Renegade

Chapter twenty-six

It was a fifteen-minute walk in the putrid sewer, their shoes sloshing in the muck, unidentifiable liquids periodically dripping on their heads as rats fled from them. Though he had gotten used to the smell, Makoto really wished they would just get out of there already.

The place was a foul-smelling maze, Dita deftly leading them down winding paths and side tunnels. If their camp was so far from where they had found the two of them, it begged the question as to how they had found them.

Eddie was more than willing to provide an answer, as he had been since they met.

"Same way the Trackers did," he said, tapping the tablet stashed away in a bag wrapped around his chest. "I traced your signal."

The floor beneath them sloped gently as the rest of the tunnel widened. Makoto could see light filtering in from up ahead and he dearly hoped it was because they were nearing an exit.

A couple of minutes later, they reached a circular opening covered by an iron fence: a river drain. He could hear the flow of water from beyond and felt a breeze of fresh air caressing his cheek. He silently urged the front of the group on, in dire need of a breath of air that wasn't filled with toxic chemicals and rat feces.

A large shadow covered the entrance, blocking out the sunlight. It disappeared along with the fence, allowing the small group to slip out.

"Thanks, David," Dita said with a smile, affectionately patting his arm.

The giant nodded, setting the fence back behind them. He smelled suspiciously sewer-free and his large shoes weren't covered in muck. Makoto turned away to take in their surroundings, feeling cheated.

They were on a river bank, beneath what seemed to be a bridge. It was much wider and definitely a lot higher than the one they'd seen in the suburbs. The sound of distant conversations reached his ears. It came from the camp set up further ahead, made up of a dozen or so tents of varying sizes and colors.

Makoto followed the group, the chatting growing louder the closer they got. Some people were seated on camping chairs outside their tents while others were fishing. The age ranged from teenagers to adults in their mid-twenties. They were all clad in leather pants and biker vests, which seemed to be the group's staple.

People stood as they passed by, congratulating Eddie and his friends and warmly welcoming Makoto and Amanda. Ethan stopped to chat with a few teenage girls while Minah broke off with a mumbled excuse that she had organizing to do. Dita gave Eddie a loving peck before she sashayed over to a group of people with different hair colors. The Technopath shook his head, an indulgent smile on his lips as he watched her leave.

Eddie led the pair over to a large white tent at the furthest end of the camp.

"Hey Raf, got a patient for you," he yelled as he pulled the flap aside to let himself in.

Makoto heard shuffling and a chair scraping behind a curtain in the back before a man came out. He seemed slightly older than them - possibly in his early twenties, like Eddie and Dita -, short and stocky with a bald head covered by tattoos.

"I swear if this is about another idiot that," he rumbled, cutting himself as he caught sight of the newcomers. "You're new."

"This is Makoto and Amanda, fresh from the Tracker oven," Eddie introduced, before facing the pair. "And this is Rafael, our resident unlicensed doctor and professional carjacker."

"So? Which one needs healing?" Rafael asked in a no-nonsense tone. "Sit here."

He pointed at one of the two camping beds, the only furniture in the tent aside from whatever Rafael had behind his curtain. Makoto sat, carefully peeling away his clothes. The AC/DC shirt was sticking to his skin, so it came as no surprise that his bandages were soaked through.