The Luminosity Series (Book 1): Luminosity Page 9

  That night, I lied in my bed, my eyes following the sheer, pastel curtains swaying in the gentle breeze. Curiosity prevented me from sleeping as I remained mystified by the compass’s denotation. The numbers were coordinates, the markings a cipher—a secret language intended to stay hidden. How it had gotten there made little sense. I needed answers, but I was uncertain where to look for them. Before the collapse, we had endless resources at our fingertips. Now, there were no phones, no internet, and no avenues to turn to for investigation. These days, letters were our only method of communication to the outside territories. We were informed of news and events by our town leaders at periodic City Hall meetings. And even though I wanted to trust my mother, I couldn’t risk telling her about my discovery. The memory of my father would only mess with her head more. And I couldn’t risk letting her take it from me. But there was something about the mystery of its origin that led me to make my next foolish decision—I would cross the border and find out for myself what truths hid beyond it.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Sneaking onto unregulated land was unsettling, but seeing the outside world again attracted me to the idea. Was I stupid for thinking I wouldn’t get caught? Perhaps, but my curiosity gnawed at me from the inside out. Just like the day I left this place, nothing would stop my need to escape. Only this time, my life depended on my discretion. Underneath neon green lights, with their brilliance transforming into shapely holes, I pushed forward. It was nearing midnight now, hours after the mandated curfew. The military had activated the beacons, circling in a single beam from the four corners of the small city—atop the watchtowers. Visibility was clear as they cut through the darkness of night, reaching out to the region beyond the wall. I forced myself upward, trying not to make much noise as I followed the old trail leading along the mountain behind Evan’s house. The auroras provided the perfect degree of glow to light up my way, yet kept me camouflaged between shadows of rock and trees. I didn’t know if I’d find Evan or Janelle out there, but I at least hoped to find answers.

  A half hour had passed before I reached the cave. Unsure if I had arrived at my destination or not, I refilled my lungs as I stared upon a large, rounded boulder. It had the same black petroglyphs as the cairn I had found, only these markings looked jaded, with a distinct crescent moon and star, and a symbol that featured an arch. And as I did one final check behind me, I assumed I was on the right track. Still, the questions remained—just what were these symbols? Who put them there? And why?

  When I neared the tunnel access, my claustrophobia almost forced me to turn back around. Ahead of me, a narrow pass stretched between two towering rock walls, with a path of small stone steps leading downward into the hollowness of the cave. Without searching for the symbols, I never would have known it was there. At first glance, I wasn’t sure I’d fit through it, but it was only my nerves getting the better of me.

  I shook off my anxiety, ignoring the fear of being caught. Pulling my sling bag to my hip, I secured the strands of my low ponytail underneath the strap before squeezing through the first few feet of darkness. I kept my eyes on the sky, disregarding the urge to panic as the gaps between the rocks narrowed. Sucking in, I trembled as I took small strides, sliding along the wall. Carefully, I made my way to a larger gap not far from where I started. I studied the small tunnel entrance. The size of it wasn’t what I expected. On the ground was a circular crawl space blocked by an iron grate, unbolted and unscrewed beside the opening. Judging from the number of bolts, someone had gone through a great deal of trouble to unseal it from the inside. The theory haunted me.

  The interior looked dirty, weathered, and cracked. I cringed as I imagined what sorts of creatures, what vermin could be festering within it. Before crouching down, I turned my small flashlight on. Second thoughts invaded my head, screaming out at me to return home, but I’d have to keep going to see the outside. It had been over three years since I’d seen the freedom of open land. I couldn’t stop now.

  Crawling headfirst, I was vigilant to regulate my breathing patterns, to divert the anxiety, to stay quiet. My flashlight lit up the walls, now revealing more glyphs and symbols. Many of them featured geometric designs—an exhibition of birds, arrows, crosses, and stars. I shined my light forward, eager to keep moving. But even after ten minutes of dragging through it on my hands and knees, only the vague green glow from the sky was visible ahead. And as I got closer to the end of the tunnel, its circumference gained in size. I wasn’t far from freedom. Now, I could smell it.

  As I continued, the shadow of lines developed into focus, and suddenly I came to the same iron grate as the one I had started at. From where I was, it still appeared to be attached, blocking my way through. Panicked now, I crawled faster to reach it, desperate to escape. Looking back lured me into doubt again, the temptation vanishing after I thought about the distance I had covered. But the paranoia of being followed still consumed me.

  Maybe I was right all along. Maybe this was a trap.

  “You’re almost there…” I huffed to myself in panic, inching farther through the underpass. When I neared the grate, I grabbed the bars, pushing it forward. But to my convenience, it was loose, detached just like at the first entrance. All my worry had been for nothing, like it usually was. But before I could relax, the grate scraped across the circled rim of the cement tunnel before rolling to the side. Creating a deafening screech, it swiveled against the rock into the darkness in front of me. And in that moment, panic struck me as it chimed and echoed through the still air. I had no idea how close to the border wall I was. If I was within decent proximity of their audio radar, I’d have no chance at escape after the noise I made. I forced my eyes shut, recovering my breath as I remained inside the tunnel, still in fear of what I’d discover upon exiting. After a few moments, I peeked my head out. To my relief, rocks and large boulders surrounded me, safe from view. Only now could I make out the ampleness of pine trees, of wilderness, of rocky plateaus and overgrown grassland in the distance. I was free.

  11 WASTELAND

  Seeing the wall from the opposite side didn’t affect me the way I imagined it would. In fact, it seemed no different, at least not right away. I couldn’t remember how long I strayed from the tunnel, or how many times I had to confess to myself this was a bad idea. But after almost an hour of wandering, I approached the old campground. It had to be well after midnight now. Fatigue overtook me as I crept onto the deserted trail that led back between the mountains. Using the compass as a guide, the reflection of the auroras lit up the path as the breeze whistled through the overgrown grass. Out here, humanity already felt extinct. But even in the most barren of places, the northern lights persisted.

  I reached a dirt road marked with a broken campground sign, indicating where I was. The crisp smell of dirt, pine, and smoldering embers drew me in. That’s when I knew they’d be there. I wanted to plunge forward in excitement, but I had a good reason not to direct attention, even if I wasn’t a threat.

  The harmony of their distant voices comforted me. Janelle’s faint laugh echoed against the canyon, the private calm prevailing between. The absence of formality gave me a sense of disengagement from the rest of our world. Escaping the borders was the purpose—to remind ourselves that we could still enjoy life if we had the audacity to take risks. Our existence had become a structure of systematic barriers that kept us from living. The only thing worse than surrendering the comfort of those walls was not embracing the uncharted world beyond it.

  An array of aspens and junipers obstructed my view, secluding me from the dirt road as the dying flames crackled. I crouched behind an abandoned picnic table, squatting near the ground as I peered past the timbers ahead. Janelle’s hair shone red like the intensity of the flames, her smile returned. Next to her was Aaron, dressed in his usual soldier attire, his ashy brown hair a mere shadow amidst her blazing locks. Before the collapse, Aaron was Evan’s best friend. Most people presumed he was this fierce, prideful guy with a tough, rational perspective on l
ife. But underneath it, he could be just as caring and compassionate as Evan.

  Beside him sat a younger guy who seemed out of sorts, and the girl who encountered me in line at the hospital—Kylie. As I eyeballed Evan, he rose up from the fire, his face darting around in the enveloping darkness. I had to reveal myself, but I wasn’t sure of the reaction I’d get. And just as I pulled myself to my feet, I heard Evan’s voice.

  “Jake?” he called. I was still invisible to them. And when the silence remained, I took a step forward. But the minute the twig snapped beneath my boot, everyone stood up, suddenly on guard.

  “What was that?” the younger guy asked.

  “Shh. I don’t know,” hushed Evan.

  “Why hasn’t Jake come back yet? It doesn’t take that long to go to the bathroom. What if he’s in trouble?” Kylie said.

  “He shouldn’t even be out here,” Aaron said, shaking his head.

  “It was probably just an animal or something. Relax you guys,” Evan reassured them with a forced chuckle. Now, I had no choice but to step forward.

  “It’s just me…” I said in hesitation. But the wide eyes and panicked looks were unrelenting as my face glowed amidst the flames. Kylie’s focus flung to Evan, who breathed harder in surprise, still on guard.

  “Well, well, well. Look who crossed over to the dark side,” Janelle burst out, her fearful expression replaced with a relieved, joking grin.

  “Shh! Quiet...” Kylie scolded, putting a finger to her lip. The shadows of their bodies loomed against the rocks as they sat back down in relief.

  “I’m surprised you came, Aubrey,” Janelle raised a brow.

  “You always were a bad influence,” I joked in a shrug, but my lightheartedness was interrupted.

  “Aubrey, what the hell are you doing out here?” Evan asked, the tension between us all growing. I stood there for a few moments, catching my breath as I stared into the small fire.

  “I—I just had to see this place for myself,” I explained.

  “Are you kidding me? Did you tell her?” Kylie asked, glaring at Janelle. Janelle shrugged in annoyance. Evan’s eyes drifted to her as his nervous breathing continued.

  “She’s the only other person I told. I swear,” she promised.

  “It’s okay. No one knows I’m here. I didn’t tell anyone,” I said.

  “You didn’t warn her about the guards?” Evan asked Janelle with a raised voice. Janelle stayed quiet. He huffed, turning around as he ran a hand down his face.

  “I didn’t think she’d actually do it. Besides, she knew how dangerous it was to come out here,” Janelle snapped.

  “Damn it, she could have—”

  “Would you guys calm down? I didn’t say a word to anyone,” I interrupted Evan’s panic as he twisted around.

  “That’s not all we have to worry about. We don’t come out here blindly whenever we want. We have a schedule to assure that we don’t get caught out here. The military sweeps this area every Wednesday and Friday. And there’s a random raid once a month. Not to mention, inspections and roll call once a week that only Aaron is aware of! What if you came out here during one of those times, Aubrey? What if you got captured?” he nearly shouted.

  “Well, I didn’t!”

  By now, I had lost it. Kylie rolled an eyeball at me as the five of them sat still with fear.

  “You guys better keep it the fuck down or I’m out,” Aaron said, poking and prodding at the ashy firewood as his steely eyes stared into the flames.

  “Me too,” Janelle sighed, crossing her arms across her chest in a sassy pout.

  “Did you see anyone? No one followed you I hope.” Evan’s stare gleamed in an fuming rage against the fire.

  “No. I was careful.” I winced, focusing away from him as I sat next to Janelle. She looked at the ground, resting a hand on Aaron’s leg as if to apologize. Evan swallowed, his jaw grinding as he scrutinized my every move. After calming down, he took a seat beside Kylie and let out a deep breath.

  “These are my cousins, Kylie and Nick,” he said, nodding toward the two of them. My eyes scanned Kylie. I gave her an abrupt fake smile before nodding to Nick. Nick looked like a younger, more innocent version of Evan, whose pale brown eyes seemed afraid to notice me. Kylie continued to stare, blinking faster as she tucked her hair behind her ears, letting out a sigh.

  “We’ve met…” she said. I rolled an eye as I leaned my arms back.

  “I didn’t mean to surprise you guys. I just got curious.”

  “Curiosity doesn’t justify your stupidity,” Kylie lashed out.

  “Stop it, Kylie…” Evan voiced over her in annoyance.

  “No. I won’t. Her mother is a complete wreck. I’ve seen her around town, always moping around on the verge of a mental breakdown. I mean, she confessed to stealing those drugs from the hospital. How do we know we can trust her?” Kylie asked. I clenched my fists together in the dirt.

  “You don’t know what my mother has been through…” I said, taking a weighted breath as the pain soared in my chest.

  “What… is that supposed to make me feel bad? We’ve all been through shit. But what she did was inexcusable. Patients at the hospital died because of her,” Kylie said. I looked to Evan as he stared back in pity. Still, he didn’t defend me. The awkward silence loomed as I stood up, brushing the dirt from my jeans as I faced the opposite direction.

  “Aubrey… Don’t leave. It’s not safe out there by yourself…” Janelle said.

  “No. Let her leave. If she can’t handle being out here alone, she shouldn’t have come,” Kylie said. And with her snarky tone, I spun back around.

  “My mother didn’t do what she did to hurt anyone. She did what she did to survive, just like you guys are doing by being out here. And it takes just as much, if not more defiance to sneak past that wall. But I promise you can trust me. This isn’t the first time I’ve… left,” I explained, looking to Evan before my eyes fell to the ground. He swallowed.

  “Doesn’t surprise me. I would have left town too if I was her daughter,” Kylie muttered under her breath. I shook my head while the tears came, trudging into the darkness leading home.

  As I made my way down the dirt road, I heard the familiar crunching of footsteps behind me. I peered over my shoulder as I pushed on, and to my regret, Evan had chased after me again.

  “What you said back there may be true, but you didn’t have to risk coming out here to prove you’re sorry,” he said. The way he said it made my pulse stop. I glanced at the auroras before looking down.

  “I’m not trying to prove anything...” I said. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words never came. As he looked back at the fire off in the distance behind us, my focus wandered.

  “Look, if you’re going to be out here, I should fill you in on some things,” he said. “But it’s better to get off the road. Follow me.” He nodded to his left.

  He led me through the empty grass fields, toward the rocky cliffs along an abandoned gravel trail. In our path, a small, two-story wooden cabin came into view. The cabin stood by itself, old enough to be secluded from civilization even before the collapse, it seemed. It looked like it had been burned at one point, with its charred brittle frame still holding it together.

  “Be careful,” he warned. And as he pushed the small door open, I became stunned by its haunting appearance. To my relief, he lit up an old lantern that hung on the wall, flooding the cabin with a dim, flickering light. The entire interior was reorganized, like someone had lived here before. Several walls sustained a message written in black spray paint, reading “S.O.S.” and other apocalyptic blurbs. The writing was aggressive, angry, and desperate, hinting that a person may have died here. A chill ran up my spine. On the other end of the room rested an antique rocking chair, and in front of us stood a broken stairway.

  “They raided this area a long time ago. See?” he said, aiming his flashlight to the familiar red X, still noticeable amidst the ashy walls.

  “Oh…” I sai
d, swallowing.

  “There isn’t much left out here after the damage they did.” He nodded.

  “What exactly happened out here after I left?” I asked with a wince. He swallowed before speaking.

  “Well, after the city was bombed later that year, rebels invaded other areas, slaughtering people for their resources, for everything they had, so the military stepped in,” he explained.

  “But why would people run if they knew they’d be hunted down? What’s the point?” I asked.

  “Because in the beginning, these people saw it as their only choice. They lost trust in their communities, law enforcement, everything. Hunting down and killing the ones on the outside became a scare-tactic. And this… this was a message to us. They’ll do whatever it takes to regain control of the population, even if it means killing our own people to prove a point. But most of us still don’t agree with what’s been done,” he said.

  “Maybe there is no hope then…” I said, closing my eyes, letting a tear fall down my cheek. He stared at me lifelessly as I sunk into the old rocking chair.

  “The day you left, that’s when I gave up hope, when I watched you give up on yourself and everything around you. But it wasn’t too late, Aubs. You still had a reason to be here. I just wish you could have seen it back then,” he said, scanning the walls of the cabin, struggling not to be upset.

  “You’re right...” I said, looking away before I let every emotion inside me spill out.

  “The funny thing is, I’ve finally been able to put that day behind me, and now, here you are.” He examined me with a serious expression. “But ever since we snuck out here and saw the world for what it really was, I realized that you were right, Aubs. We need to learn to let go of the things we’re still holding onto, even ourselves.” He glanced at me in pity, looking so far away in that moment. I remained silent, devastated, and unsure of how to continue. Frustrated, I voiced the only thought that came to mind.