Hacker

chapter fourteen

The Dump had not improved in any shape or form since last night. The only change was that their surroundings were soaking wet and the garbage let off a more pungent smell. Fortunately the rain had desisted but the clouds still had bruised, brooding look to them that promised a further downpour. Alison squinted up and thought how the weather reflected her mood perfectly. They had been walking speedily for roughly ten minutes. Alison intended to get as far away from the dead mut as possible. Just because she was used to seeing death did not mean she revelled in it. Both Alison’s and Theodore’s paths were clearly defined in the soft mud behind them.

"Is the air always like this?" Theodore asked her and Alison closed her eyes for a second in exasperation. He had been shooting questions at her of a similar nature all morning and her patience was wearing quite thin. Alison was hungry, fatigued and the cut on her stomach was getting worse -all of this accumulated into a very bad temper. How did anyone have so may questions?

"Yes" She sighed.

"So the Slums really don’t have electricity?" He said before her previous answer could grow stale

"Some parts do, depends where you are" Alison said thinking about how she had never lived in the better parts with electricity. She would kill for hot water that did not need to be heated on a fire first.

"How do the shuttle buses refuel then?"

"There are no shuttle buses, we use rickshaws but they cost a fortune and they can never get through the Rabbit Warren" said Alison. A large mountain of trash loomed ahead threatening to cast them in shadow. It stood out with a red wine barrel decorated its peak.

"What’s the Rabbit Warren?" He did not seem to take a breath

"The Rabbit Warren is the major black market in the city and before you ask the Rabbit Warren isn’t in a specific place. It’s scattered across the city in little patches, for obvious security reasons" Alison was having a hard time keeping up with his flash curiosity. Tiring of his incessant questions and his scandalised expression upon the answers Alison decided to do something about it.

"How does the Ra-"

"Shhhhhhhh" Alison hushed urgently. Stopping suddenly and standing dead still in between an old toilet and a stack of broken Victorian style armchairs. She looked anxiously around at the deserted rubbish piles and empty clearings.

"What is it?" Theo asked in a panicked whisper

"Oh, nothing. I just forgot what silence sounded like and wanted to remind myself" Alison continued walking and smirked at him. He blushed crimson and caught up to her scowling.

"Not funny" He huffed still pink in the face.

"I disagree" Alison said laughing. He gave her a grudging sliver of a smile which vanished as the heavens opened up. Swearing they both sprinted to an alcove made from a burnt out truck and rusting sheet of tin. Alison kept up a steady stream of vulgar language as they reached the alcove. Gripping her stomach painfully. It turns out there was really no need to run as Alison’s ever practical clothes shielded her from the rain.