by Ciara Knight
She cut the engine and I worked the controls. The flaps banged and bells whistled until I cut power completely. Wires hummed at the nape of my neck, connecting with the ship. A binary conversation took place in my brain.
An orange hue illuminated the cockpit. The ship glided on an air current and for a second, I was weightless.
I glanced over and Raeth held her arms in the air and smiled. It wasn’t just me. We were headed down too fast.
Once I cut the lights, all I saw out the front was darkness.
“Sure you got this? No time to power-up now.” He gripped the back of my seat.
My insides wrenched as I realized we were about to plow into the sand.
Ryder pressed against the seat.
The ship slowed.
We slid silently down the sand dune to a halt.
The only other light seeped through greenish clouds from the orange moon.
The roar of the Scavenger engines echoed and I held my breath, waiting for the ship to fly over the dune we’d surfed down and take us hostage again.
None of us made a sound. We knew if we dropped so much as a bead of sweat on the floor of the ship, a sermechtapede or spiderat would find us in minutes.
The Scavenger ship passed, the rumbling of the engines fading.
“Ryder. I know you could never understand…but I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Can’t talk now, the creatures could hear.”
We sat in uncomfortable silence. Once in a while he opened his mouth, only to shut it again. He’d sworn only a day ago to avenge his sister. Now the culprit sat next to him.
“Why’d you save me? You want me dead, yet you pulled me into the ship.”
“How could you let it happen?” he mumbled.
“I-I…” The words wouldn’t flow. I didn’t know how to answer him.
“Sh-she didn’t torture me. Sh-she t-tried to help me,” Raeth said.
“How?”
The internal compartment of my mind I’d shut the door on cracked and tears spilled down my cheeks. I only hoped no one could see them in the dark. I clutched the small cloth Dred had given me for strength.
“By disobeying her m-mother. Sh-she was discovered t-trying to c-comfort me. W-we were only little girls. I’d never s-seen a m-mother treat a child the way the queen did S-Semara. Brutal.”
My head throbbed at the memory of her body bouncing down the gangway. “I should’ve risked it and gotten you off the ship instead of dropping you like garbage.”
“Risk more? I’m th-the reason she was promised t-to the general as a s-slave not a bride. She t-tried t-to help me escape and was caught. Queen ordered m-me to die and Semara to be given to the general.”
Ryder dropped his head in his hands.
The light shone in the distance again, this time in the other direction. “Must’ve given up and turned back. It’s too risky to be out here at night.”
We all sat in silence as the scavengers passed by again. I clasped my hands in my lap. “I think we should go.”
Ryder stood hunched over. “Raeth, you rest. I’ve got it from here. I can fly a straight shot. If anything happens, I’ll wake you.” Gripping the steering handles, he slid into the pilot chair. “You’re right. First light, they’ll return. This time of year that’ll only be in a few hours.”
The engine revved and Ryder quickly got us in the sky before any creatures ate us for a night snack.
It would take us twice the time to reach Old Chicago without the power of the scavenger ship. For four hours, I ran through everything in my head. My father’s loving embrace. Being torn from the only home I’d known at only eleven, alone on a ship with a bunch of strangers until I met Raeth.
The morning light crept up the eastern horizon. The fuel gauge danced at the middle, warning us we were cutting it close.
“We have a couple more hours, you should get some sleep,” Ryder murmured.
I stared out the front window. “I can’t sleep.”
“You’re still thinking about Dred, aren’t you?”
Fear clawed at me. “You judge him because of his circumstances even after he risked everything to free us. How do we know that Malvak isn’t back there torturing his family now?”
Raeth stirred on the floor behind us.
He shifted in his seat. “You said you tortured my sister.”
His words shot like a laser through my chest. I struggled to catch my breath. “Yes, my mother forced me to participate in the interrogation after she caught me nursing Raeth. I know you think everyone has a choice. But sometimes you don’t, or it’s between bad and worse. That’s when people are forced to do things. It isn’t always easy to stand up for what you believe in.”
“You were only twelve. Dred was a man.”
“A man with a family—a wife, and child. Can you tell me you wouldn’t risk everything for Raeth? I think you’ve already proved you would when they tried to hang you.”
A puff of white smoke blew from between his lips.
Knowing I’d never be able to make him understand, I sat rigid in the chair next to him for the next few hours.
The sun rose higher in the sky and the gauge dropped dangerously low. “We need to land soon,” I said.
Ryder leaned forward and scanned the horizon.
I couldn’t stand the silence another second. “Even if we find a place to land, we won’t make it to the city and back before nightfall.”
“Uncle spoke of panic rooms installed by the humans back before the war. They were terrified of the Neumarians sneaking in while they slept or breaking into their homes during dinner to drain them of their blood.”
“Blood?”
Ryder huffed. “They were obsessed with vampires and shape shifters and thought we all wanted to drain their blood so we could live forever.”
“Really?”
“Idiots. Bunch of mindless humans needing someone to lead them. Well, they got what they wanted.”
A clearing between the rubble caught my eye. “Over there.”
“No, we need to make it a few more kilometers to make sure we’re out of the desert zone. If we let her down near those beasts, the ship will be gone by morning.”
“Morning? But we—”
“Don’t have a choice. Face it, we’re kilometers from the city. Even at the fastest speed possible, we’ll never make it back in time. And from what I know, we don’t want to be out after dark. We’ll freeze or be devoured by hungry animals.”
“Animals?”
“Once the population was gone, animals ran wild in these parts.”
“Let’s fly until we can’t go any longer,” I agreed.
“Good plan.” The fuel lasted another few hours until the sun crossed and began to descend behind the ship. We were further than I’d figured based on the Geomap, and we wouldn’t have long to find shelter.
“We’re not going to make it, are we?”
“We’ll make it.”
I didn’t say anything to keep from freaking Raeth out. The last thing we needed was her becoming comatose. Ryder would be slowed by the weight of carrying her. Even though she didn’t even weigh forty-five kilos, it would still hinder our progress.
The landscape turned from miles of orange sand to rubble, spurts of weeds, and busted asphalt.
The ship jumped and sputtered and the red line spun around the gauge.
“That’s as far as we go,” Ryder announced.
I opened the flaps decreasing our speed and Ryder glided toward the ground.
“Steady. We don’t want to damage the ship or we’ll never get out of here,” I warned.
Glancing around, I saw everything had been blasted to oblivion. Why would Old Chicago be any different? We needed to find the panic rooms. Assuming they still existed.
“There.” Ryder pointed to the other side of a tall grass field.
The ship dipped lower and skimmed the tall green and brown trees. A scratch from a branch down the belly of the ship made me cringe. Beyond
the last line of trees the ship sputtered and we sailed down without power.
I sprang into action and controlled the flaps as needed, keeping the ship level as we descended. My heart raced at the realization the wind picked up. If we didn’t die landing, we had to be close to Old Chicago. Fallon had said there were great radiated lakes on the other side of the city that created the wind, and it had been called the windy city before the war according to my history instructor.
The ship bounced twice and then halted after a few hundred meters. We all sighed and Ryder fell back in his chair.
“Sorry, too much wind. Wasn’t sure I could handle it with my powers. The Wasteland with soft sand is one thing, wind another.
Raeth took out her ball and bounced it a few times. Good indication she’d be back with us soon.
“No time to rest.” Ryder stood hunched over and retrieved the radiation masks Fallon had given us. Not sure if any of the radioactive fallout still remained. I donned the mask and handed one to Raeth. Then we each snapped on our belts with the few drops of remaining water nestled in a slot. Ryder helped Raeth with her mask.
I loved the smell of worn leather. But when mixed with scented pine, I coughed and sniffled. Grimacing as the mask straps dug into my temples, I adjusted them higher on my head.
“Hatch opening.” My voice echoed in my head.
I shoved Dred’s small cloth in my side pouch and pressed the button. Holding my breath, I waited for some mutant creature to attack.
Nothing moved.
Nothing swept through the sky.
Nothing scurried or squawked.
Only eerie silence. Until another gust of wind brought a cool breeze through swaying charcoaled trees.
Ryder bolted over the side and landed on the ground.
I flung my leg over and tumbled down. Ryder caught me before my head smashed against the side of the ship. I straightened and moved to the side so Raeth could come down. “Do you know where we are?”
“Not exactly, but I believe we aren’t too far from what remains of Old Chicago.”
Raeth sat on the edge of the cockpit dangling her legs.
“Jump.” Ryder held out his arms.
She launched from the ship.
He hobbled back as he caught her. “Which way?”
I glanced around the desolate area, and compared it to the terrain on the Geomap. Sparse, gnarled, naked tree trunks littered the area. Moss snaked up and around rocks and rubble of buildings and homes that once stood erect on this site.
I turned and studied the inviting landscape full of lush foliage behind us, then back to the crumbled remains ahead.
“Looks like we’re abandoning a garden for a graveyard,” Ryder muttered.
His words sent a shiver through my body, leaving a trail of doom and fear. “Well, if there is one thing I’ve learned, looks don’t mean anything in the real world.” I took Raeth by the arm. “Come on, we’ll walk together.”
“You have such a way with her. How can you be so different from your mother? The woman who murders, pillages, and destroys without thought.”
It was a rhetorical question. He brushed by and pressed on. The watch in my vest ticked in a loud beat. A constant reminder of the deadline we were under.
Raeth’s leg jammed and she wobbled before Ryder took her by the elbow.
“P-please, need to r-rest a moment.”
“I could use a quick rest.” I pulled my water from my belt, squeezed my eyes shut, and pulled the mask from my face.
“Here, you need to drink some.” Ryder held the container out to his sister. “Make sure to keep your eyes shut and hold your breath. We don’t know how the air could affect us. No one’s ever been out this far…except for our mysterious contact.”
“Ahead! There’s a few buildings still standing.” My insides jumped in hope we’d reached Old Chicago, and despair at the ruin before us. The sun, only a third above the horizon, an hour left of day light, shone from behind us down a rocky path.
Ryder rushed ahead and grabbed his view finder. My heart soared at the sight of the broken hell that lay ahead.
“Yes, that’s it. It has to be.” He handed the viewfinder to me. “Over there, the lime green. It has to be the water Uncle spoke of.”
“Yeah, too bad it’s on the other side of the city and it’s too contaminated to drink.” I shook my container, the small amount of water sloshed inside.
“We’ll have to find something to drink and shelter. Tomorrow morning, we’ll look for our contact and fuel for the ship.”
“I don’t know if I can make it,” Raeth said faintly through her mask.
Ryder took her hand and helped her down the hill. “You have to. We can’t stop now.”
She grabbed him as her metal leg weighted her down. Losing her grasp on Ryder, she crumbled to the ground.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
I quickly took Raeth’s other arm. “I’m here, too.”
Raeth tripped and her metal foot clanged against rocks and tree roots all the way down.
By the time we reached the bottom, rivers of sweat ran down my back. I grabbed the cloth from my side pouch and dabbed my forehead. “See, told you we’d make it.” Using the rag, I blotted Raeth’s cheeks and brow.
Raeth reached for her ball.
My hand covered hers. We couldn’t afford for her to check out now. “You did great, Raeth. You’re faster than a desert beetle,” I teased.
Raeth placed the ball back in her belt and walked arm in arm with me.
Bombed out buildings came into focus. “We should head to the nearest building that looks habitable,” Ryder urged.
I swallowed hard. The massive mounds of grey and black piles looked like they weren’t going to stand much longer.
I pointed. “Look. A street.” There was a long cleared path through the middle of the rubble.
Ryder passed us, leading the way into Old Chicago. “Must’ve been cleared sometime toward the end of the war.” Ryder turned left and right glancing down the side alleys. “I never understood why the queen didn’t drop the bomb directly in the heart of the city. Why only outside?”
“She never wastes resources.”
“If that’s true, she has something here. Some sort of mining or factory.” Ryder tugged at his mask strap.
“I agree.”
The hair rose on the back of my neck as we maneuvered down the rocky path. Shadows covered us in cool darkness almost as if to warn of the evil ahead.
Snarls echoed down the alleyways as the light faded. A green-eyed beast blinked only a few meters away.
A light shone so bright it blinded us. “Who’s out there?” A hoarse woman’s voice echoed from behind the light.
“Our ship ran low on fuel,” Ryder shouted.
The sound of a gun being readied to fire sounded from behind the light. “Go back to it, nothing ’round here for y’all.”
The lime green eyes reflected from the alley to our side.
“Please, my sister has a bad leg. We won’t make it.”
Silence.
“What’s your business here?” the woman asked.
Ryder shielded his eyes. “Trying to get to a new territory. Our resources are running out, but our craft didn’t make it.”
I held my breath, hoping and wishing she’d help. The sun continued to lower behind us.
“Fine, this way,” the woman shouted.
Raeth collapsed to the ground and covered her ears.
“Grab ‘er and follow me. They ain’t stupid ya know. Besides, temperature’s about to drop like ya never felt,” the woman said.
Ryder scooped Raeth up in his arms. “Semara, go.”
I glanced back. More eyes shone behind us.
“Hold on,” Ryder managed through labored breaths.
“There.” The light shut off, revealing the woman, but a blue haze surrounded her face. I continued to blink away the remnants of the light in my vision.
“Behind the building.
Go right.”
Scared to say anything that would change the woman’s mind, I followed her directions in silence.
After several turns, stairs, and a few metal doors, we entered a home in the middle of the rubble. The blue spot had faded from my vision, revealing sofa, tables and chairs.
“Take her in that room.” Her wisps of grey and blonde hair reminded me of my own. But the wrinkles on her face looked more like a human or Neumarian. Strange, until the Mining Territory, I hadn’t seen wrinkles. But then, no one on Mother’s ship was allowed the disfigurement of the deep lines of age.
Ryder laid Raeth on a grey couch with sunken cushions.
I collapsed into a fluffy chair and pulled the mask from my face.
The woman studied Raeth with eyebrows pinched together. “What’s wrong with her?”
Candlelight flickered around us. Raeth retrieve her ball from her pocket and rolled it in her hand.
“She’s been through a lot,” Ryder said softly.
“Y’all not right smart, are you?” The old woman leaned back in a white chair, tilting it against the wall behind her.
I cleared my throat. “We thank you for the assistance.”
The woman slammed the two front legs down onto the floor and stood up. She glowered at the three of us then left the room. “Couldn’t let y’all be dog food. Guess I gotta feed ya now, too.” She disappeared into a doorway in the back.
I reached out and took Raeth’s hand. “Can we trust her? Do you think that’s our contact?
“We don’t have a choice. No reason not to since she went out there to save us. But I’m not sure we should reveal why we’re here just yet. We’re not going anywhere before morning anyway.”
I stared after the woman then back at Ryder. “I guess so.”
“Just glad we all made it this far.” He caressed my cheek. I loved the way his hand cradled my face. I never thought I’d feel his touch again. He still had a hint of the earthy scent from the day we’d met. It soothed my nerves. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to enjoy it for a moment.
The woman returned with tray in hand. “I only have so much to spare. Huntin’s scarce ’round here.”
“Why were the eyes of those dog-like creatures green?” I asked.
