“Mouth closed. Hold your breath. Swim for the top.”
Like sand through a funnel, she and Max slid with the garbage, tumbling in darkness, flashlight lost. Refuse crashed around her like ocean waves.
Strong fingers gripped her arm, pulled her up. She kicked her legs to swim for the top, but the cloak strangled her neck.
It was stuck on something. She would drown.
Stay calm. Unhook the clasp.
Lungs burning, she fumbled with the clasp until the cloak released her. Addy kicked and climbed her way up and out of the sea of garbage, sucking in a huge breath of putrid air.
Max pulled her to his chest with one arm. He somehow kept them afloat as garbage shifted around them when the vehicle moved. She panted through her mouth to give her olfactory organ a break, and hoped her tears would wash away the slimy filth on her face.
“You okay?” he asked.
She pounded his shoulder. “Couldn’t you have found a less disgusting way to escape?” Maybe someday in a free future, she’d look back on this and laugh. Yeah, right. Who the heck was she kidding?
“Hold on to me,” he said.
This time she did so without hesitation. Max briefly let go of her to snap on a lightstick—the one she thought she’d lost. With one hand, he had gripped a small ledge, keeping them from sinking into the garbage. His lat contracted under her arms as he pumped the other fist in triumph. “Yes,” he shouted.
“How anyone could get excited about traveling in an alien dumptruck filled to capacity is beyond me.”
“‘Filled to capacity’ being the key words.”
“What do you mean?”
“Last time, I got pummeled twice more with trash. They must have changed their route since then. A full truck has only one stop to make.”
“Any chance it’s Earth?”
H
e shook his head no. “Waste incinerator plant.”
“No more surprises, Max. I need to know the game plan.”
“Outside the plant, the truck will dump us into an open-top transport vessel. It’ll carry us into the building for incineration. Once inside, climb out and follow me to cover. Do
not
get dumped into the refuse bunker.”
“Won’t the Hyboreans see us?”
“It’s possible, but unlikely. The plant is run robotically, so they shouldn’t be down on the floor. There’s a greater risk of being seen outside by the drivers, so keep your head low in the trash.”
“How on Earth did you learn we could escape this way?”
“You mean ‘How on
Hyborea
.’”
When she narrowed her eyes at him, he shrugged. “I had escaped with a gladiator named Kedric.”
“Tess’s brother?”
“Yeah. Kedric saw some news story on HTV. His interpretation of the hologram was that a Hyborean kid found at the incinerator plant got there by falling into a garbage chute. So I figured if the kid got from point A to point B without anyone knowing, so could we.”
“What if you were incinerated?”
“Then you wouldn’t be riding in garbage right now.”
“No offense, Max, but I’d rather
not
be in garbage right now. Thank you.”
“But it’s the perfect escape.”
“
Perfect
isn’t the word I’d use.”
“Think about it. Not only did we get out of HuBReC undetected, but we’re traveling south out of the city.”
“How far south?”
“About three week’s trek according to an old man I met.”
The corners of her mouth rose along with her hope. She had been so focused on the surrounding rubbish and trying not to breathe through her nose, she hadn’t realized each passing second brought them closer to freedom.
As long as they didn’t get caught.
“Why do the Hyboreans need an incinerator plant, anyway? Why don’t they just incinerate their garbage inside their buildings?”
“Incineration generates a massive amount of heat. Enough to melt the icy foundation of a building and collapse it. I’ve seen it happen. That’s why the plant is isolated in a remote location.”
They rode in silence for some time clinched in an awkward lovers’ embrace. And quite honestly, she hadn’t minded. Max’s solid form, his body heat emanating through the thermal suit, and the strong steady rhythm of his heart proved she wasn’t alone on this freedom quest. It was a peculiar feeling, relying on someone, but not altogether terrible. She didn’t have to figure out what to do or where to go or make all the decisions about a strange world on her own. She had Max. A warrior with fifteen years’ experience on this planet. A warrior who had escaped once before. A warrior who knew where he was going.
He
did
know where he was going, didn’t he?
“How did you and Kedric make it out of the incinerator plant?”
“Lucky.”
“Great. Here I thought you had some master plan, but you’re telling me it was luck?”
“Not luck. Lucky. He’s the old man I met. He lives at the plant, kind of like the company’s mascot. While Kedric and I were hiding, he found us and brought us to his place. We hid there until the workers left, and Lucky helped us sneak out. For a price, of course,” he mumbled.
“Then what happened? How far did you get before they found you? Did Kedric get caught, too? Tess wants me to give him something.”
The muscles in his arms tensed. He handed her the lightstick. “Put this in my backpack. We’re slowing down.”
She unzipped the pack, dangled the stick inside then snapped it off. Instant darkness. She zipped the bag again before Max repositioned them.
“Get ready to unload,” he said. “Don’t let go until I say.”
The truck stopped. The roof sublimated and blinding white light shone through the fog, causing a blinking frenzy. By the time the truck tilted on its side, her eyes adjusted enough to see half the garbage sliding from around their bodies. Garbage vessels hovered in a line beneath them as if they were on an invisible conveyer belt. She tightened her hold on Max.
“Drop,” he said.
She let go. With breath held she tumbled out of the truck into the receptacle. She broke to the surface on her own this time, keeping only her head above the heap, and squinting to keep whipping snow out of her eyes.
“Max?” she whispered, in case a Hyborean stood nearby on the ledge above.
Where was he?
Treading refuse, she moved a trash bag out of the way, searching for him. “Max?”
Her heart climbed into her throat. Had a heavy piece of garbage knocked him out? Had he not gotten dumped? Maybe he hadn’t landed in the receptacle. What if a Hyborean had seen him and pulled him out?
Feeling with her foot for something to stand on, she swam slowly through the trash until she stepped on something hard and solid. It moved. Her foot slipped off a melon. Or was that a head? Thick fingers gripped her calf.
Max emerged from the trash like the Creature from the Black Lagoon with fruit peels and slime dripping off his head like seaweed. She stifled the urge to laugh only because she knew she looked just as scary.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“The strap to my backpack ripped. Almost lost the damn thing. Stay low.”
“Any lower and I could blow muck bubbles.”
The conveyer belt moved and rocked them in the vessel. Their dump truck hovered away, and a Hyborean with green neon lightsticks directed another truck into its position. A dark shadow crossed over them as they entered into the dingy incinerator building. The vessel jerked to a halt.
As did Addy’s heart. “They know we’re here.” Her voice sounded an octave higher.
Max grabbed the lip of the transporter vessel and pulled himself up to peek over the side. “No. It’s clear.”
“Why’d we stop?”
“Either to fill or dump.” He heaved the rest of his body to the top and, with one leg hanging outside and one leg inside, extended a gloved hand to her. “Come on.”
Reaching up, she grasped his glove. And slipped through his wet fingers.
Unable to find anything to dry her hands on, she reached out again. He seized her wrist and pulled. Slowly she emerged from the trash. Once she balanced herself on the lip, Max jumped to the floor and called for her to follow.
The vessel jerked.
Burning pain ripped through her fingers as the weight of her body fell solely onto her hands. Chin and cheek slid down the slime-covered wall. Legs splashed back into the garbage.
Don’t let go. Don’t let go. You’ll never reach the lip again
. Oh God, did her life really rest on the strength of her aching fingers?
Her feet found the wall. She started running like a cartoon character, legs moving but not getting anywhere, as each stride slipped down the greasy wall. Tears blurred her vision. Fingers throbbed. How much longer before they gave out?
Adrenaline pounded through her blood, and she pulled herself up. She hooked her armpits over the lip. The conveyer stopped, Her body wrenched.
Panting, she looked to her right.
The vessel in front dumped its contents into the refuse bunker sixty feet away.
Move muscles.
Nothing. Not a twitch. Not even a blink.
The empty vehicle reset its position.
“Come on, woman,” Max called from below.
The conveyer belt moved forward again, but Addy could only watch as if seeing someone else being carried closer and closer to the incinerator’s holding tank.
“Jump!” Max held his arms outstretched.
Somehow her legs kicked over the lip. She dropped, knocking Max to the floor. He rolled her off him in time to see their vessel spill its contents into the refuse bunker. Max yanked her to her feet, nearly jerking her arm out of her shoulder, and pulled her into the shadows of a network of large conduits. Huddling with Max several feet from a steaming pipeline couldn’t warm her cold, numb flesh.
“Hell, woman, I thought you were a goner.”
“So did I.” Less than twelve hours into the escape and already she’d come close to death. What had she gotten herself into? She rubbed the cramps from her shaking hands. She couldn’t open her fingers. Was she really prepared for all the obstacles she would encounter?
Of course she was. She was a law enforcement officer, dammit. She’d been trained to handle life-and-death situations. She’d have to draw on that training during this escape.
W
hat in damnation?”
At the sound of the stranger’s voice, life flashed within Max’s eyes. His muscles bunched beneath his thermal suit as he snapped into survival mode.
She turned to see a tall, thin, elderly man emerge from the white steam like a phantom. A large, dead rodent-like creature the size of an opossum dangled by its tail from his grip. “What happened to you two?”
Addy peeled her gaze from the rodent and searched Max’s face. Was this Lucky?
“Wait a minute. Don’t I know you?” The man looked Max over with a careful eye. “You’re that gladiator come through here some years ago. What are you doing back in my incinerator plant?”
“You let us clean up and I’ll tell you all about it.”
Lucky touched his fingers to his lips and slapped Max’s chest paying no mind to the stinky, gooey slime that now covered his hand. “You got yourself a deal. It’s Max, isn’t it?”
“It is. And this is—”
“Addy,” she said before he could introduce her as Hell Woman.
Following Lucky, they weaved through a hot pipe maze before coming to a little shack made from scraps of wood, metal, and some kind of Hyborean plastic. Inside, a lightstick cast an eerie, almost purplish blacklight glow over the piles of trinkets, knickknacks, and what looked like partially made metal projects littering the cramped, dirty house. A rumpled bed stood in the far corner along with an oversized chair and a stack of worn books. Across from that was a door Addy hoped led to the bathroom.
“You can wash up in there.” Lucky pointed to the door. “I built the shower myself. Pressure’s not great, but it’s got all the hot water you’d want.”
Max looked at her with the most pathetic puppy dog eyes she’d ever seen. It didn’t affect her. “No way.” She ran for the door.
A split second after, Max charged into the room, his thermal jacket already unzipped. She would not allow his chiseled chest and abs to distract her. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Showering.”
“Oh no you don’t.
I’m
showering.” She turned on the water.
“Go ahead. I’m not stopping you.”
“Well, I’m stopping you, buddy.”
“Heh. Wanna bet?” He peeled off the two-piece suit and jumped into the stall.
She stared after him with mouth open. It wasn’t only because of his audacity. She’d forgotten how fine his naked body looked even when covered in slime.
There comes a point in life when propriety goes out the window, and that point comes when your body reeks of garbage after marinating in the putrid stuff for over four hours. She stripped naked and stepped into the shower.
Without a word, Max moved away offering her the water as he scrubbed with zeal. She ducked under the spout and turned her back to him. The hot cascade rained over her grime-covered hair and body until the heat penetrated her muscles. She shivered. Greasy water slid down her legs and into the drain.
Covering her breasts with long soapy hair, she moved from the spray to scrub while he moved in to rinse. Brownish gray suds ran down his perfect hamstrings and calves.
His broken leg bone had been protruding from his skin two weeks ago, yet he had no scars. Did he experience any lingering pain?
She opened her mouth to ask him then closed it again, resigned to the fact that although they stood naked mere inches apart, she’d respect his privacy.
As if orchestrated, he again stepped from the water and she stepped in. Maneuvering in that small shower wasn’t exactly easy, but somehow she managed without touching him any more than a brushing of arms or fingers when sharing the soap.
So why did she feel a twinge of disappointment?
She lathered, rinsed, and repeated three more times before smelling a sharp cleanser fragrance. A glorious scent.
God knew how long they washed in silence, but she would have kept right on scrubbing if they hadn’t used up all the soap. Would she ever feel truly clean again?