“We’re here.” Eliza says, stopping behind a car next one of the only buildings in the area that looks industrial. It’s also the only one that goes from the top of the cavern all the way to the ground.
“What’s this place?” I ask her
“Upper city food storage. It’s a tunnel that goes straight through our cavern and doesn’t stop for a very long way down. It’s kept me fed for a long time.”
“We can‘t steal food from the upper city. What if they catch us?” Sam says. He seemed alarmed by even the thought of going against the upper city
“Never have before, no reason to believe they would now. Come on, let’s go.” She said. We follow her through a broken window and pad through the room. When we get to a door on the other side, she stops us.
“ We have to be quiet in here, otherwise we’ll get busted. Got it?“ She whispered. We both nodded, and she pulled the door open to reveal a very long staircase. We go up until we get to a door at the top of the staircase. Eliza quickly picks the lock, and before she pulls the knob, she puts a finger over her mouth to signal us to be quiet. She pulls the door open and takes a step in, running her eyes over the nooks and crannies of the room.
“No one’s home, come on in. Let’s grab some food and get out before someone comes back.” She says, pulling out a large bag and heading towards crates upon crates of food stacked up on the other end of the room. I go in and look around. There’s a large garage door on one side, with light spilling through from the top.
“We’re on surface level?” Sam asks her
“Yea, that’s where the keep the best stuff.”
“This is really dangerous, we shouldn’t be doing this.“
“Some of us don‘t have other options.“
Sam makes his way to the corner of the room while I head over to the crates. I help Eliza stuff the bags with enough stuff to eat for weeks. When we finish filling it, she tosses it over her shoulder and stands.
“Let’s get out of here.” She heads over to the door and pulls the knob down.
Suddenly the door of the garage blew open, blinding us with the sun of the overcity. As the harsh glow of the light fades away, I’m able to see who broke into our break in. It’s the goddamned police officers who tried to arrest me and Sam earlier that morning.
I roll my eyes at them and say “What the hell do you want?”
“ We’re here to take you back up to the city and prosecute you for your crimes against our good city” Out comes the badly modulated megaphone again.
“Ugh, why would i want to do that again?” I take a few steps back to stand next to Eliza.
“Why wouldn’t you?” Sam turns his back on the officers to face me. “ Up there, you don’t have to worry about anything. You get a job, food, a home, all you have to do is abide by a few rules. Down here you don’t even know what, or even where your next meal is coming from. Compared to that, the city is a blessing.” He reaches out to take my hand.
“Down here I don’t have to wear a mask all the time. I’ve realized for the first time maybe ever how much more I am without the city. I don’t have to analyze every street to find places where I can be by myself, i don’t have to pretend things didn’t happen every single day. I get to make the rules I live by down here.” I grab Eliza’s shoulder and push us another few step back into the darkness.
“At least in the city, you know you’ll be alive the next day.”
“ and it would take 50 years of being alive before i realize the life i lived was worth nothing.”
“ and a life down here is?”
“At least i can decide for myself.”
“Why would you trade your security for a chance?”
“Why would you trade your freedom for your contract?” The silence hung heavy between us. He dropped his hand to the ground and turned to the light of a thousand false promises.
“Goodbye Casey.”
“Goodbye Sam.” I watched him walk into the police blockade until i could barely make out his form in the police lights. I grab Eliza’s wrist and pull her out of the garage and into the damp air of the undercity. We don’t stop running until we get safely back to her hideout.
“What did you just do?” She asks me, her voice barely above a whisper.
I take the teacup i almost shattered earlier from the bookshelf and turn it over in my hands.
“I decided to live.” It crashes on the concrete.
YOU ARE READING
watchings
Mystery / ThrillerThis is not my story. I do not take credit for it at all. I asked my friend if I could publish it and he agreed so here you go. I hope everyone enjoys it.
