“It’s the police.” Fleeders looked nervously at the door.
“Is there another way out of here?” Tara looked around the room.
A small window was the only other option. Not waiting for an answer, she ran past the three men, jumped onto the desk and lifted the window. She was out of the office and in an alley within seconds. She heard the window shut behind her as she ran down the alley. She slowed to a walk and headed down the sidewalk toward her trailer. No one stopped her on the street, and she wasn’t followed.
“You forgot the paper.” Syra looked up when Tara walked into the trailer and plopped down on the floor next to her children.
They immediately dropped their toys and climbed onto their mama. She hugged and tickled them, but she was distracted. “Sorry. I guess I did.”
“Well, can I go get one?” Syra stood up and stretched. “I sure could stand to get out of here for awhile.”
Tara had been so caught up by her thoughts; she’d barely heard the desperate plea. At once, she focused on Syra. It’s true, the youngster had been cooped up with the babies pretty much since their arrival at Semore, and it wasn’t fair. “Go ahead. Make sure you take a comm. Call me right away if you have any problems.” She looked at the long sundress Syra had on. “Girls here wear pants, though.”
“When it’s cold, they want me in dresses. And when it’s hot, they want me in pants,” Syra mumbled as she walked back to her room to change.
The children napped while Syra explored the town, leaving Tara time to reflect on what Fleeders had told her about Gowsky. Here was a man, a council, paranoid after having been stripped of the commerce upon which they relied. These people hadn’t anticipated that their main income would disappear. Their opium was ample. It didn’t run out. It was their buyers who had deserted them. Now they were frustrated, desperate, and not thinking clearly. On the other hand, the Neurians’ precious oil was important to Runners and Gothman. It made sense they would want to discuss this with her.
Tara decided she must speak with Gowsky, which shouldn’t be difficult since he wanted her brought in. The question was, should she let them capture her? It probably wouldn’t be long before his police showed up at the trailer. Or should she seek him out on her own, maybe tonight after the babies were asleep? Could Gowsky be the man she’d seen her first day here?
She decided to take a walk with the babies. The children squealed in delight as she pushed them in the wagon across the sand and tiny stones behind the trailer. The heat from the sun made the horizon appear wavy in the distance. It was a good sun though—warm and refreshing on her skin.
Tara moved on, slowly trudging across the desert that lay south of the town. She passed several large tree-like plants with leaves the texture of rubber. They were quite beautiful and provided an abundance of shade from the hot sun.
Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Tara squatted down next to her children, talking to them quietly, as she surveyed the area.
“What do you think it was?” Tara smiled at Andru as he squinted his eyes to look with her. Andru smiled and giggled, and Ana kicked at him and also giggled.
“Look, there it is,” Tara whispered to her children and pointed to an animal crossing the field. It looked like a large dog of sorts: dark brown with thick hair and a long tail, walking on all fours. It moved toward them slowly.
Tara knew from experience that most wild animals were not aggressive unless provoked. If she were threatened, her laser would easily kill the animal. She remained squatting next to her children as they pointed with curiosity at the animal.
As the dog moved closer, the heat rising from the ground distorted its features. The waves drifted up, making the creature appear to be walking on only two legs. As the distance between then lessened, Tara realized it was walking on only two legs. What she thought had been a dog was now a person. Her eyesight was strong and she questioned what she’d just seen. Had the creature transformed from beast to human?
To be more exact, the creature approaching her was an old woman. She walked hunched over, slowly, a deeply creased leathery face with large dark brown eyes focusing on Tara. Her darkened skin, a shade more orange than the Neurians, was covered with a loose animal skin dress. Her boots were made of the same material, laced up to her knees.
“A blessing to you, child,” the old woman’s voice cracked as if from lack of use.
“Hello.” Tara squinted up at the old woman who now was no more than five feet in front of her.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m taking my children for a walk.”
The old woman came closer and reached out to touch Ana. Tara’s body tightened and the old woman noticed her uneasiness. She pulled her hand away from Ana’s head and instead placed her deformed fingers on Andru’s head. She glanced at Tara with each move to assure her that no harm would be done.
“The children will see and learn a lot. But why are you here?”
Was this old woman crazy? Tara looked at her, and the old woman stared back with dark, glassy eyes.
“Do you mean why am I here with these people?”
The old woman continued her glazed stare and didn’t respond.
“We need a new life. We’ve moved here from the north.” Tara tried to change the subject. “Do you live around here?”
“You aren’t through with your old life. You still have much to do.”
Now it was Tara’s turn to stare. The old woman was out of her head, she decided. Old age and the heat of the desert had done her in.
“Crator knows your fears and your pride. You must put that aside. There’s no time for it. You have so much to do. None of it will happen without you. Do you realize that?” The old woman’s eyes were glassier than before and they seemed to penetrate through Tara. It was almost as if they were focusing on the ground behind her.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“That is your fear. Crator knows you’re strong. Overcome it.”
Tara didn’t know how to pursue conversation with the old woman. She felt sorry for a people who didn’t take care of their elderly. The woman was delusional and possibly lost out here. But what she said did apply to Tara’s life. Was that delusional? She reached into the wagon for a bag of bread pieces and fruit she’d brought for the children.
“Would you like to have a snack with us?” Tara pulled the food from the bag and then looked back to offer it to the old woman. With a shock, she saw nothing except a large dog running away from her across the field. She watched until it was out of sight.
“There you are.” Syra smiled at Tara and immediately got up from the table to help with the children as Tara entered the trailer. “I wondered where you went.”
“We took a walk,” Tara said, deciding not to mention the lady in the desert.
“Well, that’s what I did, too.” Syra slid Ana into the toddler seat, attached to the table with clamps, and then struggled to strap her in while the child pulled her hair. “Folks here aren’t too friendly, are they?”
“We look a lot different than they do.” Tara managed to get Andru into his seat, and then walked to the cold box for two bottles. “Maybe in time they will warm to us.”
“Maybe.” Syra shrugged and began dicing cheese and apples for the children. “I got a paper and read a few stories in it while you were gone. Sounds like they have an organized government here.” Syra commented on a few of the stories in the paper.
Tara didn’t hear much of the conversation. The old woman occupied her thoughts. Who was she? What had she meant by her words? Was she simply a disillusioned old lady? And who was Crator?
After supper, Syra bathed the babies and prepared them for bed.
Tara sat at the landlink and decided to see if the Neurian network said anything about a Crator. She wasn’t connected for long when a message flashed across her screen. “Why are you looking for Crator?”
She panicked for a second, but a few clicks told her the
message was from Fleeders.
“Can I talk to you?” she typed.
“This line isn’t secure. Log off.”
Tara wondered why anybody cared if she researched the name. Who was Crator? She logged off and grabbed her jacket.
“I’m going for a walk,” she whispered to Syra who was rocking Ana to sleep. Andru lay stretched out in his crib. Tara gently kissed his forehead then kissed her fingertip and placed it on Ana’s head.
The night air was brisk. A chill ran through Tara’s body, and she quickly zipped her leather jacket. Moving her laser to her front jacket pocket, she began walking behind the trailer. The open wilderness lying in front of her seemed dark and forbidding. Who was out there? What was out there?
Another chill caught her body. It was from fear. Tara was not accustomed to this emotion. She’d faced many enemies who had posed a more obvious danger than an old woman who babbled. What was there to fear?
The woman’s words bothered her, she couldn’t deny it. Although she’d written them off as the delusions of an old mind, Tara couldn’t get them out of her mind.
You aren’t through with your old life. You still have so much to do.
Tara shuddered as she saw the truth in those words. She was heir to the leader of all the Runner clans. The old woman couldn’t have been more truthful when she told Tara that her old life wasn’t done. Tara kicked the ground with the tip of her boot and scowled. That old woman couldn’t have had a clue who Tara was or where she came from.
“What do you want to know about Crator?” The voice that came from behind her made Tara jump. She jerked around, and her laser pointed straight into Fleeders’ chest.
He too jumped and his arms flew into the air. “It was just a question. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“You startled me.” Tara returned the deadly weapon to her pocket.
Fleeders’ eyes followed it to its hiding place as he slowly lowered his arms.
“Who is Crator?”
“He is why we exist. Crator made all of this. Everything you see.”
“Where is he? I want to meet him.”
“You can’t meet him.” Fleeders laughed, then sobered immediately. “At least not until your life here is over. Crator created all life on Nuworld. He’s a spirit. I’m sure Runners must have a name for Him. Who made you? Gave you life?”
“My parents gave me life. There’s no spirit responsible for my life.”
“We believe there is. Crator is responsible for all living things and for Nuworld itself. Are you saying Runners have no faith?”
“Faith?”
“What do you think happens when you die?”
“When you die, you’re done. You exist no more.”
“I don’t think I could go through life if I believed that.”
“Why couldn’t I find information on Crator through the Network?”
“There’s plenty of information on Crator. But, the council is watching you closely. I wouldn’t be surprised if they know I’m here.” Fleeders looked around him nervously. “Why this sudden interest in Crator?”
“I met someone today.” Tara pointed to the dark, foreboding wilderness.
Fleeders’ gaze followed her finger.
“Out there. She said something about Crator.”
“Who did you meet out there?”
“I don’t know her name.” Tara shrugged. “Some old lady. Her words were mostly babble.”
“You met an old woman out there?” Fleeders looked and sounded very worried. “What did she say to you?”
“I don’t remember exactly.” She wrinkled her brow and studied Fleeders’ face.
He looked back at her anxiously, his eyebrows wrinkled.
“She didn’t really make any sense. She said Crator knew things about me. Things I was supposed to do.”
Fleeders stared out into the wilderness blanketed with darkness. It was as if he expected to see this old lady Tara had mentioned. There was a strange look on his face, one of fear and awe.
“Do you have any idea where she might live? I thought I would take her some food. She was an odd sort. I don’t think she talks to anyone much.”
“There’s a legend about the Guardians, voices for Crator.” Fleeders shuddered and turned away from the field. “There are animals that turn into people and tell us the wishes of Crator. It’s just an old legend. No one’s ever seen one. She didn’t turn into an animal on you, did she?” Fleeders chuckled as he said this, but he sounded nervous.
He caught Tara’s gaze and looked away quickly. She sensed how awkward the conversation made him. He really believed these legends of his, yet had no proof. She had the proof and didn’t believe in them. A people with such faith could be very powerful, yet these people were scared and felt deserted.
“Why don’t you go for a ride with me and let’s see if we can find one of these Guardians?” Tara walked over to her bike.
“You’re not going to go out there tonight, are you?” Fleeders stood firm, carefully focusing his attention away from the dark wilderness. “No one goes into the desert at night.”
“There are good lights on my bike. We’ll be able to see fine.”
A sudden loud explosion from the town caused both of them to jump. They turned toward the sound; within seconds large flames began shooting into the sky.
“Something’s on fire!” Tara straddled her bike.
“Oh no! It couldn’t be!” Fleeders gave no explanation for his comment, but ran to Tara and squeezed onto the seat behind her. She took off slower than she would have liked out of deference to her passenger. Fleeders obviously wasn’t familiar with a motorcycle; he kept fidgeting from right to left.
A large two-story building at the other end of the main street was engulfed in flames. As they drew near, Tara heard glass exploding from the heat. People ran from all directions toward the building. Trucks with long, thick hoses pulled up, and shouts came from many directions as the hoses were dragged from the truck and hooked up to small cylindrical objects attached to the ground beside the road.
The smoke attacked Tara and Fleeders, blurring their vision and making it difficult to breathe.
“Let me off.” Fleeders squirmed behind her.
“What’s that building?”
“It’s a warehouse that’s not being used right now. Our whole project was in there. Nothing in that building could have caused an explosion like that. Everything is ruined. Who would have known? Who could have done this?”
Tara pulled the bike to the side of the road, and the two jumped off. “What project was in there? Who would have known about what?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Fleeders took off running toward the building.
A big, round-bellied man shouted orders as a large hose flooded the building with water. The fire withered from the attack.
Tara noticed another hose still coiled on the side of the truck. Why weren’t they using it?
The smoke thickened.
People crowded into the street. It was easy for Tara to move closer and not be noticed.
Tara wanted to know what project had been going on in this building. Fleeders had looked as if he’d regretted saying what he had just before he ran off. Where had he gone?
The men putting out the fire seemed to move at a snail’s pace. They acted content to let the building burn to the ground. A group of men stood across from the burning building. They watched intently and occasionally spoke with one of the security men who had come onto the scene. The crowd of onlookers was now being herded away from the building.
Tara stood down the street from the fire and avoided the security. She noticed handfuls of people trying to get into the side of the building that hadn’t burned yet. The security guards were on them instantly, pulling them back.
Through the smoke, Tara noticed Fleeders, his tall skinny profile moving quickly through the thick haze to the group of men standing across the street. Tara watched as he spoke to one of them. He g
estured wildly at a broad-shouldered man with long black hair. It was the man she’d seen the first day she arrived. She saw the broad-shouldered man gesture to several others, and the men took off running. It appeared he was giving orders to everyone.
Could that man be Gowsky? Fleeders said Gowsky had known she was there shortly after she’d arrived. Had Gowsky recognized her when he saw her pull in to town? The broad-shouldered man turned and looked directly at her.
A window exploded, this time from the second floor. Tara turned, as did others, and noticed a young woman waving her arms frantically.
“Help me!” she yelled to the men putting out the fire. “Please, you’ve got to help me!”
The potbellied man shouting orders looked up at her and then at the broad-shouldered man Tara guessed was Gowsky.
Fleeders lunged at the building, but several men grabbed him.
They weren’t going to rescue the woman! Tara couldn’t believe these people would let her burn. What was so awful about the project that they would let a woman burn for it? What could have been going on in this building that would provoke someone to set fire to it? She didn’t know the answers to these questions, but she wouldn’t watch someone die like this. Tara lunged toward the building.
“Hey! Get back!” The potbellied man gestured for Tara to move away. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Jumping, she grabbed hold of the ledge above the window and swung her legs through the glass of the window. As her legs swung back, she turned and made eye contact with the broad-shouldered man.
As their eyes met, he froze, and his mouth fell open.
She turned to look inside the window, swung forward again, and dropped inside the burning building. The intensity of the smoke increased drastically as Tara landed in the room. It seeped through the broken windowpane, as she waved her hand in front of her face and began coughing. The room was dark, and Tara’s eyes slowly adjusted.
She ran into a hallway. Smoke was billowing through the door at one end. Tara ran the other way. Several doors at the other end of the hallway were open. The farthest one opened into the large warehouse part of the building. Fire crawled along the floor at the far end of this cavernous room. Some of the rafters on the same side also burned. Tara guessed that within ten minutes the building would start to collapse. To make matters worse, fire swept the stairs, and the woman was trapped on the floor above!
Nuworld: The Saga Begins Page 29