“We need to get going,” Maya said as she ignored Mitch and grabbed Janine by the wrist.
Janine nodded and tossed the bag she’d packed over her shoulder. Mitch scoffed.
“This is bullshit. I can’t believe you’re falling for this. They’re using your kid to get you to lead them back to the surface. Then they’re going to tell everyone, and they’ll come down and hunt us like sewer rats. You’re jeopardizing all of us.”
“I won’t let that happen, I promise. But I can’t leave Cassie here like this. I have to try to get her help.”
“Well, good luck.” Mitch shook his head as he walked to the other side of the tunnel and sat against the wall.
Janine looked at Maya and Reno, and then to Cassie. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stroked her ailing daughter’s hair.
Reno lifted one side of the stretcher while Maya raised the other. They made sure that Cassie’s legs were secure but comfortable, leaving her arms unbound so she could hold her hurting stomach.
“We’re good to go,” Reno said.
Janine turned to the other tunnel people. “I’m not sure when we’ll be back. But we will be back.”
“Alone,” said Mitch. “With nobody following you two back down here.”
“Yes.” Janine turned to Maya and Reno. “This way.”
Tears flowed down Cassie’s face, but she remained quiet and still, making it easier for Maya and Reno to navigate her stretcher through the cramped, dark tunnels. Janine walked in front of them with a candle, but kept turning back every few seconds to check on her daughter.
“Do you know how much farther we have to go?” Maya asked.
Janine didn’t respond.
“Janine,” Maya said.
The woman looked back.
“How much farther?”
“Oh, we’ll turn up ahead. But we’ve still got a ways to go before we are out of the tunnel.”
Maya held the end of the stretcher near Cassie’s head while Reno walked facing forward, gripping it behind his back as he led the stretcher forward. Maya watched Janine interact with her daughter when the tunnel allowed space for her to walk beside them. As a mother herself, Maya understood Janine’s concern, but she grew more and more worried that the woman wasn’t focused. They had to count on her to get them out of the tunnel as Cassie’s condition deteriorated. And Maya ultimately had to get free from the dome and back to her own children. None of that would happen without Janine’s concentration and focus.
“Looks like we’re coming up to an intersection,” Reno said. “Let’s set her down and rest for a few minutes.”
They squatted to set the stretcher on the ground, and Maya shook out her arms and legs. Janine kneeled next to her daughter, holding her hand and continuing to tell her how everything would be all right.
“Is this where we turn, Janine?” Maya asked.
“Yes,” the woman said.
“Which way?”
The woman didn’t respond at first. She then lifted her head.
“Um, left.”
Maya put her hand on Janine’s shoulder. “Can I speak to you for a moment? Reno can stay with Cassie.”
“Mommy will be right over here.” Janine reluctantly let go of her daughter’s hand and joined Maya about fifteen feet away from the makeshift stretcher.
“Look, I know you’re worried about your daughter, and you’re trying to keep her comfortable. But you’re not paying attention.”
“I am.”
“To her, you are. But not to the tunnel. Reno and I have no clue where we’re going. We need you to make sure you’re leading us the right way. If I were in your shoes and that was my kid lying on that stretcher, I’d be just as concerned as you. But you have to get us out of this tunnel, or it could cost Cassie her life.”
Janine pursed her lips and nodded. “I understand. We need to go left here. And I promise I’ll get us out.”
“All right. Do that, and I’ll keep my eye on your daughter and let you know if her symptoms get worse.”
“She’s going to be okay… right?”
“Yes. She’s going to be fine. But only if we get out of here and to a hospital where they can treat her properly.”
“All right,” Janine said.
As the woman walked back over to her daughter, Maya still tasted the bitter lie on her tongue. As a paramedic, she’d been used to giving the loved ones of patients vague injury updates. But she’d seen this before. Cassie’s odds weren’t good at this point, and wouldn’t have been even if they had already made it to the ER on a normal day, let alone during this time of chaos.
She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath.
Just get us out of here, Janine.
“Let’s keep moving,” she said.
29
They continued down the tunnel, guided by the candle in Janine’s hand, and with no sign of the surface. Janine hadn’t said much as they’d walked, and although Maya couldn’t’ see Reno’s face, she could sense his level of silent frustration building. The situation wasn’t optimal, and Cassie seemed to be coming in and out of consciousness. Nagging Janine about her focus would do just the opposite, but Reno spoke before Maya could.
“You sure you know where we are?” Reno asked.
“Yeah. Just keep heading this way.”
But there was hesitation in Janine’s reply. Maya could sense it.
Cassie groaned. Sweat ran in streams down the young girl’s face, and her eyes were barely open.
“How are you feeling?” Maya asked her.
“I’m so cold, and my stomach won’t stop hurting. It really hurts.”
The temperature inside the tunnels had to be nearing a hundred degrees. Maya couldn’t believe none of them had passed out by now due to dehydration—the adrenaline alone fueled them. For now.
“Stay strong, baby,” Janine said. “We’re going to be out of here soon.”
They kept walking, passing the openings of tunnels. Maya and Reno asked at each one if they needed to turn, but Janine replied with a ‘no’ each time. Sometimes, she didn’t even bother to look up, keeping her eyes on her daughter as she walked along beside them now. When the tunnel they were in reached a dead end, Maya felt the blood rush to her face.
“What the shit?” Reno asked, his booming voice echoing off the tunnel walls.
“Set her down,” Maya said. She and Reno lowered the makeshift stretcher to the ground.
Janine looked up, a confused look spreading across her face. Her mouth hung open, and she stared past Reno and into the darkness.
“What happened?” Maya asked, trying to remain calm and not push the woman over the edge.
“She doesn’t know where she’s going. That’s what happened.”
“Quiet, Reno!” Maya said, turning her attention back to Janine. She grabbed the woman by the shoulders. “Did we miss a turn?”
“I think so. I can’t remember being down this far. I think we should have turned into the last tunnel we passed.”
“Okay, listen,” Maya said. “You have to pay attention. From here on out, you’re going to walk in front of Reno and lead us out of here like you were supposed to be doing.”
“O-okay,” Janine said, a stutter in her voice. “But I really need to make sure she’s comfortable and that—”
“I will make sure she stays responsive,” Maya said. “If you can’t focus and get us out of this tunnel, then trying to keep her comfortable down here isn’t going to do any good. Your daughter is very sick, Janine, and she needs help now. So please, focus and get us out of here.”