Curate Marcus. In nondescript gray clothes, with a long black coat, fingerless gloves and a dark stocking cap. He was alive.
I couldn’t believe it at first, then threw myself at him. He flinched, but returned my hug. I was as surprised as he was by the display of affection – we’d never exactly been close, but I was so happy I hadn’t accidentally killed him, the relief spilled through me.
“Her eyes,” said one of the men behind him with a shrug. “They’re all fucked up. And she moves like they do.”
“Is that an apology?” I said, poking a finger at the hole in my shoulder and wincing in pain.
“It’s an explanation,” he said. “Not that I owe you one.” He was older, in his forties, but muscled and nearly as big as Trevor. A scar cut through his bottom lip.
There was a scuffle behind him as the others found their way into the room. Frank and Luke entered first, nodding to the other men, who lowered their weapons.
Trevor scowled when he saw my injured shoulder, but I grabbed his arm before he could get us into any more trouble. Frank’s eyes softened when he saw that Beatrice was alright, then turned towards curate Marcus.
“How are you here?” he asked. “The girl told us you were in the arena, at the trials.”
“Let’s talk about that inside,” Marcus said, looking up towards the dark gray skies. “The bullets will attract attention. We should get off the streets before it gets dark. That’s when the prowlers are most active.”
He flashed a shard of mirror at the edge of the balcony, and I saw specks of light winking in response from hidden snipers; little black spots thread around the city ruins, nearly invisible through the rubble.
“This way,” curate Marcus said, leading down a crumbling staircase. A small crack in the stairs revealed a steep drop into steel slabs far below.
Down a couple flights of stairs, and Marcus brought out a silver keycard and waved it against a small panel near the door. A lock clicked open.
“You have electricity here?” Jazmine asked. I was surprised too – the compounds were allotted a basic amount of electricity, for lights and small appliances, and to keep the purification engines running. I’d never heard of a community of humans living outside the compounds with power.
“Not a ton, but enough. We stay indoors, so screens and fans near the exits keep ventilation bearable, though the underground gardens help regulate the oxygen levels.”
We followed along a steep tunnel, several times switching to a hall or staircase, as if we were jumping through several buildings that had been fused together.
“What happened here?” Jazmine asked. The damage was much worse than it looked from a distance.
“Not entirely sure, but from historical records, we think an earthquake. I mean, they used nukes during the race wars and took out some of the biggest cities, but I don’t think they got this one.
We passed another steel door where curate Marcus used a keycard, then passed into a bright white hall with mirrors on both sides, set between slabs of concrete.
“Close your eyes,” Marcus said. A brilliant bright light flashed like a bulb, then faded to a dark purple color that seemed to warp our features in the mirror.
“UV rays,” Frank said. “Won’t kill the bastards, but it’ll sting, and reveal them. The mirrors are to remove a glamour – an elite could get in your head, change their appearance, even pretend to be an ally. The mirrors will show their true form. Some of the men wear helmets lined with lead to prevent being controlled.”
“Does that actually work?” Jazmine asked.
“Who knows,” he smiled, adjusting his cap, “but it makes them feel better.”
“What happens if you find an elite?” I asked.
“Watch this,” Luke said, waving us though. Once the chamber was empty and the door firmly closed, Frank lifted up a glass case, revealing a big red switch. He flipped the switch and the chamber we’d just been in erupted in flames.
“Cool, huh?” Luke said.
“Yeah,” I frowned and crossed my arms. “Cool.”
Once inside, we found ourselves in some kind of large underground plaza, rimmed with stores and markets. A skylight had been patched together with duct tape and support beams, but it kept the ash out and let some natural light through. In the center of the structure was a deep round hole, sinking down towards lower levels.
“This place used to be a shopping mall,” Marcus said, as we passed