Souls Below

Chapter Five

Half broken lights flickered in a few buildings towards the main part of the city. I looked around the deserted streets below, scanning for any signs of guards that were patrolling this part of the city. A long sigh left my lips, so many questions a whirlwind in my mind. I tucked the loose strands of my raven dark hair behind my ear, contemplating my decisions.

The Upper had collapsed in front of me, completely unconscious. Initially I had fled halfway up the street before stopping and turning back. He had been holding his side, the dark liquid that coated his fingers undeniably blood. I had wanted to return home, tell Jerard I had found the Upper, but a piece of me knew I was condemning him to a fate far worse than death, which he seemed to be on the brink of.

Instead, huffing an annoyed sigh at my idiocy and overly large curiosity, I had managed to dragged the unconscious Upper into one of the abandoned buildings. I peeked at his wound and seen it was a large gash on his side, one that would kill him if not fixed soon. I huffed again. What a pickle I managed to get myself in. The itch to explore the nearby restricted door was tempting, however the overpowering sense of guilt at leaving this man to essentially die caused me to go and do lookout instead.

I heard the faint break whistle sound, my stomach grumbling unhappily at missing out on lunch. I made my way back inside the abandoned shop, staring down at his unconscious body. I had strapped his wound best I could with the knowledge Jerard had shown me, hoping it would at least help him wake up so I could get some answers.

The building was eerily quiet. Only the faint sounds of rodents scuttling about could be heard. My skin prickled with anxiety; I wasn't use to this much quiet. Making my mind up I hurriedly left the building and turned towards the shop district, where I managed to haggle a few items I hoped would help keep the stranger alive. A beat up old water bottle which I filled in a nearby tap. Food rations to last a few days, a blanket to keep him warm and a few medical supplies that resulted in losing my favorite wrench for the pipework

This Upper better be worth it I grumbled to myself as I shoved all the items into my backpack. It wouldn't be enough to heal him properly, but enough to stop the bleeding I'm going to have to risk the Medical ward for something better I thought bitterly, making my way back towards the restricted district. Halfway there a patrol caught my attention, the commander distinguishable by the blue, pristine Uniform, standing out against the worn black the guards always wore. I ducked around a corner, eyes glued to the man as I watched their movements.

He was young, around twenty-ish years old, tall, blonde hair slicked back, broad shoulders, sharp jaw and extremely blue eyes that practically glowed in the dim light. His uniform hugged his frame so tightly it was like a second skin, showing the muscles that bulged beneath. He was so out of place down here in the Lower city, filled with broken and filthy people, but even on Upper standards he looked strange; he had to be one of those designer babies the Uppers paid for.

Silently begging for the group to move on I watched as they scanned the street, eyes lingering on younger males that might have a resemblance to their target; the missing Upper. I felt my breath hitch. If he was discovered, there was a chance they might figure out he was helped, which could mean trouble for Jerard. The restricted sector was old, it had been abandoned for years since the sickness had forced the guards to close off the Old quarter, sealing anyone left inside.

But that also meant the tech was old in that area, almost non-workable. If any had been spared by scrappers. Power had been redirected from the Old Quarter about a year ago, so whatever was left running was off the main grid itself, like the little door that required the P.I.P card.

Hopefully, that meant that there was no evidence I had helped the Upper hide. Hopefully.

Knowing this group would be lingering for a while I shrugged on my backpack and headed towards the centre of the Makers District, hoping Krane was home. I would have to check on the Upper later, with the Guards so close to the area I needed to go, I worried I would be discovered. Gripping the straps on my backpack I hauled it higher on my shoulders and turned my thoughts to Krane and his dad.

~*~

I stood awkwardly in the street, Krane's eyes downcast with his hands in his pockets. I had planned to apologise, but when he had opened his front door, upper torso bare and hair messy my brain flatlined, stomach flipping weirdly once more. I felt my cheeks flush with heat, eyes dragging down his strangely well built body. What the hell was I doing? A smile tugged at Krane's mouth at my reaction, as it were amusing. He shifted slightly, arm stretched up to rest on the door frame as he leant into it, muscles flexing.

I blinked and looked away, clearing my throat, shaken by how strange my reaction to my best friend was

"God, it's like you don't own clothes, do I need to help you with that to?" I huffed, struggling to not look back in his direction as I crossed my arms over my chest. I heard Krane chuckle "glad you find the death cough funny" I added. The air was getting colder each day, indicating the cold rotation was creeping closer, which meant some of the usual sicknesses would be showing signs soon, like the death cough that was harmless until it killed forty people in a fortnight.

"It's boiling hot inside Mira, my Dad's been working all day" I glanced back at my friend, forcing my eyes to remain at his head height, eyebrow raised

"But you guys only just got Back?" normally there were a few quiet days for Krane and his dad after a project on another part of the City. This was unusual

"Yeah, the moment we got back we had people begging for fixings. Most of the time it's non-urgent, but every job has been serious, he's been working since last night" I stepped back slightly at that, head turning in the direction of Strem's workshop entrance, the neon sign blazing brightly out front "I keep trying to help, but he's insisting on working alone" I glanced back the Krane, the anger that was all over his face yesterday now gone, replaced by concern. "Why are you here?" he suddenly asked. I flinched slightly, not expecting the question

"I...ah...Maybe if.....I..." I stumbled over my words, feeling so out of character I began to seriously consider I was sick. I held up the P.I.P card, the hologram catching the light from his dad's workshop sign. Mischief glinted in Krane's eyes as he stepped closer, grabbing the card from my hands quickly and glancing around. His suddenly proximity change caused my breath to hitch, stomach jittering like it was filled with those light bugs.

"You brought this?" I nodded, a small smile tugged at his mouth "you need to be careful flashing that around, you don't know who's watching" before I could reply Krane grabbed my hand and hauled me inside his house. I gave a small squeak of surprise, trying desperately not to trip over my own feet as we headed into Krane's bedroom.

The bedroom door closed quietly behind me, the sound vibrating through my body louder than I had expected and I flinched again. I had been in this room hundreds of times, this house practically my second home. We had spent hours laying on that bed, gazing out the window to the city beyond, coming up with stories about rescuing the Lowers and bringing them all to the surface.

Now, my face flushed at the idea of laying in his bed beside him, as if it were a foreign concept. Krane brushed past me, the contact like electricity as he sat in his chair by the large display unit. It was a rare item, one I knew Strem had bargained a lot to obtain. It allowed Krane to access certain cameras throughout the city, the numbers and letters that scrolled across one of the screens always so confusing, but something my friend seemed to understand completely.

I dopped my bag by the door, noticing then how hot it was inside his house, the heat from the workshop seeping through the walls, causing me to start sweating beneath my clothes and rubber suit I wore for work. I stripped off my jacket and outer shirt, unzipping the top half off my suit to allow some air to pass through

"If I had known your place would be a hot-box I wouldn't have worn my suit" I grumbled as I cautiously sat on Krane's bed

"If I'd known you were going to crash my day off I would have opened a window" Krane jested, eyes glued to the P.I.P card. I gazed out the window, briefly wondering about the Upper I had left behind, not noticing the curious eyes now watching my movements.

Krane cleared his throat, jolting me from my thoughts as I whipped my head in his direction "So, you were planning on adventuring without me?"

"No!" I replied defensively. Krane's smirk could be clearly seen from where he sat "I was distracted while heading to work, seems my body wanted to explore more than I wanted to admit" Krane let out a small chuckle at that

"Always daydreaming" he mumbled. Turning in his swivel chair Krane inserted the card into his tech box. I fiddled with my hands, contemplating whether to confess my weird dreams I had been having.

"Do you..." I started, trying to find the words. Krane stopped, half turning in his chair towards me, the look on his face a cross between worry and hope. "Do you think, when we die...we have different lives?" he frown, disappointment replacing the other emotions. What had he expected I would say?

"Like, coming back to life?" I shook my head

"Like, in a different body, but it's still you...deep down" Krane blinked a few times, processing my words, I cast my eyes down, fixating on my fingers as I continued to fiddle with them "I know it sounds stupid...I shouldn't have said any-"

"What's your dreams been like?" he asked quietly. My eyes snapped back to his

"How did you-"

"Just..." his words sounded urgent as he cut me off. Krane breathed in deeply "What have your dreams been like?" I looked at my hands again as I tried, and failed, to organise my thoughts

"They are weird, they keep changing, but mostly of a big tower, one that looks like the tower that sits in the middle of our City. Mostly it's just me, or...at least I think it's me. I thought my ideas of getting our people above were affecting my dreams, but..."

"...but?" he pressed. I let out a huge sigh

"last night it felt...like I was there? There was gardens, and water, and the great blue stretching forever above us, like in the stories we've heard about" Krane was leaning forward now, body ridged as he listened

"What else?" I frowned slightly. Why was he so interest in what my dreams were like?

"It doesn't matter, it's just me overthinking and over hoping our city would change" I tried brushing off the conversation. I didn't want him to know who I thought the boy I dreamt of last night was, but Krane wasn't letting go that easy

"Mira...What else?" I let out an irritate huff. Why did I care how Krane would feel about my dream?

"There was a...boy" Krane's whole body tensed at that revelation, my stomach flipping again but this time it wasn't a nice feeling like before "I think...He may have....I thought he looked a bit like that Upper...that they guards have been chasing" I glanced up at my friend, taking in his hard eyes and dark look. I felt myself withdraw slightly; he had never looked at me like that

"A bit...or a lot?" the question was quiet, as if he didn't want to know the answer. I chewed my lip as I fiddled with my hands more

"I could only see half his face, so..." a moment passed before Krane's shoulders slumped slightly, body shifting to more relaxed demeanour as if my reply had been a relief

"Got a crush on the Upper do you?" I stared at him open mouthed in shock, the mood shifting suddenly from serious to playful

"I do not!" I retorted. He let out a small laugh before sobering again

"Have you told Jerard?" he looked worried now. I shook my head, it wasn't something I wanted to bother Jerard with "good. Don't" he added firmly.

"Krane...I-"

"Let's see if this Card is worth the trip" Krane cut me off, flashing a small smile as he starting tapping the buttons on the board in front of him.