The Deadwood council members were louder than they’ve ever been.

  From every district, they came—fishermen from Beaver Lake, craftsmen from Springdale, merchants from Rogers, and scholars from Fayetteville. They all packed shoulder to shoulder in the Deadwood courthouse just off the square. Everyone sat on milk crates and lawn chairs. Emergency lights buzzed overhead.

  Mayor Carnie stood front and center on the stage, his silver hair was slicked back with nervous sweat. His usual smile was gone. He was flanked by a grim-faced Chief Mahoney. On his right stood Dr. Lorne. Her arms were folded. Her eyes were like knives. Tessa stood at the front of the crowd and soaked in the conversation. Beau stood beside her.

  “This ain’t a joke,” Carnie said. “I know you’re all scared. So let me say it plainly.” He held up a scorched scrap of metal. It was a slice cut from the knight’s helmet that crashed through the dome.

  “This? This wasn’t planted. This fell from the outside. And when it did—no poison gas came through. No meltin’ skin. Something crashed through and tore the dome and that’s how the ants got in.”

  Gasps rippled. Someone shouted, “But Dr. Gerben said—!”

  Mayor Carnie raised a hand. “I know what he said.” He gestured to Beau.

  Beau cleared his throat. “We don’t know what’s out there. It’s clearly not what we’ve been led to believe.”

  “Is it safe outside the dome?” someone asked.

  “No,” Beau said. “Maybe the green poison gas was never real. Even saying it out loud, with what we know, it sounds like a fable. Our dome is sitting within a titanic enclosed chamber. There’s power out there. There may be things out there we can use.”

  Carnie soothed his jacket. “I’m ordering a full lockdown. Nobody goes to the rift without prior authorization. Everyone stays away from the perimeter walls to avoid further damage.”

  Beau’s voice rose. “I want to lead a scouting team outside the rift. We have to map the chamber. We have to understand the scale of what we’re dealing with. We need to know more about the outside world.”

  People murmured.

  Someone laughed nervously. “You want to go exploring?”

  Beau nodded. “Exactly. We have to. I volunteer. But I would prefer not to go alone, if there is anyone else?” He looked upon the crowd. They fell silent.

  Carnie narrowed his eyes. “You’d risk your life?”

  “Yes, I’d risk my own life. We’re in a bad spot. Our food reserves are mostly depleted because of the ants. We could all starve to death. All of our lives are at risk if we do nothing.”

  “You would go unarmed?” Chief Mahoney barked. “Dr. Gerben outlawed guns for a reason. If there are more giant bugs out there, you’re not going to get far.”

  “Work with Dr. Lorne and begin manufacturing firearms. Even simple ones would be effective. Change the laws. We’ve only ever seen him on a television screen in prerecorded messages. Dr. Gerben isn’t here. We have to figure this out.”

  “He’s right!” Tessa said

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  Mayor Carnie hesitated. “Even if firearms were allowed, we don’t have any way to manufacture them inside the dome. We don’t have gunpowder, let alone any bullets.”

  “I know you’ve always said that,” Beau said. “But there must be a reserve stock somewhere in case of emergencies.”

  “None,” Carnie said.

  Beau rolled his eyes, frustrated.

  “So what will you do?” Carnie said.

  He couldn’t do much. He’d promised them he would travel outside the dome and he meant it. He really would have loved to bring a weapon with him. Maybe Rufus knew where to find one? Surely the entire dome couldn’t be empty of firearms. I mean, sure, the only firearm he’d ever seen was Rufus’s BB gun. In fact, he hadn’t recalled seeing a single real gun at all except for on movies and television shows.

  “I’m going out there, with or without a gun.”

  “I can’t force anyone to go with you, Beau.”

  “I know.”

  Beau left the courthouse. He hopped back into his truck and sped toward Rufus’s house. When he arrived, Rufus was smoking a fat cigar on the porch. He rocked back and forth on his rocking chair.

  Beau sat beside him and shared his idea of exploring the facility outside the rift. He was the only one in the entire dome who had volunteered to go outside. Like the others, Beau felt the pain of their collective loss. But unlike the others, he wanted to shove the pain aside immediately and explore the unknown.

  Rufus puffed on his cigar. “It’s a dangerous mission.”

  “Any advice?”

  “Give me some more details.”

  “It’s hard to say. The outside world…everything is supersized.”

  Rufus grabbed the BB gun sitting against the wall. He handed it to Beau, who took it. “Never go into battle unarmed, soldier.”

  Beau gripped the BB gun. It even looked child-like in his hands.

  Rufus saluted Beau. “The world needs you, soldier.”

  Beau returned the salute.

  “Remember, smart always beats loud. But loud is still good sometimes.”

  He slept in his room that night and thought about the unknown world outside the dome. Was everything supersized? If so, why? It must have been a monument to someone great. But what is the deal with the ants? None of the questions came with answers as he finally forced himself asleep.

  The next morning, Beau went to find Tessa. He found her working inside Dr. Lorne’s lab, manufacturing more antibiotics. When he told her about his plan to scout the outside world, she apologized for not volunteering the night before. She said she slept on it and wanted to go with him. Naturally, Beau agreed because he didn’t want to go alone. Together, they drove to the rift. Mayor Carnie gave them permission to come and go as they pleased so long as it benefitted the colony. After all, they desperately needed to find more food.

  “Are you serious about this?” she asked. She carried a flashlight and extra batteries. They stood together and peered through the rift.

  Beau nodded. “You see those server towers way in the back? This place has power. There could be a door. And if it’s powered…”

  “It will open.”

  “Yep.”

  “Hope we’re not just chasing ghosts.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe we are. But we all have to face our ghosts sooner or later.”

  She stepped closer. “You don’t have to prove anything to them. Not to Mayor Carnie. Not to Chief Mahoney. Not even to your grandfather. It could be dangerous.”

  “The only thing I’m trying to do is rebuild and discover the truth. Dr. Gerben lied to us our entire lives. Don’t you want to know what else he lied about?”

  A long silence stretched between them.

  Tessa’s voice softened. “That’s why I’m here. I want to go.”

  Beau blinked. “The danger doesn’t scare you? It should. I’m used to trekking around in the forest, in the dark, and you’re used to being stuck in the lab.”

  “I’m not afraid. Well, maybe a little.”

  “Last chance to back out.”

  “Never. Let’s go.”