Subterrania – Chapter 1: Going Places I Shouldn’t

Hi everyone! Welcome to the first chapter of my free online novel! This story is about a sixteen-year-old girl living in a dystopian society where everyone lives beneath the Earth’s surface. I don’t want to spoil too much, but she essentially gets pulled into a secret organization, and adventures follow. If you like what you read, don’t forget to watch out for future chapters! I’m hoping to get one posted every day. Wish me luck!

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You have to watch yourself living down here in the tunnels. The government does its best to regulate expansion sites but can’t control everything. New tunnels are being dug every day. If you happen to stumble down the wrong one, it can be the end of you. That’s why we usually do our best to stick to the areas we know. Explorers don’t tend to last long around here.

Unfortunately, I’ve got a knack for exploring. A fact that’s gotten me into trouble since I was young. It started when I was ten years old. I had an older brother. He was thirteen. That’s when you first get the option to go to the education center. As far as I know, that’s the only legal way to better your life. My brother was a kind boy, better than a girl like me deserved. He was always looking out for Dad and me. He was so excited on his first day of education. I’d never seen anyone with so much spark in their eyes. All he could talk about was the train into the city. We’d seen it all our childhoods and dreamt of riding it one day.

My brother’s train crashed before he even reached the education center. It wasn’t fair. Trains weren’t supposed to crash. My dad told me it only happens once a decade if that. Even though it’s been six years, I still cry for my brother at times. One of the most challenging times was when I turned thirteen. My dad asked me if I wanted to go to the education center. I said no. No promised future could get me on that train. My dad was disappointed, but he understood. I always admired him for that. He didn’t try to push me. He just let me make my choice.

Getting educated in the traditional sense wasn’t an option after that. My dad continued to work to support us by spending long hours cleaning city streets. You’d think that’d be a small job in our little cavern town, but it isn’t. Rocks and debris constantly fall, and people around here don’t care about being clean. There’s always trash. Great heaps of it line the streets. The cleaners do their best, but it always feels like a losing battle. Still, my dad never complained.

I helped him the best I could, but just after my sixteenth birthday, I stumbled across another opportunity to improve my life. One night, while walking down a small tunnel at the edge of town, I was attacked by a dark figure. The stranger jumped out of nowhere and pinned me against the wall. I struggled, but my attacker was too strong. Within seconds, I had a bag over my head and was forced into a cramped space.

I heard a wooden door shut me in, then felt the space around me jostle and bump for the next thirty minutes. I couldn’t help but think of all the horrible things that would happen to me. I kicked myself mentally for not listening to Dad’s warnings. He’d always told me to keep close to home, but I didn’t listen. I got too comfortable exploring. I’d been doing it for years and convinced myself nothing bad would ever happen.

The jostling stopped, and I heard the wooden door swing open. A ruff hand grabbed my arm, pulled me up, and forced me into a sitting position. Suddenly, the man removed the sack over my head. Light flooded my vision, and I had to blink several times. When the images started to clear, I felt surprised. By the damp smell, I’d incorrectly guessed I was in some dungeon. Instead, I sat before an ornate wooden table in a boxy room. The stone walls were made of expertly crafted igneous bricks. Behind the desk sat a bearded man with a broad chest and thick arms.

“Hello, Pigmy!” He said. “Welcome home!”

“Please, let me go!” My fears returned as I remembered how I came to be in this beautiful place.

“Sorry, Pigmy, that’s not how things work around here. We didn’t go through all the trouble of getting you here just to send you back home. Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you, but we do need your help.” The big man stood up and motioned for me to do the same. “I know you’re scared, and you should be. Shame on you for sculking about on your own. You’re lucky we got you before someone else did. Come here. Let me show you what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

I hesitated but decided to listen when the man at my side moved to grab my arm again. The big man led me through an archway into a large, well-lit room. Every inch of wall space was covered in bookshelves. A tall sliding ladder was mounted to each wall, and a couple of boys were frantically collecting books and putting them into baskets. Four tables filled the room’s interior, and a beautiful woman sat reading from a book at the table nearest to me.

“Welcome to The Engineers, Pigmy.” The large man said. “Now, I’m going to give you a choice. Either sit down and listen to this nice lady here, or we can sell you off to some slavers in Slickrock. What’ll it be?”

I stood there, shocked. I didn’t know what I’d expected the man to lead me to, but I certainly didn’t think it would be a library. As any sane girl would, I took the man’s offer and sat at the table. The woman across from me ignored me, and the big man left. I waited, but when nothing happened, I coughed to get the woman’s attention. She didn’t seem to notice.

“What is this place?” I asked.

The woman looked up from her book and stared at me.

“Ah-ah, you don’t get to ask questions yet. Sit still. I need to finish reading, then I’ll get to you.”

Not seeing any other option, I did what she said. Fifteen minutes later, the woman sighed, put down her book, and gave me an appraising look.

“Alright, so tell me, how did they nab you?”

“I was in one of the tunnels at the edge of town and-”

“That’s enough. Tell me why you were in that tunnel.”

“I don’t know, I just wanted to see what was down it.”

The woman smiled. “Then you’re lucky we got you first. It may not seem like it, but you are a fortunate girl.”

“Why? Because I got kidnapped?”

“Yes, though I hardly think you’ll be upset when you discover why.”

“Oh, please. How can you possibly think it’s okay to kidnap an innocent girl?”

“Well, for one, because you let us. You made it easy. We needed you. You came to us, so we took you. And two, because you are about to join one of the largest and well-off organizations in the colonies.”

“Just because you can take someone doesn’t mean you should. Please, do what’s right and let me go. I promise I won’t go exploring anymore.”

“I know you think that would be right, but we can’t just let you go. You’ve already seen our faces. There is a way to get you back, even before anyone knows you’re missing, but you have to join us. Look, just hear me out. You’ll feel much better knowing what’s going on.”

I was disgusted by this woman. She looked so lovely and friendly. I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t just let me go. I wanted to get up and run, but several armed men blocked the only exit I knew of. Still scared, I nodded.

“Good girl. I won’t bore you with all the specifics, just the important details. This place you are in is one of hundreds of secret hideouts for our group called the Engineers. Every city, town, and tunnel knows our influence, though they don’t know us. We work very hard to keep out of the public eye. That’s why our recruits either join us or get sent to the slavers.”

“I didn’t know there were slavers in the colonies.”

“I reckon there’s quite a lot you don’t know about the colonies. That’s alright, you’re still young. If you decide to stick with us, you’ll be starting one of the greatest adventures of your life. In your first year, you’ll be asked to run simple errands for us. We’ll set up with a fake job somewhere in the city, and you can return home. We’ll keep close tabs on you and start training daily. If you pass your initiation, you’ll be made a full member, and we’ll start sending you on more important missions.”

“So let me get this straight: you kidnapped me, dragged me to your secret lair, and now you’ll let me go if I agree to join you? Seems like a lot of trouble to go through. I’m just a girl. Why would you want me?”

“Because you’re different than other girls. You take risks. To tell you the truth, we’ve been watching you for over a year. We’ve seen how you spend hours exploring the tunnels. You have an explorative mind, the kind of mind that the engineers need. If you choose to join us, we’ll tattoo our symbol at the top of your arm to mark you as one of us.” The woman lifted her sleeve to reveal a simple tattoo of an iron cog. It was about two inches in diameter and had eight evenly spaced teeth. “If that’s not enough, you’ll also be paid a weekly sum.”

My eyes widened. I’d never made money before. For the first time since arriving, I started to feel less afraid.

“How much?” I asked.

“Thought that might change your mind. It will be enough. More than your dad makes, I’m sure. He’s a street cleaner, yes?”

I nodded. “But why would you pay me so much? Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea, but nothing comes for free.”

“You’re right. You will have to work for it. Some jobs will seem easy, others will feel impossible. Regardless of what you’re doing, we take care of our own. So long as you stay loyal to us, we stay loyal to you. Our people do not starve or beg. We see to it that each member has all they need and then some.”

That was all I needed to hear. Though I knew I had no choice, my fear melted away, replaced by nervousness.

“So, how do I get one of those tattoos?”

The woman laughed. “That was quick. You might have set a new record. I respect that.” She called one of the book boys over and asked him to fetch the inkmaster. While we waited, her official demeanor faded, and she started acting more like I’d expected her to.

“The name’s Jess, by the way.”

“Quin,” I said, “but you probably already knew that.”

Jess nodded. “That and then some. I hand-picked you.”

“That’s not creepy at all.”

Jess shrugged. “We do what we must, Pigmy.”

“Why do you guys keep calling me that?”

“It’s your new title. Until you officially become one of us, you hold the rank of Pigmy.”

“Are there other ranks?”

“Several. After Pigmy, you take the title of Runner. A few years after that, you can either become a Boar or an Advisor.”

“What’s the difference?”

“I’m an Advisor, and the big man that brought you in, Gary, is a Boar. Boar is for those who want to learn to use their bodies, and Advisor is for those who want to learn to use their brains. Of course, there’s more to it than that, but you get the jist.”

“How long have you been an Advisor?”

“Oh, a couple of minutes. You don’t get bumped up to Advisor until you start training a Pigmy, so I’ve been an advisor since you agreed to join us.”

The ink master, an old wrinkled man with tufts of white hair, shuffled into the room. The book boy who’d fetched him wasn’t far behind, pulling a cart with a tattoo gun, various inks, and some basic medical supplies. Jess backed off and allowed the man to work. I tried to spark a conversation with the ink master, but he was hard of hearing, and I quickly got annoyed at trying to communicate with him. I winced as the needle moved across my skin. It didn’t take very long, but my arm was sore after. When the ink master finished the job, he shuffled back out of the room, and Jess inspected his work.

“Take a look,” she said.

I craned my neck and stared down at my right shoulder. The cog was a near-perfect circle, but only one tooth was on the top. I didn’t even look like a cog.

“What is this?”

“Each tooth is earned, not given. You get your first for joining us; you get the others by completing trials. Don’t worry. They aren’t too difficult, and I’ll train you for them. Now, come with me. We’ve got to set some details in order and get you back home.”

I followed Jess back into the room I’d arrived in. The big man, Gary, was sitting at his desk.

“Ah, she took the bait then?” He asked with a smile. “That was fast.”

“Show him your arm,” Jess said.

I lifted my sleeve and showed him my tattoo.

“Good grief, already got her stamped, too? Well done, Jess. Guess you’re moving up then, didn’t doubt you for a minute.”

Jeths turned to look at me. “She’ll be an excellent new member, I’m sure of it. Please take care of her. I’m going to visit the ink master so I can get my dot. That’s what you get after you get all the teeth.” She pointed at the hollow spot in the center of my tattoo. “It goes right in the middle there. Gary will set you up, and I’ll be in contact.” She tussled my hair and left.

I scrambled to fix my hair, and Gary invited me to sit at his table.

“Welcome, Quin. Glad to have you. Before we get started, there are three rules you must always observe. One, the engineers don’t exist. Don’t talk about us with anyone, not even your dad. Two, always do what your Advisor says, even if it doesn’t make sense. Three, stay where we tell you to be. Break any of these rules, and we’ll rip that tattoo off you and send you away. Got it?”

I gulped, then nodded.

“Excellent,” he swiveled his chair, grabbed a file from a shelf, then turned around and slammed it onto the table. “This is your file. It’ll tell you everything you need to know about your new life. Can you read?”

“Of course.”

“Good. Go through everything once, then let me know if you have any questions. When you’re finished, we’ll get you home.”

I did as Gary asked and read through the file. It gave me every detail I’d need to know for the foreseeable future. There was a lot in the file, but the jist was this: I was to return home and tell my dad I got offered a job at a new local bakery across town. Every morning, I’d need to wake up by four o’clock to help ‘make the loaves.’ Then, I’d spend the day ‘delivering bread.” I wasn’t too excited about the early hours, but then I got to the part that told me what my pay would be.

It was even more than I’d imagined. Of course, I wouldn’t be allowed to use most of it. I had to maintain the appearance of a bread girl. Too much money could tip people off to the bigger picture. Still, the meager amount I was allowed to take home would drastically help things at home. My father wouldn’t have to work so much, and we’d get free bread daily.

I finished reading the file and informed Gary. I’d expected him to lead me to the exit. Instead, his buddy returned, put a sack over my head, and shoved me back into the cart that’d brought me here.

“Sorry, Pigmy,” Gary said, “can’t have you knowing the location of the home base till we build a bit more trust.”

Honestly, I didn’t mind. I just wanted to get home and go to bed. When the cart stopped, the door never opened. I sat still for several minutes before taking the sack off. The man that’d pushed me here was gone, so I pushed the door open and found that I was back in the tunnel I’d been taken in. I rolled my eyes. After all they’d done, they could have at least taken me back to my house.

When I got home, my dad asked me where I’d been, and I told him everything the file had said. It was the first time I saw him smile in months. He hugged me, and we spent the night celebrating by baking a small cake for us to share. Knowing I’d have to wake up early, we didn’t stay up very long, and before I knew it, I found myself getting all tucked in to fall asleep.

That all happened two months ago. I can’t say I fully knew what I’d gotten myself to, but I never imagined I’d be as busy as I am. The money has been nice, but I hardly have time to enjoy it. It turns out that running a fake bakery is a lot of work. Not only do I have to run errands for Jess every day, but I also have to actually make and sell bread. Not a skill I thought I’d ever pick up, but I’m actually getting pretty good at it.

When I’m not baking, Jess spends an hour or two with me each day, teaching me how to protect myself. The bakery has a secret basement where we do stretches and practice self-defense maneuvers. You wouldn’t know it from the humble outside view of our shop, but the basement is the nicest man-made thing I’ve ever seen. The floor is padded, and there are mirrors on all sides. It even has its own shower and dressing room. That took some getting used to. Usually, I’d have to shower in one of the bathhouses in my town. Access to my own was the first true taste of luxury I’d ever had.

I haven’t been in the basement today. The bakery has been too busy since Jess left for the morning to ‘take care of something.’ I was excited at first. I finally had a chance to run things how I wanted to run them. Then the customers came. I did fine for the first hour, but I’m running behind now. The extra stress is getting to me, and I’ve made a dozen small mistakes. Each one on their own wouldn’t be a problem, but together, they slow me down. Still, I remain composed and professional, as Jess taught me.

It isn’t until a creepy older man walks in that I start losing my formality. I don’t know what it is about him, but he bothers me. I feel his eyes watching me as I frantically run around the shop. He looks angry. I realize the true extent of his frustration as he pushes past the other customers to the front of the line.

“Two loves.” He says.

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait in line. It’s a busy-”

He leans closer over the counter and looks me in the eyes.

“Do what you’re told, girl. They don’t seem worried. Now get them loaves.”

I freeze, unsure what to do. The woman behind him has been here for nearly thirty minutes. I decided to ask her.

“Is that so? Do you all mind?” I lean over so I can see the people in line.

“It doesn’t matter what they think. Just get them loaves.” His face is getting red now, and I shrink. I’ve never faced such a rude customer. I don’t know what to do. Jess didn’t prepare me for this. I nearly forget I need to get the next loaves from the oven. I’m grateful for the opportune exit and tell the man I’ll be right back. I slip into the back kitchen and tuck some fallen hair back into my hair net.

As I pull the loaves from the oven, I hear a loud crash from the front of the bakery. I quickly slide the loaves onto the counter and rush out to see what happened. The angry man is standing over another man on the floor that had been standing in line.

“You wanna say that again, bub?” The angry man says, leaning down to grab his victim by the shirt.

The angry man cocks his fist back, ready to strike. His victim is frightened to the core, and I find myself grateful that I’m not him. There is a dark fear in his eyes. I have to do something.

“Stop!” I shout. “Please, I’ll get your loaves, and you can be on your way. Just stop!”

“Shut up, girl!” The angry man yells. “This guy is only getting what’s coming to him.” He pulls his victim up with one hand and punches him in the face with the other. The resulting thud is sickening. I’m reasonably certain I heard his nose crack. I look around for someone to do something, but apparently, no one wants to get involved. I wipe my hands on my apron, jump over the counter, and shout again.

“I said, stop! Someone go get the police!”

The angry man turns to look at me again, rage in his eyes.

“I said shut it!” He glared at the other customers. “No one makes a move, or I’ll take out my frustrations on the brat, got it!”

Nobody moves as the angry man turns back to his victim and kicks him in the ribs. I look to the other customers. They seem to afraid to act. I don’t understand. Why won’t they do anything? One phone call is all it would take. It’s so simple. I regret having left my phone in the basement. I realize that I’m the only one willing to try something. The angry man kicks his victim a second time and seems preoccupied.

If words won’t work, I’ll try something else. I turn around, unplug the cash register, and tug at it experimentally. It’s just heavy enough for what I have in mind. I lift the register, walk up behind the angry man, and use all my strength to slam it down on his head. It isn’t easy, he’s tall. I have no doubt a direct hit would have knocked him out, but my aim was off. I hit his back instead. The force is still enough to knock him to the ground, but my feeble attempt has only angered him.

He grunts as he stands back up. He doesn’t give me time to think and grabs me by my hair net. He’s unbelievably strong. He has such a good grip he’s able to lift me off the ground. Sharp pain spreads throughout my scalp. I scream.

“You little nuisance, maybe this’ll remind you to do what you’re told next time.” He punches me in the stomach, and I feel the wind knocked out of me. This would have scared me if I hadn’t trained with Jess, but we’d practiced dealing with it several times. I wait for the air to return. The angry man is laughing now. I look to the other customers for help. They still haven’t moved, though I see tears in the eyes of one of the ladies.

I try to make myself look as unthreatening as possible. Jess taught me this. You should always conceal your true strength, especially if someone has you in a hold. That buys you one good chance of an explosive escape. If your enemy doesn’t know your true strength, they can’t stop you when it comes. I do my best to look helpless and afraid. It isn’t very hard. I am shaking with fear.

The angry man turns to say something to the customers and I see my moment. With all my effort, I grab the hand holding my hair, flip around, and yank my head downward while pushing up with my arms. I feel a patch of hair rip from my head and try to ignore the pain. Escaping isn’t enough; I only have half a second before my attacker will respond. I try to use the momentum of my maneuver to flip the man over my head, but he’s too big. He moves to grab me, and I kick for his groin. He blocks it, grabs my foot, and lifts it. I lose my balance and fall over.

If I thought the man looked angry before, he now looks the embodiment of rage. He looms over me, and I swear I see steam coming out of his ears. I try to scramble away, but he puts a foot on my back and traps me there.

“Please!” I yell, “Someone, do something!”

Suddenly, the weight on my back vanishes, and the angry man’s body joins me on the floor. I look over and feel such a wave of relief as I’ve never felt before. Jess just got back and she’s tackled the angry man to the floor. I marvel as I watch them scuffle. The man is much bigger than Jess, but he’s clearly no match for her skill. Within ten seconds, she has the man pinned in a hold and he’s stuck.

“I know you think you’re special, but you’re not,” Jess says, leaning close to the angry man’s face. “I don’t care who’s son you are, you won’t come back in this shop again. Got it!”

The angry man’s demeanor shifts. The anger is still there, but now it’s accompanied by fear. I almost laugh. It brings me so much joy. He clearly hadn’t expected anything to happen to him. Now that someone stood up to him, he doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t respond, and Jess puts pressure on one of his arms.

“You def?”

The angry man grunts in response.

“Good, now, I’m going to break your arm-” Jess shoved the man’s arm, and it made a loud cracking sound. The man screams in pain. “-and you’re going to get out of my shop and never come back!” She stands up and releases the man. He scrambles to his feet and is out of the bakery within seconds.

“As for the rest of you,” Jess says, looking at the customers. “Shame on you for not helping this poor girl! We’re closed for the rest of the day. Goodbye!”

The customers look ashamed as they leave the shop. Only the man who had been beaten remains.

“What about him?” I ask.

Jess crouches down by the man. “What’s your name, sir?”

The man coughs as he struggles to sit up. He manages but winces in doing so. “Jonah.”

“Well, Jonah,” Jess says, “are you alright? You’re welcome to stay here. I don’t know much about medical stuff, but can we get you anything while we contact the medics?”

“No need,” Jonah says, “I just need a minute. I’ll be fine.”

“Suit yourself,” Jess says, “Quin, what happened.”

I tell Jess everything that happened, and she nods while I speak.

“Jonah was the only one willing to do something about it.”

“Sorry I wasn’t much help,” he said as he grabbed a nearby chair and used it to help him get back on his feet. “I tried to tell him to back off, and he came at me without warning.”

“Do you know who that was?” Jess asks, looking at me.

“No idea why?”

“It was the Don’s boy,” Jonah answers.

My heart sinks. I start to understand why the others didn’t help. No one messed with the Don, not in this town. I kick myself mentally, unable to believe what I’d done.

“I’ve worked a deal with the Don. He promised me there wouldn’t be any trouble. If that had been any of his other thugs, we could get away with this, but that was his flesh and blood. I think it’s safe to assume some level of retaliation unless we patch things over. Jonah, are you sure you’re good? Your nose is bleeding.”

Jonah shrugs. “You have a bathroom? I’m pretty sure my nose is broken, but it’ll heal. I could use some tissue to plug this up.”

I run to the bathroom and get some tissues for him. Once his nose is plugged, Jess and I help him to the front door and see him on his way. When we get back inside, Jess hugs me. The interaction surprises me, she isn’t usually this physical. Even more surprising is the fact that I hug her back and feel tears stinging my eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she says, “I never should have left, but you made me proud. Doing what you did is exactly the reason I chose you. I know several Pigmies that wouldn’t have been brave enough to do what you did.”

“I think you mean stupid,” I say.

She withdraws from the embrace and starts walking into the kitchen.

“That works, too.” She laughs. “You left some loaves in the oven. I can smell them burning. Come on.”

I jump into action as I realize she’s right. The loaves are black, and the kitchen reeks of their burned crust. When we finish cleaning everything up, we take the extra loaves for the day and give them to folks in need around town. We return to the shop and head to the basement for more training. To my relief, she doesn’t push me too hard, and we spend the time stretching instead.

“You’ve had quite the day,” she says as we each try to balance on one leg. “How about another big day tomorrow?”

I frown. “What do you have in mind?”

“You know how no one would call the police on that man today?”

I shrug as we put our legs down and sit on the floor. “I guess, but I thought we already cleared that up. No one would call the cops on one of the Don’s sons.”

“That’s right, and the Don will be pretty upset with us. Tomorrow, you’re going to fix that.”

My heart sinks, but I try to look unphased as I lean forward to touch my toes.

“Me? Are you sure I’m the right person for the job?”

“No, but it wouldn’t be much of a test if I did it.”

“Test?”

“You heard me. If you perform well tomorrow, you’ll get your second tooth tattooed on your gear.”