Down Deep

Chapter Three - Grant

He rubbed his eyes wishing he would wake from this nightmare. Grant looked up and again surveyed his surroundings. Grady had taken him past the cavern he called Main Street, to a tunnel off to the side. He had explained that the homes in Main Street were only big enough for two or three. Most of the larger families had to dig out or claim four of five caves and there was no promise they would be able to stay together. As another option, some made their homes out of empty mine shafts connected to Main Street.

Marcell with his nine daughters and two wives had been one of those families. His family had made quite a comfortable home out of the five chambered mine shaft. Marcell had explained that most of the homes were furnished by things salvaged from the dump. Everything else they made or traded for.

Fraya, Marcell's first wife had seemed pleased to show Grant to their spare room. She had even bragged a little about how much room they had in their home compared to other people. Grant did not have the heart to tell her his bathroom in Central had been larger than their whole living area. His new room, which was only large enough to fit a bed and a small stand, was smaller than his closet back home. When they left him to sleep, he had spent a restless night plagued with nightmares of being buried alive and trials where no one would listen as he swore his innocents. When morning had come, he was led to the sitting room and offered a bowl of tasteless mush.

'No enemies at all?' Marcell said confused pulling Grant from his misery and shock. He was an older man who looked to be in his late fifties. Despite that however, both his beard and thick brown hair was only lightly touched with grays. Like most of the people Grant had seen so far, he was around five nine and lean in build. Marcell moved like a young man as he bounced around his home giving Grant a tour before sitting him down by the small fire to talk.

'No.' Grant sighed. 'I was just placed last year after I finished advanced school. Councilman Mores gave me some very important jobs to work on. There were only three of us in the department. Chandler I grew up with. We were good friends. Lana, well we got along fine.' Marcell nodded frowning. 'Why are you here?' Grant asked motioning to Marcell's bare wrist. 'Someone said you were a political as well but you have no bracelet.'

'Orick removed it after two years.' Marcell explained. 'Just long enough for the city watch to forget about me.' The older man blushed giving him a sheepish smile. 'I have a bit of a reputation as a lady's man.' He motioned to his two wives who both giggled glancing at each other. 'I had a fling with this beautiful Capital City lady. Turned out, she was councilman Edric's wife. When we were caught, I was in the Fens before the hour finished.' Grant shook his head.

'This Orick can take off my bracelet then?' he asked as an idea formed and he was filled with hope once again. They said if the guards saw his bracelet they would force him to take the long walk. If he could get back to Capital City without the bracelet on, he could go talk to the councilmen and straighten this mess out.

'I know what you are thinking.' Marcell said looking sad. 'It will not work. Your face will be on the watch list for the next two years. All it will take is one guard to see you before they drag you off to the long walk. They watch for you each cycle when they drop in rations. If they do not see you, then they tear the Fens apart to find you.'

Grant was starting to understand the message in the elevator now. Whoever had scratched the words into the paint must have known what was about to happen.

'Whatever triggered this,' Astasia, Marcell's second wife said thoughtfully 'must have happened within the last three days. Think Grant. Everything you did for the last three days. Everything you worked on.'