Ch.2

Covertly Aiden dashed behind a bit of rubble.

An hour or so earlier he had been snuggled under his blanket dosing when a crash from below had startled him awake. Immediately he had become alert, he army crawled to the edge of his sanctuary to peer in the direction the noise had come from. Two shadows had been huddled just below his crows’ nest. Both tall shapes appeared to be male and were whispering quickly, the voices too low for him to make out. Overcome with excitement, he prayed they were part of the Elite Underground, and began quickly shoving his meager belongings forcefully into his backpack. Shimmying down the vine canopy, he felt the ground under his feet after fifteen agonizing minutes of silent cursing and sweaty almost slips.

Desperately hoping he hadn’t missed his opportunity, he was now dodging the broken glass beneath his oversized shoes. Creeping on tip-toe ever closer to the intersection where the old subway systems met the large clock tower. He was just across from the spot where he had seen his prey. Aiden wondered if the men had slipped into the crevice where the subway used to be.

Most of the subway systems had collapsed from disuse, however, some nomadic groups had built sanctuaries in what remained of the tunnels. Aiden had never found any connection to the Elite Underground Society within the remaining tunnels though.

Aiden had been around eight (he didn’t know exactly what his age was) when he tugged on his mother’s threadbare jacket and whispered “Momma … there’s people there… can we go?” At the time he had thought it was better to be around others who were stronger, and numbers often meant more food. “You can never trust anyone in this world Aiden. All they will do is take.” she hissed. Grabbing Aiden’s tiny hand she hastened them towards a more secluded place.

Aiden was ok with being alone, it was easier. Or so he told himself.

Murmured half sounds hit his ears. Two tall forms were on the other side of his hiding place. Without getting closer he couldn’t see more than the tops of their heads. Aiden strained to hear their words “I told you to follow my orders. Stay close, stay low. Do not engage with anybody. What about that concept is so hard for you to understand?” “But Captain, they were throwing sticks at the Terminal!” with a tense pause Aiden heard the sound of a grunt followed by a clipped “Listen to me carefully. You grab food and medicine for the others. Without us the others have nothing. You don’t waste time picking fights with nomads. Do you understand?”

Aiden assumed there was some form of agreement because the next thing he knew there were heavy footfalls rushing away. Pausing to avoid notice, Aiden waited for another few moments before pursuing his prey. The men were wearing the shiny gear of the elite soldiers, one wearing bright white and the other a dark grey. Aiden had seen only one other in white, he felt a surge of excitement. Maybe it was the same man.

The men veered to the right and went down one of the Muni tunnels, echoes grew louder as they splashed through puddles. Aiden had learned to muffle his footfalls by putting rubber cement on the bottoms of his shoes. This had helped him to travel as silently as possible. The echoes suddenly quieted and Aiden crouched behind the subway platform. The men were standing in front of the vending machine, long emptied of it’s contents. Aiden gasped softly when he saw the vending machine and wall move to the side. His jaw went slack in awe as the men rushed inside and the wall closed swiftly behind them. Aiden had been in this tunnel many times, he had never found any sign of life in this tunnel, thinking back that was odd. Now he knew why. They must clear it out. Realizing the precarious position he was in, he pulled his map out of his backpack and marked the tunnel X.

Examining the platform Aiden noticed there was a grate next to it. He knelt and tried to pull it out of its position. With a rusty groan, it came away from the wall. There was a small space behind the grate, barely enough for a child, he heaved an annoyed sigh and slipped inside. This was his worst plan yet, but hey, when you’re desperate.