pausing every now and then so that it was possible to read a few then running on.
"It says these people are deceased." The list went on and on. "I think it's just a list of all the residents of Harbour City who have ever died, there must be one for births too so they can keep a tally," Coal said.
"What does that number mean?" I pointed at the screen. There was a column that ran down next to the names, it was filled with numbers and another with dates.
"I think it's the age of the people when they died, and the date that they died on."
"But so many of them are so young, thirty, twenty seven, forty one, there are more under fifty than over seventy," I protested.
"Was there a plague or something?" Coal shrugged.
"Not that I remember. Is there anything about the cause of death?"
"There are letters at the end of each line, maybe they're codes for cause of death? Besides, these are all fairly old: they're from fifty years ago. Look, they aren't as young after that." He tilted the screen towards me so that we could both see it easily.
I studied the names as they scrolled up the page but quickly lost interest.
The glow from the receiver sent flickering shadows across Coal's face, I watched him as the blue-tinged light cast shadows under his eyes.
"Do I have something on my face?" he asked without looking up from the screen. "Or am I just so interesting that you can't take your eyes off me?"
I dropped my gaze quickly and looked around at the cluttered shelves. I could feel my cheeks burning and bit my lip to try and stop them.
"Will they be much longer?" I asked, avoiding the look he shot me from under his lashes and feeling even more aware of his arm pressed against mine.
"I'd say they'll still be a while yet," he hedged.
"Do you think Hunter will come looking for us if we don't make it back to the rendezvous point?" I asked.
"His orders are to leave us behind if we don't make it back," Coal replied but he didn't sound convinced.
"Do you think he would?"
"Maybe if it was someone else. But I don't think he'd leave me and Liss behind."
"So... is Hunter like a father figure for you or something?"
Coal laughed. "More like something - he's only five years older than me. But I guess he's kinda like a brother. We met when I was eight and he caught me fighting with this kid twice my size."
"Why would you get into a fight like that?"
"He stole some food from Alicia."
"So you were protecting your sister?" I laughed at the thought of Alicia needing to be saved by anyone.
"Well, there were three of them, she was taking on the other two so I got the big one," he smirked. "Anyway, Hunter found us and saw that we were fighting a losing battle but fighting all the same. He said it was like looking at mini versions of himself and, after letting us get our asses kicked, decided to train us to fight properly."
"I can't imagine a mini version of Hunter," I laughed.
"No, he was only thirteen and he was still built like a brick house even then. Every year he just seems to build more and more muscle and he gets bigger and bigger. I figure eventually he won't be able to stand up under the weight of them all, so I can contain my jealousy."
"I don't think you need to be jealous," I said before I could stop myself and quickly looked at my feet with more scrutiny than they really required.
We sat in awkward silence for a while, listening to the odd sound that echoed down from the corridor but it seemed to be quiet out there for the most part.
"So how long did it take him to train you?" I asked after the silence became unbearable.
"He'd probably say he isn't done yet. That was about nine years ago I think. It's weird how quickly the time goes by."
"I know the feeling," I said, thinking about how it seemed like only yesterday but also, in some ways, like it had been years, since I'd left the city behind.
"The list of deceased has ended and this one says it's of prisoners. There's not many names, only about thirty," Coal said, pointing at the screen again.
"What?" I asked, confused. "The city doesn't hold any prisoners, they don't have the resources. That's what SubWar's for."
"It's here, clear as day," he said, shaking the receiver at me so that the names swam before my eyes.
Two of them stood out so clearly it was like a slap in the face. I snatched the receiver from him and stared.
"What is it?" Coal asked, surprised. He leaned in to look over my shoulder at the screen.
"You're sure it said that these people are prisoners?" I asked, my hands shaking.
"Yeah, at the top. What's wrong?" Coal put his hand on my arm.
The record of names had scrolled on and started listing births.
"Can we scroll back up?"
"No, it's just relaying the information they're looking at in Franklin. We can look at it again when we get back though." He frowned at me.
"I saw my parents' names." I dropped the receiver into my lap and turned to look at Coal.
"I thought they were dead?" he asked, frowning. "Are you sure you saw them?"
I nodded silently.
"It was an accident in the lab," I said quietly.
"What?" Coal asked, confused.
"They said there was a chance of contamination, so I couldn't see them. They were just - gone."
"So they could be in a prison then?" he asked.
"But why? They were working for the city, they were brilliant scientists. Why would they imprison them?"
"How long ago did it happen?"
"Five years. Have th
ey been there, stuck in some cage that whole time?"
"I swear if they are, I'll help you get them back."
I looked at Coal, his eyes burning with determination and knew that he meant it.
"Thank you." I handed the receiver back to him and he put it in his pocket.
It couldn't be true. I wanted it to be so badly but there was just no way.
My head was swimming with the possibility of my mom and dad still being alive somewhere after I'd spent years coming to terms with their loss. I felt a bubble of hope building in my chest and crushed it back down again. I couldn't believe it. I refused to let myself. Not until I had solid proof.
"Tell me about how you met Taylor." Coal interrupted my thoughts.
"What?"
"Taylor," he prompted.
He was trying to distract me but maybe I needed a distraction. I closed my eyes and tried to banish thoughts of my mom and dad and think of Taylor instead.
"Well our parents were friends. Best friends." I smiled. "We used to spend all of our time together. There are incentives for people not to have more than one child in the city and you have to get permission to come off of your birth control which isn't always granted. So Taylor and I were the nearest thing to siblings we could have. Like you and Alicia or near enough."
"So when did you decide you weren't like siblings after all?" Coal asked but there was a strange tone to his voice and I looked up to see that he had turned away from me.
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"You and him, when did you get together?"
"What?" I gasped. "You mean like, romantically?" I shuddered.
"Aren't you?" Coal looked at me then, his gaze locked on mine.
"No. Never. He's Taylor. It's not like that-" A huge crash sent the door shaking on its hinges, the shelves holding it in place groaned.
We were on our feet in seconds, Coal's coat falling from my shoulders. The cold surrounded me instantly and I suppressed a shiver. I grabbed the gun from the shelf where I'd left it and took aim at the door. Coal placed a finger to his lips and crept forwards, a knife in one hand, revolver in the other.
The door shook again and there was screeching from the other side. It sounded like there was more than one Creeper out there. The cold from the metal gun seeped into my hand and up my arm making me feel numb. I adjusted my grip.
Coal moved to the side of the door, ready to pounce if it gave way. I steadied my hand and placed my finger next to the trigger.
"Come out," a gravelly voice hissed through the door.
I took a step backwards and bumped into the the wall. Several heartbeats passed and the door trembled as it took another battering.
Coal slowly moved across the cupboard to stand next to me. "They don't know we're here for sure," he breathed in my ear, tucking his knife away.
"Come out, come out wherever you are," the scraping throat purred again.
My free hand found Coal's and he squeezed it. It went quiet for a few moments before a fresh barrage of attacks hit the door making it shudder and flex against the assault. The crashing and banging echoed around the confined space.
"Hide and seek, we know you sneak," the hoarse voice shouted and the sounds of their bare feet slapping on the cold tiles outside receded.
Coal put his revolver back in his hip holster and turned to face me. I peered up into his eyes, our hands still intertwined. He gently reached out and took the gun from me. My fingers didn't want to release it but he lightly prised it from my grip, laying it down on the shelf again. My heart thumped erratically as he stepped closer and brushed my hair back over my shoulder, sending sparks tingling down my spine.
My back pressed against the cold wall behind me as his hand twisted into my hair and curled around my cheek. He stared at me and I couldn't turn my gaze away from his. His dark eyes pulled me in and I felt like I was sinking into them. He tilted my chin up towards his face.
My heart gave up on beating all together.
He leant down slowly and pressed his lips to mine and it was as though there was nothing else in the whole world apart from Coal and me, alone. I couldn't move for a moment and then suddenly my heart spluttered back to life and I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer.
He responded and crushed me against the wall. My legs turned to liquid and I clung to Coal to keep from falling. His hands slid from my hair and gripped my waist. He kissed me so hard that I could barely breathe but I pulled him against me, not wanting anything to tear us apart.
"Coal?" Alicia's voice called from somewhere far away and after a moment Coal pulled back. "Coal are you in there?" Alicia hissed again.
"We're here," Coal called back.
He leant in to kiss me lightly on the lips once more before moving to unblock the door.
I slid down the wall and tried to get my heart back under control. Alicia stood in the doorway with a hand on her hip and peered into the room, raising an eyebrow at me. I ran a hand through my hair and moved to pick up my gun and Coal's jacket. I was sure that she could see my hands trembling and the flush that was undoubtably covering my cheeks.
"What have you two been doing in here then?" she asked with an annoying smirk on her face.
"Nothing Liss. Just move it will you, the Creepers were here a minute ago." Coal gave her a shove as he moved out into the hallway and I followed, showing a healthy interest in the floor as I passed Alicia and her penetrating gaze.
At the entrance to the elevator shaft I could see the hatch was open and Laurie was peering down at us. Next to her, a thick rope made with vines hung down. Alicia grasped it and handed it to Coal who rolled his eyes and braced his feet, pulling the rope tight.
My lips were still tingling.
"You have no idea how hard it was to find these," she said, indicating the vines.
"You can tell us all about it when we're safe in the truck," Coal replied.
"Ladies first," Alicia smiled before grabbing hold of the rope and using it to climb up and out of the hatch, her muscles straining with the effort.
"I don't think I can do that," I breathed, looking at the vines. They were about three metres long and ran almost completely straight up through the hatch. "I'm not strong enough." I held Coal's jacket out for him and his fingers brushed mine as he took it and shrugged it back on.
A clatter drew our attention back down the hallway but there was nothing to be seen. The corridor disappeared into darkness and it was hard to say how far it went or what might be lurking in the shadows.
"I'll pull you up after me, just tie it around your waist when I'm up."
Coal touched my cheek briefly before jumping out into the elevator shaft, hanging onto the rope tightly. I watched as the muscles in his shoulders and arms bunched and flexed and he pulled himself up the rope and out of the hatch. It swung wildly without anyone to support it but he made it look easy.
I leant out over the edge and grabbed the swinging vine. Another noise behind me made me jump and I nearly lost my balance. I snatched at the rope and scrabbled back into the safety of the corridor, my heart pounding from the glimpse of the fall waiting for me if I lost my footing. I quickly secured the rope around my waist with trembling hands. I couldn't get out of that bunker quickly enough.
I shuffled forward until my toes were over the edge of the doorway and closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. I couldn't bring myself to jump. I took another breath and opened my eyes, glancing over my shoulder to get one last glimpse of the bunker.
A filthy face loomed at me from the darkness, it had a scar running from the corner of its mouth and up through its ruined right eye.
"Gotcha," the Creeper snarled as he jumped forwards.
His soiled hands, lined with long, yellowed fingernails snatched out towards me and I screamed.
I did the only thing available to me and fell backwards into the elevator shaft.
I swung out into the wide, open space and felt my stomach swoop. Before I c
ould scream again I felt the vines tighten and catch me, crushing my stomach and knocking the air from my lungs.
I wheezed to get my breath back and started to hoist myself up the rope as best I could. As I'd thought, I didn't have the strength in my arms and I slipped. The rope burned my hands as I tried in vain to stop myself from falling but I jerked back down to the end of the vines regardless.
The Creeper was standing in the doorway, reaching out towards me as I swung in a slow circle and tried not to look down. He was getting more and more agitated.
"Get you, get you, GET YOU!" he screeched as he snatched wildly towards me, nearly falling over the edge several times. It was only a matter of time before he attracted the attention of more of them.
I heaved my weight backwards. The rope swung me a little and I shifted to continue the momentum, kicking my legs forward and then back. On the third swing I managed to move a foot or so towards the Creeper and I felt his filthy fingernails scrape the length of my boot. I heaved backwards again and my soles connected with the wall behind me. I kicked against it as hard as I could and swung my legs up in front of me as I barrelled towards the repulsive creature. His eyes widened with surprise.
My feet connected with his midriff with a sickening thump and he was lifted off of the ground and thrown backwards down the corridor where he landed in a heap.
I swung wildly back and forth, listening to the protesting creaking made by the vines as they rubbed against the edge of the hatch above me. I looked up to see Coal, Laurie and Alicia peering down at me.
"Are you finished?" Alicia called, looking like she was trying not to laugh.
"If you feel like helping me out, now would be a good time," I sniped back.
After a few moments I felt myself inching up towards the hatch.
"Maybe we should just leave her down there, I bet she'd be able to climb it with enough motivation," I heard Laurie huff from above.
"Oi!" I shouted back.
"Well if you aren't going to work on your strength training maybe you can go on a diet before our next mission," Alicia joined in.
"I'll be up there in a minute and I bet you won't say that to my face," I called.
"I would. I doubt that you can run as fast as me with those little legs," she called back.
I looked back towards the corridor as the Creeper got to his feet and shook his head, staring in my direction. He let out a feral scream and ran straight for me, not pausing as he reached the doorway but leaping out into the shaft, his arms reaching and fingers grasping.
I gasped and tucked my legs up. His fingers brushed the buckle on the side of my boot and then he was falling, falling and - bang! He didn't even scream on the way down.
I reached a hand up through the hatch and felt Coal's warm grasp enfold it within his strong, calloused hand. He hoisted me out and set me on my feet. I felt my cheeks flush scarlet and quickly looked away. He didn't release my hand.
Eventually he let go and used his knife to cut the vines from my waist.
"Are you okay?" Laurie asked as she pulled her pistols out.
"Yes," I nodded.
"Good. We need to run," Alicia said. She had her machete back in hand.
We were standing on the summit of a large hill, the top of which was covered in concrete. There was a winding road leading away down the hill and into the distance, the valley that we had arrived through dropped away to our left.
"How will we get back?" I asked, looking at the steep drop and climb to our left. "We can't get back up that hill."
"There's an old bridge behind those trees." Laurie pointed with her gun. "We found it when we were getting the vines."
A shriek echoed up from the hatch and we looked down to see a Creeper woman pointing up at us from the top floor and howling. Coal kicked the hatch shut and cut off her noise.
"They know this area better than we could ever hope to, they'll be after us in minutes," Alicia breathed. "We have to move."