I looked at Nin and added. “I know it was unfair to you. And I accept that you are angry and resent my singlehanded decision. But I also hope that you will understand, one day. I love you all so much! I would never let anyone hurt you!”
Yuki came over to me and just hugged me.
Nin cleared his throat, smiled at me and murmured. “I know, wouldn’t have acted differently. Love you, too, sis.”
Good. Now I could finally rest.
But I didn’t want Nin to carry Alice over to her bed. I had missed her so much I wasn’t letting her out of my arms. I gathered her up in my arms and somehow managed to get up from the sofa. She sighed, but never opened her eyes. Yuki brought Piglet and Malinda and we all went over to the sleeping room.
I was so tired by now that I was out almost as soon as I hit the mattress and had covered us both with the blanket. My last thought was how wonderful it was to be in a warm, soft bed with Alice at my side. Then I drifted off to a deep and refreshing sleep.
Chapter 13 – love finally
Tuesday, 19th April 2072
I slept like a baby for almost twenty-four straight hours; they told me when they finally woke me up. They apologized but apparently Josh was on the phone, the third time since my return yesterday, and he wanted to talk to me.
Alice followed Yuki, who had come to wake me up, into the room. She was very excited and bounced up and down, then jumped on the bed and into my arms.
“Hallo sleepy head! Eh, Lia, you slept and slept. I wanted to wake you up earlier, but Yuki and Nin forbade it. You slept the whole day!! It’s almost eight o’clock in the evening now!”
She could obviously hardly believe that anyone could sleep so long. She nestled into the bed beside me; but Yuki shooed her away.
“Not now, Alice, Lia has to get up and talk with Josh. Sorry to wake you up, Lia, but Josh. He’s called already twice and just now again. He is anxious to talk to you.”
She kind of rolled her eyes at that and laughed which made me feel really, really silly and embarrassed.
To hide my embarrassment I climbed out of bed, hugged Alice and grumbled something about having to brush my teeth and wash my face first, and disappeared into the bathroom.
It didn’t take me long. Embarrassed or not, I too, wanted to talk with Josh, too, hear his voice, make sure he was still there and that the words he’d spoken to me had not been a dream.
Alice insisted that she be with me and I let her. But Yuki and Nin politely left the room where they had talked to Josh and closed the door behind them.
My tongue felt dry and I was insecure. “You wanted to talk to me, Josh?” I managed to get out.
“Sorry that I made them wake you up, Lia, but I just had to hear your voice. Silly of me, I know, but – are you alright?” He sounded genuinely worried, which confused me.
“Of course, why do you ask? Is there something wrong?”
“Yes and no! I don’t think there is anything to worry about, really. But Prof Papadopoulos is worried. We intercepted a message today, a message by the Nemesis collective in your area. There are going to be some mayor movements in your area. It seems that they plan to “sweep the area clean”, as they put it, before moving on. We’ve heard about such “sweeps” before; there were some around here last week and in other parts of England. Prof Papadopoulos’s brother has managed to hack into the Nemesis’s communication systems. As long as they don’t detect that, which they hopefully won’t for a very long time to come, we will be able to get a pretty good idea about how they operate and how they plan to proceed. From what we found out so far these sweeps usually entail large numbers of armed Nemesis people moving through the area and shooting and killing anyone they see.”
Alice and I were stunned, shocked.
“Are you still there, Lia?”
“Of course, just too surprised and shocked to say much.” I mumbled.
“I am sorry to worry you. As long as you stay indoors, nothing should happen. But please, please don’t venture outside until you hear from us that it is safe.”
“Did you talk to Yuki and Nin about this?”
It would be strange if he hadn’t but I still had to ask the question.
“Yes, I talk with Nin about it. He also told me that you had all planned to slowly move upstairs and in the garden. Maybe that got me so worried. Sorry! I kind of already saw the four of you walk into this trap, and freaked out a bit!” He laughed a bit nervously.
“You are like an overprotective mother hen, you know!” I hissed, kind of annoyed. Here I had expected some sweet romantic lover’s nonsense talk and all he worried about was that we might do something stupid. “We aren’t exactly idiots, you know!”
“Lia, Lia, don’t get me wrong. I blew it, didn’t I? I am just worried.”
“Yeah, and maybe just that little bit too protective, you know.” I forced myself to banish the indignation from my voice. “Listen Josh, it doesn’t work that way. You can’t protect us here. I mean, I am very, very thankful for everything that you have done for us and also for this warning which is of great importance; but you can’t protect us and you have to trust us that we know what to do.”
I hesitated for a moment. “I know why you do it; don’t get me wrong, I know that. And I love you for it! But give us some credit. We’ll be alright here. No need to go overboard.”
I could hear him exhale. I looked at Alice, who grinned at me and poked me in the side.
“I wish you were here Josh. And I honestly and absolutely dread the days when you’ll be on your way over here. Because I know that I’ll go crazy not knowing where you are and how you are doing.”
I paused, swallowing hard. “But right now, I am just blissfully happy to be safely back at home, to hear your voice and to know that you love me. I kind of haven’t got the nerve yet to think of anything else right now.”
“Ah, Lia, you don’t know how hard this is all for me! Since your little stint, I am constantly worrying about what hare-brained idea you might come up with next. You know, you really shocked me and now I will not be at ease until I will be there with you to make sure for myself that you are safe.”
He was teasing me, of course; but I obliged him anyway.
“Hey, that was no hare-brained idea but utter bravery and clever, clever thinking on my part!”
Alice giggled and I squeezed her closer; we were having fun here.
“Love you, Lia! So much! But be careful, for my sake as well as your own, please!”
His warm deep voice sent pleasant shivers all over me. How wonderful! His concern for me! That he loved me! To love him!
But before I got carried away, there was something I needed to know.
“Tell me, Josh, why do these Nemesis people act like they do? I mean this brutal and senseless hunting down and killing of people? What I witnessed the other day, it was carnage, brutal, horrible carnage, nothing else. And, it’ll haunt me forever!”
“I don’t know, Lia. Your guess is as good as mine.” He answered me a little uncertain.
“The little we learned about them indicates that their worldview is a strange mixture of fascist-like tendencies, a belief that the number of human beings must be drastically reduced in order for the planet to survive, and hate, lots and lots of hate directed at all sorts of people, social groups, national entities, religions, ethnicities. They don’t seem to target any specific social or ethnic group but just non-Nemesis-people in general. Whoever is not part of their circle is the enemy and must be destroyed. We haven’t yet found out who they accept as theirs and how that selection process works. There sure is something the like.” He paused before going on. “And we also don’t know how far their network spans. Prof Papadopoulos and Phil think theirs is a worldwide operation; I tend to agree with them, even though I can’t quite fathom how they could possibly have pulled this off. Your Dad thinks they are restricted to the Western world. But we have clear indications that this isn’t what is happening. Have you heard from him, by the way
?”
“No, I personally didn’t. But Yuki and Nin told me that he called them recently – I guess Nin told you about it.”
“Yeah, he did. And, I frankly wouldn’t want to be in your Dad’s shoes.”
There were several possible meanings to this, but I didn’t inquire further. Instead I asked. “So, you think that we should not venture out of the sub-basement soon? For how long? We are all longing to see the outside world again. Maybe the others more than me.” It slipped out before I was aware of it.
“Are you scared?” He immediately wanted to know, voice anxious.
“Yes, I find that I am a coward. The idea of going out there again scares me, honestly. You know, the way they hunted down these people. I will never be able to forget this. One of them tried to shield his partner, and they killed them just so, as if they were not humans. Afterwards they stood around, callously discussing their killings as if they had hunted deer or something like it. When they left I couldn’t muster the courage to move for a long, long time. And when I finally did and found the bodies of these people I felt so awful. I wanted to bury them, but I had to leave them as they were. I didn’t dare move them in case some of the Nemesis came back and would see, which would give away the fact that other survivors were around. But I felt so horrible to simply leave them as they were laying, bodies twisted and contorted, eyes staring into nothingness.”
The memory made me sob again. It would take a long time for me to forget this.
“Ah, Lia! I wish I could be there with you! I am so sorry that you had to witness something so horrible!” Josh sounded insecure, not sure how to proceed.
I pulled myself together; I mustn’t make this more difficult for him than it already was. “That you think of me is enough! That you care gives me strength, helps me to overcome my fears. Oh, no doubt, this will haunt me to the end of my life. But I will not let it scare me out of my wits. I will overcome this fear, I promise.”
I could hear him laugh; a short, gentle laugh.
“Ah, Lia! Forever trying to be brave, aren’t you? Well, that’s part of the reason why I love you so much. Your courage and strength. But please stay indoors another two days; at least another two days. We’ll try to get some more information by then.”
Despite myself I couldn’t suppress a yawn; and he’d heard me.
“Is that you yawning, Lia my love? Tired again? Despite all the sleeping?”
“I guess it’s the warmth in here. After all these days in the cold the unusual warmth makes me sleepy.”
“It’s not just that.” Alice chipped in. “Yuki says you are totally exhausted and had far too little food, that’s why you now need to rest.”
I glared at her and motioned her to remain shtum; but she just shrugged her shoulders. And, of course, Josh couldn’t let this pass; his voice sounded disapproving yet concerned.
“Is that so? Lia. Be honest, how bad was it? Did you suffer a lot in the cold? Didn’t you have enough food? Are you really alright?”
I rolled my eyes, at no-one in particular.
“To your first question: I don’t know. And to the second and third: it wasn’t so much the lack of food as the cold that got to me. I didn’t do much during these days. I remained hidden under some trees not far from our house and monitored the situation. At night I slept in a nearby barn. I wasn’t too cold there. But during the day I always got really cold. And the loneliness, too, got to me. You know, there really is no-one out there, except for us and the Nemesis and maybe some few other survivors. It’s a very strange and scary world out there. But to get back to the yawning-question, here it is so comfortable and warm that it just makes me very sleepy. They tell me that I slept almost twenty hours.”
I didn’t want him to worry about things which were over and done with. We’d have enough to worry about in the nearer as well as the more distant future.
Josh sighed, which immediately sent butterflies taking off in my stomach again.
“I am so glad, that you are back safe, if not totally sound yet. Just go back to sleep now and get some more rest. And, promise me that you will remain in the sub-basement until you get the all-clear, will you?”
“Promised! We’ll rest indoors until we hear from you! Please convey our greetings to everyone at your place. Sorry, I am really still quite tired and exhausted. But next time we talk you will have to tell me more about those friends you are staying with.”
I had to stifle another yawn.
Of course he heard and laughed gently. “I will. Go back to sleep, Lia! And, sleep tight, my love! Consider yourself kissed and hugged – Ah, I wish I were with you! And Alice, take care of Lia. Will you, for me?”
She liked the idea, that much was obvious, and she enthusiastically told him so.
I was exhausted and tired out, but I wasn’t ready to let go, not quite yet.
“Josh, you know, it’s kind of funny. We haven’t seen each other face to face for months. And when we last met there was nothing in the way of romantic feelings between us. Oh sure, I definitely fell for you straight away. But no way was I ever going to show it. Then, sometimes, at Kamene’s, when you thought I hadn’t seen, you looked at me in a way that made my heart skip a beat. But you never said anything and so I didn’t dare to think of more. And now, here we are, hundreds of miles apart, separated by all this horrible mess. I wish you were here, Josh. I long to see your face right now. To see how you react to my words! I have never seen you smile at me in a tender way, Josh! How I wish I could see you smile right now! You know that you have an absolutely gorgeous way of smiling, your eyes sparkle! Ah, I just wish you were here!”
I knew I was going a bit overboard, but I needed it. After all the loneliness and the killings I had witnessed I felt the need for warmth, closeness and love.
Josh didn’t seem to mind, on the contrary. He laughed his gentle deep laugh and replied. “Ah Lia, you sweet little idiot! Of course I loved you all along. My mind just didn’t own up to what my heart knew all the time. So, you noticed those glances at Kamene’s, did you? If you knew, how those eyes of yours unsettled me then. If I remember the doubts, the anxiety of those last few months. And now all this happiness! You love me! During those last few days, when I wasn’t actually planning to strangle you for your recklessness, it felt like a cleansing process. If you would get back safe, I would allow myself to hope. I would see how you felt about me. I would take it slow. Give you all the time you’d need. If you could feel for me as I feel for you. And then, when I heard your voice, I sort of lost control. I mean, I couldn’t hold back. And you said that you love me, too! Lia, you can’t imagine how happy I am! Not only to finally know that you are okay, but that you love me!!”
He sounded jubilant now; as overtaken by his feelings as I was.
“Actually, we’ll be leaving here within just a few days from now. We’ll wait another couple of days, maybe a week or two, then we’ll start our journey south. And then, finally, I will be able to embrace you and be with you.”
“A week or two? Only? You think it will be safe then? Please don’t start that journey before you’re not absolutely sure it’s safe!”
My heart jumped at the thought that it might happen so soon; and at the same time froze in anticipation of all the horrors they might meet on the way.
He answered, full of enthusiasm.
“We are planning to leave within fourteen days. We haven’t figured out all the details yet, but we are planning to fly most of the way. My friend Paul, who will travel with us, is an engineer with Boeing. He certainly knows how to fly an airplane, and not just small ones for that. He’ll fly us over, we just will have to decide where to land, won’t we, Paul?”
“Yes.”An even deeper voice than Josh’s chipped in. “Hello Lia and Alice! Sorry to interrupt. And greetings!! And, don’t you worry about Josh, Lia. We’ll take good care of him; make sure he won’t do anything rash. We’ll safely deliver him to you. And the trip down to Kenya, well, it may not be exactly a skip, a hop and a
jump. Nothing to worry about, either. We’ll make it, no big deal.”
I wondered who he was trying to fool here. It would be one hell of a trip, what with Yuki pregnant, little Alice, to mention just a few things, plus no safe roads to travel on. But maybe this Paul thought he had to cheer us up. I wouldn’t tell him that this wasn’t the way to do it; he was Josh’s friend after all and was just trying to be helpful.
So I just nonchalantly replied. “Hello Paul! Nice to get to know you. It’s such a relief that Josh will not be travelling here alone. And to hear that you will be flying most of the way is great.”
Another thought occurred to me. “Who else will travel with you, by the way?”
Josh answered that one. “Apart from Paul, just our friend Rob and his partner Winter. Rob is one of my oldest friends, we practically grew up together. He’s been studying and working here in the UK for some years. His area of expertise is math and physics, he teaches at university. Winter, too, is a teacher. There are two other people who may come with us. Kate and Tony. Kate knows Kamene, they worked together on a project in Tanzania some years back, she’s a nurse. Tony, her husband is a geologist, too. But it’s not yet decided whether they will really accompany us.”
“So many! Good. I hope Kate and Tony will come too. What with Yuki’s pregnancy we really could do with a nurse. I have been very worried about Yuki and I know that she would feel so relieved to have a nurse with us. Neither she nor I know much about this entire business. Please tell them all that we are looking forward to seeing them soon. Did Nin and Yuki tell you about Yuki’s pregnancy by the way?”
“They did, and it came quite as a shock to us.” Josh mused. “And I am also very glad to have Kate on board. She has a lot of experience and is a great person, you’ll see.”
“Are there any children with you?” Alice chipped in.
Of course, she must be missing age-mates to play and be with!
“No, Alice, unfortunately not! It looks like you’re going to be the only little one for quite some time.” Josh’s voice was gentle and full of sympathy.
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