Ascent: (Book 1) The Ladder Read online

  Joe digs into the walls, knocking down clumps of mud and some rock. When nothing of interest turns up, he turns his attention to the puddles on the floor while Lauren hoses the walls, knocking down even more clumps of mud and adding them to the piles on the ground. Marvin crouches down in the puddles, sifting through the mud looking for precious stones and minerals. Joe buries his shovel into a puddle and down in the mud below. He brings up a pile of it and drops it into his bucket.

  “Heads up,” Lauren calls out while she takes aim at the ceiling and sprays it down. The ceilings of most of the cut-outs usually remain damp since the walls and the floor are the main focus of the Mud Slingers. Every now and then Lauren likes to spray the ceiling above Joe, trying to get clumps of mud to fall on his hard hat. It’s rare that anything falls. The ceiling hardly ever gets that water soaked.

  “Knock it off,” Joe hollers.

  Lauren stops spraying over Joe’s head. She huffs. “So moody today. Look, I made you an air prism.”

  On the surface, an air prism has another name. Up there, they are called rainbows. When the water sprays group together to hang in the air, the light could hit it just right to create a stack of colors. It was always a moment enjoyed by those in the Mud Hall. They are the only ones who ever get to see one and they are always eager to take the time to marvel that such colors could exist for them.

  Joe’s mind is somewhere else, though. His thoughts are stuck on the Ladder. He takes a moment to look at the air prism before getting right back to work.

  “Do you need to see the Doctor, Joe? You love air prisms.” Lauren’s voice is filled with genuine concern.

  “Do you have the sick, Joe?” Marvin asks.

  Lauren lets out a loud, fake laugh. She looks around at anyone who might be close enough to hear. The Sick isn’t something that anyone mentions out loud unless there is a real sign of it. Marvin is still too young to know all about the sick.

  “Marvin, you can’t mention that unless someone really has it,” Lauren tells him. “If there’s no bad cough then there’s no Sick, remember?”

  “But what’s wrong with Joe?” Marvin asks.

  “Yeah, what is eating you?” Lauren reiterates.

  Joe drives his shovel in the ground and rests his arm on it. “Just tired of this.”

  “Are you kidding?” Lauren laughs. This time it’s real. “This is the best job in the Mines.”

  “You like carrying five gallons of water on your back?” Joe asks Lauren as though he knows the answer.

  Lauren answers by staring silently at him. She knows he’s right. “Well, it’s the cleanest job here. We could be Rockers. The last thing I want is to be pushing a metal cart full of stones up hill. Besides, the water pack gets lighter with every spray. And I get to stay clean. Like my own personal shower.” She sticks her tongue out at Joe.

  He laughs at her teasing. As tiring as the work is, Joe has to admit, it is cleaner in the Mud Hall than it is in his own bunk. “Just hit the wall, Hoser.”

  Lauren continues her spray at the wall. The stream hits a clump of dirt and knocks it into the water. It lands with a more solid thunk and Lauren asks. “What is that?”

  Joe and Marvin look at the newly uncovered white spot in the wall.

  “Hit it again,” Joe tells her.

  Lauren sprays it, revealing more of the stone. It is both solid looking and clear. Joe steps to the wall and places his shovel on the edge of the rock. He pulls at it, trying to dislodge it from the wall.

  “What is it?” Marvin asks.

  Joe tries hitting it with his shovel. It doesn’t budge. “Spray it again.”

  Lauren twists the front nozzle on the hose to narrow the stream as thin as it will go. Narrowing the stream increases the pressure and makes the water spray out of the hose with more force. This way, they can cut through the mud and even some smaller rock with a drilling effect.

  Lauren sprays at the edges of the stone. The water clears away mud and reveals a larger rock attached to the stone.

  Joe stabs his shovel into the mud next to the rock and tries to pry it out. “Help me with it.”

  Lauren unclamps the straps of the water pack and takes it off. “Don’t mess with it, Marvin,” She warns the young Sifter.

  She grabs part of the shovel handle and she and Joe push up, trying to dislodge the rock. It starts to give. They push at it even harder, forcing the rock down through the muddy wall and into the puddle of water below it.

  Joe leans down to roll it over and expose the stone. He scoops up water and hand rinses it. Marvin and Lauren both join Joe crouched down at the rock.

  “Don’t think I’ve seen one like this before,” Lauren whispers.

  “Marvin, shine the light on it.”

  Marvin turns on his hard hat light and lowers his head enough to illuminate the stone. It reflects the light in a blinding way. All three of them have to shield their eyes.

  Joe peers at the stone through squinted eyes and slightly parted fingers. “It looks like the buildings.”

  “That’s enough Marvin,” Lauren tells him.

  Marvin turns off his light.

  “What buildings?” she asks Joe.

  Joe looks around, making sure that no one is listening. “I had a dream last night. That I was on the surface. And there were these buildings. Like a city. And there was this bright light in the sky. And it reflected off the buildings just like on this stone.”

  “You had a dream about a stone city?” Lauren asks, confused.

  “No…I don’t know what it was made of but it was on the surface. There was grass and trees and clear water running through the grass. Just like in the pages we have.”

  Each kid, once they reach a certain age, is given a set of pages. A small collection of images from the Surface. They show how things look up above. Some of these show beaches. Some show woods and parks. Others show cities. Every kid has a different idea of what the Surface looks like, based on their pages.

  “You’ve been staring at your pages too long,” Lauren says.

  “I haven’t looked at them in forever. This was different. Almost like something I remember. Like I’ve been there before—”

  A splashing sound startles the three of them as Scraggle hops into the puddles in their cut-out.

  “You’ve seen it. You’ve seen the Surface.” Scraggle points a finger at Joe.

  Lauren grabs Marvin to get out of the way.

  “You’ve seen the shining spires.”

  “Me? I’ve never seen the Surface,” Joe tells him.

  “Not with your own eyes. But in your dreams,” Scraggle explains. “I heard you. Heard your dream. It’s you. You are the Dreamer. The one to lead us up the Ladder and to freedom. It is your fate.”

  “I’m pretty sure our fate is to sling mud, Scraggle.” Lauren tells him. “Get out of here before the Boss tries to give us strikes for the Ban.”

  “I don’t want to go to the Ban, Joe.” Marvin looks at Joe whose eyes rest on Scraggle.

  “Lead us, Dreamer. Lead us to the Surface,” Scraggle pleads with Joe.

  A bell rings out through the Mud Hall, interrupting the newly tense moment. All work in the Mud Hall stops as shovels splash in the water and water packs are gently laid to rest on the steel walkway. Some of the kids opt to rinse their hands under the hose of the water pack. Some rinse off in the puddles but most just walk out with dirt and mud clinging to their hands.

  Once on the steel walk way, the kids stomp their feet to knock off clumps of mud sticking to their mud waders. The mud drops to the walkway and passes through the grating.

  “Time for the Eatery,” Marvin says with joy in his voice. As if the threat of the Ban was nothing more than a distant memory.

  “Let’s go.” Lauren takes Marvin’s hand to help him out of the cut-out.

  “Come on, Joe,” Marvin calls back.

  “Lead us, Dreamer,” Scraggle continues to press.

  Joe takes his eyes off Scraggle and looks at the stone in
the rock. He picks up his shovel and slams it into the stone, chipping off a decent chunk of it. The piece falls into the puddle. Joe kneels down to fish it out of the water. Finding it and giving it one last look, he stands and puts it in his pocket before walking past Scraggle.

  “No one can climb the Ladder out of here,” Joe says but his tone betrays his real thoughts. That Scraggle might be right.

  “But it is your fate. It is our fate.” Scraggle’s voice trails off as Joe leaves him behind to join the rest of the kids walking out of the Mud Hall.

  At the entrance to the Mud Hall sits another large metal box. The Boss stands next to it watching each group empty their buckets into it. With each dumping of minerals and stones, the Boss steps on a lever and the contents dumped inside of it disappear when the bottom opens up and swallows them.

  Joe, Lauren and Marvin are next. Joe raises their bucket and dumps out the minerals and stones from their section. The Boss steps on the lever while the three of them make their way past the box.

  “Lauren,” the Boss calls out before the next group can go.

  Lauren growls, quietly through gritted teeth. She turns around to see the Boss’s hand out and open.

  “Hand it over.”

  Lauren pulls out a small green gem from her pocket and hands it over to the Boss.

  “Lauren,” Marvin calls out, surprised that she did such a thing.

  Joe quiets him.

  “I don’t see why we can’t keep some of them. Like there aren’t enough in the box.” Lauren tries to reason as she turns and starts to walk away.

  The Boss smacks her on the back of the head. “You’ve already got three strikes. One more and you’re in the Ban. You got that?”

  “Yes, sir,” Lauren begrudgingly answers before they all walk away to the Eatery.

  As the three of them pass through the Junction, Joe glances at the Ladder, his hand in his pocket, gripping the stone from the Mud Hall. Joe has never taken anything that belongs in the box before. There’s no reason for anyone to suspect him of starting now. Lauren, however, is a multi-time offender. The Boss is usually watching her very closely.

  The Eatery is the most cramped section of the Mines. It is lined with wooden benches and tables. All of the kids pile into it for their meal. The food is already on the tables waiting for them. By the time they all sit down, it is room temperature at best. The kids are forced to sit shoulder to shoulder as the Doctor struggles to walk between the rows to look for bruises or cuts, anything that might require her attention. The Boss and the Guard stand at the entrance to make sure all of the kids leave at the same time when done. Since everyone is in the Eatery, there’s little reason to guard the Ladder. Like all of the work areas, there is only one way in and one way out.

  Everyone eats in silence. There are only two times in the Mines that silence is ordered. One, in the Bunks when it’s time to sleep. Two, in the Eatery. Lauren and Marvin just barely get through the unappealing food. Joe looks at the Boss who is too busy watching the entire room. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the stone.

  Lauren sees it and immediately looks around to see if anyone else notices it. “What did you do? You’re gonna get thrown in the Ban for that.”

  “You did it,” Joe says.

  “Yeah, but I got caught before we got here. The further away from the box the more trouble you get into. Hide that thing.”

  “Shut it!” the Guard yells, not knowing who exactly is talking.

  “I don’t care about the Ban. That’s one day without having to sling mud,” Joe whispers defiantly.

  “Everyone halt,” the Boss calls out.

  Except for slowly closing his fist around the stone, Joe freezes.

  “Who’s missing?” the Boss continues.

  All of the kids look around.

  “Someone better answer me or it’s strikes for all.”

  The kids begin to murmur but no one has an answer.

  Lauren nudges Joe and points to a spot at one of the tables. There is space that is wider than the rest. Because of how packed the kids are in the Eatery, it’s obvious to see when someone is missing.

  “Who is it?” Joe asks, not really to anyone in particular. He’s more relieved that the Boss is not onto him. In the confusion, he puts the stone back in his pocket.

  The Boss looks at the guard and flicks his head toward the Junction. The Guard nods and runs out of the eatery.

  Chapter Six

  The Guard makes his way into the Junction and immediately heads toward the tunnel of the Bunks.

  He looks along the lower bed cut-outs only to find them empty. “Where are you?”

  He climbs one of the ladders and looks along the cut-outs to see they, too, are empty. “If I find you, you won’t like what happens next.”

  The Guard hops off of the bunk ladder, satisfied that the missing kid is not in the Bunks. He makes his way back to the Junction. His pace slows and he runs his hand along the rock wall of the tunnel as he nears the entrance. His hand moves up and down, letting some of the dirt crumble from the wall to the floor.

  At the entrance to the Bunks, the Guard closes his eyes and embraces the silence. He spends so much time guarding the Ladder and watching the kids come and go that the now empty space of the Junction is peaceful. Serene. If he could have it this way at all times, he would.

  The Guard opens his eyes and looks at the other tunnels before spotting someone lying at the foot of the Ladder.

  He smiles slightly. “Got the Sick, now, don’t you?” the Guard taunts as he walks slowly to the Ladder. “Too bad it’s just you and me. So close to the medical office and me without the knowledge to cure you. I just never learned how to use those needles.”

  The Guard arrives at the Ladder and gets a closer look at the body on the ground. The teenager has cuts and puncture wounds on various parts of his body. The Guard takes one step back but his eyes show a devious glare. He’s glad this happened.

  He kneels down and hangs his face over the boy’s. “You got what you deserve. I hope the rest of your friends try it, too-”

  The boy coughs, violently, startling the Guard back to his feet.

  “Well, we can’t have that, can we?” The Guard looks toward the Eatery before placing a gloved hand over the teen’s nose and mouth. “Don’t fight. Consider it a mercy. The only one you’ll get.”

  The teen barely struggles. Such as his wounds are, he was not far from passing. When he stops moving completely, the Guard lowers his ear to the teen’s mouth to listen for signs of life. He closes his eyes and absorbs the stillness and the silence. Satisfied that the teenager is gone, he stands and smiles maliciously. He looks toward the Eatery and clears his throat. “Boss!” he yells out before running for the Eatery.

  The Boss turns his head at the sound of the Guard’s yell. The kids in the Eatery begin to stir and the Doctor works her way to the Boss just in time for the Guard to arrive.

  “What happened? Where is—” The Boss is cut off by the Guard.

  “It’s not good. He’s all…” The Guard gets closer to the Boss and the Doctor and whispers something no one but they can hear. The Doctor places both hands at her mouth to stifle her gasp. The Boss looks back at the kids at the tables. They sit silently still, waiting to hear the worst.

  “You are all to stay here. Anyone who disobeys ensures all of you go to the Ban.” The Boss walks out of the Eatery followed by the Guard and the Doctor.

  As soon as they are out of sight, the kids all start talking to one another, looking for an answer.

  “Did he get the Sick?” Marvin looks up at Lauren.

  “I don’t know. I couldn’t hear anything.”

  “It’s not the Sick,” Joe says to Lauren. “Remember what we saw in the Doctor’s office earlier?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll bet that’s—” Joe is cut off by Mason who has made his way to the front of the Eatery.

  “Listen up. I’m not going to the Ban. So all of you are going to st
ay right here until the Boss gets back. Is that understood?” Mason tries his best attempt at acting like the Boss. It’s not a good impression.

  Joe stands up but Lauren grabs his arm.

  “Is that understood Mud Slinger?” Mason taunts Joe.

  “Joe. What about the Ban?” Marvin asks.

  “There’s not enough room in the Ban for all of us,” Joe says loudly enough for most of the Eatery to hear him. Lauren stands up alongside him followed by Marvin who stands up on the bench.

  Lauren picks Marvin up and sets him on the floor. Then the three of them make their way toward the entrance of the Eatery. Mason steps in their way to block them.

  “I’m not going to the Ban because of you, Slingers.” Mason says with as much authority as he can muster.

  More kids stand up, ready to follow Joe and Lauren. Lauren looks back to see even more of them on their feet. Many remain seated, some afraid of the Ban, others afraid of Mason and the Guard.

  Lauren turns to face Mason and smirks. “You sure about that?”

  The three of them, joined by many others, move past Mason and out of the Eatery. They run through the tunnel entrance to the Junction. There are enough of them filing through the tunnel that they should be running into each other. But years of practice makes it a smooth movement with no stumbling or bumping into one another or the walls.

  The Boss turns around to see them moving towards them. He tries his best to stand in the way of the body. “Get back in the Eatery, every one of you.”

  His words fall on deaf ears as all of the kids see the body lying at the foot of the Ladder.

  “Please, all of you, go back. You don’t need to see this,” the Doctor pleads. “Marvin…”

  Marvin stares. He knows he sees something bad but he’s not entirely sure what. Tears start to form in his eyes.

  “Joe…” The young boy’s voice is quiet.

  Lauren tries to hide Marvin’s eyes but he moves her hand away.