Out of Time (The Adventures of Eric and Ursula Book 4)

by A. D. Winch

  One part of her mind focused on the craft nearest to hers, but her eyes continued to wander over the inside of her pod. It did not resemble the interior of a human spacecraft or even what she imagined a UFO might look like. The equipment around her seemed to be a mix of them both. She was not able to take in any detail as she feared that any distraction would cause her to fall behind again or, worse still to crash.

  The dart continued on and after nearly thirty minutes the nose dropped and it flew directly towards the Earth. With every metre, its speed increased as gravity pulled it down, and a crash seemed unavoidable. At half a kilometre above the ground, the pointed nose began to rise. By the time the dart was horizontal, it had slowed considerably and was only metres above the ground. It landed amongst some trees.

  Eric and Ursula followed in their pods. They could see the Earth getting nearer as they fell towards it. They were falling so fast that the land below became a green and brown blur. The speed of their descent was exhilarating at first, but as they continued to fall, it became frightening. Their stomachs felt as if they were moving up their bodies and their hearts raced. If it weren't for the red cushions, they would have floated upwards.

  "Stop!" they yelled together.

  The Earth was approaching too fast, and they no longer cared about the dart. However, the pods continued to fall. It took a moment for them to realise that they had to visualise the stop for it to happen. From the top of the pods, a wing of silver flowed outwards. The pods slowed instantly and began to spin like helicopter rotors. From below, the pods looked like two giant, silver sycamore seeds. When they were directly above the ground, each wing retracted back into its body, and the pods dropped safely back onto the Earth.

  Eric and Ursula were extremely dizzy. Their hearts were beating fast, and they desperately wanted to get out. The red cushions that protected the children peeled away from their bodies and the silver drained from the pods' sides to give them each an exit. They both jumped out and moved unsteadily away from the craft. Their faces were pale green, and they were both retching. Eric collapsed onto his knees and threw up. Ursula fell on her bottom, placed her head between her legs and breathed deeply while waiting for the world to stop spinning.

  Neither of them had ever been so happy to be back on the ground before, and neither wished to repeat a similar landing again.

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  ***

  Chapter 26 - Ghost Town

  Outside the pods, it was freezing but the cold air was welcomed.

  "I have a theory," Eric croaked, spitting the last of the vomit from his mouth.

  "That we are going to die," Ursula replied. Her head was down, and her eyes were closed.

  "Probably, but this is about being born." He didn't look at her and continued to spit between sentences. "We were 'grown' in space. We were made from human DNA and samples that are alien. What if the pods were made at the same time? What if the same human DNA and alien samples were used in making these pods?"

  "It's a machine. It's impossible."

  "Why not?"

  Ursula did not want to take part in this conversation. It was for another time, not now. She was feeling better and wanted to secure the samples that they were searching for, before it was too late. Gingerly, she stood up and looked around.

  "Where are we?" she muttered and shivered in the cold.

  The sky was grey, and rolling hills surrounded them. The highest peaks had a scattering of light snow, and a vast forest grew on the slopes. Ursula looked around the pods. They were in a clearing of sorts. Trees lay dead on top of each other, and mist blew through the splintered branches and into the air. They had not been chopped down but looked as if they had been toppled by the ground below and then scorched with fire.

  Ursula bent down and touched the ground.

  "Do you notice anything about this place?" she asked.

  "It's cold," Eric replied, standing up and shivering a little.

  "Look at the mist."

  Eric looked and shrugged. "It's going upwards."

  "It's coming from holes and cracks in the earth!" She pointed to thin scars and trenches nearby. "And touch the ground. It's warmer than the air temperature. It should be wet or frozen, but it's neither."

  Eric bent down. She was right.

  "That's interesting," he replied. "But we're not here to admire the local environment. We need to find the dart."

  "I know, but it's strange, don't you think?"

  "Yes, but where is the dart?"

  "I saw it briefly on the way down as I was spinning. I think it went that way."

  Ursula pointed north-east, and Eric closed his eyes to focus on the creature they were following.

  "You're right," he said on opening his eyes. "Let's go."

  Eric limped past Ursula.

  "What have you done?" she asked.

  A tear in the bottom of his trouser leg was stained red, and blood had flowed down and over his boot.

  "It's nothing. We've got more important things to worry about right now. We can't let it get away. Come on."

  They stepped over the dead trees and through fallen leaves. They were still in desert fatigues and wore warm underclothes, but they could feel the cold.

  A lawn of yellow grass opened up in front of them. In its centre was a large crater that had sucked in a decrepit house. The wooden walls were cracked, window frames had bowed and the roof had fallen in.

  "This is weird," Eric said.

  They walked past the house and gave the crater a wide berth. The mist was thickest near the front door, and as they passed, they could faintly smell gas.

  "What's under us?" Ursula asked, but she did not expect an answer.

  The whole scene put them on edge, but they continued onto the main road. It went on as far as they could see, but it was utterly deserted. Large cracks snaked across it and more mist hung above the tarmac. A few metres from them strange images had been painted on the road. Next to these someone had graffitied 'HELP!'

  "What is this place?" Ursula asked. "I don't like it."

  "Nor do I, but whatever we are following has a reason for being here. Let's do what we have to do and get out of here. We have to go that way," Eric said, pointing towards a road in even worse shape than the one they were already on.

  On the kerb was a rusted metal sign. It was dented and looked as if it had been shot at. Ursula turned it over and read aloud.

  "Centralia. Population one thousand. Nineteen eighty-one. But someone has tried to scratch out two of the zeros, so it says ten instead."

  "Wherever we are, there aren't many people about," Eric replied. "Perhaps, ten is all that is left."

  They left the sign and walked up the narrower road. A large number of plants had grown through the warm cracks. They walked on between dense trees and bushes. After a few hundred metres, a chain blocked the road. Large black letters hung from it - 'STAY OUT!'

  Ursula stopped. Before she had a chance to ask Eric about it, he had stepped carefully over the chain and was limping away. Ursula hurdled it and ran after him.

  "Don't be scared," Eric said patronisingly. "I'll look after you."

  "I wasn't scared. Nor do I need looking after. But if a sign says 'stay out' I like to think about what this means before ignoring it."

  "That's what I did. I thought we have to go this way, so I ignored it."

  On the side of the road, almost hidden, they saw another sign. This time Eric stopped and pulled the branches aside. The words were large and red.

  WARNING - DANGER

  UNDERGROUND MINE FIRE

  WALKING OR DRIVING IN THE AREA COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH

  DANGEROUS GASES ARE PRESENT

  GROUND IS PRONE TO SUDDEN COLLAPSE

  Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

  Department of Environmental Protection

  "I guess we now know why there's no one around," Eric said, but a little less assertively.

  "But why come here? What's the reason?"


  "Maybe it’s a trap or maybe this is a secret alien lair," Eric half-joked. "Didn't Professor Larsen mention something about aliens living on a warmer Earth? Maybe this is what it would be like. Maybe they have already started to colonise our planet."

  Ursula didn't answer and pushed him forward.

  The road ended shortly after the sign, and Eric led Ursula into the forest. Unlike the trees near the pods and on the hillsides, these were smaller and much younger. On the ground around them was a carpet of black stones that moved as the children stepped over them.

  "We're nearly there. The alien is close by. I can feel it," Eric said, and Ursula agreed.

  They continued over the stones, occasionally slipping on the unsteady surface and soon reached a small valley. A river of ochre-coloured water flowed at the bottom. The children moved carefully along the ridge until they reached a plastic fence emblazoned with the words 'DANGER' and 'DO NOT ENTER.' Beyond it was a steep slope down to a collection of rotting wooden beams around a hole in the ground. From inside it, they heard a noise.

  Neither of them waited. Ursula jumped over the fence; Eric ducked under it, and they both skidded down the slope. Ursula ventured into the hole and saw the remains of a mine. Warm air blew past her face, and she felt much colder back outside.

  "Can you do this, Eric?" Ursula asked.

  "Of course," he replied falsely and dived under the wooden beams and into the mine.

  As Ursula went to join him, he pushed back past her, tripped on his bad leg and landed hard on the ground.

  "I can't do it!" he said as he got up. He was furious at himself.

  "What if you follow me? Stay close to me," Ursula suggested.

  "No. I can't do it," he said, trying to regain control of his breathing. "I can't see an entrance or exit in front of me. I can't do it. It is like the passageway to the cellar but far worse."

  Ursula took a deep breath and said, "Then I'll go. We need to get these samples. We both have more white hair than ever before, and I am starting to feel tired. Not sleepy tired, but physically tired."

  She removed a torch from her bag. Eric took out his and gave it to her as well.

  "I'll be here. I'll guide you out. If you need it."

  Ursula nodded and re-entered the mine.

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  ***

  Chapter 27 - Underground

  Light from outside shone into the rectangular tunnel, revealing the dirt floor. Where the light began to fade Ursula could see two metal rails leading into the darkness. Every few metres, logs had been jammed against the walls to support the sagging beams in the roof. The tunnel warmth was welcomed, but the smell of gas was more noticeable.

  "I'm going further in," she shouted to Eric.

  "Good luck," he replied sheepishly, embarrassed by his fear.

  The roof was low but high enough for Ursula to walk freely except for a few fallen joists. As the light began to fade, she turned on one of the torches. The beam cut through the darkness and lit up her path. This reassured her, and she felt less worried that she would fall down an unseen hole.

  She stopped and listened. Apart from very low hissing sound and the occasional creak, the tunnel was quiet. There was no sound of footsteps or breathing, but she did not know if this made her feel better or worse. She focused on the alien or whatever it was she was following. She had yet to see it, and she wondered if she could, in fact, be following a person. She sensed that it was ahead of her. Somewhere. There was no use waiting; she would have to walk on until she reached it.

  The tunnel continued in a long, straight line. She pointed the torch down and stayed between the visible tracks. After walking for a few minutes, she saw thin strips of light coming down from the roof. As she approached them, she saw that they illuminated a mine shaft, and she knew she would have to go down it.

  Ursula stopped and yawned. She was feeling tired and sleepy, and rested for a few seconds before approaching the shaft.

  The large, square hole was only a metre away, but the sides looked anything but stable. Over the years, the burnt timber that had supported the shaft's walls had fallen away. Some had dropped all the way down into the gloom, but others had become stuck as they had fallen and were lodged between opposing walls. One log near to Ursula was stuck diagonally across the hole, and it had pulled a chunk from the ground on which she stood. This did not reassure her, and Ursula feared that the same thing would happen as she stepped nearer. Instead, she lay on her stomach and carefully inched herself forward until her head was over the edge. She could feel the heat from below as she shone her torch into the abyss.

  The beam faded as it reached a tunnel below, and she knew that this was where she had to go. Getting down to it was possible and in the torchlight she could see the logs that had fallen across the shaft and had become wedged in place. She turned her head and looked up. Light crept through gaps between planks of wood high above her head. She had hoped to see a rope or chain; something she could hold onto or tie around her waist, but there was nothing.

  On the ground around her were small bits of rock, coal and flint. She brushed her free hand across the dirt until she found one about the size of a fist. She held it out above the hole and looked for a spot where she could drop it through the fallen logs. The rock fell and was soon lost in the darkness. Ursula waited and listened, and waiting and listened. The seconds passed, but she did not hear the sound of the rock hitting the bottom. She picked up another, larger one, and did the same. It bounced off two logs and sent echoes down the shaft, but she did not hear it reach the bottom either.

  Ursula yawned. She wanted to sleep but knew she had to climb down to the tunnel below. It was there - the creature or alien or person, or whatever she was chasing. Cautiously, she stood up and walked slowly around the shaft; keeping close to the fence as she did so. One log, about half a metre below her, was jammed across, almost like a bridge. She kicked at the ground above it, and apart from sending coal dust into the air it was solid. Nervously, she sat on the edge of the shaft and gingerly dropped her feet down. The log did not move as she brushed against it, so she kicked it. It still didn't move. Ursula put all her body weight upon it but continued to hold onto the edge of the shaft. She waited. The log was secure.

  Ursula held the torch between her teeth, and the beam waved around erratically within the shaft as she sat astride the log. She felt as if she was riding a horse, and she began to daydream.

  "Ursula!" She heard Eric in her head and was brought back to reality.

  Slowly, she slid along the log until she was directly over the middle of the shaft. Another log below was in reach, and she twisted herself until her foot touched it. Once again, she kicked at the wood but it held, and she lowered herself down. She sat astride and slid herself back towards the wall and another log below. Unlike the others, this one was diagonally across the shaft and lay steeply against the wall. Ursula put her foot onto it and kicked. The log vibrated but held. She moved across to it and lowered herself down again. As soon as her bottom touched the wood, she began to slide down. Her body fell forward, and she instinctively placed her arms around the wood and pulled them tight. She stopped. The log vibrated under her. There was a loud tear, and it dropped more than a metre. When it came to rest again, it rolled over, leaving Ursula hanging underneath and desperately clinging on.

  The wood was smooth from the thin layer of coal dust, and she could feel her arms and legs gradually sliding off. She tried to lock them, but it was no use. There were no splinters or cracks to give her some grip, and she knew that a fall was inevitable.

  The torch in Ursula's mouth lit up the wall behind her. She had managed to keep hold of it as she clung to the log. Below her, she could see nothing, and slowly she angled the torch downwards. There was a log directly underneath about her, a two-metre drop away. It was only thirty centimetres in diameter. Ursula breathed deeply.

  "It’s just like jumping from the roof at Saint-Denis," she tried to tell herself but she knew that it was
n't true, and she changed her thinking. "It's like the gymnastics Captain Wang showed me. Remember what she said, concentrate on the landing. Bend your knees on impact. Squat down. Get your balance. Stand up. Easy."

  Ursula untangled her legs, and her bottom half dropped down slowly. Even though it was controlled, her arms began to slide and very soon she would fall. Fortunately, the distance to the log below had reduced but now she would have to let go. When she was vertical, and no longer swaying, she opened her hands and fell. Her feet hit the other log, but when she bent her knees the log dropped. As it collided with another log, Ursula jumped at a shadow. Her arms fell over a long piece of timber, and she held tightly as her body bashed against it. The other log continued to fall and sent echoes up the shaft as it banged into others on its way down.

  Ursula's arms hugged the secure timber and her body relaxed upon it. For a while, she just lay there. The excitement had woken her up a little, but she still craved sleep. She could sleep when she was safe, she told herself, and took the torch from her mouth.

  The next level was within reach. She crawled down the timber until she was above the entrance and then swung herself into the tunnel. She let out an involuntary sigh of relief and looked back up the shaft. From this angle, she could see a much easier path back up if all the logs held.

  It was much warmer in the tunnel, and Ursula could feel herself beginning to sweat. Unlike the level above, this one was not as dark. In the tunnel walls, there were lines of glowing red coal that provided both heat and a faint glow. It was too warm to wait around. Ursula wanted to find whatever she was chasing and leave. From her bag, she took out the water bottle and had a long gulp. Her hand brushed against the water pistol as she put it back. Eric's semi-joking 'alien lair' comment came back to her, and then she remembered Johan's words about the alien and water. Even though she felt foolish, she held the plastic gun in her hand as she walked forward.