“Yeah,” I say, agreeing on both counts, “let’s go.”
We shoulder our packs and file out of the hidden cavern, me in front, then Roc, Trevor, Tawni, and Adele. I pause at the narrow entrance to the shipping tunnel, being far more cautious than the last time I barreled from under cover. I don’t hear anything from either direction, so I step out, flicking my flashlight around me. Only gray, barren rock stares back at me. When I shine the beam on the ceiling, a dozen gray bats gaze back through closed eyelids, sleeping upside down in the dark.
“Either they haven’t figured us out, or they haven’t caught up yet,” I note as the others step into the clear.
“Or they’re setting a trap for us,” Roc says skeptically.
“We’ll be careful,” I say, avoiding Roc’s eyes.
Flush with the wall, I move onwards, pausing every twenty steps, counting each one as if our lives depend on it. After three such segments, I turn and say, “Trevor, how far did you say it was?”
“We just started, man. I don’t know, a couple miles. Take off your women’s underwear and set a decent pace.”
Biting back a comeback, I turn and set off faster, still stopping occasionally, but much less frequently. Each time I do, I hear the soft tread of the others as they catch up, and then only silence when they stop. A mile passes without event.
Five minutes into the second mile, there’s an unexpected sound. I freeze in mid-step and then am bucked forward when Roc crashes into the back of me. “Oh, sorry,” he says.
“Shhhh!” I hiss back, cupping a hand around my ear.
Roc tilts his head—and we both hear it: Thump, thump, thump!
The beat of a drum, or the rumbling tire treads of a tank; it could feasibly be either one.
Trevor and the girls catch up, and Tawni says, “What is that?”
“Sounds like a cannon,” Trevor notes.
“No,” Roc says, “it’s a bass drum. The party has started.”
Nodding, I say, “I agree. Have you ever heard sun dweller music?”
“Of course. We’re not aliens,” Trevor says.
“Yes,” Adele says, directing a frown at Trevor, “it’s the only kind of music to listen to. It’s usually loud and fast.”
“Have you ever heard it live?” I ask.
“How could we, sun boy?” Trevor says. “It’s not like sun dweller bands go on tour through the Lower Realms. We’re lucky if we get it on the radio.”
I ignore him. “Well, you’re about to get a heavy dose.”
For the next few minutes there’s only the thump, thump, thump of the bass as it echoes through the tunnel like a war gong. Soon, however, there are other sounds: the high-pitched squeal of an electric guitar, the metallic clangs of someone bashing a full drum set, a shrieking voice belting out lyrics to some manic song.
“The Sun Rockers,” Roc says from behind me. “Four number one hits and a dozen other top ten songs. Been around for maybe five years.”
“Thank you, Professor Trivia,” Trevor says. “I’ve heard of them.”
I can’t help the smile that sneaks across my lips. Although Trevor can be a royal star dweller pain in the arse sometimes, he’s also quite funny. Somehow I like him a lot more now that he got beat up by Adele. Not that I’m surprised. If we’d been able to finish our training fight, I might have been in the same position as Trevor—defeated.
“Are you sure we should be heading toward the sound?” Tawni asks.
Glancing back, I start to reply, but Adele beats me to it. “Our only chance is to try to blend into the Sun Realm, become a part of the festivities, just five more faces in the crowd.”
“Oh,” Tawni says, looking unconvinced.
As we continue forward, the music reaches a fever pitch, shrieking through the tunnel and into our eardrums. Then, suddenly, it stops. I raise a hand, drawing our group to a halt.
“That’s the end of the song,” Roc says. Glancing at Trevor, he says, “And for the trivia buffs out there, The Sun Rockers are known for fast starts and stops to their songs.”
Trevor grins at the joke. Perhaps he’s starting to like us a bit more, too.
As Roc predicted, the music roars to life once more, as the band goes from silence to teeth-chattering noise in about two seconds flat. It’s right on top of us, like we’re part of the band. We must be very close. Ahead of us the tunnel curves to the left, so I tiptoe across the path, positioning my back against the opposite wall, and then shimmy around the bend. I don’t look to see if the others are following, just keep my eyes forward, my wits on high alert, and my senses trained on the direction of the sound.
When I reach the final section of the bend, I peek around the bulge of rock, feeling more than hearing the rush of the music smash into me, sending vibrations through my bones and naturally speeding up my heart.
Game time.
Before me stands a large break in the tunnel wall, as it curves back to the right, large enough for a full sized truck to drive through with room to spare on either side. Beyond the break: chaos.
Lights are flashing, bodies are moving, people are screaming and cheering, and, of course, music is blaring. I can’t see the band—just the press of bodies, as reveling sun dwellers try to push closer to the action.
When I swivel back the others are looking at me, question marks in their eyes. “Well?” Trevor says.
“We’re here,” I reply.
“What’s the plan?” Adele says, and I realize how stupid it is that we haven’t really talked about what to do once we reached the next Sun Realm subchapter. I guess we were too busy talking about other things.
“Stay close to Roc and me. Keep your weapons tucked beneath your tunics. Act like the other sun dwellers. There will be a lot of people wearing strange things, so we probably won’t stick out too much, except for Adele and I, whose faces have been plastered all over the place for weeks. We should all keep our heads down as much as possible just in case. However, if someone does try to stop us, or raises an alarm, follow me and run like hell. Our only hope will be to get the crowd between us and our pursuers. Any questions?”
“How do other sun dwellers act?” Tawni asks, and I realize just how strange this place is for the others. Probably similar to how strange the Moon and Star Realms are for me.
Roc answers. “Like crazy people, basically. Full of energy, dancing, hollering, carrying on. You’ll catch on quick enough. Just remember, the crazier you act, the less you’ll stand out. It’s essentially the opposite of what you’re used to.”
“Great,” Adele says sarcastically. “We’ll just unlearn everything we’ve been taught and we’ll be good to go.”
“Exactly,” I say. “Anything else?” Adele is smirking, Tawni’s wide-eyed, Trevor’s practically dancing already, and Roc’s expressionless. “Okay then, let’s do it.”
I turn.
The moment I step out from behind the bend, a group of sun dwellers stumble into the tunnel, their eyes locking on me before I can duck back into hiding.
Chapter Eleven
Adele
We come around the bend to find Tristan frozen in place, just staring forward. What the hell? I follow his gaze to the next curve in the tunnel, where six silhouettes are highlighted against a bright and churning backdrop into a sun dweller city. The silhouettes are moving, sort of chaotically, holding each other up as they stagger toward us.
As they approach, my fists reflexively clench at my sides, preparing for physical confrontation. My heart rate picks up just a notch.
“Heyyy! Who goesh there?” one of them slurs, as they move into the light from our flashlights. A guy, young, perhaps twenty, clearly drunk. His hair’s unnaturally black and spiky, speckled with something that glitters like diamonds in the light. He’s flanked by two girls and two guys, each with their arms around each other. One of the girls is blond, her hair long enough to reach her waist and streaked with locks of blue and pink and green, some braided, some not. Dark mascara rims her eyes, running slightly from her alcohol-affected blue eyes. The other female is a brunette with a buzz cut, although most of her head is hidden beneath a wildly tall black top hat, stuck with at least ten multi-colored feathers. They’re both wearing tight mini-tunics that show off their toned and tan legs, which seem to go on for a mile before reaching their strange shoes with a thin spike in the back, which they wear without socks. Scooping U-necks show the entire world just how mature they are. They’re beautiful women by any standards, but their clothes just make them look desperate, trashy. The other two guys are as pretty as the women, with high cheekbones and tan faces. They’re tall and muscular, their biceps and shoulders exposed in their tank-tunics. Right away, one of them eyes Tawni, looking her up and down, while the other traces my curves with his stare.