by JKMelby74
“Faith, Jake. We’ll just have to have faith.”
We were back on the road as soon as Ivar packed his stuff back up. We were surrounded by barren desert. The highway wore down to a soft dirt road and we turned off and headed toward a small wooden shed miles off.
As we got closer, I could see the planes nearby and realized that was our destination. We drove up and I saw a large, cracked asphalt lot next to a broken runway behind the wooden shack. I only saw one small plane in the lot. It looked sturdy, but old. Ivar parked the car in front of the shack and a wily looking guy came running out. He had frizzed red hair and wild eyes.
“Ivar!” He called out as we approached.
“Good to see you, Jesse.” Ivar said as he shook the guy’s hand.
“Who’s this?”
“This is Jake Corba. My friend.”
“Oh. Any friend of Ivar is a friend of mine.” Jesse then took my hand. His grip was tight and sweaty.
“Thanks. Is that the plane?”
“Betsy, yeah. Good girl too. I cut my teeth on her.”
“Really? How old is ‘she’?”
“Twenty. Twenty-five years. Don’t be fooled though. She runs like they put her together yesterday. Good old American engineering lasts a lifetime. Or two. Right, Ivar?”
“Right. How soon before we can take off?”
“Not long. I just need to file the flight plan and do a last minute inspection. Just sit a moment and relax.” Jesse hurried over to Betsy.
“Seriously? That guy?”
“Jesse is a marvelous pilot. He’s flown all over the world and hasn’t had a single accident. He can get through storms of any magnitude. I trust him with my life.”
“I guess you kind of have to, right?”
“He does have a streak of color to him.”
“I’m just a little nervous. Is it really safe for us to fly with a demon gunning for us? It’s obviously getting stronger.”
“It’s a risk, but if we drive it would take longer, giving the demon more time to get even stronger, and this all will have been for nothing in that case.”
“Good point. It’s not far, right?”
“By plane? No. A few hours. Maybe less the way Jesse flies.”
“Don’t try to make me feel better.”
Chapter 9
Burning Man
The plane ride was relatively smooth, save for a few wind shears along the way. Jesse seemed to fly as though he knew he had passengers, but still wanted to go ‘Top Gun’ despite that fact.
The state of his plane wasn’t much better either. It seemed good old American engineering could keep the plane in the air, but was unable to keep the exhaust fumes from seeping in. Ivar and I had to keep our hands cupped over our faces for the entire flight. Jesse didn’t seem to mind, but by the way he acted, I figured all the damage that could have been done to his brain had already been done.
We landed at a small airport that was just stuck out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by desert. It wasn’t much of an airport. Just two terminals and from the condition they appeared to be in, not many employees.
As we taxied across the tarmac, I saw only a few other planes, no bigger than Jesse’s. When we finally came to a stop, the door flew open and I dashed out. As I did, the air nearly blasted me back. The sun was beating down and heat was radiating up from the ground. I could sense the aroma of livestock nearby but I couldn’t see where it was coming from.
“Where are we?”
“Just a few miles north of a small town known as Diablo Luto.”
“Great. Couldn’t we have gone all the way to Hell?”
“Did you think at all about the demon?”
“Yeah.”
“And we weren’t attacked. The potion must be working then.”
“Woo hoo. Let’s just get out of here.” I turned away and started towards the entrance to the nearest terminal with the hope they had air conditioning or at least a bar.
“I’d think you’d be somewhat happy about that.”
“I am. Don’t get me wrong, but who cares? It’s a band-aid. I got this demon off my back, fine, but like you said, I could still be cursed for the rest of my life. I’m going to have to keep looking over my shoulders until the day I die.”
“The One could still be able to cure you.”
“Maybe we should just stop here. I should just let the damn thing kill me. I’d be better off.” I walked into the terminal. The air was barely cooler inside. I felt Ivar place his hand on my shoulder. I looked over to see him actually smiling at me.
“Sometimes our faith is rewarded.” He pushed past me toward a small desk that had a sign over it that said ‘car rentals’.
Ivar was able to rent out the last car that was available. A beaten up, rusted out heap of junk shaped like a jeep. It was covered in a thick layer of dirt and mud. The seats were torn and blistered with only some loose rope serving as seat belts.
We got in and Ivar started the jeep up. The engine sounded like it had a cat stuck inside of it and smelled like it too. Ivar drove the truck out into the desert. I noticed he chose to bypass the main road, which looked to lead to a small cluster of buildings a few miles away in favor of an arid landscape that seemed to go on forever. We bounded over sand dunes as I gripped the seat to just keep inside the car as it tumbled across the burning sea of sand.
“You do know where you’re going, right?”
“I’ll know where we need to be when we get there.”
“A simple ‘no’ would be fine.”
“I am trying to follow the energy.”
“Are you sure you’re not following the sun?”
Suddenly, we came up over a large hill and I felt a wave of relief when I saw what appeared to be a cluster of buildings and tents with millions of people surrounding them far off in the distance.
Ivar drove down the hill and it was so steep, I was sure the jeep was going to flip over. We landed hard on the flat rock surface and accelerated toward the encampment. As we got closer, I could see it looked like a temporary set up and I could hear music.
“Burning Man!”
“What?”
“This is Burning Man! That art commune thing they do every year! You brought us to Burning Man?”
“This is where the energy has led us.”
“The One is at Burning Man?”
“We shall see.”
We drove up to a small camp outside the main area where people seemed to be checking in. I hopped out of the jeep and looked around. I saw people who looked normal and regular walking alongside people wearing nothing but paint and feathers. One girl was walking along on stilts with rubber hoses sheathed over her arms, acting as some sort of tentacles. We walked over toward the tents and the largest one had a large sign hung over the opening that read ‘Welcome’ and we went on in.
I noticed that the staff was dressed rather colorfully. One guy was sporting a pith helmet and a loincloth and an older woman who worked with him was clad from head to toe in bright red fishnet stockings.
“Passes?” The loincloth dude asked. I looked to Ivar but he just had that same stone expression on his face.
“We don’t really have tickets. This was kind of a spur of the moment thing.” Everyone around us exploded in laughter.
“I’m sorry, guys, really. It’s just that Burning Man isn’t something you just come and do. You’re going to be out here in the desert for days. You need to prepare.”
“I thought you guys were all about free spirits.”
“We are, but you have to be careful and stay healthy too. You’re going to need water and food.”
“So, if we can get some of that we can come in?”
“No. While we’re about free spirits, we’re not about free admission. Everyone here has contributed.”
“Fine! How much?”
“Three fifty.”
“Okay.”
“Three hundred fifty,” I looked up at him in disbelief. “Each. I’m sorry
, man, but all this doesn’t come cheap. The money we collect helps us keep the spirit going year after year.”
“I know, but the thing is, my friend and I are kind of following energy and it led us here. We really need to get in.”
“Well, you really need a ticket. I can’t help you.”
“I’m Ivar.” A spritely girl wearing only dress pants and suspenders ran up to loincloth guy and whispered in his ear. He looked back at us and smiled.
“Enjoy Burning Man.”
The girl in the pants caught us as we came in.
“Hi,” She said. I tried to keep from noticing the small straps pressing against her bare chest. “I’m Jinx. He was wondering when you’d get here.”
“Who?”
“The One.” Ivar said to me.
“That’s right.”
Jinx led us toward the main grounds. There were camps and structures of all kinds surrounding us. I saw a large section that had a number of games, including a small golf course and a large jungle gym that had to be at least four stories high. Club music was blasting out from all sides and people were dancing all around. Most of who were naked.
We came upon a large ornate tower that looked to be made up of Popsicle sticks. From there, Jinx led us around to a large tent that was set apart from the others. It was made of a velvety material and appeared to be the most sturdy, well-built tent there. There was a small rug rolled out in front of it and a canopy that kept the entrance nice and shady. Jinx stopped just in front of it and turned back to us.
“This is it.” We walked toward the tent but Jinx threw her arm out and stopped Ivar.
“Just him.” I went on into the tent. As I did, all the noise and heat of outside seemed to disappear.
“Hello.” A voice called out.
“Hi.”
“Sit.”
“Okay.” I suddenly fell back and landed on something large and soft. A faint light appeared. I saw an old man sitting at a table lighting a candle. He looked good for his age. Not too wrinkled and he seemed to have most of his hair. It had all turned gray, but he still had it. I looked down and saw that I was butt deep in an orange beanbag chair.
“Jake Corba.”
“You’re The One?”
“That is one name I have been known by. You may call me Jonathan.”
“Jonathan? Doesn’t sound very holy to me.”
“It’s just a name, Mr. Corba.”
“Fine. Whatever. I need...”
“I know what you need. I’ve already known. I just wanted to speak with you. You don’t seem to have much interest in your family.”
“Not really. No. Not that there’s much to know. My parents are dead. I’ve been stuck with a demon in my soul. Would you want to know any more about a family like that?”
“Perhaps not, but it’s difficult to go through life not knowing who you are.”
“I know who I am!”
“How could that be? You don’t know anything about the family from which you come. If you don’t know where you came from, how can you be certain where you are going?”
“I don’t have a family! I have me! That’s all I need. I don’t need to know about my first cousin’s father to know how to lead my life.”
“That’s not quite what I meant.”
“I know.”
“Your family is what some refer to as a special case. Special even among special cases.”
“Yeah. Cursed.”
“But with that curse, comes a gift.”
“Look, I didn’t come here for a lesson in my family tree. I just came here to get this damn demon off my ass! I don’t care about my family line. I don’t want to know anything about it. What little I already know tells me I shouldn’t dig any deeper.” I felt rage rising in me. Jonathan looked at me thoughtfully. He got up from his seat and walked around the room. I just then noticed all the strange items he had displayed. Some golden orbs and shining metal trophies. I could make out a few daggers and knives with bizarre and overly ornate handles. He picked up a large glass orb and held it up in his hands and stared into it intensely.
“Your resistance is troubling. The Corba family has a long tradition of demon hunting and has been quite crucial in some very decisive battles over the years. Perhaps in our complacence, we have come to rely on them too much.”
“We?”
“Not your concern. I sense great things in you, Jake Corba. I see a powerful light in your soul as well as a great darkness.”
“Can you help me or not?” Jonathan set down his glass orb and calmly took his seat again.
“I would speak with Ivar now.”
“What?”
“I would like to speak with Ivar. Please.” His tone told me there was no point in arguing, so I felt my way back to the entrance. I stepped out and was surprised to see the sky was dark and the air had grown cold. Torches were lit and burning all around the camps. I saw Jinx and Ivar standing nearby.
“Jake!”
“How long was I in there?”
“Several hours. What did he tell you?”
“He wants to speak with you.” Ivar seemed to be shocked by the news, but I saw a look of pride come over him. He walked past me and marched into the tent.
“How’d it go in there?” Jinx asked.
“Fine. I guess. You ever talk to this guy?”
“No.”
“I see,” I looked over in the distance and saw a large fire with several people dancing around it wildly. I noticed many of them were women and many of them were topless. “This place is crazy.”
“It’s just a place where people can release their inner passions, free of judgment. It’s healthy to blow off steam once in a while. It can be cathartic for some.”
“Maybe, but for my money it’s crazy.”
Ivar emerged from the tent and walked over to me.
“We have been asked to leave.”
“We’re being kicked out?”
“No. The One has instructed us to leave here for now. He says we need to go to Diablo Luto.”
“Look, I get that you think this guy is super holy or whatever, but I get the feeling he’s just jerking us around! Why didn’t he just lead us there when we first landed?”
“That is not for us to question. We need to go now.”
“Uh, guys?” Jinx said in a timid tone. “You really can’t leave. The Burn has already begun.”
“I understand that, Jinx, but we do need to leave.” Ivar took my arm and dragged me back the way we came, toward the tent we entered through. Jinx followed behind us, imploring us to stop.
As we approached the tent, a large group of people formed before us. A young guy pushed out of the crowd. He had neon piping wrapped up and down his arms and legs with neon paint splashed across his bare chest. The only bit of clothing he had on was a leather pouch wrapped around his junk.
“Where do you guys think you’re going?”
“Look, Braveheart, my friend and I have to go. Mind stepping aside?”
“No one leaves the Burning. We are a community and our energy is shared. If you leave, you drain us. We don’t want to be drained.”
“Then I guess you haven’t found the right girl to do it, then!”
“We all depend on each other to keep this place alive. I, for one, will not let you sabotage us. You are not leaving.”
“So, the whole free spirit thing kind of doesn’t apply here?” The guy didn’t say anything. I heard rumblings among the crowd. Suddenly someone came up behind him and whispered into his ear.
“Fine,” He then looked back to Ivar and I. “You may leave if you can pass the trial.”
“What trial?”
After minimal explanation, the crowd forced us over to the large jungle gym I had seen earlier. There were torches burning around it. People were hanging all over it and seemed to be waiting for something. Braveheart instructed me to crawl inside. As I did, I noticed how much louder the cheers and yells from the people outside were on the inside. I w
alked towards the center.
“Stop!” I turned to Braveheart and he stood before me in a very hostile stance.
“Okay. Now what? Dance off?” Braveheart let out a yell and charged toward me. He jumped up and planted his foot into my stomach. I fell back and slid across the ground.
“You win. You go. You lose. You stay.” I got back up and I could see from his energy he had danced like this before.
“Fine, Braveheart. You want to go? Let’s go,” He jumped around a bit. I threw a punch, but he ducked away and went around me and landed his fist into my lower back. A shock of pain shot through me and I fell forward. He was zipping around like lightning. “Man. I don’t know what you’re on, but after I finish kicking your ass, you have to tell me.” A blur of neon light passed by me and the pressure of a fist hit my face. I spun around and felt a warm liquid on my face. I looked down at my hand and saw blood on it. My anger meter was going higher. I tightened my fist and decided to play his game. I bolted forward and leapt up and started climbing up the jungle gym. The crowd outside blew up in cheers. I looked over and saw him crawling up like a spider. As he got in close, I hooked my legs around a bar, fell back and swung around him and pounded on his back. When I was done, I grabbed what little hair I could and pulled him off the bars and dropped him to the ground. It wasn’t far enough to kill him, but he’d be in pain.
I saw him through the dust rolling around in pain, but he was getting up. I started crawling up the bars again. I heard him climbing up after me. He had slowed down. I reached the top of the jungle gym and started crossing the bars across the roof of the cage. I was going hand over hand across the structure. I turned and saw Braveheart coming toward me.
When he got close enough, I swung up and kicked him hard in his chest. His arm gave out and he dropped down a bit. I kicked out at him and he flailed at me. I noticed he had a bit of an advantage as his toenails were long and hand been sharpened into claws. He slashed at me like a feral creature. I felt my grip weakening and the logic of my strategy was escaping me. I flipped around and started away with the intent of climbing back down. I suddenly felt a sharp stab in my back and with a quick scream. I fell down and landed hard into the ground. I was struggling for air when I suddenly felt a tremendous weight land on my stomach. When the dust cleared, I saw Braveheart standing on top of me with a smug smirk.
