Chapter 17
Carol was half tempted to play along with the pretence and pretend like they had done nothing all day, but Eugene had helped them. He deserved to know that there might be a way out of there. So, she told him about the sewer and Daryl unfolded the blueprint on the coffee table. Eugene quietly listened and looked over the plans.
"Gaslight you said?" Carol nodded and Eugene disappeared into his bedroom without a word returning with a massive book which he threw onto the table and flicked through. He stabbed a stubby finger at a map "I believe you were going in the wrong direction"
Carol sighed and kneeled on the floor looking at the vast street map laid out in front of them. He was right, Gaslight was further into the city it would have taken days to get out. She traced her finger from Eugene's apartment building along to the right. It was still going to take some time, but it was a much faster route.
"If you can make it to Fenchurch" Eugene continued "There's another branch headed north that would reduce your commute by approximately 6 hours taking into account the time required for rest and fuel. Give or take"
Carol nodded, finally a feasible plan.
"You should come with us" She urged him, but Eugene was already shaking his head.
"I have no desire to march around in other people's excrement" He stated "Besides, I find this place suits me just fine. I like organised society and routine"
She knew what he really meant was that he liked Stephanie and the potential glory he would receive should he manage to hook up the CCTV he was working on.
"Give my best to Rosita though" He added, a hint of sadness in his tone "and Coco. I do have a hankering for them sometimes"
Carol smiled at him, placing a reassuring hand over his. Eugene had never been at home in any of the communities they had found, she was glad he had found something that suited him here. She hoped he'd been given the opportunity to see it from all angles though. He lived and worked in a place where there was equality in that class but had he witnessed the poorer areas or the luxury? There was a knock at the door and Eugene went into full blown panic mode.
"It's Stephanie!" He cried, standing up and gathering books and maps together in an attempt to clear them away. Carol took them from his hands and passed them to Daryl who slid them under the sofa where he was sitting "We cannot, I repeat, CANNOT implicate her in any of this"
Carol and Daryl both nodded their agreement as Eugene opened all the locks to let her in. Carol squeezed into the tiny space between Daryl and the arm of the sofa and he casually draped an arm around her. Their evening was spent feigning domestic bliss playing card games and eating snacks until Eugene and Stephanie retired to bed at 10pm.
Daryl retrieved the stowed away maps and carried them into their room where Carol spent some time folding them correctly and placing them back where they belonged.
"We really gonna do this?" He asked her with a hint of hesitation.
She nodded in response. Nothing was going to stop her from escaping this place. She would try every day until she died on her feet if she needed to.
"We have to" She reminded him.
Daryl sat heavily on the bed in front of her and she shuffled forward until she was pressed up against his back with her arms around his waist. She nuzzled her face against his vest, the worn leather was not forgiving on her skin but the scent of it and the feeling of the cold against her face was a pleasant sensation. She hung one leg around to dangle off the side of the bed while one was underneath her. He reached down to cup her hands in his.
"Let wait a coupl'a days though, right?"
Carol untangled from around him and he turned to face her. She nodded her response; it was a reasonable compromise.
"Nice face" He commented, tossing her the tiny mirror from the bedside cabinet. She was covered in blue paint that had wiped off of his vest. He seemed to find it highly amusing as she tiptoed off to the bathroom to clean up.
Stephanie was there when she arrived, and she spotted Carol in the mirror. Carol loitered awkwardly in the hallway before deciding to go back to her room.
"It's ok, you can come in" Stephanie called "I'm just brushing my teeth"
She must have spotted the blue smudges on her face and knew she was intending to wash up. She smiled calmly as Carol stepped into the brightly lit room.
"Vest incident" Carol remarked, gesturing to her face as though that was all the explanation that was needed. Stephanie nodded politely and continued to brush her teeth as Carol rubbed a wet flannel across the blue, spreading it out at first and being momentarily concerned she was tarnished blue for life.
"I wanted to thank you for letting us stay here" Carol said sincerely, she was thankful. If Daryl had been sent back to that awful slum on his own, she'd never had been able to rest enough to be planning this escape. "It can't be easy, having us under your feet"
Stephanie smiled through her floss before throwing it away and washing her hands.
"I don't mind. Eugene is very fond of you" She told her "You'll be getting your own place in a few days anyway"
Carol frowned and reached out to stop Stephanie as she attempted to leave. Stephanie continued to smile her sickly-sweet smile as Carol gently grabbed her arm.
"What do you mean?"
Stephanie took a step back, shuffling nervously on her feet as she stole a glance towards the room where Eugene waited for her.
"Oh, I thought Eugene had told you" She began, clearly now unsure if she should continue talking. "Yumiko got you a place on the west side, you're moving on Thursday"
Carol scrambled back to her room, face still blue and flannel still in her hand dripping water onto the floor. Daryl was sprawled on the bed, fully dressed and sound asleep. She dropped the flannel and sighed sadly. He was exhausted too apparently. She sat on the floor by the bed and slowly wiped the blue paint from her face, squinting in the tiny mirror. Eventually she curled up in the slither of bed Daryl had left for her and hoped for sleep to come quickly.
When she woke in the morning everyone was gone, including Daryl. She wandered around the entire apartment her frown deepening by the minute. There had been people here for sure, there were two empty bowls in the sink and an empty glass on the table. A book was sitting on the sofa with dog eared pages and a pink bookmark hanging out of the top.
Carol did not really know what to do next. She checked she had removed all the blue paint from her face the night before in the bathroom mirror and stared at her own reflection. She did look tired, she had to confess. The dark rings under her eyes seemed to be a somewhat permanent feature now.
She patted her face with cold water, something she used to see her grandmother do whenever she looked tired and puffy, then twisted her hair up into a knot at the back of her head. She still had some ripening bruises on her face and across her neck and collarbones, she pulled her ugly sweater aside to look at her shoulder. Still extremely purple and angry, it really should be strapped up. She massaged it with her other hand and heard the door opening.
Daryl stood in the doorway chewing on a piece of jerky with a bag in his hand that he held out to her.
"Gotcha' somethin'" He smirked; Inside the bag was a crisp new shirt, black with a few buttons down the front. "Sick of looking at that thing"
He marched off and left her to get changed which she did with a smile. He always tried to play off compliments as insults.
"Where'd you go?" She asked him when she joined him on the sofa. He was picking at his nails, slouched back against the cushions like he owned the place.
"Get you that" He remarked, a man of many words as always. Carol smoothed down the fabric at the front of the shirt.
"Did Eugene tell you we need to leave soon?" Carol asked him.
He stopped chewing and stared for a moment at his nails before nodding. He watched her through his hair, a tactic he had developed over the years when he wanted to watch her but not let her meet his eye.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
She knew the answer, she had been studying the answer in the mirror this morning. While she was weak and injured, he'd do anything to keep her from escaping. Even if that meant staying here and clipping his own wings; so to speak.
"We have to go today" She informed him firmly.
"No" He did not hesitate, not at all and she knew it was because of her little fainting incident the day before.
She kneeled up on the sofa beside him and took his face in her hands, pressing kisses to his forehead, nose and lips before pressing their foreheads together and meeting his eye.
"We have to go today" Daryl frowned at her but didn't protest, she deepened her kiss against his lips, and he rested his hands on her waist "I'll be ok"
That lie would have worked on just about anyone in the world except Daryl. He knew her, really knew her inside out and backwards there was nothing she could keep from him despite how often she tried.
She could tell he was far from convinced but he agreed that they would leave and packed a bag of provisions. Carol scribbled a long and detailed note for Eugene before scrunching it up and replacing it with simply 'Thank you' Daryl swung the bag on his shoulder and tossed her a pack of Tylenol with a look that suggested she took them without argument.
This time deep down in the tunnels they turned right, climbing once again onto the thin ledge and dodging rats as they walked. The heat was stifling but she had to admit the pain killers had helped along with lots of water. Eugene had counted that they should pass 6 doors before arriving at Fenchurch which was some sort of interchange. Daryl marched on ahead of her and feeling a little out of breath she slipped her hand into his and he slowed his pace. They arrived at door 6 within a few hours and Daryl commanded that they take a break before proceeding. He lit a handful of candles and laid out a blanket on the ledge where they could sit. It was still imposingly hot and smelled horrendous but there was something quite romantic about sitting down there with him eating stale bread and day-old flapjacks.
"After this we're sort of lost aren't we?" Carol asked him.
Daryl nodded; Eugene hadn't gotten far in explaining the sewerage system before Stephanie came back. They would need to make their own way.
"Take more Tylenol" He demanded, passing her a bottle of water he had just taken a swig out of, sewer Daryl was refreshingly forceful.
Door number six creaked open surprisingly easily. The boiler room it eventually led to was well lit with tiled floors and big white boilers. It was a huge upgrade from the one they had just left. Daryl quickly surveyed the room opening a large red door at the top of some stairs before jamming it closed.
"S'Busy out there" He informed her taking a seat against the wall beside her. "Better wait it out"
Fenchurch Street was a kind of sewer hub station, Eugene had informed them. It sat on a crossroads and spanned a large area so had two separate access rooms. They would need to leave the boiler room and cross through to the other side of the building without being seen to get into the main system that would lead them out of the city.
Carol nodded, she was aching and tired, but she could almost feel their freedom. There was almost a cool breeze in her hair and sunshine on her face.
"You okay?" She asked Daryl, realising suddenly that she had not actually asked him how he was feeling.
Daryl shrugged "Gotta be"
Carol was tempted to launch into a long monologue she had mentally prepared about how he didn't have to be when there was a thumping at the door. Someone was trying to get in and they were not giving up. Daryl grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her across the room. They were headed for the door to the sewer when the door burst open and they were forced to skirt between the boilers to try and avoid detection.
A small man in overalls walked slowly around the room swinging a set of keys around on his finger. Daryl pressed Carol tight against one of the boilers, it was on and burned slightly so she held her breath as the man strolled over to the sewer doorway and pulled out a chain that he threaded through the handles and locked tight. He then wandered out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Daryl visibly relaxed, his arms that had been tensed on either side of her bent at the elbows and his shoulder slumped. Carol took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. He looked afraid and Daryl was the bravest and strongest person she knew.
"They know were coming" He muttered, chewing the inside of his mouth.
"We don't know that" Carol soothed "Maybe they heard us or something"
Daryl's eyes continued to dart around the room, like he was wracking his brains for solutions. He could be right. If someone noticed they were gone and checked the boiler room they would have seen the broken old chain thrown on the ground but it was highly unlikely that someone would just naturally check the boiler room before first scouring the rest of the building and surrounding streets.
"If something happens, I want you to just keep goin'" He whispered in her ear "Don't look for me, just go and get yourself home"
Carol pushed his body away almost violently, slamming her hands onto his chest and looking at him like he had just suggested she eat his shoe.
"What the hell does that mean!?" She cried before remembering they were supposed to be undetected. She lowered her voice "Don't look for you? Are you kidding me?"
Daryl didn't falter, standing in front of her strong and determined. He did not take back his words, far from it he stood there and demanded she promised him she would not look for him. His eyes were not darting anymore, they stared right into hers.
"I won't promise you that" Carol almost sobbed, there were the tears again stinging at her eyes refusing to allow her to look as strong and determined as he did "I won't"
"I aint goin' then" He stated simply and walked away from her.
Carol stood there in stunned silence for a few long moments, trying to gather her thoughts and screw her head on straight. She wasn't sure what Daryl was planning to do instead; Live out the rest of their lives as boiler people hiding from humanity and stealing from vending machines? They couldn't go back; the door had been locked with a shiny new padlock and walking the streets was not an option. They didn't even know where they were and besides, neither of them were cut out for a life of conformity and restricted freedom.
"Why are you doing this?" She asked him when she finally managed to drag herself away from the boiler. He was standing by the tiny windows gazing out at people's feet as they traipsed up and down the sidewalk above them.
"If somebody catches up to us, they'll kill you next time"
Carol was momentarily stunned, she reached out to him, but he shrugged her off. Turns out her beating had caused him a bit more trauma than she had expected.
She softened her stance and followed him.
"I won't promise not to look for you Daryl" He grunted in response "But I'll die in here...we both will. And it won't be a quick death either, it will eat us from the inside until we are actually thanking death for taking us"
Carol stood two steps up on the staircase, blocking his path to the door. He stopped angry pacing and stood in front of her allowing her to run her hands across his chest and hold onto the sides of his vest. She secretly enjoyed their new height difference.
"But I'd die without you too, so if you really need me to stay here then I will" Carol pressed a kiss gently against his forehead. He stepped up onto the first step and met her lips with his, deepening the kiss into a slow, romantic embrace. She was slightly breathless when they eventually pulled apart. "So..choose how you want us to die. Because we all do ... sooner or later"