Bobby and Sarah exchanged glances but neither said anything. It was just tradition now to ask about the long-lost leader.
They passed through an empty doorway and into the main hall of the camp. Eric's group was the smallest of all of the Changlings' camps; just six people including him, and all of them seemed to be gathered around the usual central fire pit.
This room was as large as a basketball court, with soaring ceilings, walls lined with cinder blocks, and a dozen rooms leading off of it. The gathering of Changlings looked even smaller in the vast space. All of them had their own rooms and the main hall itself was rather sparsely decorated, with a few tables and chairs set up around the fire, and many torches planted on metal spikes scattered throughout the area. But it was kept clean and well-swept and Sarah approved of that. Zack had always kept a tidy camp.
“You caught us planning our nightly patrol,” Eric said over his shoulder. “We're trying to decide if we should even risk it with the goblins back in town.”
“So you know about them?” Bobby asked.
Eric stopped about ten yards from the others and turned to speak to his visitors.
“Of course we do,” he said in a low voice. “They passed through our territory first to get into town. Kevin was almost spotted by one band of hunters, but he managed to get out of sight just in time. Why, is that why you're here? To warn us?”
Sarah smiled as she shook her head.
“Not really. I was pretty sure that you'd know they were around. It's something more serious.”
“More serious than goblins?” Eric asked incredulously. “Whoa. Okay, come on and join us at the fire.”
The three of them moved forward. There were a half-dozen empty chairs around the fire pit and Sarah and Bobby chose two that were next to each other.
One chair, a large recliner covered in red leather, sat empty and alone. There was a long red banner, stitched clumsily with yellow thread meant to look like gold, that had been laid across it and the visitors knew that it was Zack's chair, and that it was untouchable. Not even Eric would dare to sit on it, nor would he want to. The chair was the closest thing to a shrine that the Changlings had. They tended to live for the day and not dwell on the past, except for the pain that they had endured back in the old days. But to his small group of friends, Zack had been special and they had memorialized him in the only way that they knew how.
Sarah stared at the empty, lonely-looking chair and remembered the young man who used to sit in it.
Zack had been the biggest, strongest and, she would argue, gentlest Changling of all of them. When the power failed in the Diefenbunker, he had found candles for everyone to see with, and had dug up books on survival. From them he'd taught the group how to make torches, how to build campfires and shelters. Sarah smiled as she recalled Zack saying that he was learning as much as they were, which of course was true.
And when the time came and the food had run out in the bunker, it had been Zack who had led them all out into the sunlight.
“How long has it been since Zack left?” Bobby asked respectfully after he and Sarah had greeted everyone.
“Three years, two months and five days,” was the reply.
“Say hi to him for us when he gets back, won't you?” Sarah added properly.
It was the expected response.
“Thanks, we will,” Eric told them. “Now, I doubt that you dodged our traps and made your way down here just to say hello. What's going on, Sarah?”
She looked around the fire at the others. Six Changling, six colors. That was how she knew who was who. Besides Eric's blue, there was Fani who always wore yellow, Jesse in purple, Diana in green, Ronnie in orange and Lana in brown. They were quite the rainbow of colors and Sarah always enjoyed seeing them all together. Of course, without Zack's red it just wasn't the same.
She quickly explained Bobby's experience with the magical trap set by the goblins. Time was passing and, although she was happy to see all of Zack's group still alive and well, Fani's constant sneezing notwithstanding, she had no wish to spend the night with them. They were a strange and distant lot since losing their leader and Sarah always felt a little uncomfortable being around them for any length of time.
“Goblins are laying traps for us now?” Diana asked in a light, breathy voice. “Why? What did we ever do to them?”
“Those evil things don't need a reason to kill people,” Lana said harshly. “They do it because they like it.”
“Very true,” Sarah agreed. “But Magnus thinks that they may actually be moving north to set up a permanent base here, which may be the reason for their attacks on us now.”
“Oh my God, that's horrible!” Jesse exclaimed, his purple wrappings shuddering. “Why do they want to live here? It rains a lot and the snow during the winter gets deeper every year.”
“Who knows?” Bobby responded. “It may be because the magic has returned full force and their magic-users can protect them from the elements. It could be pressure from over-population; you all know that they breed like cockroaches. Or it could be some reason that we haven't even thought of yet. All we know is that they are here and they are actively hunting us. They're using traps and patrols and possibly other means that we haven't experienced yet.”
“So be on your guard,” Sarah broke in. “I know that Zack taught all of you to use your talents to sense magic. And some of you, like Fani, can do a lot more than that. Keep your eyes open at all times.”
“We always do,” Eric said grimly. “And if those bastards try to get to us down here, they'll find themselves in a world of hurt.”
“Good. I don't know how long we can hold out against them, but if they do stay and put down roots, we may have to retreat and leave the city in the end.”
There was a shocked silence at Sarah's statement and she exchanged a quick glance with Bobby. The reaction wasn't unexpected to either of them.
“Leave? We can't leave,” Eric stated with an edge to his voice. “How would Zack find us again when he gets back? And leave for where? There's no place else to go.”
“Eric, there's a whole world out there, beyond Ottawa's borders,” Sarah told him gently. “I know that the idea is scary; I feel the same way. But there's also the chance to experience new places, new things. Adventure! Personally, I believe that there may be other Changlings living in other cities, just like us. I remember where Toronto is, to the south and west, and Montreal to the north and east. Both of those places were a lot bigger than our city. I'll bet that there are lots of Changlings there; maybe hundreds!”
“Hundreds? Wow,” Fani said in a dreamy tone. And then he sneezed again.
“I don't care about hundreds of Changlings,” Eric said angrily. “I only care about one. And until he gets back, we aren't leaving.”
There was a muttering from the others around the fire, a hint of rebellion, and Sarah took a chance to speak up.
“Eric, we don't know when Zack is coming home,” she said delicately. “But while he's away, you are the leader. And we both know what Zack would say in this situation, don't we?”
“Do we?” he replied coldly.
“Yes, we do. He would say that a leader does what is best for his people, not for himself. Isn't that what Zack always did? Didn't he always put the welfare of all of you ahead of his own?”
“You're damned right he did,” Ronnie averred. “He was always thinking of others, not just himself.”
“He was a hero,” Diana stated.
“He protected us, always,” Jesse added.
“He saved us all,” Sarah agreed. “Every one of us from the bunker. Bobby and I owe Zack our lives and we are grateful to him every day for that. Well, now you are the leader, Eric. And how will you lead? Will you be selfish? Or will you follow Zack's example? The choice is yours.”
She was taking the risk of making the young man angry, but Sarah knew that if she didn't at least shake him up a little, Eric's stubbornness could get both himself and his people killed. And
that would be a tragedy.
All of them watched the blue-clad figure as he silently sat staring at the fire. The crackle of the wood and the occasional creak of stone from overhead were the only sounds filling the large room.
“I'll think about what you've said,” Eric finally told Sarah. “You are all right about Zack; he was a hero to all of us. And in my mind he still is. But for right now, you've elected me the interim leader and I have to do right by you, the way that he would. So we'll see.”
It was the best that Sarah could hope for and she smiled at him gratefully.
“I'm sure that you'll make the right choices, Eric,” she said. “And we're still not sure if those goblins are actually building a permanent base. We'll just have to be careful and wait and see.”
She stood up and Bobby did the same.
“But for now, we have to go while there's still daylight out there. Traveling at night is no longer a wise decision and I want to get home before dark.”
The group said their goodbyes and Eric saw them out.
Just before they reached the entrance, he stopped and motioned for Bobby to keep going. Clearly Eric wanted to speak with Sarah privately.
“I know that he's not coming back,” he said sadly when Bobby was out of earshot. “Zack, I mean. I've known that for a long time. But they all needed a reason to keep going and I thought that hoping for his return would be that reason.”
Sarah was taken aback at Eric's honesty. Had she really reached him with her comments? Or was he just tired of living a lie?
“You were right,” she replied gently. “They did need a reason to go on. But now they've adjusted to Zack's loss, in their own way, and so have you, and it's time to set new goals, find new reasons to live your lives. It's what he would have done, Eric, and I know that you'll follow his example.”
“I will,” he told her. “Zack was the only person that I've ever really cared about, you know, and probably the only one that I ever will. And so, in his memory, I will do whatever it takes to keep our people safe.”
He thrust his hand through his wrappings and offered it to Sarah. Although surprised at the gesture, she grasped it quickly in both of her own.
“I know you will, Eric. Zack would be proud of you.”
He squeezed her hands and abruptly turned away and walked back toward the others. Sarah watched him go and then wiped her eyes. Eric was both a tragic and a heroic figure to her at the same time, and she was sure that he would do the right thing in the end.
“Sarah, we have to go,” Bobby called back from up ahead.
She turned and hurried up the hallway.
“Coming,” she said loudly.
Making their way north again, both Sarah and Bobby kept a wary eye on the sun. It was dipping toward the western horizon at an alarming rate and they couldn't be sure that they would make it back to their permanent camp before it disappeared completely. But they had to try. Another night hiding out in some hole in the ruins might actually get them killed if the goblins sniffed them out or they stumbled over a trap. Better not to take that chance.
The pair lived in a fairly central location, beneath the remains of an old apartment complex. Like the other Changlings' camps, Sarah's home was deep below ground. She had discovered it not too long after leaving the Diefenbunker, while scavenging for supplies. However, there was a substantial difference between her camp and those of the others. Hers had originally been built as a hiding place.
Whoever had once constructed the shelter that Sarah had discovered, underneath the third level garage below the apartment building, they had taken great care to ensure that it wasn't found. She had only stumbled across it because the hidden door that led to the rooms had been forced opened by the force of the building above it collapsing. The door had been cleverly camouflaged to look like just another section of concrete wall and, if it hadn't popped open, Sarah would never have found it.
The door led to a short hallway ending at a ladder. The metal rungs descended inside of a round tube lined with cement straight down twenty feet to a landing. There was a second door there, fortunately unlocked when Sarah had first found it, and it opened on to the secret storage vault.
The original builder must have been rich, Sarah remembered thinking back then. Who else could afford to have a place like that? And it had to have been constructed before the garage and the apartment building above it, and that meant that it was many years old. Very strange.
The vault contained several rooms. The first room was the main storage area. The cement walls were covered with rich, dark wood paneling, and paintings were hanging on them. Sarah knew nothing about artists, but she recognized a few of the names engraved on little plaques beneath the pictures.
Vincent van Gogh, Leonardo de Vinci, Rembrandt; yes, these she knew. The rest were strangers to her. There were a total of sixteen paintings, four on each wall and, once upon a time, they must have been worth a fortune. Unfortunately, in the ten years since the fall of civilization, the paintings had suffered damage from the humidity in the air and were not as resplendent as they had once been.
Stains, some bits of rot and peeling paint had marred their surfaces, but they were still mostly intact. Sarah liked them. She guessed that, before technology had failed, the air in the shelter had been regulated automatically. But those days were long gone now.
Several tables made of mahogany held small statues and gold and silver jewelry in protective cases. For some reason, Bobby had developed a near obsession with keeping these knickknacks dust-free and he cleaned them daily. Considering the amount of cement dust that trickled down from the ceiling constantly, it was a full time job. He seemed to enjoy it though, so Sarah humored him and never mentioned it.
Beyond the exhibits room was an arch leading to a living area. Sarah had wondered why it was there, the first time she had explored the place. Who would stay down here, so far below the ground? It was very strange.
There was a living room with two leather couches facing each other and a coffee table in between. Bookcases lined the paneled walls and they were filled with thick tomes of all kinds. There was a working fireplace surrounded by a white marble mantelpiece. Above the mantel was a painting of a fat man with a thick mustache who wore an old-fashioned three piece suit, watching over the room.
Sarah assumed that the man in the painting was the original builder of the hidden rooms. But who was he? There was no name beneath the picture, nor anywhere else in the place. In her mind, he just became 'the old man' and she referred to him that way.
Bobby thought that the picture was creepy at first, but he eventually came around and would actually greet it fondly each morning as he began his usual dusting.
“Good morning, old man,” he'd say cheerfully as he dusted the mantelpiece. “Another wonderful day, eh?”
Sarah still smiled every time she heard him do that.
There had never been any power in the rooms, but 'the old man' had placed many oil lanterns and candles throughout the place and there was a small storage room to the right of the living room which held boxes of candles and several large barrels of kerosene. Sarah and Bobby would never worry about not having enough light in their home.
There was one last large room beyond the living area. It was a bedroom. A massive bed had once sat in the middle of it, but whoever had used the hideaway back in the old days had removed the mattress and left only the frame behind. There was a heavy, carved headboard attached to the frame, with a beautiful scene of running horses cut into it, but the entire thing was useless without a mattress and Sarah and Bobby had broken the bed frame apart and used it as firewood. The headboard was left leaning against one wall; Sarah liked it very much and would not allow Bobby to use it as fuel.
They had replaced the bed with a pair of thick sleeping bags and had brought several more home and stored them away for future use. They also found pillows still wrapped in plastic at a mall and ended up making themselves very comfortable beds.
An empty c
hest of drawers and a bureau with a mirror attached to it were the only other pieces of furniture in the bedroom. Sarah claimed one for herself and Bobby used the other one. Not that either of them had many possessions, but this is where they kept them.
They did have one thing in their camp that was the envy of all the other Changling camps; a working pump. There was a bathroom off of the bedroom, but of course it didn't have traditional plumbing. What it did have was a pump in one corner that delivered good, clean water with just a little bit of effort. There was a pedestal with a ceramic basin that could be filled with water from the pump and used to wash up, and a drain that ran to the opposite corner from the pump.
There was also a hole drilled in the tiled floor about a foot wide. How deep it went was a mystery, but both Sarah and Bobby had used it for a decade as a toilet and there was never an issue with foul smells emanating from it. Both of them poured a bucket of water down the hole after each use and apparently that was enough to wash away waste. It was an amazingly efficient system and Sarah counted her blessings every time she used it. Other camps had to find their own ways of disposing of their human waste and it wasn't very pleasant for them.
As they approached the secret door to their camp, both Sarah and Bobby carefully scouted out the area; searching the parking level for signs that the goblins had found it in their absence. But it was clear of traps and any disturbances in the dirt and dust that led down through the rubble that had filled much of the garage after the collapse of the apartment complex on the surface. Crushed cars and tons of concrete had choked off most of the parking levels, but Sarah had been able to find a way to squeeze through all of the blockages to reach the deepest level. She couldn't remember why she'd been so determined to explore the claustrophobic maze, back when all of the Changlings had been searching for shelter after they had left the Diefenbunker, but she'd pushed herself to do it. And she had found the secret rooms. Maybe it was just luck. Bobby disagreed.
“You were guided to this place,” he'd told her firmly, when she'd invited him to live in her camp.
The Changlings (The New Earth Chronicles Book 2) Page 10