by Tom Larcombe
He shrugged mentally.
I'm in the middle of the city. There's hardly anyone who'd notice the difference here and even if they do, they're more likely to think they just hadn't noticed the trees before than any other explanation.
Back in his apartment, he checked his other crystals. One of them was barely charged at all, so he placed it on the windowsill in the sun. At the same time he slid open the window, realizing that the combination of magic use and digging had him sweating almost as much as if he had dug everything without the magic. The breeze from the street was cool, so he sat down in a chair facing the window and just rested for a few minutes.
The few minutes turned into a much longer span of time when he drifted off to sleep. The phone rang, jerking him out of his dreams. He picked it up and spoke groggily.
“Charles here.”
“Charles, what are you doing this evening? I'm in town and thought that we might get together,” the voice on the other end said.
“Kathryn? Is that you?” he asked.
“I hope there's no other woman that would ask to get together with you on the spur of the moment. At least not for a night on the town anyhow.”
“No, there isn't. And yes, I'd love to. Sorry, you woke me so I'm not all that coherent yet.”
“You aren't getting old, are you Charles? A nap in the middle of the day?”
“I'd been exerting myself and I made the mistake of sitting in a cool breeze in a comfortable chair. So no, I'm not getting old. Maybe just getting a little lazy.”
Her laughter rang out from the phone.
“Charles, if you call yourself lazy, what would you call everyone else? You've always got projects going on and things to do, and you never shirk them. Well, at least not in my experience. You aren't hiding anything from me, are you?”
“No Kathryn, I'm not hiding anything. Just making excuses I suppose.”
“Completely unnecessary. If you were napping, you must've needed it for some reason. Now, dinner?”
They arranged to meet for dinner, then do something else after. What they would do would be determined while they ate.
* * *
It was late when Charles arrived home with Kathryn in tow. They completely skipped the living room and went straight to the bedroom. It wasn't until the following morning that Charles realized he'd left the window open.
“Brr, it's cold,” he said, sliding out from under the blanket.
“I'll just stay here for a while then. You could always come back under the blankets with me.”
“You know I'd love to, but I told you I had things to do today. I've got a whole bunch of trees to plant in the lot next door. They'll screen the parking lot from the road, plus I'm hoping that having them next door will make living in the city easier for me.”
She sighed heavily.
“I know, but I had to try. You go right ahead, I'm just going to roll over and sleep a while longer.”
Charles stared at her for a moment, but she was good to her word. She rolled over and pulled the covers all the way up. He thought about standing there until she moved, trying to get her out of bed, but he didn't have a good reason to do so.
If she can sleep in and it doesn't bother her, I should let her. It sounds like she's been lonely staying by herself out at her house and hasn't been sleeping well because of it. So, I'll just let her be.
His decision was made easier when a cold breeze started blowing across his legs. It brought to mind the breeze he'd napped in the day before and that was when he remembered the window.
He dressed quickly, then made his way to the living room. Once there, he immediately closed the window.
Didn't I leave a crystal charging on the sill? he thought.
* * *
* * *
Chapter 3
Amber looked up when Greg, the owner, cleared his throat.
“Amber? I thought I should let you know it's almost closing time,” he said.
She glanced out the window and saw that it was already dark.
“Oh shit! I didn't mean to stay out this late, but I was reading and this one's really good.”
“Are you going to have problems because of this? I could always call my friend if you need me to do that.”
Always trying to help me out, she thought, just so long as it doesn't take physical courage. Greg really is a good man, for a while I'd thought there was no such critter.
“No, I'll be fine. I'll just sneak in, no-one should notice me.”
She glanced down at the books she'd placed beside her and picked two of them. Those, along with the one she'd gotten engrossed in reading, she carried to the register.
“Ring me up here?” she asked. “Then I'll get back to the building. It isn't totally dark yet so I might be able to slip in before everyone else gets active, or at least before the people I want to avoid do.”
“I don't understand why you stay there,” Greg said as he rang up her books. “Not when there's so many people there that you try to avoid.”
I'm not too sure of that myself either, she thought. I think it's just because I don't know anything else. I could get out of there only to find myself in a worse situation.
She shrugged and handed him the twenty dollar bill, getting her change and tucking it away in her pocket.
“It's what I know,” she said. “Gotta go now, thanks. Bye.”
She darted out the door and started towards the building. It was a couple of blocks away but when she started walking, it was in the wrong direction.
“What the hell?” she said.
Then she realized that her feet were following some sort of unconscious desire. For the past year or more she'd been able to feel her spot in the clearing, knowing what direction it lay in from anywhere she was. But now she felt something else. It felt similar to the clearing, but not as strong, and her subconscious had decided to check it out.
It was only about ten blocks away so she got there quickly. But once she was there, she couldn't understand what was drawing her in. She was next to an apartment building with a vacant lot alongside of it. The vacant lot was half filled with an asphalt surface for parking, but the ground that surrounded the parking lot had a feeling of anticipation to it, as though it were waiting for something.
Like the dirt can feel anticipation, she thought, inwardly sneering at herself.
That wasn't where the feeling that had drawn her came from though, although she thought it was all tied up with it somehow. Instead her eyes kept drifting up, towards the roof of the apartment building next to the lot.
What the hell is up there that's so interesting? she wondered. I'm not about to break into that apartment complex just to find out, but I wish I knew.
It was completely dark now and she settled down onto the dirt of the vacant lot, avoiding a large hole that she'd almost stepped in.
Maybe I can figure it out if I wait a little bit. I definitely don't want to be showing up at the building right now. Everyone's going to be busy, getting ready to go out. If I wait an hour or a little longer, then most of them will be gone.
She sat in the darkness, staring at the apartment building next to her. Several times she saw a flickering light at the edge of the roof, but it was only there for a moment each time before disappearing again. It didn't take long until she got bored of watching the roof, instead she started scanning the area around her.
It was a different neighborhood from where her building was. Definitely not slums, but not really nice either. Kind of like a stepping stone between the two. There were a few parking lots in sight, other than the one she sat beside, and several apartment buildings. But there were also two warehouses and a few small, hole-in-the-wall type stores.
This neighborhood is weird. It's like it can't make up its mind about what it wants to be, she thought.
She continued to scan the area and realized there was a strange light at the base of the building whose roof she'd been staring it.
That looks like sunlight, bu
t it's dark out. I wonder what that is? Some new sort of light bulb or something?
She stood back up and slowly made her way to a point where she could look in the window that the light was coming from. When she realized that the window was open and the light was coming from something sitting on the windowsill, she froze.
She cased the area, but there was no-one near. Quietly, she moved towards the window. She walked as though she belonged there, that way if anyone saw her they wouldn't think twice about her, but when she got close to the window, she darted in and grabbed the source of the light.
Once she'd tucked it in her pocket, she realized that she now had a light shining up out of her pants pocket. She took the smallest of the books she'd just purchased and slid that into her pocket as well. It wasn't comfortable to walk with it in there, but by sliding the book to the outside of the crystal, she had the light contained so it wasn't visible any more.
I wonder what the hell this thing is? she thought. It made my hand tingle when I picked it up, but now that it's in my pocket I can tell that it isn't warm or cold and it doesn't tingle any more. I need somewhere to check this thing out and it certainly shouldn't be back at the building. There's no way I can hide this light anywhere there.
She realized that she hadn't thought things through. When she'd seen the light she felt a need to have it, and that wasn't a normal reaction for her. She hadn't thought about where she might keep it or what she'd do with it, she'd just immediately made a plan to get it and then done so.
Way to go idiot, she thought to herself. Now what are you going to do?
It was a good minute or two before she decided to head towards her clearing. She thought the undergrowth might be thick enough to conceal the light and even if it wasn't anyone who saw it would just think it was someone with a flashlight, at least that's what she hoped.
She made it there quickly. It wasn't quite late enough that the streets were dangerous yet, although they would be later in the evening. She knew that and tried to be quick so she could get there, examine her prize, and maybe find a spot to hide it.
In the middle of the clearing she settled to the ground again. As she slid the book out of her pocket she gave a sigh of relief, then reached in and pulled out the light. She got a better look at it now, it appeared to be a quartz crystal about as big around as her fist and from the tip of her middle finger to the heel of her hand long. The light it gave off looked exactly like sunlight to her, she'd never seen any sort of light bulb that could create that exact color of light.
The skin of her hand tingled anywhere it touched the crystal, it felt like little ants marching back and forth across her skin, but at the same time it felt warm and comforting. When she closed her fist around it the tingle increased to the point where she felt as though her teeth were rattling in her mouth. But when she clenched them together to stop the feeling, she discovered that her teeth weren't rattling. The feeling kept right on going.
That unnerved her enough that she opened her fist and let the crystal spill to the ground. She stared at it, but it didn't do anything except shed its light on the ground. She nudged it with her toe and it slid across the dirt, leaving a scuff mark behind, but as soon as she picked it up again she felt the ants on the skin of her hand.
This thing is strange, she thought. I think I'll bury it here, then come back for it in the morning. It might not be as noticeable during the daylight. Maybe I'll show it to Josh and Alicia, see if they have any clue what it is.
Amber grabbed a stick and used it to dig a hole in the ground. She slid the crystal into it, then piled dirt back on top. When she was done, she moved a white rock onto the top of the filled-in hole so she'd know exactly where to find her prize.
Now I need to get home before things get too rough. I can handle myself, but I don't even want to think about what Eric would do to me if I started a fight with some other group while passing through their area.
She knew the fastest way home, but it wasn't the safest. She debated for a moment before deciding to follow the path that would keep her near streetlights for the majority of the trip. It would add another ten minutes to her walk, but she was already a little creeped out from the crystal so she thought the safe, well-lit route was her best bet.
* * *
By the time she got back to the building she didn't see anyone moving around outside of it.
Good, they're all gone already. I'll just go up and read until Tim gets back with food.
She let herself in the front door. Tim had given her a copy of his key so she could, despite Eric insisting that everyone use the side entrance that led out into an alley. He said he didn't want the cops seeing how many people were living in the building, but Amber hated that alley. She'd had a number of close calls in it and if it were up to her, she'd never see the inside of it again.
She walked into the front hallway, just as the door to one of the makeshift apartments opened. The newest Walker stumbled out into the hallway, fixing her clothes, followed by Eric.
Oh Shit! Amber thought, then panicked and froze.
Eric's eyes traveled up and down her body.
“Amber, isn't it?” he said.
She nodded, terror stealing her voice.
“Well, where have you been hiding yourself? I'm sure I would've noticed such a fine figure if I'd seen it.”
Amber's panic went into overdrive when she realized that she'd loosened her breast bindings while reading at the store, then never tightened them back down again. Fortunately, he wasn't expecting an answer.
“Looks like you're finally ready to join the big girls. We'll see about getting you on the Walker team as soon as possible,” Eric continued.
He took the Walker he'd just brought out of the apartment and headed towards the door.
“And we'll have to have a talk about which door you should be using also,” he called over his shoulder.
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit... I'm so screwed!
Amber's mind was stuck in a rut, cursing herself for her stupidity. She stumbled upstairs and made her way to her own little area. She had a section near a window, but that was only because no-one else wanted it. The window was loose in its frame and little breezes kept entering the area because of that.
Everyone else seemed to hate the breeze, but Amber found it refreshing. There'd been times in the middle of winter when she would've sworn that the breeze was warmer than the surrounding air inside and times in the summer when the breeze was frigid. No-one else had ever noticed it though and when she tried to talk about it people laughed at her and told her she was crazy.
She dropped the books on top of her bag and settled her own body heavily onto her beat-up sleeping bag.
The first thing I need to do is get control of my breathing, she thought. And then I need to...
She drew a blank while trying to plan how to get out of this mess.
Then I need to get the hell out of here! she thought, panicked. But how? I wonder if there's another group that would take me in?
She knew better. The same problem would exist with any other group. She didn't make a lot as a Lifter and she knew that the only reason Eric had created the Lifters was to train future Walkers and Guardians. Any other group she went to would expect her to do the same thing as the Walkers, prostitute herself. And from what she'd heard, most of the other groups were even worse than Eric's.
Okay, so there's no other group I can go to. I could just run, maybe let the cops pick me up, but then I'd end up in Juvie or a foster home and I've heard some nightmarish stories about both of those from others in the group.
Alicia had run away from a foster home. One where she'd eaten even less than she got here since the people in charge of it took the money they were paid to take care of her, and several other children, and used it however they liked. They fed the kids a starvation diet and when Alicia had shown up her clothes were little more than rags.
Maybe Greg's friend? If it were Greg I'd trust him in a heartbeat, but I've never met
this other guy, so I don't have any idea what he's like. I'm not about to volunteer to go with someone I've never met. That could be an even worse situation than I'm in now.
She sprawled back on her sleeping bag, torn by indecision and unable to make any sort of plan to get out of the situation she'd found herself in.
Well, one thing's for sure, I need to spend as little time as possible here for a while. As soon as it gets light out, I'll take off. Maybe if I disappear for a bit, Eric will forget? If he doesn't see me around, maybe he won't remember.
Alicia surprised Amber, plopping down on the sleeping bag next to her.
“What's up? Hey, weren't you planning on keeping those hidden?” Alicia asked, pointing at Amber's breasts.
When Amber started to speak she realized that she was on the verge of crying. She was sniffling as she talked, trying desperately not to break into tears as she spoke.
“Doesn't matter any more. Eric saw me without them bound.”
“Crap, did he notice?”
“He said I'm ready to join the big girls and that he'd get me on the Walker team as soon as he could.”
She grabbed Alicia's hand.
“I need to get out of here, but I don't have any idea of where to go.”
“There's that runaway shelter that keeps handing out fliers,” Alicia offered.
“Wasn't it you that told me half the kids that go there get turned into the cops?”
“Yeah, but those are kids with a record. No-one ever caught you at anything, right?”
“No, they didn't. But I also have no identification, there's no records on me anywhere as far as I know, and they want your information so they can contact family or friends. I don't have any information to give them so what are they gonna do? Keep me there indefinitely? I don't think they work that way.”
“There's got to be something you can do, somewhere you can go.”
“The only thing I know how to do is be a petty thief. Not a lot of job opportunities in that, is there? Certainly not enough to get my own place, never mind the fact that I'd need identification for that also.”