Awake (5 page)

The black rat walked up to the grate and
took off the bolts. The metal grate fell with a clang. The rat then
bowed toward the boys and said, “Don’t worry. I’m on your
side.”

Kevin crawled out of the pipe and dusted
himself off. “Thanks.”

Andrew followed him out, but looked
skeptically at the black rat. “Why are you helping us?” Andrew
wondered. “I thought rats hated humans.”

“I guess you could call me special,” said
the black rat.

The rat brought a paw to its head and took
off what looked like a black cloth from its face, revealing a white
face underneath. It was then that Kevin realized it wasn’t a black
rat. It was a white rat wearing small black clothes. Finding it
humorous, Kevin chuckled. It was like a cute little ninja rat.

The white rat said, “My name is Helios. The
sewers will be hard to navigate from here on out, but I can show
you the way to the surface. All I ask is that you allow me to join
you on your quest.” He bowed before them.

“We’ll take you up on that offer,” said
Kevin, beaming. “Glad to have you, Helios.”

- Hunger -

Helios showed them the escape route as he
had promised. He knew where the rats would be patrolling, and with
this knowledge, they were able to make it out discreetly.

Kevin climbed up the ladder and pushed aside
the manhole cover. Once he was finally out, he drew a deep breath.
Fresh air. It was invigorating. Standing under the sunlight, he
raised his hands and enjoyed its gentle warmth. It felt great to be
on the surface.

Andrew climbed up after him and closed the
cover after Helios was on the street.

Kevin looked left and right. There was no
sign of Genesis or Luna. “We must have ended up somewhere else.”
While turning his head, he noticed someone slouched against the
side of a car. It was a red-haired boy wearing a hoodie and baggy
jeans. He was clutching a skateboard at his chest.

Kevin sighed. “Asleep on the street.”

“BOO!” The teenager jumped up, startling
Kevin with a sudden shout. When he saw the stunned expression on
Kevin’s face, the skinny boy pointed and laughed at him. “Oh, man!
You should’ve seen the look on your face! Priceless!”

“You’re awake!” Kevin gaped.

The teen smiled. “Yeah. You’re awake too.
The name’s Tom Schneider. I used to go to school around here.” Tom
paused. “But as you can see…no school today! Isn’t it great?”

“Great?” Kevin shrugged. “I guess.” He
gestured toward himself and Andrew. “I’m Kevin and this is Andrew.
We’re trying to figure out what’s going on.”

Tom patted Kevin on the shoulder. “That’s
cool. I’ve just been chilling. Thought I might as well enjoy the
freedom while it’s there.”

Helios tugged on the bottom of Tom’s jeans.
“If you are doing nothing, I welcome you to join us,” said Helios
politely, looking up at him. “We could use a few more people on our
quest. It’s a difficult task and we’re certainly short on
hands.”

Tom goggled at the talking rat.

Noticing Tom’s amazement, Kevin decided to
explain everything from the beginning. He told him about how they
discovered everyone was asleep and how an organization of pets
known as the HPC was working on the case. Then he talked about
their little adventure in the sewer.

After Kevin finished speaking, Tom blinked
rapidly as he tried to wrap his mind around what he was being told.
“Right…dude, that is awesome.” He beamed at Kevin. “But I guess
anything can happen now, right? It’s crazy. The streets are totally
empty and all the animals are talking…it’s like we’re in a movie—or
a
book
.”

“Speaking of talking animals,” Kevin said to
Andrew, “did you try calling them again?”

Andrew shook his head. “Should I?”

“Yeah, call them. Let them know where we
are. I don’t want them worrying about us.”

Andrew tried calling Kevin’s phone. After
three rings, someone picked up. Andrew said quickly, “Hey. We’re
out of the sewers.”

Through the phone he heard someone grunt,
“Genesis speaking. Sorry it took so long to pick up. I had
difficulty flipping open this device. Where are you now?”

Andrew searched for the street sign. “Felix
Avenue.”

“Stay where you are. We’re coming.”

Andrew put his phone back in his pocket.
“They told us to wait here.”

Kevin’s stomach growled. Patting his belly,
he grimaced. “Well then, I think it’s a good time to grab a quick
lunch. I’m starving.” He turned to Tom. “Any ideas?”

Tom interlocked his hands behind his head.
“Hmm…I don’t have anything at home. I ate it all. But there’s a
grocery nearby.”

“A grocery? It’s probably closed now.”

Tom grinned mischievously. “Does that
matter?”

Kevin nodded. “If the doors are locked, yes,
it does matter.”

Tom shook his head. “If it’s locked, we
break in. It’s as simple as that.”

“Break in?” said Kevin, his brow furrowing.
“What about the cops?”

“They’ve got bigger things to worry about
than a bunch of hungry kids.”

Kevin said uncertainly, “Still—”

“Let go of that old way of thinking,” said
Tom. “We’re hungry. We’ve got no choice, right? The law can’t hold
us down. The law was made to protect the people. But right now, the
law can’t protect anyone. From this moment forward, we do whatever
we need to. Agreed?”

Kevin felt unwilling to accept, but the boy
did have a point. “Agreed.”

“Cool.” Tom motioned for them to follow.
“Come on. Let’s not keep our stomachs waiting too long.”

The supermarket was just a little further
down the street. In big blue letters it was called the
“Come-And-Buy-Stuff” or CABS for short. Kevin had never heard of
this supermarket, but it was small, so it might not have been a
part of a larger chain. There was a small neon sign on the window
that read, “Open 24 hours, 365 days a year.” But it was definitely
closed now. The lights were off and they couldn’t see anyone
inside.

“What’s the plan?” asked Kevin.

Tom moved closer to the sliding doors. To
everyone’s surprise, the doors opened automatically. “That’s the
plan. I guess they were right about the doors being open at
least.”

Kevin approached the opened doors. “I don’t
believe it.”

“Must be our lucky day.”

Andrew said, “I’ll wait outside for
Genesis.”

Helios added, “I’ll stay outside too.”

Kevin nodded. “What do you want me to get
you?”

Andrew replied, “I definitely need a drink.
Some cola, with caffeine…and, I don’t know, maybe some canned
spaghetti or something. Anything will do.”

“Okay,” said Kevin, “we’ll be right
back.”

Kevin and Tom entered the dark store. Their
eyes slowly got used to the soft light that came from the windows.
There were also few emergency lights on, coloring the aisles with a
faint red. Kevin made a quick study of the area. The cash registers
were near the front with the produce section. In total, there were
only about fifteen aisles in the whole building. The refrigerated
items were along the sides and the back. It was indeed a small
store, and Kevin was confident it wouldn’t take long to get what
they needed and get out.

Kevin noticed the music coming from the
speakers around the building. It wasn’t the typical music he was
used to hearing in a supermarket. Kevin was used to hearing pop,
rock or sometimes oldies. But this CABS had classical music
on—really soft and gentle classical music, the type of music that
would lull anyone to sleep.

Kevin covered his ears on the way to the
soda aisle. “Do they usually put this music on?”

“Not usually, no,” replied Tom, snickering,
“Maybe it’s like a security system. They put on this classical
stuff to make intruders fall asleep.”

Kevin stifled a yawn. “It’s working, I’ll
give them that. We should get the stuff quick.”

“Sure. Then we’ll meet up at the back. They
should have a kitchen or something where we can heat up the
food.”

They picked up shopping carts and raced
through the supermarket. Kevin went for the drinks, grabbing as
much soda as he could. He left his cart near the front of the
store. Tom went straight for the canned pasta. After they finished
their tasks, they gathered at the back and found a door for
employees only.

Tom opened the door and, after passing the
threshold, froze.

Kevin asked, “What’s wrong?”

Tom looked down, squinting into the
darkness. “I don’t know. There’s something on the floor here. Can
you find a light switch?”

Kevin groped along the wall and flicked on
the lights. He gasped. A man was facedown on the ground,
motionless. “Is he asleep?” Kevin wondered out loud.

With his foot, Tom flipped the body over.
The person was a middle-aged man dressed in an employee’s uniform.
“Probably,” replied Tom. “But I wonder why he ended up here.”

“A sleepwalker,” said Kevin. “That’s my
guess.”

They continued along, pushing the shopping
cart full of canned pasta around the body, and found a small
kitchen area. There was a round table in the center, surrounded by
several wooden chairs. Kevin placed a few cans down on the table.
Tom tested the microwave above the stove to make sure it was still
working.

“Now if we could just find containers to
heat up the stuff,” said Kevin as he examined the cupboards. “I
don’t see anything. Maybe there are some outside.”

“I’ll look,” said Tom, as he left the
room.

While waiting, Kevin decided to recline on
the couch. The cushion, though battered, ripped and discolored with
odd stains, was comfortable. He sunk deeper into the seat,
seemingly merging with it. Though Kevin was hungry, he was also
exhausted. Maybe a few seconds of shuteye wouldn’t hurt, he
decided. Just a brief rest to relief him from the exhaustion. The
lights were on anyway. It wouldn’t be that easy to pass out. He
closed his eyes and relaxed his limbs. His breathing slowed. The
classical music was soothing and made him feel at peace. There was
nothing to worry about…nothing to think about. The only thing on
his mind was the wonderful tranquility. It was peaceful. It was
nice.

Then he heard a scream.

Andrew jumped to his feet and glanced at the
rat. “Someone just screamed!”

Helios scampered to the door. “I’ll check it
out. You wait here.”

Andrew nodded with a worried expression,
watching Helios vanish through the supermarket’s entrance.

Helios sprinted across the grocery store,
skidding past the checkout and down the produce section. His night
vision was not particularly good and his short stature made it
difficult to see far, especially considering the mess on the floor.
There were broken bottles, rolling jars, and dented cans scattered
all over. The overwhelming scents of fruit juices and syrups
tempted his senses, making it hard for him to concentrate.

Then he heard a voice say, “Get back! Go
away! Shoo!”

The voice was coming from the back of the
store. Helios scrambled into the aisle and climbed up the rows of
shelves. When he reached the edge, he saw Tom on the floor,
crawling backwards. Opposite Tom was a coiled snake that dodged
whatever Tom threw at him. The snake was orange with thick dark
stripes over its body. It was a copperhead.

Helios pulled out his blowgun from his
clothes and shot a dart at the snake. The tiny dart bounced off
harmlessly against the snake’s scales. He needed something else to
draw its attention. The shelf below seemed to hold the answer.

Tom backed into an icebox. Hopelessly
trapped, he chucked handfuls of ice at the slithering reptile,
which also seemed to be snickering. But the grin disappeared from
the snake’s face the moment a small object bounced off its skull.
It glanced on the floor and saw a marble spinning away. The snake
looked around. Then it was hit again.

That was when the copperhead finally noticed
Helios on a top shelf. Helios hurled marble after marble with
pinpoint accuracy on the snake’s head. Infuriated, the snake
slithered toward the rat. It stopped. Kevin ran up from behind and
swatted the snake with a broom, sending into a display full of
ceramic mugs. The mugs clattered and shattered against the tiled
floor, burying the snake in the broken pieces. Kevin helped Tom up
and led him toward the exit.

The snake popped out from under the heap of
debris. When it searched for the heat signature of the boys, it saw
they were getting away. It wriggled out of the mess and slithered
rapidly to chase after them.

Standing on one of the shelves, Helios
pushed over opened bags of flour. The bags landed with a thud on
the ground near the snake, flooding the aisle with a smoke of fine
powder. Blanketed in white, the snake glared at Helios and rushed
to ascend the shelf.

Now that he had the reptile’s attention,
Helios ran down the other side. The snake went around the aisle
after him, but he was unable to find him. The most visible source
of heat came from inside an empty can. The copperhead approached
it, careful not to be too loud. With a quick snap of its neck, it
stuck its head inside the can. There it found only a smoldering
piece of paper. The snake hissed angrily in vexation.

Wham!
A powerful paw landed on the
snake’s back, pinning it down. Genesis had arrived. Helios emerged
from the can, coughing up smoke. He had been hiding behind the
burning paper. The snake eyed the rat hungrily, striving to break
free from Genesis’s grasp.

Genesis barked, “How’d you get inside the
city? How did you pass our patrols?”

The copperhead snickered, “You’re naïve. You
think the HPC is incorruptible? There are traitors within your
ranks. Pets that have been mistreated by their owners are creating
holes in your fragile alliance.”