Down and Out: A Young Adult Dystopian Adventure (The Undercity Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

let the light through. A soft wind blew at her hair as the air escaped. Pa and Teddy waited, but she backed away. They went at it again. This time, the two of them grasped one frame and heaved until they had space to go through.
    Panting, they wiped the sweat from their faces, Teddy’s excitement mirrored in his father’s eyes. He grinned, gesturing to Teddy to go first. His hand shook as he held his lantern high, hoping for safe passage into the unknown.
    At first, he saw little, just another room. Slowly, he realized it was a foyer with another intact pair of clear doors several feet beyond. Dust and cobwebs covered the area; otherwise, the place was clean of debris. He stepped forward with his sister and his father behind him. The glass was cold against his fingers, and their lights reflected off the surface, showing them distorted pictures of themselves. His father took hold of one of the handles and pulled. The door swung open and another gust, stronger than the last, rushed past them.
    Teddy slung his stash off and took out his portable air tester. He pressed a button and hoped the batteries were still good. While his father always made certain their equipment worked in top order, working batteries were a rarity. The lights came on. Green. Good, breathable oxygen levels. He gestured a thumb’s up to his father and sister and took his foggy mask off. A tingle of fear and doubt touched him as he hesitated before taking his first breath. It was the same sensation he always experienced and shared with the others when experiencing the unknown of a new region. He inhaled stale, but breathable, air with a metallic flavour. Relieved, the three of them laughed.
    “Amazing how spotless this area is,” Teddy said, scanning the space with his light.
    Caden put her fingers on the next entrance, staring through the glass. “It’s weird how some areas are rubble and some are almost pristine. Looks like a solid barricade of crap and dirt this way.”
    “Must be something about the way they’re built,” Pa said, searching his supplies.
    “There’s another room over here.” Teddy crossed to the wall on the right and tapping on a set of smooth tan doors. The metallic sound echoed through the room. “Huh, elevator?”
    “I’d say so.”
    “Got a single door over here.” Caden placed a hand on the silver bar across it.
    “Just wait,” their father cautioned. “We’ve gone far enough for today. Let’s see if we can figure out where we are.” He sat down on a stone bench near the wall to their left. She held her light over the book in his hand as he flipped the pages to discover where they were. “Mon... Montgom....”
    “Montgomery Mall,” Teddy said. “Ummm.” He turned toward the others and pointed at the words carved above the trim. “East entrance.”
    “What’s a mall?” asked Caden and Pa laughed.

Chapter 2
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    P a bounced around like a child with a cookie. He would not hold still. The instant they returned from scrounging, he swept their mother in his arms and twirled her around. “We did it; we did it!”
    His enthusiasm was contagious and sent everyone dancing around the table even though they didn’t know why. Deb shouted and spun about, and even Jolon cheered. They all celebrated except Caden, who stood by the door with her arms crossed, her face puzzled and cautious.
    “Did what?” she asked. “All I saw was yet another building.  The only good thing about it seemed to be the lack of junk.”
    Pa waved a finger at her. “Ahh, but the magic exists in the contents of the mall.”
    She traded an uncertain glance with Teddy, and somehow he got the message.
    “What’s that?” he asked for her.
    Their father sighed and settled himself on his stool, reclining against the wall as he stretched out his legs. Deb crawled on his lap, staring into his eyes. He touched her hair.
    “Oh, everything you might think of. Your grandfather told me the stories your great-grandfather