Izzy could not get the stench out of her nostrils. If it were true about the sense of smell being the strongest memory enhancer then she would never forget what she saw in the tunnels. It was the worst nightmare coupled with all the horror stories Ella forbid her to read as a child.

As Izzy made her way home she couldn't get the sights or smells out of her head. She tried to pull her hair over her nose but when it would not reach, she was sorry she had chopped it off in an impulse of kindness and guilt.

When the environment in the dark subway tunnel had become overwhelming she had bolted for the exit. Then she saw something which compelled her to stop. The color pink caught her eye. A small body wrapped in a blanket. Against her better judgment she reached down to see if the child was all right. How old could she be... two, maybe three? Izzy slowly pulled back the blanket to reveal a shriveled toddler who had obviously starved to death. She was stiff and cold and now Izzy felt the same way.

Why was this happening? Children shouldn't die! The upside down and backwards world was making her dizzy and so she ran. Running was the only thing making sense in her life. You run; you go some place. You run faster; you get there quicker. Nothing else in life worked that way. You love someone and they leave, you love someone even more and they die.

Determined not to become as bitter as her mother, Izzy allowed herself to cry. She cried for the children in the tunnel, she cried for her dying sister and she cried for herself. And she ran.
———

As they entered the bookstore Alfred was amazed at what he saw, more books then he had seen in the last 20 years and all on the floor! "What happened here son, did the military do this?"

"Aw no... my grandma did. Well I
helped her of course." Leon said picking up a book and placing it back on a lonely shelf.

"Why on this dying planet would Marina do such a thing?" Alfred asked, letting it slip out he and Mrs. Woods were much more than neighbors.

"Marina is it?" Leon took notice and jabbed Alfred in the ribs with his elbow. "Well as you may know Marina is a smart lady. She wanted it to look like the military police had already been here and so we wrecked the joint. Pretty good job don't you think?"

"I'll say... She was always a clever girl," Alfred added while he placed The Never Ending Story back on the shelf.

"So just how did you know my grandmother Mr. Quest?"

"How we met is for another day and not of great importance right now." Changing the subject Alfred added, "What is important is us finding the book. Where is it?"

"I dunno..."

"What do you mean," Exaggerating the proper way to speak Alfred articulated, "I don't know?"

"When I say 'I dunno' I mean I dunno... It's here somewhere." Leon looked around the room at the thousands of books heaped on the floor. "Grandma said, 'The best place to hide something is out in the open.' I told you grandma is a smart cookie. Hey, why are cookies smart anyhow?"

"I dunno..." Alfred mocked and began searching through the nearest pile of books.

Picking up a toppled over bookshelf  Leon asked, "So Alphie what kinda work do you do?"

"Did... I was a manager at the docks."

Laughing Leon asked, "You worked at the docks? Then why do you talk so weird?"

"You mean properly?" Alfred was insulted.

"Yeah whatever... most guys as the docks swear and spit but you act like you just got off a royal chariot or something." Leon was not being rude; he genuinely wanted to know.

"Well if you must know Leon it was your grandmother's doing. She inspired in me a love of reading at an early age. And when you read often you learn how to speak well."

"Well I ain't much for read'n..." Leon said, purposefully using bad grammar while tossing the wrong book over his shoulder.

Alfred shuddered. "I never would have guessed," he lied as he picked up yet another book. Oh how Alfred wished he had time to read again!
___

   When she finally reached The Towering Hills apartment complex Izzy's face was dirt streaked and her nose was running. She did not yell up to apartment 3A this time. No amount of pretending could wipe away the images permanently etched on her brain. She climbed the steps not hearing the crying baby in 1B, the Spanish couple arguing in 2F or the silence in 3A.

Opening the front door, she listened for Ella. "Good she's not home," Izzy thought. As she entered Bell's room she saw her sister flat on her back wheezing. She had slipped from her pillow and didn't have the strength to sit upright again.

"Bell!" Izzy ran to her, tucked two stiff pillows under her head, and helped her sip some water. "Are you alright? Where's mother?"

After drinking Bell strained, "She's... at the hospital... a man in a military uniform came and said they needed all off duty nurses to work a double shift..." Taking another sip she continued, "A navy ship has ported and apparently there has been a new outbreak of The Wasting, only it's a mutated strain and all the men and woman on board are dying—fast."

"Good,"  Izzy said with hatred as she plopped down on Bell's bed.

"Izzy what are you saying? You are happy people are dying?" Bell breathed into her inhaler.

"Yes... well if it wasn't for them..." Izzy trailed off not wanting to upset Bell.
    "If it wasn't for them what? Izzy do you think it's the  military's fault Tunnel Children are dying."

"How did you know I was in the tunnels?"  Izzy was shocked.

"The look on your face--I had the same look the first time I went down there.

"The first time? So you did go down into an FZ??"  Izzy asked as she wiped her soot stained brow with the back of her hand.

Bell reached up to wipe Izzy's smudged face with a tissue. "It was not a Forbidden Zone when I first started going down there. The trains had stopped running and there were no laws forbidding families from living on the platforms."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Izzy asked taking the tissue away from Bell. She hated it when Bell treated her like a child--most of the time.

"I didn't tell you because I knew your big mouth would give us away... besides just when I was about to tell you I got sick and then I was afraid to..."

"Bell you got sick from someone down there didn't you? You were playing nurse and got some dreadful disease!" Angrily Izzy stood up, made a growling sound, and stomped to the window like a child.

Soothingly Bell replied, "Izzy calm down. The doctor's don't even know how I got "The Wasting" and they aren't even sure it's contagious person to person. Look I have been sick many months and neither you nor Mother has gotten it."

"True but Bell, mother forbids me to stay in your room and she never allows us to drink from the same cup and she boils everything after you drink or eat from it."

"Just precautions... besides you know how Mrs. Clean can be," Bell invented.

"You are lying! You're not even good at it! What did you do down there Bell? Who did you try to save?" Izzy was now seething with rage. She was angry by the devastation and even angrier it was draining the life from her better half and best friend.

"It was probably from a little girl..." Bell confessed, "She had stopped breathing and I knew old-fashioned CPR and I tried to save her... I tried... but..." Bell began to sob, hiccup and then wheeze.

Izzy wished she had paid closer attention and learned CPR in health class instead of passing ugly drawings to stupid Tommy Thompson. She placed a cool rag on her sister's forehead and helped her take another sip of water.

When her sister's breathing had calmed down, she had hoped her own anger would subside but it didn't. She hated the world, she hated the dead baby who made her sister sick and she mostly hated herself for not having the courage to be more like Bell. She was having herself a good old fashion pity party and sulked, "Mother's right. There is nothing good in this world... No one stays, everything's death and doom." She walked away and stared out the grimy window. "No good deed goes unpunished." Izzy banged her forehead against the cool glass and she longed for a Popsicle. "I am a horrible person."

Trying to get up Bell chided, "Miss Izzy Marie Quest. You smack yourself this instant."

Turning to look at her sister Izzy grunted, "Huh?"

Laying back down Bell wheezed, "You heard me. Slap yourself."

"What?" Izzy asked and added, "You must be kidding me?"

"Well I very well can't do it, I'm too sick. Go on smack yourself." Bell stated plainly and took another puff off her inhaler. Izzy just stared at Bell incredulously. "Do I look like I'm jesting Izzy? If I could, I'd hit you myself but I simply don't have the strength. Go on give yourself a good smack across the face. You know you deserve it. I'll wait."

"Bell..." Izzy implored and stomped her foot.

"Izzy, would you like me to die attempting to smack you?" Izzy attempted to slap her own cheek but Bell noticed it didn't hurt enough. "Harder..."  Bell insisted. Izzy tried repeatedly as Bell ordered, "Harder!" Finally satisfied with the loud cracking sound and the red cheek Bell complimented, "Well done Izzy!" She patted her bed. "Now come and sit next to me we have much to talk about."

Izzy obliged her older sister by only four minutes and flopped down on the squeaky mattress. Secretly she was appreciative for the punishment. She felt like the most ungrateful, greedy girl on the pitiful  planet. "What is it Bell?  I only let you smack me 'cause you are sick."

"You are a silly girl--I didn't smack you; you did it yourself. I just love you too much to see you in a funk."

"Thanks a lot," Izzy said rubbing her sore cheek.

"I know why you went into the tunnels Izzy--you know grandfather has gone missing..." Bell spoke as if aliens had taken Alfred up into their mother ship.

"Well it's all my fault and you must go and fetch him."

"Your fault? What are you saying? And I can't go and fetch a grown man.  It's not like he's at the pound or something."
    The pound," Bell giggled, "You said something funny. There are no more dog pounds but now people buy dog buy the pound!"
    "It's not lady-like to make doggy burger jokes Bell. You said so yourself."
"You are quite right Izzy. Do forgive me... but seriously you must go and find our dear grandfather for I sent him on a quest and--"

"What do you mean--a quest? You act as if he is in search of the Holy Grail or something."

Bell perked up. "Yes something quite like that indeed..."

Izzy took a good like at her twin. Was that a glimmer of life in her eyes? "Well even if I could go and fetch grandfather I've no idea where he is and secondly I can't leave you alone. Look what happened earlier--you couldn't even lift your head."

"I'll be fine..." Bell lied and pinched her cheeks to appear healthier.

"If I'm to leave, and that's a big if... I'll go and fetch Tommy Thompson to baby sit you in my absence."

Bell protested, "I'm not a baby!"

"Well no but Bell, you need someone to stay with you... in case."

"Anyone but Tommy, please Izzy!"

Izzy enjoyed having the upper hand. If this was a real quest then she shouldn't mind a few hours with good 'ol TT. "He's quite capable of handing you your inhaler."

"But Izzy," Bell objected, "He eats pebbles for sport."

"No, it's to ward off hunger as well as sport. And they're just tiny pebbles it's not so bad." Izzy glanced at the watermark on the ceiling. It always reminded her of Mount Rushmore.

"Izzy! You didn't!" Bell laughed which kicked off a coughing spell causing Izzy turn white with panic.
    "Here is your inhaler... Bell maybe I shouldn't go."

"Look... Izzy... mother will be home after awhile and you said yourself Tommy is capable... I'll... be... fine."

"Okay but I haven't a clue as to where to find grandfather."

"He went home Izzy. King Rophe told me he went home..."

With the author's name out in the open, the girls talked for half an hour more. Bell told Izzy all about the healing writer and a book unlike any other. She also promised her twin sister she would hold on if only to see both her and Grandfather Alfred once more. Izzy clung to her sister for dear life and then something remarkable happened. She believed in something she couldn't see. Okay it was only as big as a grain of sand but belief has a funny way of growing especially in springy young girls.

-End of Chapter 10-

Author's note: I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Please vote, comment, follow and add The Wasting  to your library. If you've got a book you'd like me to check out—COMMENT here! I'd be delighted.