Escaped

by Gary Urey

  Gita stared at her. Her brown eyes and Muni’s green eyes engaged in an intense game of who blinks first.

  “The Voices are the only true voice,” Gita said flatly. “Without them there is only silence.”

  Muni smiled, pleased to have won the game. Gita itched the bandage on her forehead.

  “Don’t worry about your battle scars,” Pavana said. “They will heal, and our sacred symbol will shine bright upon you again.”

  “I just had an extremely lucid vision of verse seventy-two,” Muni said.

  “Do not fear the everlasting inferno for it is only an illusion,” Pavana spouted.

  “The Voices are communicating with me much more often now. The time to leave for New Earth is almost upon us.”

  “I want to see Cat—” Gita started to say but then corrected herself. “I mean, when can I see Varya?”

  “After our work is done,” Muni said. “Don’t worry about her. She’s safe in Faraw’s care.”

  Gita’s eyes narrowed, and her cheeks flushed with heat. “I want to see her. Now.”

  “You’ll see her when I say so,” Muni calmly replied. “Now, bring up the readings or you won’t see her at all.”

  Gita opened her mouth to fire back but swallowed her words. She typed in her password and brought up the satellite readings of space weather. A split screen dedicated to phenomena like coronal mass projections, geomagnetic storms, solar radiation, sunspots, and the aurora appeared on the screen.

  With a click of the mouse, Gita brought up the aurora forecast. Monitoring of the aurora was one of her daily duties. The aurora lights were the final cosmic process of the earth’s complicated dance with the sun. They occurred when supercharged particles from the sun’s atmosphere moved into Earth’s atmosphere via the solar wind. According to Muni, the Voice’s communicated directly to her through the solar wind. The stronger the phenomena, the closer they were to realizing New Earth.

  A satellite image of the earth appeared on the screen. Normally, the swath of green representing the aurora hovered steadily over the northern hemisphere. But now that swath of green was on the move.

  “This has to be a mistake,” Gita blurted. “The aurora borealis doesn’t just move.”

  “Unless there’s a severe solar storm, which according to the analyses is not happening right now,” Pavana added.

  “The satellite readings are correct,” Muni said. “The so-called northern lights have drifted as far south as Arizona in North America.”

  “Red Rocks State Park,” Pavana said.

  “Red Rocks what?” Gita wondered.

  “Our flux magnetometer and satellite dish picked up a major magnetic disturbance yesterday,” Muni explained. “That event happened at latitude 34.8129° N longitude 111.8309° W. Otherwise known as Red Rocks State Park in Sedona, Arizona. What do you think, Gita?”

  Gita stood up and logged onto another computer.

  “The only reason the aurora would be moving south is because Earth’s magnetic field is weakening,” Gita said.

  “That’s obvious,” Pavana said. “But why is it happening now?”

  Muni’s penetrating green eyes glared at Pavana. “You already know what’s going on,” she said after a moment. “Or have you forgotten the last verse of the Voices teachings?”

  “The Old Earth shall reverse from one end to the other,” Pavana said with delight. “What was wrong shall be made right. The Voices will grant a New Earth for all those who hear.”

  A loud alert beep came from a computer terminal. The three of them gathered around and watched as a red, throbbing blip appeared above the continent of Africa.

  “Wow,” Pavana blurted. “There’s been another major magnetic disturbance. This time it’s at latitude 29.5347° N, longitude 35.4079° E.”

  Gita typed the coordinates into a Google search. “That’s the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan,” she said. “The place is stunning. Look at these photos.”

  Muni leaned in to Gita’s computer monitor and nearly fell to the floor. The image was of a large mountain with seven rounded spires towering among the clouds. She took in a long, slow breath, her nerves tingling with excitement. Verse seventy-two and the vision of a hot desert tumbled in her mind.

  “The Voices have shown me this place in my dreams!” Muni cried, her eyes wild with anticipation. “The magnetic disturbance in the desert! We’ve been waiting for the sign. The time has come to finally leave for New Earth.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  AXEL

  The road to Bhopal was bumpy, sweltering, and mildly nauseating. Axel sat with Charu and Megan in the back of a rickety pickup truck hauling stalks of sugar cane. Jag rode up front with the driver. Motorcycles and cars whizzed past them, churning up thick dust. The road hugged a muddy river on one side. Newer homes and bamboo shacks lined the other. Beyond was deep jungle broken up with fields of crops.

  Farther in the distance, several skyscrapers jutted high into the sky.

  “My parents live on the eighteenth floor of one of those tall buildings,” Charu said.

  “Which one?” Axel asked.

  “Third one from the right.” Charu turned to Megan. “How long is the flight to America?” she asked. “Can we stop in Hollywood? I want to stroll down the Walk of Fame.”

  Megan smirked at her. “It’s a thirty-two-hour flight with four stops,” she said. “Mumbai, London, Chicago, and Tucson.”

  Axel pinched off a woody piece of sugar cane and gave it a lick.

  “Yuck!” he said, spitting it out. “I thought sugar cane would be sweet. This stuff tastes awful and reeks like an ashtray.”

  “The farmers burn the stalks to remove the outer leaves,” Charu explained. “The chemicals released from the combustion are what creates the bad smell. Much processing has to happen to extract the sweetness.”

  Megan fanned the air in front of her nose. “Honey’s my new sweetener of choice.”

  The mention of honey made Axel instantly think of Daisha. She used to buy bundles of honey sticks at the Downtown Palo Alto Farmers’ Market. The girl sucked on those things like normal kids chewed bubble gum.

  “What if we don’t find her in Arizona?” Axel asked. “There aren’t that many places called Valley of the Moon,” Megan said. “If she’s not there, we go to the next place.” She picked up her phone, opened a browser, and tapped the screen. “Major wow!” she exclaimed after a moment.

  “What’s wrong?” Jag asked, concerned.

  “A newsflash about strange lights appearing over Arizona just popped up on my phone,” Megan said. “Look at the pics.”

  Axel and Charu took turns looking at Megan’s phone.

  “Are they the aurora borealis?” Charu asked.

  “Looks like it,” Axel said. “I’ve seen them before. When I was nine, some university in Iceland invited my dad to speak, and I went with him.”

  Charu handed Megan back the phone. “That can’t be possible,” she said.

  “Well, if it’s not the borealis then the world’s coming to an end,” Megan said.

  Charu giggled. “Highly unlikely.”

  “I’m checking out the GMDL website,” Megan said. “That stands for the Geomagnetic Disturbance Lab based at Helsinki University in Finland. If anything wacky is going in the upper atmosphere, they’ll report it.”

  The truck veered left and right, attempting unsuccessfully to avoid the many potholes. Axel, Megan, and Charu held on tight as the truck realigned its wheels and continued down the road.

  “Everyone okay back there?” Jag shouted from the passenger’s side window.

  Megan gave him a thumbs-up. “Looks like we have another major geomagnetic disturbance,” she said.

  “Where is it?” Axel asked.

  “It says the disturbance happened at latitude 29.5347° N, longitude 35.4079° E,” Megan said. “Let me switch over to latilongi.com and find the global position.”

  Before Megan had a chance to look up the coordinates, the pickup lurched hard o
ff the road. Axel’s stomach leaped into his throat. He thought they were avoiding another pothole, but he saw the earth trembling violently beneath them. A large house to their right slipped off its foundation and crumpled to the ground. Panicked screams echoed from the rubble. A series of loud explosions blasted in the distance. Plumes of black smoke rose above the Bhopal skyline. A large fissure in the earth formed on the road just ahead of them. The driver hit the brakes, but it was too late. The pickup skidded sideways and fell directly into the crevice.

  The truck slammed to a stop. Jag and the driver thumped headfirst into the windshield. Sugar cane stalks flew all around as Axel, Megan, and Charu hung on to the truck bed’s sidewalls for dear life.

  There was another series of violent tremors, and then everything fell silent.

  “We were in an earthquake,” Megan said, gasping for air.

  “Ahhh,” Jag groaned from up front.

  “Are you okay?” Megan hollered.

  Jag didn’t answer. Axel watched as he crawled out the truck’s window and climbed from the crevice. Blood dripped down his face. After a moment, the driver came out of the other side and scuttled to safety. Fortunately, they hadn’t fallen too far.

  “Are any of you hurt?” Jag asked.

  Everyone shook their heads.

  “Then give me your hand,” Jag said as he reached for Charu.

  He pulled her up and did the same for Megan and Axel. Several people crawled from the rubble of the destroyed house. They looked to be in shock, but no one appeared hurt.

  The truck driver knelt on the side of the road, head in his hands. “My haul is ruined,” he moaned. “I’ve lost a lot of money.”

  “At least you didn’t lose your life,” Jag said, trying to cheer him up.

  “I’ve been in a few California quakes before,” Megan said. “But nothing like this. This had to be a 7.0 or higher.”

  Tears streamed down Charu’s face. She was looking at the destruction ahead. “My parents and brother live in Bhopal.”

  Axel put his arm around her. “It’s okay,” he said gently.

  “What about Kundan back in the caves?” Megan asked.

  Jag took off his shirt and dabbed at the cut on his forehead. “The epicenter appears to be directly in Bhopal,” he said quietly. “The Rock Shelters are far enough away.”

  They all sat there for several minutes, soaking in what had just happened to them and not quite believing it at the same time. A small girl from an intact house nearby brought them three unopened bottles of Mulshi spring water. Axel, Megan, and Charu shared two bottles, leaving Jag and the driver to split the other one.

  “What do we do now?” Megan asked.

  “Obviously, we can no longer go to Bhopal,” Jag said. “Let’s start walking back to the caves. Hopefully, we can catch a ride from someone.”

  They thanked the family for the water and started walking. Dozens of destroyed homes, toppled trees, and wrecked cars lined the road. Several people scurried around the ruins. Sirens blared in the direction of Bhopal.

  An old man with long white hair and only one leg sat on the side of the road.

  “Om tryambakam yajamahe sugandhim pushti wardhanam,” he repeated in a singsong voice.

  “What’s he saying?” Axel asked Charu.

  “He’s chanting a mantra for healing,” she answered.

  A sudden urge to cry came over Axel. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes. Charu hugged him tight. His own heart needed healing, because the thought of never seeing Daisha again was unbearable.

  Chapter Sixteen

  DAISHA

  A clump of dry sand clogged Daisha’s mouth. She sat up, spit out the grit, and looked around. There was nothing but a dry, barren desert as far as the eye could see. Loosha was beside her on his hands and knees dry heaving from plunging into the Warp.

  “Where are we?” Loosha asked, wiping sand from his eyes.

  “Mars,” Daisha said, and she was only half joking.

  Giant rock outcrops poked from the desert floor. Wind whipped through the harsh landscape. The heat was so scorching and intense, she couldn’t even tell what time of day it was.

  Loosha stood up. “Looks like we’re still in Arizona,” he said.

  Daisha’s heart sunk. She had hoped the GeoPort would have dropped her back in India with Axel. But it looked like she was still in the United States with Loosha by her side, probably only a hundred miles or so from Red Rocks State Park.

  She looked at her GeoPort.

  The unit flashed with the numbers 21.52, 75.3, 78.14, 0.9786, same as before.

  “We have to get out of this heat,” Loosha said. “The temperature feels like it’s well over a hundred degrees.”

  Daisha rolled her eyes. “And silly me forgot to pack my shades, bikini, and sunblock. Let’s head back to Palo Alto so I can get them.”

  “You’re very funny,” Loosha said with a chuckle. “Looks like there might be some shade in those narrow gorges between the rocks.”

  Their destination was a lot farther away than they thought. They hiked single file through the red sand, sweat pouring down their faces, backpacks bobbing on their shoulders. A waft of Loosha’s sweat and body odor made Daisha’s nose crinkle. Neither of them had showered for days. After an hour tramp and exhausting climb over two very high sand dunes, they came to a series of large rock ridges.

  The shade provided instant relief from the direct sun. They crouched in the sand, wiping off sweat and going through the contents of their backpacks. They had two bottles of water each plus several bags of chips, chocolate bars, and Sagebrush Crunch.

  Daisha twisted open a bottle of water and started chugging. After four gulps, Loosha swiped the bottle away.

  “Give me that back!” Daisha snapped.

  “You’ve had enough,” Loosha retorted. “We need to conserve our resources. Who knows how long we’ll have to survive out here.”

  Loosha was right, but Daisha wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing it. She snapped off a hunk of chocolate and plopped it in her mouth. “May I have some chocolate at least?” she said sarcastically.

  “Half a bar,” Loosha said. “No more. Didn’t you see that movie Alive about the soccer players stranded in the Andes? I don’t want to eat you when we run out of food.”

  Daisha gave Loosha a disgusted grimace and zipped up her backpack. The sun was growing higher in the sky. The heat was so intense that even the rock shade had lost its comfort.

  “Let’s go deeper into the gorge,” Daisha suggested. “It may be cooler.”

  Loosha nodded, and they moved farther into the rock formations. Relief from the scolding sun was immediate. Ancient petroglyphs appeared scrawled into the rock. The drawings were of humans and animals. Some of the people were holding bows and arrows. The animals looked like horses and goats with long horns. Other images were of symbols like lines and circles.

  “We’re totally near the Grand Canyon,” Daisha said. “These look exactly like the petroglyphs we studied in school during a unit on ancient people of the southwest.”

  Drip, drip, drip.

  Daisha’s ears perked. “Do you hear that?”

  Loosha cocked his head, listening carefully. “No. What do you hear?”

  They trudged deeper into the gorge. Broken shafts of light came from above. The drip, drip, drip noise grew louder. After a few more yards, Daisha discovered the source of the sound.

  “Look!” she exclaimed.

  Water dribbled from the rocks above and sloshed into a small pool below. Daisha kneeled down and splashed her face and neck with the cool water. Loosha did the same.

  “I never thought I’d be so happy to see a stagnant puddle of water,” Daisha said.

  Loosha took off his shirt, dipped it in the water, and wiped under his armpits. “Out here in the desert even the smallest amount of water is precious,” he said.

  “What do we do now?”

  “We’ll stay here until dark. It will be much coo
ler at night, and we can walk to the nearest town. Considering we’re in Arizona, one shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

  For the next several hours, they sat at the pool, sharing a bag of chips and sipping from their plastic water bottles. A million thoughts ran through Daisha’s head, mostly about her old life—and Axel’s—back in Palo Alto. When Loosha dozed off, she took the opportunity to ease the GeoPort from her pocket. If another set of coordinates were flashing on the screen, she was going to Warp there without him.

  Her hopes deflated like a four-day-old party balloon. They were the same numbers that had gotten her here. For no reason other than boredom, she found a hunk of rock on the ground and etched the coordinates along with her name on the rock wall.

  21.52, 75.3, 78.14, 0.9786

  D A I S H A

  Before she could scribble the date, a series of loud crunching sounds caught her attention. She quickly bolted upright and nudged Loosha.

  “Wha…huh,” he mumbled groggily.

  “Do you hear that? It sounds like footsteps.”

  Loosha stood up and yanked the pistol from its holster. “I hear it,” he whispered. “Get behind me.”

  Daisha did as she was told. The footsteps grew louder—clomp, clomp, clomp—echoing off the rock walls.

  Loosha held up his pistol and aimed down the gorge. A long shadow appeared on the rocks. Daisha was shaking. The shadow grew larger until its source finally stepped into the light.

  “It’s—it’s—” Loosha stuttered.

  “A camel!” Daisha cried.

  Chapter Seventeen

  GITA

  Gita sat at her computer, monitoring three violent, unprecedented volcanic eruptions, all of which had occurred within the last twenty-four hours. One was Redoubt Volcano, Alaska. The other took place at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii. The most devastating occurred at Mount Hood Volcano, Oregon.

  “Mount Hood Volcano hasn’t been active in over two hundred years,” she said with disbelief.

  “Do not fear the everlasting inferno for it is only an illusion,” Pavana said, reciting from The Way to New Earth. “The Voices will guide and protect us.”