Cornelius led Atticus through the catacombs, a piece of forever light in hand, going into areas that were deeper than Atticus had ever gone before. The areas Cornelius led him were steep and had an incline that challenged the body.
As they progressed the environment around them changed. The air went from stale to something musky. On the walls were trails of water, trickling down from the ceiling to the ground, gathering into small puddles.
The tunnel grew smaller until Atticus was nearly on his hand and knees crawling. Even Cornelius had to stoop down some in order to keep moving forward.
The ground morphed into something soft and damp. The soles of Atticus’s feet sunk into the ground. He stopped and scooped it into his hands, bringing it to his nose.
Soil.
The smell was similar to the soil in the fields but he had never seen it anywhere besides the fields.
“How is this possible?” Atticus wondered aloud.
Cornelius turned to his brother and grinned. “I don’t know. A while back me and a few others were exploring when we found this area. At first it was cut off by a pile of rocks. We got curious so we started taking it apart one by one and you’ll never guess what we found when we did that.”
Cornelius lifted the forever light above them. Atticus looked up and gasped. Thousands of roots grew overhead. Attached to the roots were thousands of berries. Scattered everywhere as far as the eye could see.
“What?” Atticus said.
Atticus lifted his hand, gently picking a berry off the vine. The berry was as large as his thumb and very firm. He placed it into his mouth and was greeted with a flavor he had long since forgotten about.
The months of dry and tough food made him forget what fresh food tasted like. It brought tears to his eyes. His stomach growled in response. It twisted and tightened painfully.
Cornelius snapped off a few dozen berries from its home and offered it to Atticus. “You can have this, just don’t mention it to the others. They wouldn’t like it if they heard I was giving food to outsiders.”
Atticus nodded as he shoved the food in his mouth. “You youngbloods have really banded together, huh?”
“We had to. Things have been getting bad in the city for us youngbloods. The catacombs are the safest place for us.” Cornelius knelt, pointing to a set of palm sized holes in the ceiling. “Not only do we have these berries but we have meat as well.”
Atticus stopped eating. He turned his eyes to Cornelius, his brows knitted in a tight frown. “What do you mean? We haven’t had meat since the fields were burned down.”
“I know,” Cornelius said, “but there are these creatures. Smaller than the cattle we are used to but very plump. They come through the ceiling sometimes so we catch them and eat them. It’s strange that they have lived in the walls. I never knew something like that could happen.” Cornelius paused. He shifted his weight from side to side and fiddled with his thumb.
“If you have something to say, say it.” Atticus demanded, shoveling the little bit of feed he had left into his mouth.
“With all this,” Cornelius gestured around them, “and the creatures as well as the gods...well, it makes me think that maybe, just maybe, there is a world beyond Terrenus.”
Atticus let the revelation sit in the air. Cornelius leaned forward; eyebrows raised as his wide eyes stared at his brother.
“You may be right.” Atticus said slowly. “If there was a world beyond Terrenus how would we know if it was better than this? How would we get there? What if the gods were just lying-in wait for us at the end of the Abyss like legends say? There is no guarantee it is better in some unknown world than it is here.”
“They bring people, Atticus. People! If those people survived there may be hope for us.”
“Exactly, Cornelius. They used to bring those people here. Do you know what that means? It means even if we somehow go to a different world and survive, they’ll just bring us back! I’m sure there aren’t any more people out there since they haven’t brought one in years. And if we do escape, chances are we won’t have our tongues just like the people they bring.” Atticus yelled then in a softer voice. “It’s safer here. We just need to find a way to keep on surviving.”
The two fell silent. The air around them was heavy. Atticus knew he had crossed a line with his brother, crushing his hope but he had to do it. This was the way. It was their only way. If a world outside of Terrenus existed it could be even more brutal than the one they lived in.
Nothing was sure.
Nothing was safe.
The best bet was to stick with what they knew.
“You’re a coward.” Cornelius hissed.
The words struck Atticus like a knife to the heart. Was it so cowardly to live another day? To fear the unknown? Chances that they would die if they tried to escape were high. This was the safest path. If doing what he thought was right for himself and his family made him a coward then so be it.
“I do what I must to live. I don’t have a lot of time left, so I have to cherish the amount I do have.” Before the young boy could say anything, Atticus turned his back to Cornelius, beginning the long descent.
Cornelius kept close behind Atticus, silent the entire way. If not for the glow of the forever light Atticus wouldn’t have known he was even there.
When they reached the place they had started Atticus faltered in leaving. He knelt down in front of Cornelius and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You are braver than I am.” Atticus started. “If you do find a world outside of this one, I hope it is safe. This is not an easy life or a very good one but it is all we have. I don’t know if I can dream of better.”
Cornelius remained silent; his eyes averted.
Atticus sighed, “I’ll come back again, if only to check up on you, even if you don’t think you need it. The catacombs may be the safest place for you and the other youngbloods now but it may not be later.” Atticus stood up then turned to leave.
“She’s not getting any food, you know?” Cornelius called out.
Atticus stopped. “What?”
“She’s not getting any food.” Cornelius repeated.
“Who isn’t?”
“Io. Edan stopped giving her food a short while ago. I don’t know why. She’s been struggling.”
Atticus paused. “How do you know this?”
“The catacombs engulf the city. We hear a lot more things than what people would think. If you care about anyone you should go see them.”
“I’ll think about it.” Atticus waved goodbye. The small sack of food weighed heavy in his pocket.
If what Cornelius said about Io was true then something must have gone wrong. Edan was shrewd and a bit obnoxious but he was smart and a good businessman. He saw the food shortage before anyone else did and somehow managed to obtain meat.
Atticus knew that even now the man had food to spare but only to the people that worked for him or who he considered special.
For a while Io was someone special to him. So, for her to be out of his good graces would mean starvation. Because Edan holds the food and has now rejected Io means that no one would help them lest they be subject to the same fate.
Nausea sat in the pit of Atticus’s stomach. His heart sank as the image of Io and the youngblood took over his mind. He prayed that Cornelius was mistaken. Hoped that Io was still with Edan because if she wasn’t it would be certain death.
How long had they been separated? How long had she suffered? And what of the youngblood?
The very thought sent something cold through his veins. When Atticus had left Io, he thought it would be easier than this. He should have known better that life was never as easy as one would hope.
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