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

they could do anything about it.
    “Well, at least the kid is safe,” Pa said, grasping Teddy’s shoulder.  “Come on.  Let’s get back ourselves.”
    After a bout of coughing, Teddy cleared his throat and nodded.  Limbs shaking, he wormed his way back through the criss-cross path of debris.  Behind him, Pa followed with a little more difficulty and a lot more swearing. 
    “You okay back there?” he asked after a rumbling bang and a loud curse.
    “Yeah,” his father said with a grunt. “Damn pipe.  My foot’s caught.”
    “I’ll come back and help,” Teddy said, trying to figure out how to turn around in such tight corners. 
    “Teddy?  You there?” called a voice from farther in front of him. 
    “Henri?  Yeah.  Hey, can you clear some of this out of the way?  Pa’s stuck,” Teddy answered as he realized his only viable path was forward.  He twisted and turned until he reached the place where their brute was pulling a large beam out of way. 
    “There you are,” Henri said, his face lighting up with relief as he hauled Teddy to a standing position.
    “Ah, huh,” Teddy gasped, staggering.  “Pa needs a little help though.”  He managed to wave in his father’s direction before sinking down onto a broken desk. 
    Henri nodded and continued to create a larger opening until he reached Pa.  After he freed Teddy’s father’s foot, the brute carried him out of the maze despite Pa’s many protests.
    “Did you see a little kid come through here?” Pa asked Henri as he mopped his forehead with his shirt.
    “Uh, yep.  Tiny thing ran past.  Mrs. Peterson caught.  All good. Saw creeper too.  He duck fast like guilty rat.  Thought I’d see what up to.”
    “We’re glad you did,” Teddy said as he massaged his neck.  “Could have used you earlier, but all is well.”
    “Nice to know someone’s safe,” Pa said and glanced back at the maze as the floor shuddered. “Well, relatively anyway.”
    Teddy clasped his father on the shoulder and grinned.  “Let’s get out of here,” he said and they staggered back toward the safer area of Undercity.
    As they entered the area where the floor was more stable, a tremendous crash came from behind them along with a cloud of dust and dirt.  Teddy froze, his heart jumping to his throat.
    “We won’t tell your Ma about this,” Pa said, and Teddy nodded.
    “Good idea.”

Chapter 6
    A fter Teddy located Jolon again, they worked for more hours than he could keep track of. All their neighbours pitched in moving rubble, digging people out, working on securing walls, and trying to salvage whatever they could of their Undercity crumbling around them.
    “I’m tired,” Jolon babbled as he trailed behind Teddy. “Tired, hungry tired, numb tired, and tired, tired.” He sat down on a large boulder and tossed back some water from his canteen. Mud and muck streaked his face and stuck his curls upright. “I don’t think we’re going to find any more pockets.”
    “Yeah,” Teddy sighed, sitting by his brother. “I’m so drained my bones resolved to quit working, and my muscles agreed.”
    All around him, sweaty tattered people dug away with little air or light. “These are good people when the need is strong.”
    “Uh-huh,” Jolon nodded. “And rotten when the need is ripe. Let’s take bets on which need is more common.”
    “Ehh, you two are lazy,” old man Fudge shouted at them as he went by with his cart overflowing with bags of clutter to sort and clean. His three sisters ambled along behind him, dragging their bodies as though they were ancient. He thrust a shovel at the mound behind them. “Dig, dig.”
    “Ahh, Fudge, you are an inspiration,” Pa said as he joined them. “You put us all to shame.”
    The man’s mouth spread into a display of rotting teeth.  “I show you; I survive anything. Anything! No tunnel will do me in. I been down here all my life, can’t read, can’t write, but I survive. Don’t need nuttin else.