Hardin's Dilemma Read online

complaining but I thought this place would be more heavily guarded now that Dizuria knows we can get in and out.”

  “Maybe they’re afraid.” Stud suggested.

  “Of what?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.”

  I doubted that they would be afraid, but I also doubted that they would just give up because we made it to Azureland.

  After a long time of walking my back grew tired and I was about ready to quit when the now familiar scent of grass hit my nose. Stud must have noticed it too.

  “What’s that smell?” He asked.

  “That’s grass.”

  “Are we there?”

  “Not yet.”

  Even though I was used to the smell, I still got excited when we got to the fields. The journey was almost over, and even though I had to make at least one more to get the Hums out, I was relieved that everything had gone so well so far.

  “Hardin?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is it really that great out there?”

  I smiled at the thought of getting back through the wall to safety. “Yes. The moment I got there I knew I stumbled on something so much greater than I had ever expected. I mean, this place is it. It has all the things to make any Humurom or Bozlin feel like they’ve found paradise.”

  “And you’re sure they will let me in?”

  “They were the ones who told me to come and get you.”

  “Really?”

  I nodded.

  “The moment you left I wondered if I should have gone with you. I realized I should have.”

  I always wondered why he didn’t come. “Then why didn’t you?”

  “I thought I was needed. I was also scared. In leader training they teach never to let Humurom fall. I thought by going with the rebel I would be letting my people down.”

  I nodded, understanding perfectly what he meant. “I’ve thought about that myself. I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no right answer. Especially – or exclusively – in this situation. If we let Humurom stay in that bunker, it dies out. If we bring them out, they will eventually spread out and disappear.”

  “You don’t know that. Maybe they might form their own community until this place is cleaned up and come back to rebuild it.”

  I hadn’t thought of that before. “That sounds like it might just please everybody. I’ll have to go back and tell that to Matilik. But first I have to ask Gilik if I can come back in. And if not then I will have to sneak back in.”

  The forest loomed in the distance. I began looking around for the grates. As I was looking I realized I never thanked Stud for something.

  “Thank you for looking after Mama while I was away.”

  “You’re welcome. I was the only person she really trusted anyway.”

  I found one of the grates. I turned the knob counterclockwise and it vanished into the ground. I lowered myself in and dropped. With Stud on my back it felt like I had dropped a greater distance than I actually had. We were in the long dark tunnel, and I couldn’t remember how to get anywhere.

  “Is this Bozlin?” Stud asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I can’t believe I’m here.”

  “It’s a little strange, isn’t it?”

  I could hear noises coming from up ahead somewhere. I started towards them. That place had so many tunnels and they each echoed so badly that I wasn’t sure where the noises were even coming from. We turned around several corners, only to get more lost. It took around twenty minutes but we made it to that bigger hallway with the doors on either side.

  There were people going about, talking to each other and to themselves in hushed excited tones. They didn’t seem to notice me at all as I made my way through the crowds, looking for Orin. I followed the people, hoping they would lead me to him. I was right. Orin was in a hallway with several of the grates that I hadn’t been to yet. He was calling out orders.

  “Is everybody ready?” He yelled. “All right. 10 . . . 9 . . . 8”

  When he finished counting four people shot into the air and out of Bozlin. The grates came down and four new people took their places. I squeezed through the growing lines and got to Orin.

  “Orin, I’m back.”

  “Great! We’ve already moved three fourths of Bozlin to Wall City.”

  I could see the excitement on his face from getting his people to safety and being the one to lead them there.

  “You move fast. Oh, this here is Stud.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” Stud said.

  Orin smiled. “That’s your real name?”

  “Yes.”

  “Interesting. Hardin, there hasn’t been a single attack yet. Maybe Dizuria has given up on that.”

  “Doubtful. Remember how intensely they attacked us?”

  “Maybe they are afraid of Azureland.” Orin suggested.

  “Whatever it is I’m glad.” I said. “How are things at the wall?”

  “I took the first group out and went through. Gilik has several streets blocked off so nobody sees what’s going on. I came back with a few who are now guides. They take everyone to the wall. On the other side some Azures show them where to go next. Gilik said that three whole hotels are being used now until they finish that area being prepared for them. Where are the Hums?”

  I tried to think up an excuse, but couldn’t. “Stud is it. I’m now considered evil in Humurom. If I had gone in I wouldn’t have made it out.”

  “But all those people.”

  “I know. I’m hoping to bring some people back to force them out.”

  Orin shook his head. “Doubtful, Gilik made it clear that no one from Wall City is to go in.”

  “I’ll talk to him.”

  All the people waiting were soon out and on their way to the wall. Orin waited to see if anybody else was coming. When no one else came he called to me.

  “Hardin, come with me. I need to get Ret out. He’s part of the last group.”

  Orin took us first to the Medic’s Office where we left Stud with the medics who were about to move the sick and injured.

  We found Ret sitting in his office, looking around at the drawings on the wall.

  “I can’t believe I’m leaving.” He said, as if the whole thing couldn’t possibly be real. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to finally leave. I never thought that I would be the leader to do it.”

  “It had to be someone.” Orin noted.

  “No it didn’t.” Ret continued. “We could have all died in here as the next generation takes over, just like we did. Eventually something would have happened to kill us all and Bozlin would have ended forever. But now it won’t. Because of you, Orin, it won’t. We will get out and be a part of the world again. And it’s because of you.”

  I wished that Matilik had thought like Ret. To see a leader care so much about his people to realize that alive and spread out is better than together and dead made me feel sad for Humurom. Not that I needed to feel any worse about it, but I did. Ret gave me the satisfaction in knowing that the world within the wall really could be optimistic and bright even when there was no reason for it to be.

  I came back to reality to hear Orin speaking. Let’s get out of here. With any luck this place will just be a memory.”

  Ret slowly got out of his chair, ran his hands against the wall, and left the room for the last time. Orin watched to make sure Ret was really heading to the grates.

  “Do you want a tour? I need to make sure everyone is out.”

  I agreed and we set off. I can’t remember too much of Bozlin because it had so many tunnels and I couldn’t mentally keep up with where we had been and where we were going.

  “How big is this place?” I asked after going down into the fifth level below ground.

  “There are miles and miles of tunnels under here. How big is Humurom?”

  “It has one large middle section and some hallways off of that, but that’s it.”
/>   “This place was built many years before the war. When it came time there was enough room for several hundred people.”

  “There are only around a hundred people in Humurom, though there was a sickness outbreak when I was little. It killed my father.”

  “My mom died in a Hum attack. Well I guess a Dizurian attack. She was in a town similar to the one you saw burn.”

  “And you still came with us.”

  He shrugged. “I wanted to know more about Azureland, and for some reason I trusted you. Or I might have just been too scared to do anything but follow.”

  At the end of yet another hallway came a large and bright room with many trees. This room went all the way up to the ground. Around one hundred grates brought light in. It smelled wonderful in that room. Orin and I wandered through the rows of trees.

  “It’s amazing that you all managed this.” I said, looking all around.

  “We were very prepared. We even have bees somewhere.”

  I felt some of the leaves on one of the trees absentmindedly. “I wish Humurom was. If we even had one fruit tree . . . though it would have died probably.”

  “It’s a sad day in Bozlin when one of the trees dies.”

  There was no one in that large room and we started back. Orin stopped on every floor to look in all the rooms. Each floor was deserted. It gave a sad feel to the place during that happy time. The cold dark halls reminded me of one of the old stories I used to read. I wanted to say something deep and meaningful to Orin about it all, but couldn’t find the right words. Instead I walked quietly behind him through all of the levels, getting a feel for the place that I feared my whole life.

  “I guess this is it.” He said when we reached the top level.

  “You may never see this place again.”

  “With my luck