The Ruins of Arlandia Complete Series

by William Wood

  “It’s hard to say,” Astra said, “since I don’t even know where we are. I’ve never heard of Doonterria before.”

  When the sun went down, they were smothered in darkness. Not even the vast array of stars in the sky overhead provided any light. If there was a moon, it was hidden behind clouds. Their small fire created a bubble of light that was unable to penetrate the night more than a couple of feet. The trees around stood like dark-gray sentinels. The temperature plummeted rapidly. Calvin, Astra, Dev, and Wexton huddled close to the heat. Scribbles stayed close to Astra.

  “How are you feeling?” Calvin asked.

  Astra smiled. “I’m OK, I guess. Just really tired; worn out.”

  “Is anybody hungry?” Wexton asked.

  “I’m starving!” Dev answered.

  “Then I have bad news for you,” Wexton said. “We don’t have anything to eat.”

  “No kidding,” Dev said sadly. “We need to find something to eat soon. I can’t burn energy I don’t have.”

  After a three minute lull, Astra asked the question everyone was thinking.

  “Do you still think we’re going to find a way off of this planet?”

  They all looked at Calvin. “I have to think so,” Calvin said. “I refuse to just give up.”

  She nodded and tried to smile, but it was a sad smile. “I like your optimism,” she said. “I hope it’s not misplaced.”

  Astra yawned and lay down next to the fire. Scribbles stayed close to her. After a few minutes, the robot laid its head on Astra’s arm and closed its eyes. Calvin wondered if it was recharging its batteries.

  Calvin, Dev, and Wexton searched the nearby trees for more wood. They each carried an armful back to the pile. When he walked back to check on Astra, Calvin found she was asleep. He decided to lie down near her, on his back, and stare up at the stars. They were beautiful, and he longed to be back out in space again. He thought about Azure Frost, and Ion, floating lifeless in the blackness. He thought about Jax and wished his friend was there to help him. But Calvin was grateful that he wasn’t alone. The situation was desperate; they were lost on a Goremog-controlled planet, where Terrors could be running wild through the woods. He had hope, but he wasn’t sure how long he would be able to hold on to it. Calvin eventually fell asleep, listening to the wind blowing gently through the trees, the dry leaves blowing across the ground, and the crackling fire.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX:

  FORSAKEN

  It was a long, cold night. The ground was hard and no matter what he did, Calvin couldn’t get comfortable. He woke up more times than he could count and every single noise startled him: distant howls, distant high pitched shrieks, loud pops from the fire, and deep-throated gargling bugs; at least he hoped they were bugs. The most distressing events during the night were two minor earthquakes. They only lasted a few seconds each but served as a reminder that the planet they were stuck on was going to explode. He was also still scared from finding a Dark Terror’s severed arm. The monster robot hybrid created by the Goremog was the most horrifying thing he’d ever seen in his life, and they continued to haunt his nightmares. Calvin listened for scary sounds all night, fearing they were being watched. It was clear to him the worst was yet to come, and any hope he had of getting off the planet was quickly fading away.

  When Calvin woke up, he was sure it was the worst night’s sleep he’d ever had. The sun slowly climbed above the trees. It was big, bright red and cast an eerie glow on everything.

  Wexton threw an armload of branches on the fire; hundreds of tiny sparks shot into the air, swirling in circles with clouds of smoke. Calvin was mesmerized by the flames. His thoughts wandered all over the place but kept returning to the same questions.

  The first and most important was; how were they going to find a way off the planet? How long did they have before it exploded? They could walk to the village at the bottom of the mountain. That seemed like the only option they had, but what if it wasn’t a village? What if it was a Goremog base, or a prison? He knew what would happen; they’d get caught again. Either way, Calvin knew the only way off the planet was probably there. Even if they had the time, which they probably didn’t, they would never find another way. What were they going to do? The others all looked to Calvin for answers, but he didn’t have any. The only thing he could think of was to go find out. Calvin had a bad feeling it wasn’t going to end well for them.

  Before long, everyone was awake. It was freezing cold and Wexton was off looking for more tree branches. Everyone else warmed themselves by the fire. Calvin was exhausted and wished he didn't have to deal with their dilemma. The only thing he knew for sure was that he was desperate to find a way to escape, and they weren’t going to find it on top of the mountain.

  “Still glad you’re helping the Alerians?” Dev asked. Calvin looked at Astra sitting beside him. He had only known her for a few weeks, but it felt like much longer. He couldn't imagine his life without her. Calvin smiled and shook his head. Calvin was instantly irritated with the question. Several replies went through his head in response to Dev’s sarcasm, but all he said was,

  “This isn’t exactly where I thought we’d be nearly halfway through the mission. But just when I think we’re in the most hopeless situation we’ve ever been in, we get out of it and find ourselves even worse off. But somehow we’re still alive. We can’t give up now. So if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you’d direct your energy coming up with ideas to help us get out of this mess, and if you can’t, at least try to stay positive.”

  “I’m sorry,” Dev said. “I didn’t mean it to sound like that. I couldn’t sleep last night; too much noise. I got up as soon it started to get light. I hoped when the sun came up I would be able to see better in the ruins of the underground base.”

  “Did you find anything?”

  “I found this,” Dev said, holding up a small electronic device. "What is it?” Calvin asked. “Please tell me it’s something we can

  use.”

  “I’m not completely sure,” Dev said. “But I think it might be a

  scanner.”

  “Does it work?” Astra asked, suddenly interested. “That could be

  extremely useful.”

  “No,” Dev said. “It’s dead.”

  “Do you think you can fix it?” Calvin asked, feeling a small

  surge of hope.

  Dev waved his hand in the air dismissively. “No,” he said. “I

  think it needs a new power supply. Maybe if I had access to a workshop,

  and some spare parts.”

  “We’re not going to find one here,” Calvin said, standing up.

  “Since we don’t have anything to eat or know how long it’s going to take

  to get off this mountain, we should get going.”

  “Water is the big thing,” Dev said. “We’re going to need some

  soon.”

  “Don’t worry,” Wexton said. “We’ll find a stream or two on the

  way down.”

  “So have we decided what we’re doing then?” Astra asked. “We need food, water, and a way to contact the Alerians,”

  Calvin said. “There’s a chance we can find all that in the village, or base,

  or whatever it is. Let’s hike down there and find out. If it’s a Goremog

  base, we can simply avoid it.”

  “Avoid it, and do what?” Wexton asked. “It could be the only

  way out of here. Every base has a spaceport. The only other choice is to

  give up and die, is that what you want to do? I’d rather die trying to

  escape.”

  “Me too,” Dev said.

  “You’re right,” Calvin said. “But we don’t have to jump right to

  the dying part, not yet. Let’s try to get into the base quietly, we’ll save

  the frontal assault as a last resort.”

  “OK,” Wexton said; disappointment in his voice.

  “I know you’re frustrated,”
Astra said. She gently put her hand

  on Calvin’s shoulder. He found peace and serenity in her brown eyes. “I

  am too, but we’re not lost yet.”

  “You’re right,” Calvin said. “I’m sorry. Let’s get going.” Since they didn’t have any gear to gather up, it was a simple

  matter of getting up and heading out. Wexton led the way. Scribbles held

  Astra’s hand and was careful to stay away from the others, who were

  filing along behind. Walking was easy at first. The trees near the top were sparse, and the ground was dry and bare. After thirty minutes, they crossed a tree line and the trees were thicker and harder to walk through. They had to pick their way through piles of large rocks and climb over fallen trees. At the bottom of a steep hill, they entered a wide meadow with tall dry grass. Each footstep kicked up small clouds of dust into the

  air. In the middle of the meadow they found a dry stream bed. “Don’t worry,” Wexton said. “We’ll find water.” It sounded like

  he was trying to sound positive, but Calvin caught a hint of uncertainty. They were halfway down a long grassy slope when the ground

  began to shake again. It lasted longer than the two during the night and

  was much stronger, strong enough to knock them all to the ground. “That can stop anytime!” Wexton shouted when the quake

  stopped.

  Dev looked at the big muscular Wexton and said, “Not a big fan

  of the earthquakes, eh?”

  “Not really,” Wexton replied. “You can’t see it, you can’t stop it;

  there's nothing you can do. I don’t like to be that helpless.”

  After the shock wore off, it was a pleasant two hour walk

  through the trees with a modest downhill grade. Calvin’s stomach

  rumbled; he felt weak and tired. But worst of all was thirst. He couldn’t

  remember the last drink of water he’d had. Then they came upon a small

  stream that worked its way down the mountain. He felt a surge of relief,

  mixed with doubt; afraid it was too good to be true. Wexton ran ahead

  and found a small, deep pool surrounded by moss covered rocks. Calvin looked at it skeptically. “Is it safe to drink?” He asked. “Very safe,” Wexton said. “The moss acts like a filter, and this

  is spring water so it’s very clean.” That was good enough for Calvin,

  and apparently for everyone else. They hurried to the pool, desperate for

  a drink. Calvin let Astra go first; then he got down on this hands and

  knees next to her, cupped his hands and drew the water up to his parched

  lips. The cold water was the best thing Calvin had ever tasted; like ice

  cold water in a dry wasteland, or a cool breeze on a blistering hot day.

  They took their time and drank their fill.

  They stayed there for fifteen minutes, resting and drinking water.

  When he finished, Calvin rolled on his back and stared up at the sky. It

  was a deep blue, with no clouds. Then he saw something strange. At first

  he thought it was dark clouds, but he realized it was something else;

  black smoke.

  “Look at that,” Calvin said. “What is it?” Everyone quickly got

  to their feet and looked in the direction Calvin was pointing. Astra

  shielded her eyes with her hands and stared.

  “It’s a fire,” Wexton said. “Something is on fire.”

  “Oh, no,” Astra said. “It looks like it’s coming from the base.” “What are we going to do?” Dev asked.

  “This doesn’t change anything,” Wexton said. “We’ll find out

  when we get there.”

  “Maybe it’s just a forest fire around the base.” Calvin said, but in

  his mind he could see rows of spaceships on fire. He tried to dismiss the

  thought, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was getting hot and he

  wanted to get out of the sun.

  They walked for three more hours, down gentle slopes of soft

  green grass. They stayed close to the stream and under the shade of the

  trees as much as possible. Throughout the rest of the day, a large column

  of black smoke billowed in the sky in front of them.

  They walked until the sun got closer to the horizon. Exhausted

  and famished, they looked for a place to stop for the night. There was a

  sense of relief when they came upon a large, slow moving pool sheltered

  under the canopy of a dozen tall trees. Calvin, Dev and Astra found a

  place to sit in a patch of thick, cool grass. They were lulled to sleep by

  the sounds of a small waterfall flowing into the pool. Wexton could not

  sit still, even after hiking all day. He walked around the area looking

  through the grass and under the trees.

  Calvin woke up, not sure how long he had slept. But he felt more

  relaxed than he had in days. Wexton was sitting on the grass, above one

  of the deep pools. He had a stick in his hand, and held it like a spear,

  pointed into the water. Calvin walked over to see what he was doing. “I’ve seen some big ones down there in the shadows,” Wexton

  said excitedly. “We’re going to have fish for dinner.”

  Calvin walked over to where Astra and Scribbles were laying on

  the ground, and sat down next to them. Astra must have sensed him, or

  heard him walking, and stirred. She opened her eyes and smiled at him,

  putting her hand on his arm.

  “I needed that nap,” she said, slowly sitting up. “What’s up?” “Wexton is catching dinner,” Calvin said, and pointed. Suddenly Wexton lurched forward and jabbed his spear into the water. When he

  pulled it out there was a large fish impaled on the end.

  “Yes!” He said loudly. “I got one!”

  Thirty minutes later, the group was sitting around a fire, roasting

  fish on long sticks. The big red sun hovered behind them, nearing the

  top of the mountains. The smell of burning wood permeated the air.

  Calvin wondered if it was from their fire, or from the burning Goremog

  base.

  “How long do you think we have until the planet explodes?”

  Calvin asked.

  “I might be able to tell you,” Dev answered. “If I had a working

  scanner, but I don’t. So, there’s no way to know. It could happen in a few

  days, weeks, maybe even several months from now.”

  “I want to know what experiments the Goremog were

  conducting that made the planet so unstable it’s going to rip itself apart.”

  Astra said. “What were they doing?”

  “Something tells me that’s what we should be worried about,” Calvin

  said.

  “I’m having a hard time believing any of this,” Wexton said.

  “Don’t you think it’s possible the Goremog were just trying to scare us?

  The planet’s not really going to explode.”

  “No,” Astra said. “I don’t think we should assume that. We’ve

  had several earthquakes since we arrived. So far, all evidence points to

  the fact that we’re in trouble.”

  After eating, Astra found an area in the pool which had a sandy

  edge where it was easy to get into the water. Calvin tested the water with

  his hand. The water felt cold.

  “I’m going to take a swim,” Astra said.

  Calvin thought for a moment. “Good idea. I think we should

  stay here tonight. It’s a perfect place. We’ll need to go look for

  firewood. You can have privacy while we’re gone.”

  “That would be great,” Astra said. “Thank you.”

  Calvin led Dev and Wexton east, into
the woods. They combed

  the forest floor for over an hour, and accumulated a large pile of dead

  wood. The sun was nearly down by the time they got it all back to their

  camp site, and Calvin was worn out. Wexton caught more fish, while

  Calvin and Dev made a fire. They cooked fish and ate it under the stars. “My dad used to take me camping,” Calvin said. “When I was a

  kid; just him and me, it was great. Because he was a senator, we couldn’t

  go anywhere without security. We used to sneak out very early in the

  morning through a secret tunnel that went from the basement to about

  two hundred feet away from the house. We’d use it to sneak out without

  security knowing. It used to drive them crazy.”

  “That sounds fun,” Astra said.

  “It was,” Calvin said. “There was a mountain range seven

  hundred miles away. We’d leave the hover car at the bottom, and hike to

  the top. It was out in the middle of nowhere; not another living soul for

  hundreds of miles. We’d camp at the top by a high lake. That’s one of

  my favorite memories. This reminds me of that. Except that the planet

  wasn’t going to explode, and we had food and water.”

  “You probably didn’t have monsters chasing you either I’m

  guessing,” Astra said.

  “Right,” Calvin laughed.

  “Were you an only child?” Astra asked. “I’ve never heard you

  talk about brothers or sisters.”

  “Yeah,” Calvin said. “It was just me. My mother had health

  problems. The doctors were surprised when she became pregnant with

  me. How about you?”

  Astra’s expression changed suddenly. Calvin could see a deep

  sadness in her eyes, and her countenance drooped.

  “I had two brothers,” she said sadly. “They were both killed

  fighting the Goremog.”

  “Astra,” Calvin said. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It was five years ago. We stumbled on a small planet. It was

  perfect; lots of water and trees. We hadn't seen the Goremog in a while,

  so we and decided to set up a colony there. We thought we were safe, but

  it was just a matter of time until the Goremog found us. We were