R.E.solve (Rain Experience Book 2)

by Thomas W. Everson

  Cleaning up the mess seems to take forever, and it continues on late into the night. The numbers of the lizard-men dwindle. It feels like we’ve won. I aim for the house, slumped onto the horse’s neck, weary from blood loss and exhaustion.

  I hold on, trying to stay atop the horse as he jumps the smaller gaps in the ground to get home. Midway through the yard I fall off, landing painfully in the soft grass. Moments later the kitchen door flies open and worried chatter to fill the air. With my eyes closed I wait.

  “Rain! Are you okay? Speak to me!” Ami cries out, kneeling down beside me.

  Oh, how I missed her.

  I open my eyes momentarily to let her know I am still alive, but shut them again.

  “Where are his clothes?!” Emma squeals in embarrassment, maybe for me, maybe for herself.

  “Save it for later, he’s hurt pretty badly and we need to get him inside,” Ami commands.

  How familiar.

  “Don’t worry dear, we’ll have you back on your feet in no time,” Agatha’s voice soothes me.

  My dear adoptive mother. I can always count on you, can’t I?

  They lift me up and I can only grunt in pain while they carry me in. They put me on the couch and rush off into the hall, returning momentarily to tend to my wounds. My temporary bandana is removed from my gashed forehead, and they dab and wipe me down all over with wet cloths. My muscles finally begin to relax under their tender care. After cleaning the blood away, mine and lizard-man, they start bandaging me up. I stop them as they pull out some gauze.

  “I need to shower,” I tell them weakly.

  “You need to rest Rain. You’re badly wounded.” Emma’s stern in her caring nature.

  “No, it’s okay. Just find the little tribal girl. I think her name is Taki.” I mumble while trying to stand up. “Please, I just need to shower.”

  Agatha helps me while Ami and Emma are left confused. She leads me to the bathroom and sees me in. Twisting the knobs on the shower, I adjust the temperature to my comfort level and nod to Agatha, letting her know she can leave. She smiles with worry.

  “If you need anything dear, I’ll be right outside the door.”

  “Thanks, Aggy.”

  The door is closed, and I remove the ribbons of my tattered pants and underwear. I climb into the shower, but rather than standing, I sit down on the floor and let the water wash over me. My muscles ache, my wounds sting, but worries and anxiety wash away.

  The water feels so good. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to relax. There are times when I’m not fighting but there is no such thing as a calm life for me.

  I suppose if I worked harder at finding a way to stop the vortex, things might calm down. I need to provide them a better life than this dangerous wandering. I can’t let them continue to be drawn into danger.

  My anxiety levels rise again as I hit adrenaline crash. I can’t help but feel that before I lost my memory, this was how it was for me, caught in the middle of trouble. When I finally break my train of thought I realize the water has run cold. I jump to turn it off. A light knock on the door startles me and I answer hastily.

  “Y-yes? What is it?”

  “Are you okay in there? You’ve been in there for a while now,” Agatha’s soothing voice comes from the other side.

  “I…I need a towel, please.”

  Her footsteps are soft, but in the quiet I can hear her retrieve one from the closet. I crack the door so she can slip it in. When she does, I take it and close the door.

  “Thank you.”

  “Of course.”

  My clothes nothing more than rags, I wrap the towel around my waist after drying off.

  “Aggy, would you move the girls into the kitchen? I need to head upstairs, and I only have the towel.”

  “Sure. Give me a minute.” By the tone of her voice, she’s smiling.

  I wait, my ear pressed to the door and listen for them to enter the kitchen. There is protest from Ami about how it’s not a big deal, but Agatha is insistent. When I hear the swinging door come to a stop, I grab my rags and wrap the towel around my waist. I move through the hallway steadily. Before I can climb the stairs the door swings open and Eve appears with Taki.

  “Is this where you’ve been?! Wait, did you take a shower?!” Eve protests. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

  Emma and Ami burst through the kitchen door while Agatha tries to stop them, and fails.

  “Yes. Sorry. After I took the giant lizard-beast down, I helped where I could and returned here. I got our horse back too,” I respond.

  The little girl sees my wounds and shoves past Eve. I flinch and lean back as she reaches out for me, tightening my grip on the towel. Placing her hands on my chest she whispers and there is an audible protest from Ami and Emma. Eve cackles while Ami and Emma move to pull the girl away from me. Holding my palm up, telling them to wait, I receive a dirty look.

  “It’s not what you think,” I tell them.

  Taki chants and her hands glow green. The wounds on my body begin to heal rapidly. The gash on my forehead stops stinging, and when I touch it I can feel it disappearing.

  “How?!” Emma exclaims.

  “She just does,” I reply. “It’s like mine or Evalyn’s ability.”

  “That explains a lot...” Evalyn speaks through Agatha. “She might be one of the earliest people in history who has such abilities.”

  Finished healing my wounds, she removes her hands, looks up and smiles. I smile back and ruffle her hair to show approval and appreciation.

  “Thank you, Taki.”

  Her eyes widen with confusion. She backs away and she’s displeased.

  Is that not her name?

  I touch my chest. “Rain.” I point at her. “Taki?”

  She nods and runs outside. I don’t know if she’s scared, or embarrassed. I don’t understand, but it doesn’t matter. She’s gone. I return my gaze to everyone else.

  “I need to rest. I’m completely exhausted.”

  Without giving them a chance to respond I turn and march up the stairs.

  Just as I’m closing the door, Ami yells, “Why are you wearing Rain’s shirt? What have you done to it?”

  I chuckle and slip into some clean nightwear. The bed feels amazing when I lie down. The soft texture of the pillow caresses my cheek. Modern comforts bring me peace. Within moments of lying down sleep comes to whisk me away, and I let it.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Despite my initial resolve to rest after the ordeal, I feel obligated to help the tribe relocate their encampment away from the house, and the larger branches of the chasm. Self-imposed duties keep me busy and a week has already passed since returning topside.

  With the bodies of the dead cast into the large chasm, the smell of death should pass soon. Still, I feel bad for the tribe. Of course they wouldn’t understand the bodies would become a breeding ground for disease. A mass grave was the only answer. The task would have been impossible if they hadn’t eventually followed my lead.

  The lizard-beast, now that was messy. At least the whole tribe helped a little more willingly, even if with dismembering and rolling it into the chasm. I just hope I can find a way to bury that which hasn’t fallen to the caves below.

  Though burial is on my chore list, I focus on the living.

  I help some men and women scavenge tents for possibly important items. Finding random things, we put them into a leather tarp strung to the horse’s saddle. While some gather, the main body of the tribe has already begun to set up again; the landscape once again covered with their abodes and belongings.

  Arriving at the encampment with another load, the chief nods at me with reverence in his expression. I nod back, causing him to motion for me to dismount. I do and lead the horse to where he is. He grabs my arm forcefully and raises it in the air, then turns to his people and shouts triumphantly, cheering in his language. The people let forth a resounding cheer. He releases my hand, letting it drop
and speaks to one of the tribe.

  The man disappears into the chief’s tent and returns with a head garment. It is the skull of a lizard-man; pelt cut off at the nape, the bottom jaw ripped off, and the innards removed. Its black scales and spikes have been polished so they shimmer and the teeth have been cleaned. The chief takes it and then turns to me. I lean over so he can place it on my head – I take it as an honor.

  Straightening up, I smile at the chief and put my hand on his shoulder, then turn to mount the horse. I head back toward the house while my stomach grumbles. I’ve forgotten to eat all day, and after the heavy work I’ve been doing, my body is protesting.

  The horse trots along at a decent pace, but the road home is complicated due to the number of cracks and gaping holes we have to avoid and jump. Still, it doesn’t take long to reach the yard. I stable the horse and provide him with some hay and water for his hard work. With a quick pat to his mane I leave him and head around to the kitchen door where Emma is sitting, looking bored. She gives me a funny look and I ruffle her hair as I enter the house. After a quick wash, I rummage through the fridge.

  A salad of assorted fruits and vegetables beckons, but my body wants more. I crave meat. Raw ground beef sits thawing in a bowl, and I assume it’s for dinner later. Huffing while I close the fridge, I move to the basement. I sift through the shelves for a dried hunk of meat. I tear open a bag and retrieve a large piece of jerky, gnawing on it while replacing the bag. Biting off a chunk, I let it sit in my cheek for a few moments to soften up. In the kitchen I gather some buttered bread and a glass of water, sitting down in my spot to rest.

  I take my time eating, letting my body relax from all of the bending, twisting, and lifting of the day. Though it is nearing late afternoon, it seems there is still much work to be done with salvaging belongings or collapsing the chasm in. But my body, having got a taste of rest, resists me going back out there with a bout of fatigue. I finish eating, slouch in the chair, and rest my hands behind my head.

  My eyes are closed but a moment before Emma stands up from the doorway. She sits at the table, and I peek momentarily with one eye to see her resting her head on her arms and looking at me.

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “I’m bored,” she complains. “This is not at all what I thought it would be like. I want to help you.”

  “It’s too dangerous out there. Better to be bored than dead.” I stroke one of the teeth on the upper jaw of my headdress.

  “You look like you’re having fun with that on your head.” She giggles.

  “Want to try it on?”

  “Sure!” She becomes excited.

  Removing it from my head, I place it on hers. It wobbles around, clearly too large for her head. When I let go, it nearly falls off. She laughs. Holding it on with both hands, she stands up and pretends to charge me, stamping her foot against the floor.

  I play along and jump up, shoving a chair between us, but she runs at me anyway and I move quickly around the table as she chases. Gaining ground away from her, she reverses and goes the other way and I do the same.

  “I’m going to get you!” she roars.

  “Not going to happen!” I veer off and head around the island counter.

  Ami enters from the living room, and gives me the ‘what-are-you-doing?’ look. Letting Emma catch me, she pretends to chomp down on my back with the teeth, and I pretend to be wounded. But I grab the headpiece and stick it back on my head. With a roar and stomp of my foot, I grin and aim toward Ami. Her eyes widen, and I charge. She bolts through the swinging door. I push through to see she’s already disappeared out the other side of the house.

  Out the door after her, I look right in time to see her vanish around the side. I pursue, holding the bottom of the skull so it stays put. Tearing through the yard, I reach the other side and Ami has hidden within the clotheslines. I maneuver through the freshly washed clothes.

  She flips towels into my face in an attempt to tangle me up in them. I am adept at moving through the obstacles, only becoming caught once. However, it gives her enough time to make a break for the apple tree. Though I push to catch up with her, she’s too agile and nimble. She reaches the tree and springs up into it.

  Staring up at her, I hold the lizard-man’s skull. She smiles at me, but I notice a tear roll down her cheek. I take the piece off my head and set it on the ground. Climbing into the tree with her, I sit on the next branch over and take her hand in mine.

  “I…was so worried. I didn’t know if you had died.” She sniffles and wipes away the tear, fighting to contain more.

  “I know. But I’m alive, and I’m here.”

  “Hey! You aren’t the only one who was worried!” Emma protests from the ground. “And take your hand out of his!”

  I smile at Emma’s protectiveness.

  “When Eve jumped in after you, the only thing I could think of was how she was with you, and if you were alive, the advances she was making.” Ami laughs a little, wiping her eye with her free hand.

  “I was hoping Rain would come back up and she wouldn’t,” Emma remarks snidely.

  “Stop,” I scold Emma.

  “I hoped falling in wouldn’t kill you, but knew that the house would if it shifted through time with you down there.” Ami sniffles.

  “Well, a lot of people did die down there. The few of us who made it back up wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for Eve’s survival knowledge, and the little healer girl who knew more about technology than she should have.”

  Ami and I sit in the tree, backs pressed to the trunk while Emma sits at the base. The afternoon turns into evening. Closing my eyes, I feel the responsibility of caving in the mass grave chasm weighing on my mind; but I still can’t find the motivation to do it just yet. A light breeze flows through the branches and it cools my skin. Footsteps approach. Agatha stands at the base looking up.

  “I’m going to start dinner. Rain, would you help me?” she asks.

  “Sure Aggy,” I call her by the nickname she’s stuck with, thanks to Emma. “What do you want me to do?”

  “You can make patties for me.” She smiles.

  I jump down, retrieve the headdress, then walk with Agatha back to the house. Ami and Emma linger for a minute, but they follow. The headpiece finds a home on the back of my chair while I wash up and help prepare dinner.

  She pulls the salad from the fridge while I take the bowl of meat. I make several balls and squish them flat on a plate. Emma seasons them with a few spices. Ami heats up a pan. It doesn’t take long for the delicious smell to permeate the house. Eve stumbles through the door groggily, drawn in by the food.

  “Well, good morning,” I playfully comment.

  “Shut it. My head is pounding,” she snaps.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t have spent all night with the tribal people drinking,” Ami says snidely.

  “Maybe you should mind your own business, ‘Miss Priss’.” Eve rolls her eyes.

  Though their banter puts a smirk on my face, I stop them before it escalates. “All right now. Let’s play nice.”

  With only bread to serve as buns for the meat, we create sandwiches for everyone and each puts their own condiments on. For a while it’s quiet while we eat, but Emma breaks the silence.

  “So, what happened down there?”

  With my mouth full of a bite I look at Eve and chew slowly.

  I guess we could only avoid the topic for so long. If Eve can keep quiet about her declaration, or that we slept next to each other for warmth, we might be in the clear. I’m sure Emma is just looking for the story.

  Clearing my mouth of the bite allows me to speak. “Not much to tell really. We fell in, encountered lizard-men, saved a handful of people and made it out.”

  “He’s being modest.” Eve snorts with contempt for my shortened version. “Despite being near death, he fought off a least a hundred of those things down there to keep us alive. And the big one he fought up here, he tangled with down there, too. I was
sure he killed it when he collapsed a tunnel on its head.”

  “You found the food and water. I’m not the one being modest here. I just killed things. And it was Taki who kept us both alive, and mysteriously knew about the cylinders.”

  “Eh, so I knew a little bit about survival.”

  “I wonder then if fighting and death were my life before.” I think out loud, testing their reaction. “It’s all I seem to know.”

  “Don’t say that Rain,” Ami scolds. “I’m sure it was nothing of the sort.”

  “You’re a protector: sometimes you have to fight,” Emma says.

  Drake’s accusation of assassinations pesters me. Silence again as we continue to eat. I drink down a glass of juice, staring off at nothing in particular. But I’m aware that it may look to the others like I’m staring at Eve. My mind runs through the events again.

  What could I have done different? There were so many paths I didn’t take. I hope there aren’t any more people still down there. With the cylinders destroyed, the only way to find out would be to jump back in.

  I suppose I’ll have to accept I can’t save everyone and, if there are people down there, hope they find a way to avoid those creatures. No doubt there are more who never made it up; perhaps other larger ones too.

  Ami clears her throat quite loudly and I look over at her. She stares me down and then looks at Eve.

  “Is there something we should know? You’ve been staring at Eve for more than a few minutes now.” Her jealousy rears its head.

  “I wasn’t staring at Eve,” I become defensive.

  “Sure you were. Just gawking. Did she get too friendly with you down there?” Ami interrogates.

  Eve smirks wide and seeks to egg Ami on. “What, he didn’t tell you? We cuddled close to keep warm down there. And then when I was vulnerable he took advantage of me, ripping my shirt off and putting his hands all over my chest!” She puts her hands over her face and turns away, feigning embarrassment. “It’s why I had his shirt on.”