Something moved out of the corner of her eye. 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 giggled, and Ana kicked at him and squinted as well.
“Look, there it is,” Tara whispered to her children and pointed to an animal crossing the field. It looked like a large dog with dark brown hair and a long tail. It moved closer.
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 noticed the animal and pointed.
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 saw it was walking on only two legs. What she thought had been a dog was now a person. Had the creature transformed from beast to human?
An old woman now walked toward them. She was hunched over. She had a deeply creased, leathery face with large dark brown eyes. Her darkened skin, a shade more orange than the Neurians, was covered with a loose fitting animal skin dress. Her boots were made of the same material and 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 from the sun at the old woman, who now standing right in front of her.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m taking my children for a walk.”
The old woman moved closer and reached out to touch Ana. Tara tensed and the old woman shifted her attention, noticing Tara’s uneasiness. She pulled her hand away from Ana’s head and instead placed her deformed fingers on Andru’s head. She glanced at Tara again.
“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 gave her a 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, but also 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 the conversation. It was wrong for people to not care for 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 turned and 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 food from the bag and looked back to offer it to the old woman. The woman was gone. A large dog ran away from her across the sand. 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 a chair they’d found at one of the shops that attached to the table with clamps. She 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, 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 group of leaders 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 she’d said made no sense—and yet it had. It didn’t make sense that she’d disappeared so fast.
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 method of communication 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. She waved bye to Syra and stepped softly through the trailer, so as not to wake her children.
The night air was brisk. A chill ran through Tara’s body and she zipped her Runner jacket that she wore over her Neurian clothes. Moving her laser to her front jacket pocket, she began walking behind the trailer. The vast, endless sand lying in front of her seemed dark and forbidding. Who was out there? What was out there?
Another chill caught her body. 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 didn’t deny it. Although she’d written them off as the delusions of an old mind, Tara kept hearing them in her head.
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 had no 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, pulled her laser and pointed it 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.”
“You startled me.” Tara returned her laser 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.”
“I want more information on Crator.”
“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’ stared at 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 suddenly 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, frowning.
“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.
“Does an old woman, dressed mainly in animal fur, live around here? 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 still sounded nervous.
Tara 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 might be very powerful, and dangerous, yet these people were scared and felt deserted.
“Why don’t we go for a ride and 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, focusing his attention away from the dark sandy stretch of land behind them. “No one goes into the desert at night.”
“There are good lights on my bike. We’ll be able to see fine.”
Something exploded in the direction of town. Both of them jumped and turned to look that way. Large flames lit up the dark sky.
“Something’s on fire!” Tara straddled her bike.
“Oh no! It couldn’t be!” Fleeders gave no explanation as to what he thought it might be but squeezed onto the seat behind Tara. She took off slower than she would have liked since obviously Fleeders 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 Tara slowed windows blew out from the second floor. People ran from all directions. Most were curious on-lookers. If she were home, guards would have been on site already. But no one monitored the growing crowd.
Huge groundmobiles with long, thick hoses pulled up. Orders were shouted and the hoses were dragged toward the fire.
Smoke began bellowing toward them, blurring Tara’s vision and making it difficult to breathe. She wished she had her headscarf. Instead, she covered her mouth with her hand and blinked out tears as the smoke rushed over them.
“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 would have caused an explosion like that. Everything is ruined. Who would have known? Who did this?” he wailed, yelling over the growing chaos.
Tara pulled the bike to the side of the road, and the two jumped off. “What project was in there? Who knew about what?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Fleeders shook his head and looked very miserable. Instead of elaborating he took off running toward the building.
“Wait! Fleeders!”
But he was gone in the thick, almost unbearable dark smoke.
A big, round-bellied man shouted orders and the 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 under their efforts. People crowded into the street. Tara moved around them for a better view and no one stopped her.
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. Now she didn’t see him anywhere.
The men putting out the fire seemed to move at a snail’s pace. They seemed content to let the building burn to the ground instead of exert the effort to put it out. Tara stared through the smoke at group of men who stood across from the burning building. They were talking to one of the Neurian security men who had come onto the scene. Finally, others in similar uniform showed up. They started ordering everyone away from the building.
Tara remained down the street from the fire and avoided the security. She noticed several 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.
Tara noticed Fleeders, his tall skinny silhouette easily identified as he hurried through the thickening haze to the group of men standing across the street. He gestured wildly at a broad-shouldered man with long black hair. It was the man she’d seen the first day she arrived. She watched the broad-shouldered man gesture to several others, who took off running. It appeared the long haired man was in charge.
Was he 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.
Another window exploded, again on the second floor. A young woman waved her arms frantically and screamed loud enough to be heard over the shouting in the street.
In spite of the thick accent and strange vocal-inflections, it was easy to tell what she was saying. “Help me!” she yelled to the men putting out the fire. “Please, you’ve got to help me!”
The potbellied man ordering his team with the water hoses looked across the street at the broad-shouldered man Tara guessed was Gowsky.
Fleeders raced toward the building. Several men leaped and grabbed him.
They weren’t going to rescue the woman! These people would let her burn. What was so awful about the project that they would let a woman burn for it? She didn’t know the answer, but she wouldn’t watch someone die like this. Tara took off running 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. She made eye contact with the broad-shouldered man. As their eyes met, he froze, and his mouth fell open. Tara looked away first and kicked the glass in with her boot. If that was Gowsky, she wasn’t impressed.
She glanced inside at bleak darkness, then dropped inside the burning building. The intensity of the smoke increased drastically when Tara landed on the glass covered floor. It seeped past her and outside through the broken window. She began coughing before her eyes slowly adjusted.
There was no time to hesitate or get her bearings. She ran into a hallway. Smoke was rolling toward her from one end. Tara ran the other way. It 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. It wouldn’t be long before the building started to collapse. To make matters worse, fire swept the stairs, and the woman was trapped on the floor above!
Tara looked around the warehouse. The large space was empty except for boxes tossed in a corner. She ran to them, glad when there was nothing in them. Tara collapsed several and ran back to the stairs.
“Hello? Can you hear me?” She yelled through the smoke. She beat the fire with the flattened boxes until it subsided somewhat. “I’m at the stairs. Are you hurt?”
&n
bsp; When no one answered she threw the flat boxes on the stairs and bolted up to the second floor. Fire leapt at her from the walls and ceilings as she entered a large, open room. The young lady was still leaning out the open window. Tara ran to her and grabbed her shoulders. “Come on. The building is going to collapse.”
The woman spun around but then looked horrified. “Who are you?”
Tara had grown accustomed to this dark-skinned race reacting to her that way. She doubted most of them had ever seen someone with her pale skin color. The woman was young, of small build. Her black hair had once been pulled up, but long strands fell wildly across her face and down her back.
“I don’t know who you are. What are you doing in here?”
“My name is Tara, and I’m going to get you out of here.”
The lady, obviously in shock, looked around the room disoriented. She glanced at Tara, then down at the loose papers and a small plastic container she held in her arms.
“This won’t stop anything, you know.” The lady was obviously delirious. “Why would they want to stop us? They’re not going to hurt us. They’re stranded where they are.”
“Come on.” Tara guided her to the stairs.
“We’ve already communicated with them. I didn’t think anyone knew that. We weren’t ready to announce it,” the lady rambled.
When they reached the stairs, the fire had engulfed the collapsed boxes. The lady tensed, and looked at Tara desperately. “We can’t die. We’ve come too far. They can help us, you know. And we can help them. We call them Lunians, which was my idea. But I don’t know if that’s what they call themselves.”
“We need something to stamp down the fire before it takes out the stairs.” Tara looked frantically around them.
The crackling of the rafters and the heat from the floor let Tara know the structure was ready to collapse. The fire was closing in. Tara’s skin already was too hot and wherever her clothes touched her body, increasing pain distracted her. They had to move, or neither one of them would make it.
She turned and looked out a broken window by the staircase. The men below still aimed the lone hose at the building. Tara spotted the broadshouldered man who’d been talking to Fleeders. It looked like he pointed at her, but the thick smoke made it hard to tell.
Nuworld: Claiming Tara Page 33