Vorarin, following Nabidak, goes out through the door with a worried and nervous face. Parkad goes toward the door and says:
Hurry up! We should go.
Before we exit, Saidan puts his hand on my shoulder and says:
I know it’s a little difficult but you’ll get used to it. Take it easy.
Then gives a smile and says:
Good luck. See you.
He shakes his head and winks at me. I pound a soft fist on his arm and thanks him. Parkad opens the door and exits. I also get out after him. I hold my hand in front of my eyes involuntary. I close my eyes and then open them slowly.
I see Vorarin’s and Nabidak’s footsteps which go away from where we are going to, with an angle of thirty degrees. I take my steps faster to reach Parkad, and walk by him. We enter calmly in an alley, or perhaps a rather broad street which is narrowed by collapsed buildings. In some parts, a wall has been made by the ruins. We enter a building in the midway and go up to the first floor through its stairs. Then we enter another building via the debris which has turned into a bridge between the two buildings. We pass in silence all the way. I find it the best chance to release my mind from the confusion made by my questions. I hem to attract his attention and say:
What’s going on here?
He stops at windowsill of the first floor and looks around:
What do you think?
I shrug and say:
I don’t know, indeed.
In fact, I guessed it to some extent, but it is like an unproved theory; three groups are looking for something precious. He jump down through the window and moves on without he waits for me. Although the distance between the window and the ground is high, the collapsed and scattered debris make the distance less than it is. I jump on the debris, which has turned into the steps, and reach him.
What’s my duty in the group?
A soundless smile appears on his lips:
You should do whatever we tell you.
When I see he parries my question, I become silent and walk beside him. We get out a building and enter another one; we pass our way street by street and roof by roof. On a roof, while observing around, suddenly he says:
Have you any glassy clothes? It would become stormy today.
Yeah, Karisan gave me and Vorarin glassy clothes.
What was your job?
Management, mostly in offices.
He sits on a half-ruined wall near the roof so that being out of sight, and find refuge under the shadow of the wall.
Karisan has explained about you a little. Are you Alandima’s son?
I shake my head to confirm him. He says:
Finally we managed to meet you.
I ask with a false admiration:
Had you been in communication with my father?
As he stares at distance, sneers and says:
I know him as much as your age.
This time, I ask in real wonder:
Haven’t I met you in my father’s interment?
I am really a stranger to my father’s friends. Maybe I was a hermit or…yes, I haven’t seen nowhere but “Life” shelter. This is the first time that I leave there.
You’d better stay there. Everyone has been made for some particular work. You should have followed your father’s way.
It was a big shelter and I couldn’t manage it.
He replies me with his look, without saying a word. He stares at distance again. The meaning of his look is completely clear. It was exactly for five years that my father couldn’t get out of his bed. I had to do all of the works of the shelter. Maybe all of the people saw me as owner of the shelter, but I wasn’t be able to take even one step without my father’s help.
Prolonging his sitting, I also sit. The sweat drops are waiting for a stream to join and fall. The earth, like a furnace, melts us into itself. No breeze blows, both to breaks the silence between us and cool me with the help of the sweat on my body.
What are we looking for, here? Where should we go?
Do you care?
Well…yeah!
Seems you don’t know yet that you shouldn’t be mouthiness. One may be there in downstairs and listens to our words. This is one of the many rules you should respect.
It is like I have fallen on a chess board, I don’t know what I am, what should I do, and what is happening to me. I remain without motion and just look around. I think about the mission and kill the time until he lifts and reaches out his hand to his ear:
What happened, Kidaton?
I can hear Kidaton at this short distance from him and because the soft breeze makes no noise:
I’m just now in the position, but there’s a problem.
What happened?
You yourself must see it.
He pauses and then says:
I can’t talk anymore. Reach me soon.
Then his voice cuts off completely. Parkad rises immediately and says:
We should make haste.
He looks around for a while, then we come down through the next building. We come in a broad street and move forward from the edges. The roadbed is covered by sands thoroughly and our footsteps make tracks, but Parkad doesn’t care; he takes steps continuously.
We go on through the buildings. After a short walk, Parkad stops suddenly and changes the path. We enter a narrow alley which is made by collapsed buildings. Part of here has ceiling. At the end, we reach a three or four story building.
You get in from here and I’ll enter from the other side. Be quiet and don’t make any sound. Go slowly as you can. Hold your gun in your hand and be ready to fire. I’ll get in a little bit after you.
Then he wends to where he mentioned. It is all clear that he send me in as a prey to be sure there is safe. I enter through a hole on a wall. Then I find myself in a room which three other walls is intact. I pull out my gun and reach the door by the wall. I hold on the edge of the door frame and appraise the other side through a hole on the wall. No one and even no shadow is seen.
Half of the building has collapsed and there is no stairs. Just a little space is available. Almost everywhere is covered by the collapsed walls and debris. I encourage myself pressing my hands all over the gun and get out of my hole like a rat.
No one appears in front of me and no sound is heard. Everywhere is calm and I just can hear my footsteps on the floor. When I look around, I find out that nobody can be in the ground floor. The only entrance is that room.
The building is just like a cripple one who if try to rise, would lose his balance and falls on a side. The flexion of the building is visible from this angle clearly, it is like an elbow.
I wait for a while, but nothing happens. I should find a way to next floor. All of a sudden my eyes meet the debris which is like a stairs, like the huddled masses of lava, which is made by collapsed part of the ceiling and formed a stairs to the upper floor. I go up slowly over them which are not equal in size and height and reach to the second floor.
Continuous bending, makes pain in my breast and stomach. Here is like the lower floor, but with a more limited space. The ruined part of this floor is more but its stairs, despite of losing some steps, seems safe and intact. I manage to reach the last floor, although I have to jump from one step to the other and tolerate my ankle pain. Although the flexion of the building is not too much, its gradient causes off balance. Like a mountain in which the more you become close to its top, the less become its diameter, here also is remained just a room in the last floor. Because of the gradient of the building flexion, debris of the collapsed walls are gathered in a corner; one almost needs to leap to pass through. Suddenly I meet someone who is looking through his binoculars. I don’t know why I didn’t see him. I come to myself and hold my gun toward him.
Your action is too weak. Your promptitude would throw you in at deep end.
His white hair introduces him to me sooner than his words. Like me, he also bended forward to walk and he is looking around through his field glasses.
Be careful about the
middle of the room, its floor is loose.
I follow his recommendation and go toward him. There is a wide region in front of us, but so many buildings block our sight, yet a small part is in our sight entirely. In Parkad’s espying direction, there is a seven or eight-story building. It is at a distance of one hundred meters from us and seems almost intact.
Kidaton, I’m now in the position, what’s the problem?
A weak hiss is heard, then a weak voice says:
Look at between the main building and M-3, you’ll find out.
Parkad turns and goes toward the other side of the room and looks outside through the window. I can’t see his face, but he takes his head out of the window, stares at a point and saying no, he shows me something bad happened.
Damn! What’s happened there?
Kidaton replies from the other side:
Earth’s subsided.
When?
Nothing was happened by yesterday.
I go toward the window and look outside too. At a distance almost fifty meters from here, land has subsided and sank everything in itself. Buildings, like the wrecked ships, are huddled in the hole. The squashed cars are also seen among them. The buildings around the hole are affected by the subsidence and are slightly leaned.
Well, what should we do now, Parkad?
He stares at that point dumb stricken and shows no reaction. Kidaton repeats his question. Parkad, without stops looking there, says:
Where’s Nabidak?
They’re also in the position. Exactly in Y-junction, I mean the same branched roads which is thoroughly destroyed.
You mean the entrance is completely destroyed? Is it impossible to reach there?
Kidaton makes a pause and then says:
I don’t know, but half of the road destroyed. Yet the other half remained intact. More likely, of course, its entrance may buried under the debris, or may not. If we intended to get in from there, we should find it first.
Parkad, while again stares at a point with a worried face, says:
We must find it. It’s too bad. They may find the entrance. Reach there quickly, kidaton. We shouldn’t lose time. Inform Nabidak too.
He hangs his field glasses from his neck and hide it under his raincoat:
Hurry up! We should move. Our path to there is closer. Come on, shake a leg! We have no time.
He reach downstairs and I follow him immediately.
Get ready! From here and then your gun should be in your hand. Be careful!
I prepare my gun and follow him who takes step non-stop.
Move on by me. when you feel danger, you should part from me. Each one who is caught, the other shouldn’t risk his life to save him. Got it?
I shake my head, then we move on in silence.
We go on our way through the ruins and hide ourselves in a corner, off and on. Although Parkad takes step calmly, he turns his head around and watches the dead buildings. We pass by the edges and move forward through the buildings like rats. We take step slowly lest make noise.
Our group are just these people?
He turns back as he walks and looks at me. Then, again, his eyes search around:
Why, any problem?
No, I meant is this number enough to perform the mission?
He jumps over an obstacle, stops at a door and looks around.
Yes, it’s enough.
Then he enters the street and I follow him. We go through a short distance to enter the buildings again. But, after passing through a building, we come in the street again.
We go on our way under the sunshine. The sun is almost in the middle of the sky and over our heads. It works continuously like a furnace. The wind is still on strike, even a grain of sand can’t be seen flying in the air. We are just like the lizards which are creeping and move forward. Walking under the sunshine, has made my body hot as if I am on a fire.
Silence on one hand, and hit from the other hand made me confused and distressed. My eyes become dim and black. Streams of sweat are flowing on my face like a water fall, and my body is sticky all over. Once in a while, a bended building or a tall wall save us from the energy carrier particles. Finally, we enter a building. Parkad sits breathless on a ruined step of upper floor, and while he wipes his brow with his sleeve, says:
Damn! We are nearly roasted in this air.
He looks at his watch and says:
Finally its life ran out.
He taps on the watch several times and cleans its glass with his sleeves. Then he puts it on his ear to be sure, and listens to its heart beat; but he shakes his head hopelessly, breathe a sigh and takes it off from his hand, looks at it under the light and then throw it aside and says nervously:
Its battery is scarce and isn’t obtained at all. What time is it?
I press a button on my watch to read the time.
About eleven, two or three minutes is left.
He looks outside through the ruined part of the wall. Then he says:
Turn on your insignia and set it on radar mode.
So I take out my insignia and turn it on. I enter in specifications section and turn on the acceptance option. Then I look at him to perform the next order, but he still looks outside. I account his inattentiveness for the end of the orders and I wait. I guessed correctly. He says nothing and I wait. Once in a while, I look at the insignia display and outside in turn until I see a new name on the display:
R-1-------------------------------------position: within a 20-meter radius
Mission: cancelled
Acceptance: accordant
Fingerprint confirmation: two hours ago
He is certainly from another group, because his name is different from us. It may be the reason why Parkad is looking outside, and he is waiting for someone. But, however, I should tell him the matter:
Someone is detected by radar, he seems to be from another group.
He even doesn’t turn his head toward me. Maybe he told me to turn on my insignia to be sure of R-2 presence or guiding him to here. The distance of R-2 becomes lesser and he comes close to us. I decide to turn off the insignia that suddenly a message appears on the display:
End of appointed time. You must rescan your fingerprint. In the case of disobedience, the set would be destroyed in less than two minutes.
This is the same message that woke me up this morning. I push aside the rear door of the insignia and put my finger on its screen. My fingerprint is confirmed with a soft beep. Then an acknowledgement message appears on the display for performing the order. When the message disappears, I see the R-2 who is at a distance of just two meters from us. I exit the acceptance option on the insignia and then turn it off. I stay where I am standing and look at the point which Parkad is looking.
A slim and tall man enters. His face is full of hair and his beard hang down to his breast. His hair is disheveled and he dressed in tatters. He seems to be saved from fighting with a lion. Although he is white-skinned, only his eyes are seen white in his dark face. His toes are visible through the cuts on his boots. He has used the wires instead of bootlace. His raincoat has turned into a shirt as well.
Seeing Parkad, he puts his gun under his waistband. Then he opens his mouth happily and says:
You don’t know how happy I am that I see human again!
Parkad moves his lips slightly but there is no affection on his face.
Henceforth you’ll see human as you wish.
The new member laughs but soon after he sees me, although his smile doesn’t change, he assumes an air of caution. He asks Parkad by moving his eyebrow toward me, to introduce me. Parkad darts a look at me and says:
He’s Alandima’s son.
The new member, as a wolf looks his prey, stares at me dumb stricken. He surveys me unbelievably but like a mad whose behavior is unpredictable, begins to laugh and says:
Alandima’s son? Well, finally I met you. What was your name? Wait a minute, I’d remember, what? What was? Sa… no, no. Sia… no, no!
; Parkad helps him:
Zairas.
The new member confirms Parkad like a cock-a-hoop child:
Yeah, that’s it! You know, I was sure that I’ll finally meet you some day.
Then he pauses for a while and says:
What’re you doing here?
Parkad replies him:
He’s in our group now.
The new member frowns. I don’t know what is going on in his head. It seems to him a little strange that he sees me here, I guess. He seems to me an interesting man, I like his manner. He has a pleasant face and I feel comfortable with him.
I’d better introduce myself. I’m Jonadin. It’s true our group names are different but as a whole, we’re in one single group. You can count on me, whenever you need help just tell me.
Finishing Jonadin’s word, Parkard interferes:
Enough for now. The situation has changed completely. You should do whatever you can.
Jonadin’s face assumes an air of serious:
What happened? I reach here soon after received your message. If you’d sent later, I wouldn’t have been in the town anymore.
The plan’s changed. We need your help.
Jonadin’s face assumes an air of wonder and his eyes become wide open:
The plan has changed? What’re you telling about?
Parkad shows him the random-made chair of debris:
We should return the “fire”.
Jonadin makes a pause while he is sitting and says:
What?
Parkad hold out his hand to stop him and says:
I know, but we should do this. It seems the location of the fire is betrayed. But it remains to be seen. However, we should proceed as soon as possible. Karisan also asked us this.
May it be because of the reds and blues groups?
Parkad folds his arms and shakes his head.
Well, what should we do now?
Parkad taps on the back of his arm with his forefinger and, while staring at the floor, says:
We must find the fire and get it out before them.
So, what’re you waiting for?
He intimates with his look that he is asking me too. Parkad again folds his arms and says:
There’s a problem. Three entrances to the building are destroyed. Land has subsided just there and all of the ways are ruined. They may find a way to get in there at any moment.
Maybe the main entrance is blocked.
Parkad shakes his head and says:
We can’t take a risk. It may be not blocked. If the entrance is available, it makes our job easier, unless we’re facing with a big problem.
Their faces are confused and nervous. It is clear from their words that we should keep something away from those two groups. I am happy that I have finally found out something, but the event which is likely to happen, makes me worry. The imagination of being shot and having a bullet on my body, trembles me.
If the entrance is blocked we are facing with a big problem, and just remains one way, that is, we do enter through the main door of the building. There we would also encounter difficulties, because that point is in the middle and it’s hard to pass.
Parkad shakes his head and says:
I informed the group and asked them to reach there. They should be in the location now. We should join them too. Our only hope is the same secret way, unless you know another way which we don’t know.
Jonadin shakes his head and says:
I search all over there but I couldn’t find any way to enter and to get out.
Parkad puts and pushes his hands on his knees and rises:
Well, now we should move.
What about the plan?
Jonadin asks this while rises from the random-made chair.
Now, we should just join the group. We have no time, I’ll explain on the way.
Parkad moves ahead of us and enters the ruined street which the collapsed buildings have made a ceiling over it. Jonadin asks me to follow him with his hand signal. He reaches Parkad and takes step by him. I just follow them from behind.
It is cooler under the shadow and a soft breeze is blowing now. With the beginning of the wind blowing, houses again are howling. Sands are floating in the air. A small whirlwind passes in front us off and on, and once in a while collapsing a part of the buildings catches our eyes. Both of them move on cautiously and monitor around carefully. Time passes in silent until we reach the end of the street and then Parkad stops and says:
Where did you see the red group?
He hide himself in a dent in the wall and peeps around through a hole on the wall. Jonadin reaches a burnt lorry off the street and looks around through its load grate, and I hide myself behind a ruined wall.
Near the main building. They didn’t bother to hide themselves.
Maybe they arrived recently. As Zairas and Saidan said, the blue group heard from the red group newly. Yet we are on red alert. We have to act in time and prudently, nevertheless it remains just that way…let’s go, nobody is there.
Jonadin shakes his head to confirm and we move again. We cross the street and enter the metro station which is along with the street. The escalators have been slept since many years ago, the tiles of the walls are unstuck and have covered the stairs along with the collapsed ceiling. All of the fluorescent tubes on the ceiling are broken and their wires are hung from them. The inner space has a strange color and looks like a clothes which have been left under the sunshine for a long time. Unlike the town atmosphere, it doesn’t make me a good feeling, although some color can be seen here.
We go down the stairs slowly. The sound of breaking tiles under our feet echoes through the building. The side stairs is cleaner to some extent. As we go down, the light from the back reveals something strange in front us. A small door is in the middle and a wall of bars, tires, wires, iron beams, is made around it to prevent others from entering, and also to be a support for the door. The empty space between them is so small that only a hand can pass through it. This is just like a trench with barbed wires around it, but its door is open.
Parkad enters before us. This time Jonadin waits for me to enter first, then he gets in. I expect to see nowhere but here is light. The broken windows on the ceiling toward the sky and also the holes on the right side wall, make here bright.
As I guessed, here also has suffered changes caused by humans. The waiting hall of the station are partitioned and made some rooms, and an oven can be seen in each. There are some empty cans everywhere, some old chairs and tables, the picture frames on the walls, some threadbare and dusty cloth and rugs, kettles, and broken dishes. In some rooms there are also wardrobe and bedding.
In addition to soil, cement and plaster, cloth and nylon are also used in the track of the walls. Some of them are arranged acock. Some ruined and some are left halfway. These are the rooms in which the refugees were living, and now dust has replaced them and is the permanent resident of these rooms. The wind also visits here once in a while.
Sand has covered everywhere like the snow and in some parts has made some high and low hills. Like the path which is made by frequent passing of the cars, there is a narrow way caused by passing people, but is less visible; wind has cleaned its track.
Parkad and Jonadin pass by them inattentively and reach the railroads and wagons through the path in the sands. Wagons have been changed into a residential region. All of the windows are covered by some pieces of wood and iron. The barrels are unfolded and used as doors of the wagons. Although the railroads are intact, some wagons have derailed. When I pass by a wagon which one of its window is open, I find out that all of appurtenance are detached and ejected and it is turned into a house. Most of the furniture which is needed for a house, can be seen here. Between the wagons and the walls there are still some ropes which were used for drying the clothes.
Parkad and jonadin take steps on the rails and move ahead along the tunnel and near the wagons. Although the wagons line still continues, wagon-houses are just in the waiting
hall, and as we proceed they disappear from our sight.
You said that we have only one way? What’s that?
Parkad looks at Jonadin and after a pause says:
In case of the entrance isn’t blocked, two of us should enter and get the fire out. The rest of the group would wait for interfere if any problem appears. Of course it’s just my view and depends on the conditions.
And if it’s blocked?
Our plan may change but then it would be too hard for us. These two groups hung around here so they smelled that the fire should be somewhere around here.
Do we need inform thunderbolt-2 or another group? This way we may do our work easier and more confidently.
No, time doesn’t allow this and most importantly, few persons make few difficulties. We should only act correctly and planned.
Then he looks at me as if he has a definite intention:
Their large number is just because they don’t know the exact place of the fire. They’ve a little time to find it. We have an ace for the nonce, that is, we know where it is and…
All of a sudden Parkad reaches his hand to his waist and brings his wireless set from under his raincoat.
Hey parkad, we are now in the position, where’re you?
In the metro station. I found Jonadin. We’ll be there by ten minutes. Where’s Kidaton?
Just a minute!
The sound cuts off for a short time, and then Nabidak says:
He’s here too.
How’s things going on?
Again, the sound cuts off for a short time.
As I see from here, the metro is completely safe. Nobody is about there. But here, the blue soldiers are innumerable. The subsided land attracted them too much. All is for that damned building which is betrayed.
What about the reds?
No, they still hide themselves. Just the blue group have imposed the martial law and do whatever they wish. It’s not important for them to be seen and they’re searching severely. Kidaton said that when he was coming here, the blue soldiers were searching the north side of the subsided region. They’re likely to reach here by evening, if they wouldn’t change their plan, and then, they’ll find the way to get in.
Saying this words, all of us go pale. I, who don’t know anything about these events, feel quite overcome by fear.
Look, as you’re in metro station and the subsidence has occurred exactly near you, I think you can find the entrance easier than us.
Now I find out the origins of lights which come from the right side wall; there are so many holes across the metro which allow the light comes inside. All of a sudden, Parkad runs the rest of the way until he reaches the part in which half of the metro is ruined along with the subsidence. Its height is the same as for the tunnel, and its length is almost three meters.
He goes on to the edge of the hole and looks at inside. Jonadin joins him, and I approach there slowly and stop at a distance of one step from them. Although my eyes got used to the light, it still annoys them. I close and press my eyelids, then after several winking, look outside. Suddenly I feel overcome by fear and my knees sag. It gives me vertigo and my eyes go black. I go back two steps involuntary and lean on the wall. Although I kept distance from there, I can see the view of the other side clearly. There are so many pipes and sewage canals on the wall of the hole. Some iron beams also emerged from the walls.
I overcome my fear and go closer. The height of the hole is about forty meters with a radius of one hundred meters. It is really huge. Again I feel emptiness and I have to put my hand on parkad’s shoulders. He pays no attention to me and still stares at the hole.
The north side of the hole is filled up to the half by debris of the collapsed buildings but the south part of the hole, in which the secret way passes through, is still empty. In addition to the collapsed buildings into the hole, the pavements of the road and some pieces of rusted metals also can be seen. My eyes begin to look for in the south side of the hole. I don’t know that is the anxiety which prevents me from seeing the things, or I really haven’t seen it. I decide to begin searching again but Parkad and Jonadin make it easy for me. I follow their view direction until I see a black squarish spot on the wall of the hole.
Damn! It’s completely visible. I wonder why they haven’t seen it yet.
Jonadin confirms him and says:
Nabidak is right, they’ll find it by evening.
Parkad replace his wireless set under his waistband and says:
We should go.
He takes his steps fast and move ahead nonstop. I feel that my soul returns to my body again, since I get away from the horrible hole. I go on the rest of the way in silence until we reach the place the ceiling has collapsed and has made an upward stairway. Parkad go up through it immediately, but takes care at the end of it and before he passes the last step, looks around carefully. Then he signals us with his hand to go up. Jonadin asks me to go first. I go up the stairs with the help of my hands and stand by Parkad. He is looking around like an eagle. His eyes moves fast from one building to another one:
We should reach that building.
Chapter 20
The encounter