Read Online Last Wild Boy by Hugh MacDonald - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Hugh MacDonald
Tags: Fiction
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leaned into it.
Adam let out a mighty wail, which cut right through Noraâs reverie. âItâs okay!â Nora called down to him as she started to make her way down the pile. âYouâre going to be all right, Adam!â
When Nora reached the bottom of the pile, she ran over to Adam, picked him up, and held him tight. âYouâre going to be okay,â she whispered to him as she kissed his head. âIâm going to get you out of here.â
When Adam had calmed down and his cries had subsided to whimpers, Nora lay him back down in his basket and picked up the canvas bags filled with the supplies. Since she knew the guards could come back at any time, she decided to make two trips up the pile, one with the bags and the second with Adam. This way she could move as quickly as possible, and it wouldnât be as dangerous as if she were try it with both the heavy bags and the baby.
She put one bag over either shoulder and took the flashlight in her left hand, leaving her right hand free to move obstacles and pull her upwards, or to catch her if she fell. She knew that if she were seriously hurt, all of this would be for nothing. She took a deep breath and started up.
It was slow going and much harder than she expected. The bags made her heavier and more unstable. The debris underfoot kept shifting, causing bits of concrete and gravel and dirt to rattle downwards. Every time this happened, she lost her balance and almost fell. Several times her legs or her arms scraped against the jagged bits of broken reinforcement steel that stuck out here and there like the antennae of grotesque concrete insects.
After fifteen or twenty minutes, sheâd finally managed to make it through the hole at the top of the pile and down the other side. She left the bags at the base of the tunnel and carefully returned for Adam. It was much easier climbing without being burdened by the bags, and it only took a few minutes for her to make her way back to Adam. She picked his basket up and began climbing the pile as cautiously as she could. Once again she felt the frequent razor-like cuts and bruise-inducing impacts against rock and metal. But this time she found comfort and purpose in Adamâs warm presence.
She breathed a sigh of relief as they reached the very top of the mound. Manoeuvring through the hole with Adam proved to be a bit of a challenge, but Nora managed it with minimal injury. When she reached the other side, she rotated her legs down carefully, then felt her way to the bottom of the pile. She set Adam down and kissed him.
Nora looked down the tunnel ahead of her. There was an almost imperceptible light coming from farther down, enough for her to make out the shapes of her baby and the bags. She picked Adam up and, after rummaging through the bags, found the remains of his tube of nutrifier, which he swallowed down with happy gusto. As she sat with him feeding on her lap, she examined her legs and arms. She was sore from battling the pile of debris, but aside from a few scrapes and bruises and the cut on her leg from her last time climbing down the pile, she seemed fine.
There was no more time to waste. She didnât know how long it had been since the guards had pumped the gas into the room, but she was sure several hours at least had gone by. Maybe more. Their shift would have to be ending soon.
Nora loaded the bags onto her shoulders, put Adam back in his basket, and headed down the corridor. A short ways down, it made an abrupt turn to the right and led into a breezy tunnel. The light was brighter here, and Nora was able to turn the flashlight off and find her way through the shadows to the end. The tunnel led into a huge concrete pipe, some kind of ancient storm sewer, Nora guessed. She looked both ways. To her left was nothing but darkness and the slow drip, drip, drip of falling water. To the right, she saw in the far distance a pinpoint of brilliant, clear light.
Nora stepped into
Adam let out a mighty wail, which cut right through Noraâs reverie. âItâs okay!â Nora called down to him as she started to make her way down the pile. âYouâre going to be all right, Adam!â
When Nora reached the bottom of the pile, she ran over to Adam, picked him up, and held him tight. âYouâre going to be okay,â she whispered to him as she kissed his head. âIâm going to get you out of here.â
When Adam had calmed down and his cries had subsided to whimpers, Nora lay him back down in his basket and picked up the canvas bags filled with the supplies. Since she knew the guards could come back at any time, she decided to make two trips up the pile, one with the bags and the second with Adam. This way she could move as quickly as possible, and it wouldnât be as dangerous as if she were try it with both the heavy bags and the baby.
She put one bag over either shoulder and took the flashlight in her left hand, leaving her right hand free to move obstacles and pull her upwards, or to catch her if she fell. She knew that if she were seriously hurt, all of this would be for nothing. She took a deep breath and started up.
It was slow going and much harder than she expected. The bags made her heavier and more unstable. The debris underfoot kept shifting, causing bits of concrete and gravel and dirt to rattle downwards. Every time this happened, she lost her balance and almost fell. Several times her legs or her arms scraped against the jagged bits of broken reinforcement steel that stuck out here and there like the antennae of grotesque concrete insects.
After fifteen or twenty minutes, sheâd finally managed to make it through the hole at the top of the pile and down the other side. She left the bags at the base of the tunnel and carefully returned for Adam. It was much easier climbing without being burdened by the bags, and it only took a few minutes for her to make her way back to Adam. She picked his basket up and began climbing the pile as cautiously as she could. Once again she felt the frequent razor-like cuts and bruise-inducing impacts against rock and metal. But this time she found comfort and purpose in Adamâs warm presence.
She breathed a sigh of relief as they reached the very top of the mound. Manoeuvring through the hole with Adam proved to be a bit of a challenge, but Nora managed it with minimal injury. When she reached the other side, she rotated her legs down carefully, then felt her way to the bottom of the pile. She set Adam down and kissed him.
Nora looked down the tunnel ahead of her. There was an almost imperceptible light coming from farther down, enough for her to make out the shapes of her baby and the bags. She picked Adam up and, after rummaging through the bags, found the remains of his tube of nutrifier, which he swallowed down with happy gusto. As she sat with him feeding on her lap, she examined her legs and arms. She was sore from battling the pile of debris, but aside from a few scrapes and bruises and the cut on her leg from her last time climbing down the pile, she seemed fine.
There was no more time to waste. She didnât know how long it had been since the guards had pumped the gas into the room, but she was sure several hours at least had gone by. Maybe more. Their shift would have to be ending soon.
Nora loaded the bags onto her shoulders, put Adam back in his basket, and headed down the corridor. A short ways down, it made an abrupt turn to the right and led into a breezy tunnel. The light was brighter here, and Nora was able to turn the flashlight off and find her way through the shadows to the end. The tunnel led into a huge concrete pipe, some kind of ancient storm sewer, Nora guessed. She looked both ways. To her left was nothing but darkness and the slow drip, drip, drip of falling water. To the right, she saw in the far distance a pinpoint of brilliant, clear light.
Nora stepped into
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