Tim, a garbage handler in a post-apocalyptic bunker, loses the little he has. But then he finds Amy, the redhead with an attitude. Together, they will try to change the world they live in.
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Tim is one of those who shovel the shit and clean away th...
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"Bloody kids, I'll have your hide for this." The bishop tried to push off the stone woman, but she wouldn't budge.
I pulled Amy past the two of them and down the corridor. Moments later, we left the shrine through the door. I slammed it close, trying to shut out the bishop's angered words.
But his swearing continued through the gap at its bottom. "You'll regret the day you were born."
I searched for a lock, for something to trap the man within. Sooner or later, he'd worm his way out from under the bare lady weighing on his belly and come after us.
Not finding anything to bar the door with, I pushed the sword's blade into the gap beneath it and kicked its hilt until it was firmly wedged there.
"Good werk, man," Amy said.
Desperate work, rather. But there was no time to ponder this.
"Let's get out of here," I said.
We descended the stairs of the Holy Tower, almost falling down its steps and passing the bishop's apartment without a second glance. When we reached the deserted corridor on the ground floor, I stopped.
I listened, but everything was quiet. Sometimes, farmers prayed in the temple before work. Careful to avoid sudden movements, I pulled two of the tapestries apart and peeked into the hall. "We're lucky. There's no one out there."
On the other side, the door of the temple stood open. We crossed the hall in a few quick steps and peered into the street outside. Two women in brownish farmers' garb passed us, busy talking and not even looking in our direction. They carried pails as they headed out of the city.
"Try to look normal, now," I whispered. "As if you had a couple of prayers in here, and now you're about to tackle a day of honest work."
"There's nothing normal about prayers," she muttered, "nor about honest work in this bloody cavern." But then she took a deep breath and pushed the scowl from her face, replacing it with a sere smile.
I nodded, and we stepped out onto the street. It was empty now.
"Where are we going?" she asked from the corner of her mouth, maintaining her look of innocence.
"Out of the city."
"Let's go to yer loo house first."
"Why?" I looked at her, but her gaze was straight ahead.
"What do you think? Why do peeps go to a loo house, pray?"
"But the bishop might get out of the Shrine at any moment, and he'll call the guards to hunt us down." I tried to keep my voice level, fighting the panic churning my stomach.
