Free Jacked by Kirk Dougal Page B

hallway. Heavier, booted feet pounded at the concrete as well, trailing behind them but coming closer. Voices echoed from behind, while in front, angry shouts also joined the rising noise.
    Tar could not read the signs now if he wanted. His eyes clouded with tears, afraid of what would happen to him when they were caught. He had no idea if Uncle Jahn’s stories about what the Black Shirts did to fixers were true but he had seen the bald man kill Shovel without a thought. That was all he needed to know.
    Another door slammed open, the metal ringing against the concrete wall. The noises grew in volume as the first batch of Black Shirts turned the corner behind them. Tar looked back over his shoulder. The men were blocked from sight by some of the stacked boxes and he turned to the front just in time to stop before running over Toby.
    “Is this it?” Toby panted.
    Tar wiped his eyes clear and stared at the sign:
     
    EXIT
    LOWER LEVEL 1
     
    “I hope so,” Tar answered.
    He stepped into the little alcove and placed his hand on the tech box. The pathways appeared in his mind and the box flashed a green light, the bolt clicking. Tar pulled the door open.
    The red emergency lights illuminated a straight hallway that led to another door. The boys stepped inside and eased the door shut, the tech box on this side of the door changing from green to red before fading out.
    “That should keep them back,” Tar said after pushing on the door and confirming it was locked.
    The boys walked to the far door. It was clear in the hall but it smelled odd. Where the stores had also not been used in a long time, they had been stale and dusty. Here, a hint of moisture added a different odor and, after Tar turned his flashlight on, he noticed patches of mold growing in the corners of the ceiling.
    “We’re under the street,” said Toby.
    “How can you tell?”
    “Dad told me stories about how that black mold grows down in the sewers at the water plant. Don’t touch it. He said it can make you real sick if you’re not careful. They have to wear masks when they work there.”
    Tar stayed in the middle of the hall the rest of the way, acting as if the mold would leap off the concrete and land on his shoulder. When they reached the end of the hall Toby stood off to one side so Tar could reach the tech box.
    “Be careful.”
    Tar nodded and switched off the flashlight. He leaned forward and listened for voices on the far side of the door. When he did not hear anything, he reached up, fumbling in the dark for the box. His hand found the metal and the green light flashed.
    He eased the door open. At first only dim, gray light filtered in from the right, but as he opened the door more he saw a brighter light in the distance. In between, sitting in the shadows, were the hulks of cars and pick-up trucks, minivans and motorcycles, all the machines that did not work after The Crash. They were in the basement level of the garage.
    “We did it,” breathed Toby.
    Tar nodded. They were not safe yet, not until they had made it home.
    He shut the door and looked at the stairway to his right. The walls of the level they were on were made of concrete but, as he stared up, he could tell the walls were different above ground. Sunlight fought to make it through dirty glass and filtered an eerie shadow.
    “Do you want to go up that way?” Toby asked.
    “No,” Tar said after a few seconds. “This side of the building opens up facing the mall. Let’s go out the other side and try to get somewhere safe.”
     
     
     

Chapter 11
     
    Tar and Toby stood just inside the shadows of the parking garage, looking up the paved ramp to the street and letting their eyes adjust to the afternoon daylight. Some faint shouting and the sounds of horses on asphalt came from the far side of the block.
    “Let’s get across the street and into that alley,” said Toby. “That will put more distance between us and the Black Shirts. Then we can use it to go down a block