Down and Out: A Young Adult Dystopian Adventure (The Undercity Series Book 1) by Kris Moger

Teddy crawled across the boards.  His makeshift bridge bowed slightly in the middle from his weight, making him freeze for a moment, as he feared the whole thing would collapse.  Without anything to secure the ends to the floor, the planks wobbled and shook.  He kept his breath long and slow, concentrating on reaching the other side.  By the time he touched the other side, his whole body vibrated with tension. 
    “Made it,” he said and lay down by the hole to recover. 
    “Good job,” Pa said from the other side, his face ghostly in the dim light. “How’s the child?”
    Teddy sat up and crawled over to the little Underling, who refused to unwind from the foetal position.
    “Hey,” Teddy said, keeping his voice low. “I’m going to get you out of here, okay?”
    The Underling jerked and whimpered louder as Teddy touched the kid’s shoulder.
    Bits of plaster and wallboard crumbled down around them.  Teddy ducked his head, sheltering the child with his body. 
    “Come on.  You don’t want to stay here, do you?” he asked, and the kid sniffed. “Come on.  You can do this. Let’s go.”
    After a slight hesitation, the child lifted its head and stared at him with giant blue eyes through whirling strands of hair.  Between the tattered clothes and all the dirt, there was no way to tell if the little Underling was a boy or a girl.
    “Hey, hi,” Teddy said, brushing hair out of the child’s face.  “Don’t worry.”  He took off his long-sleeved shirt. “Climb on my back, and we’ll get out of here. You want to get out of here, yes?”
    The kid nodded, sniffed, and crawled over to him.  As the Underling wrapped thin arms around Teddy’s neck, he draped the shirt around both of them and tied the sleeves across his chest.  With the child secured, he crept back to the bridge.
    “Coming back,” he yelled to his father.  “Hold on tight,” he said to the child, whose grip tightened. 
    With his heart pounding, Teddy began to cross the boards.  The hole in the floor continued down and down, a black pit leading to an unseen bottom. Pushing back his fears, he inched forward, eyes trained on the next move.  The wood bowed more this time, due to the extra weight of the child. 
    “Oh, boy,” Teddy muttered under his breath.  The grip of the Underling made it difficult for him to breath, let alone swallow. 
    Beneath him, the makeshift bridge wobbled as the floor behind him began to break away.  First one board slipped out from under his hand and fell away, dangling by the wire tethering it to the other planks.  He tried to keep going, but another panel let loose next, and he froze, precariously clinging to the final slat before it too gave way. 
    The child screeched in his ear as they swung down into the pit.  They jerked to a stop as the wire went taut. Above them, Pa yelled and groaned as he hauled on the thin cable keeping them from plunging to their deaths. 
    Gut hurting from where the wire dug into his flesh, Teddy grabbed the cable and steadied them.  His pants pulled tight against his groin and the little Underling clung so hard to his throat, spots appeared before his eyes.
    “Pa? I have nothing to grab onto,” he croaked as he worked a little space between his neck and the kid’s fingers.
    “Hold on,” his father shouted, his voice strained.  “Dorkas.  Dorkas!  Gah, he left.”
    As Teddy began to rise slowly, he reached overhead, trying to grab hold of the edge of the floor.  Finally, he managed to make contact with the splintering wood.  His father pulled and pulled while Teddy caught a hold of the platform with first his fingers, and then his hands.  Grunting and straining, he gradually climbed to safety. 
    “It’s okay; you can let go,” he said, panting as he collapsed by his father, who sunk down beside him. 
    The little Underling squealed and let go, eyes as big as Teddy’s hand. With another cry, the child bolted through the maze of wood and pipes before