The Gate

by Jennifer N Hibbert

  They all started laughing but they felt sorry for him; he looked both feisty and sober at the same time.

  He exhaled briskly. ‘Seriously, when I went into solitary confinement, my heart was thumping so fast I thought I was going to die. It was claustrophobic and smelled funny,’ he said quietly and then stopped abruptly, his eyes gleaming as they reflected the light. ‘Oh yeah, and the nightmares were terrible. I constantly woke with hot sweats,’ he continued.

  There was an awkward silence that lasted for a few seconds. Martin’s friends felt like they were sitting in the dark, listening to a horror story around a waning campfire having just heard a loud noise from the undergrowth behind them.

  ‘You mean it smelled worse than shit?’ Morgan blurted out. They all burst out laughing again.

  ‘Really, even apart from the smell, the experience was the darkest of my life. I was terrified,’ Martin said seriously.

  ‘You mean, so far? Who knows what you’ll do next? I bet it’s just a matter of time before something else happens,’ Chris said, trying to cheer his friend up.

  ‘You can joke all you want but I’m telling you, it was bad.’

  Koi swept past everyone to put his arm around Martin’s shoulders. ‘So tell me, what made you go back to the engine room by yourself?’

  ‘I was just curious, that’s all. I couldn’t get that word out of my mind,’ Martin explained.

  ‘What word?’ Chris asked.

  ‘You know, what it said on the cover of the manhole: “Disposal”. I wanted to see what was inside,’ he said remorsefully.

  ‘So, did you find anything interesting other than shit?’ Morgan said through his laughter.

  ‘Actually, I did see something very strange but I didn’t tell anyone about it.’ He looked around suspiciously to make sure no one outside could hear. ‘When I was in the hole, I heard this peculiar chewing noise. At first, I didn’t know what it was. I was so terrified. I swam to the wall to feel my way to the stairs. It was pitch black and that was the only place where some light was coming through. When I got there, I saw some giant, rubbery-looking organisms chewing on the waste from the ship. I was sure they turned and looked at me while I was shouting hysterically!’

  Everyone listened intently before laughing, as though they didn’t believe him.

  Martin laughed too before protesting, ‘But guys, seriously, I mean it. It’s true!’ he continued. ‘They took me to the hospital and I stayed there for two days. I must say, a beautiful nurse called Samantha took very good care of me. I wonder where she is now . . . maybe still aboard the ship or maybe here on Mars . . .’ He drifted off dreamily. ‘Anyway, after the hospital, I was taken to the interrogation room.’

  ‘Yeah, we had to go there, too. That’s an interesting place,’ Morgan said. ‘Did they bring in their secret weapon, the commander? That guy scared us silly!’

  ‘How come? What did you guys do?’ Martin asked eagerly.

  ‘Well, we didn’t do anything! The commander called us in and we were questioned by the police after they caught you. I guess they watched the CCTV and saw that we’d also been in the engine room twice before your incident.’

  Monica interrupted. ‘What? You mean you guys went twice? Chris? How come you never told me? Where was I that day?’ she asked.

  ‘You were sleeping that afternoon. I didn’t want to wake you up. Anyway, it’s not like you’d have gone with us,’ Chris explained in a low voice.

  ‘You’re right. I would never have gone with you to do such a stupid thing. I would’ve tried to talk you out of it!’ she said.

  Morgan continued his story. ‘Anyway, the commander questioned us. We tried to pull a fast one on him but he was tough and persistent so we told him the truth, that we’d been to the engine room just once . . ., okay, so not the whole truth. The guy was a real drill sergeant. He was furious and shouted at us. I thought he was going to punch us or something.’ His voice trembled a little as he spoke.

  ‘Yeah,’ affirmed Koi, ‘he was standing right in our faces. He was furious, because we were lying. When we admitted that we’d been in the engine room, he eased off a little. He later showed us the CCTV images, including your footage from that day. I was afraid for you, man.’

  ‘I know. I’ve been having nightmares ever since,’ Martin said.’ I thought about my nightmares and wondered if the grasshoppers from the camp actually bit me that day and that caused them, like Zebe said.’

  They were all silent for a few seconds. Martin swallowed hard before he stood up and paced around. His mind flashed back to the trauma in the septic tank and thought of all the bad things that could have happened to him that day. A deep sense of fear washed over him.

  ‘I didn’t know you guys were questioned, too,’ he said. ‘The commander only asked me a few questions in the interrogation room and that was me done – straight to prison. I guess when he finally got the chance to speak to me after I’d been in the hospital for a couple of days, he was already sick of me.’ He shuddered.

  ‘You should’ve seen his face when he saw me in the engine room,’ he continued. ‘He scowled at me like I was a filthy dog. If looks could kill, I’d be dead by now. I was scared stiff but I kept my cool. He asked what I was doing in the engine room. I denied ever being there before and said that no one else had been there either. Even when he rephrased the questions, trying to catch me out, I didn’t give him anything. Then he told the law-enforcement officer that I was obviously not being honest because I was stubborn and a habitual liar, and that I wasn’t showing any remorse. He said he wanted to “take away some of my advantages”, meaning you guys, I guess. That’s where the idea of solitary confinement came from. He thought it would “jog my memory”.’

  His friends were silent, enraptured.

  Martin went on. ‘He asked them to show me the CCTV footage. When I’d finished watching it, he asked me, “Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?” and I said, “No, not really.” Then he told them to take me away. I tried to persuade him that I’d already suffered enough in the sewage tank but he refused to listen.’

  Softly, Monica said, ‘Guys, you could have endangered the lives of everyone on the ship just for a bit of fun!’ She didn’t want to say too much because it was all in the past, but she hoped to deter them from doing something similar in the future.

  An awkward silence ensued as the youths allowed her words to sink in. They looked at each other for a few seconds before laughing and high-fiving each other.

  Monica and Chris exchanged tense looks before she sank back into her chair. ‘Please, feel free to laugh it all off but I’m serious about this. Just consider your actions before you do anything else as dangerous as that. I mean, who knows what could have happened,’ she said, but she finally broke into a half-smile.

  They began chatting and laughing light-heartedly. Suddenly, Martin stood up and unlocked the balcony door, popping his body outside slightly to feel what the weather was like. The next thing they knew, he was swept off his feet and propelled into the air by the cancellation of the force of gravity. Shock prevented him from shouting out as he clung tightly to the handrail, his body dangling in the air, trying to stabilise himself.

  The other boys quickly formed a human chain. Chris anchored himself to the living-room door and held onto Koi’s waist; Koi gripped tightly onto Morgan’s waist; Morgan leant out onto the balcony, anchored himself to the railings and grabbed Martin’s wrist. Monica, who was frightened to death, watched on in horror with her hands clasped tightly to her mouth. Together, the boys managed to pull Martin back inside after a few seconds of grappling, like fighting a one-sided tug of war.

  Martin quickly shut the door and locked it and he and his friends sighed in relief. What a lucky rescue! ‘What was that all about?’ Martin asked. He looked astonished and gesticulated wildly, and before long everyone was laughing at his reaction. He smiled a little and soon joined in as well.

  They continued talking late into the night. Monica and C
hris spent the night in the boys’ house so they wouldn’t have to go outside again. At least if they found themselves in the same situation, they would know what to do.

  *

  Carrol had had enough adventure after observing the events of the morning. She was scared when she saw people floating helplessly in the air, screaming and fearing for their lives. She’d helped a young couple grab one of their children to stop her from drifting away.

  After the announcement, Carrol started to make her way back home. She had walked a long way before the incident occurred and she contemplated boarding the tram, but she decided some fresh air might do her good. The streets were much quieter now and the sun had started to set. Irrespective of what had happened today, Carrol was impressed with her new environment and thought it was a nicely constructed city.

  When she arrived back at her apartment, she heated another ready-made meal and sat on her couch to watch TV. She couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened that day. Those people could have lost their lives in an instant. She experienced a moment of acid reflux just thinking about it.

  Missing home, she reminisced about her family, including her siblings and mum. She blocked out the negatives and tried to remember only the good times, like when they’d all sit together in the evening after dinner to watch a little TV before bed. If she was granted one wish, it would be to see them all again – especially her father. Hot tears streamed down her face.

  She knew she probably wouldn’t see Zatol again for a month or two, based on his track record. She definitely needed a friend to share this journey with but her hopes of seeing Jerry again were evaporating fast. Even if he didn’t want to see her, she needed closure so she could move on. Next time I see Zatol, I’ll ask him to help me find Jerry’s parents’ address – or I could search the records at the government offices or the citizen’s advice centre to find some information about him, she thought.

  Regardless of Jerry, today had shown her that she needed to widen her friendship group so she wouldn’t have to go through such ordeals alone. The first people that came to her mind were the young couple she had helped earlier that day. They had seemed nice and they were very grateful when Carrol helped them grab their daughter. The mother, Katalina, had even hugged her. She’d introduced Carrol to her husband, Peter, and their son, John. It was the same family she had noticed in Station X, but the kids looked older now. The daughter, Ester, smiled at Carrol and shied away. Carrol and Katalina had even talked about where they both lived.

  The thought of forming a friendship with them filled Carrol with joy but, as usual, she quickly dismissed the idea and the warm, fuzzy feeling dissipated. Maybe they want to spend time alone without anyone else disturbing them. Otherwise, why would they leave all their family and friends behind and endanger their lives in this programme? she wondered.

  She had a shower and lay in bed, trying to sleep. Just as she had calmed down, she heard a familiar voice. She didn’t move at first because she thought she was dreaming, but then she heard it again.

  ‘Are you already sleeping? Isn’t it still early?’ Zatol stood in the middle of her room, licking his arm.

  Carrol’s spirits rose upon hearing his voice but she didn’t express this excitement in her behaviour; she stayed very composed. She stepped down from her bed, slipping her feet into the sandals she’d worn during the day.

  ‘Tell me, how did your sightseeing go?’ Zatol asked.

  Her eyes widened in horror as she told him everything that had happened and how scared she had been.

  CHAPTER 21

  CARROL AND ZATOL AT THE TIME WALL

  As she spoke, Carrol remembered that Zatol moved between walls and probably knew this place very well by now. There was no way he could have missed the loss of gravity earlier that day. She stopped telling her tale abruptly. ‘So, how about you? Where were you when all the commotion happened?’ she asked.

  Zatol continued to lick his arm and started edging towards her living room. She followed him, just as she had done the night before. He repeated his behaviour: walking around the room and peering into corners. Again, she asked, ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Yes, of course. I want to cross over to the east side of Mars,’ he said casually, still looking around him. His bulging eyes fell on the couch.

  ‘Where do you want to cross over to?’ she asked.

  He leaned over the couch, his ears almost touching the seat, as though listening for something. ‘I’m trying to find the portal to cross over to Mars East,’ he told her.

  She moved closer and whispered, ‘Why do you want to cross over there?’

  Zatol didn’t answer as he placed his hand on the couch. Suddenly, darkness covered the living room; either the light that was coming from Carrol’s bedroom went off that very moment, or the strength of the darkness that was unfolding overshadowed the light. A portal opened before them. Flickering light spiralled downward and into the opening of a tunnel. The light swirling with the winds drew Zatol in.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Carrol asked, but before the dragon had a chance to answer he had fallen in, his long tail sweeping Carrol into the portal, too. She screamed as she was sucked down the seemingly never-ending pit then covered her ears and clamped her eyes shut.

  It felt like forever before they came to a shuddering halt. Carrol slammed her bottom on the hard ground while Zatol rolled like a ball and quickly jumped to his feet. They’d landed on a street of crusty soil embedded with rocks. Carrol looked around; there was no one else in sight.

  Zatol knew he would have to return her to the migrant camp before dawn, before anyone noticed that she had vanished. That’s if I can stop her screaming first, he thought to himself. He shook her hands, trying to remove them from her ears; when they finally came away, she gradually opened her eyes and stopped screaming.

  She started again a moment later when she caught a glimpse of her hands. They looked surreal, like cartoon hands. She looked down at the rest of her body and saw it was the same.

  ‘Calm down,’ Zatol said. ‘You had to transform because otherwise humans can’t travel through the portals.’

  After he had asked her to calm down several times, she finally sat still on a greyish stone and looked around in wonder. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, standing alongside her with his hand resting on her shoulder.

  ‘Yes,’ she answered, still examining her transformed body in amazement. Her body had been elongated and elasticated and her skin looked rubbery and shiny. Her pyjamas seemed like dolls’ clothes, with a tough, glossy texture and stretchy feel.

  ‘Right, I have to find a way to get you back to the city before daybreak,’ Zatol said.

  ‘Where are we exactly?’ she demanded.

  Zatol examined her as she spoke. She still looked like herself but her head seemed larger than normal. ‘I don’t know exactly,’ he said. ‘We’re in some sort of time wall. I need to figure all this out.’

  ‘What?’ she said in a panic, blinking fearfully. ‘We’re in a wall?’

  ‘Yes,’ he answered, without giving the question a second thought. ‘By the way, how did this happen? I mean, how did you get into the portal? Did you jump in?’ He looked flushed. ‘This wasn’t how I planned it.’

  I have to return her before it’s too late, he thought. There’s no way she will be able to survive the Martian terrain. It’s too chaotic.

  ‘That’s not true. I can survive out here if you can survive,’ Carrol protested. ‘Besides, I don’t want to go back and be on my own, just sitting and watching TV with no friends.’ She sounded weary.

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘I said, I can survive if you can survive—’ she began.

  Before she could finish her sentence, Zatol said, ‘I heard you. What I meant was how did you know what I was thinking before I said anything?’

  She gasped in shock, her eyes wide. ‘Yes, I knew what you were thinking! Oh!’ she gasped again, but this time with excitement.

  Zatol pulled his han
d away from her shoulder and started pacing.

  ‘Am I telepathic?’ Carrol stared at him for answers as he walked. ‘I’ve never been able to hear what you were thinking before.’ She closed her eyes, trying to listen again. ‘Oh no . . . I can’t hear you any more,’ she said sadly.

  ‘That’s because I moved away from you,’ he explained. ‘I think that when I touched your shoulder your mind was instantly opened to my telepathic communication abilities. A lot of transformation can occur in a time wall,’ he mused, still trying to focus on what to do next.

  ‘Oh, so all this time, you’ve been able to hear my every thought?’ she asked.

  Not really thinking about it, Zatol replied, ‘Yes, but not all the time. And I have bigger fish to fry: namely, how to return you to Mars Rothadam unharmed.’

  Carrol took a moment to let everything sink in. She knew one thing for sure: she didn’t want to go back. Wherever she was in the time wall with Zatol would surely be no more dangerous than the rest of Mars – especially considering the gravity incident, which had taken place within twenty-four hours of arriving. Mars could be as dangerous or safe as any place in the universe – and the same could probably be said for this time wall, she reasoned.

  Carrol had never been adventurous enough to step out of line. Now though, even though she had no skills to survive in an unsafe environment or defend herself against an attack, she was bubbling with excitement. Her heart lifted with the promise of learning new things and exploring the unknown. Suddenly, her thoughts turned to her family and her loneliness, and her expression changed. ‘Even if I died out here, no one would miss me,’ she said to Zatol. ‘I bet they wouldn’t even notice I’m gone. Even Jerry abandoned me.’

  Zatol said nothing but carried on listening without moving. His eyes blinked constantly.

  ‘Please don’t send me back there. I really don’t care what happens to me. If I survive, that’s okay. If not, don’t worry.’ Carrol told him about her family and how she had applied to this programme to get away from her troubles. ‘So now I’m here on Mars and it’s the most boring, loneliest place I’ve ever been. If you don’t mind, I’d like to go wherever you’re going. Even if that means I don’t return.’ Consumed by the belief that no one cared what happened to her, she began to cry.