Flypaper: A Novel

by Chris Angus

Alan looked uneasy. “If we’re going to assume this thing has been walled up for two thousand years, it raises some very interesting questions. Not the least of which is its simple shape and makeup. This is a highly burnished and seemingly impervious substance. It looks like rock, but could be almost anything—hardened steel, titanium . . . putting aside the inexplicability of its cold output, I can’t conceive its being crafted by the artisans of the period. It’s simply not credible.”

  “So who did make it, then?”

  “If I was going to be totally logical about this, I’d have to say someone walled this thing in only recently and then endeavored to make it look like it had been there for a very long time. Only trouble is, I’m not at all certain even modern technology could have created it. The only way I can think of to explain the cold is some sort of superconductivity—basically a closed system that somehow never loses energy. Scientists have speculated for years that such a thing might be possible, but so far as I know, it’s never been achieved.”

  Logan sighed. There seemed to be an endless stream of questions and precious few answers. “Do you honestly think there’s a chance you can decipher the markings?”

  “I do,” said Marcia, who sat in one corner at a desk covered with papers. “I’ve worked at this sort of thing before, deciphering ancient Sumerian and Babylonian cuneiform. It was while I was working on my Ph.D. thesis. That was a long time ago, and this is totally different, of course, but there’s a way to go about it . . . you begin to recognize patterns, repetitions of symbols that start to make a sort of sense after you’ve spent enough time working at it.”

  “Let’s hope you have enough time,” Logan said.

  “You find something during your security check?” asked Leeanne.

  “No. Which doesn’t make me feel the least bit safer, somehow. This is a remote place, but that only serves to make it a natural destination for people trying to escape the horrors going on outside—probably the same reason the monks first came here, I’d guess. Sooner or later, the monastery’s going to lose its exclusivity. God help us when it does.”

  Alan stood up. “I’ve been worried about that, too. If you want, I’ll make another circuit with you.”

  Logan nodded and with a final glance at the mysterious oval, they departed.

  “One thing that worries me,” Logan said as they made their way through the monastery courtyard, “is that we don’t have any way of repelling an attack here. I mean, the place is a natural fortress with all these walls, but what are we going to do? Stand on the parapets and throw rocks?”

  “Well, there was no way we could bring firearms into China,” said Alan. “I don’t care how many permits and visas you managed to get us, the customs officials weren’t about to swallow guns as a necessary archaeological supply. I still don’t know how Corkie managed to get that pistol of his through.”

  Logan smiled. “There’s always a way to get something small into a country. I asked Corkie how he did it. He’s a pretty resourceful fellow.”

  “What did he say?”

  “With a bribe, of course. It’s risky. You never know how conscientious any particular official may be. But these people are paid almost nothing. You can generally count on a significant bribe being accepted.”

  “That’s all fine and dandy, but Corkie’s pistol wouldn’t do us much good even if he was here, if things begin to break down.”

  “I agree. Which is why I want to take a look inside that.”

  Logan had stopped walking and stood in front of a small stone blockhouse in the middle of the compound, separate from all the others.

  “What’s that?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s interesting, don’t you think? I asked Xuemin about it. He said they used it to store cheese and goat milk, but the soldiers who patrolled the region took it over several years ago. The monks had to dig a new place for cold storage. Xuemin assumed they kept their own supplies there, but they never let anyone see what was inside.”

  “Armaments!”

  “Seems a good bet. Shall we take a look?”

  The door had only a primitive padlock, which took no more than a minute to dispatch. Evidently the soldiers believed the monks were too removed from worldly things to take an interest in their activities. Inside was the treasure Logan had expected. There were numerous rifles, mostly Kalashnikovs, but also a few AK-47s, along with ample ammunition. Stockpiled as well was a considerable supply of explosives, including a few rocket launchers.

  Alan whistled. “What the hell did they think they were going to need all this stuff for here in the middle of nowhere?”

  “Never underestimate the paranoia of a dictatorship. Who knows? Maybe they have these all over the country just in case there’s a local uprising that needs suppressing.”

  “Whew! We could probably hold out for quite a while with all this stuff, except for one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “If you’ll recall, there are only six of us. No way could we defend a place this big . . . not unless the monks were willing to help. And I doubt that’s very likely.”

  They left the building and closed the door behind them. “You’re probably right,” Logan said. “Still, I’ve always subscribed to the notion that it’s good to know your surroundings. Believe me, I feel a whole lot better knowing about this stuff.”

  They left through the monastery gate and began to climb toward the lookout Logan had examined earlier.

  “There’s something else I’ve wanted to run by you, Alan.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Since the ice woman decayed into dust, the purpose of our mission has essentially been negated. We no longer have a body to deliver for examination in the hopes of finding an explanation for the DNA anomaly.”

  “Agreed.”

  “From what Dr. Kessler was told during her last contact with her colleagues at the Smithsonian, things are falling apart all over the world as a result of the epidemic. It would appear unstoppable.”

  “What are you saying?” asked Alan.

  “What I’m saying is we may already be where we have the best chance to survive this thing . . . as remote a place as we’re likely to find. If we attempted to leave, even if there was a way to do so, we’d surely come into contact with the disease.”

  “You’re suggesting we make a stand here,” Alan said in a quiet voice.

  “We’ve just discovered the armaments that would allow us to do so. The monastery is a completely closed system. They make all their own food and the clean drinking water coming off the glaciers is endless. Hell, we could live out our lives here if we had to.”

  “I’ve got a daughter, Logan.”

  “I know. Listen, we’ve all got people we care about back home. And if the time comes, I’ll be first in line to go back. But there’s no way I can see to do that at the moment. We’re surrounded by the dead and dying—millions of them. Given that state of affairs, don’t you think our families would want us to try to survive as best we can?”

  Alan thought of his fourteen-year-old daughter, Rachel. So young. So ready to engage the world and men. He’d hoped he might play some part in helping her negotiate the difficult transition to adulthood. Now, it looked like he wasn’t going to be there at all. In his heart, he knew Logan was right. If they attempted to break out of the encircling epidemic, they would certainly become infected.

  “How do you think the others will react?”

  “Most of them will be upset at first—the same as you. But I think they’ll come to see the truth of our position. The only one I’m worried about is Duncan. I think he’ll want to get out. He’s not shown himself to be the most rational member of our party so far.” He began to climb again. “I’m going out myself, though.”

  “What?”

  “I’m going back to the dig to find Diana and the others. It’s risky, I know. But as you pointed out, we need more people to help defend this place. I know my way around China. I’ll take the van as far as I can, th
en go overland once I begin to run into people.”

  “It’s an awful risk, Eric. You could become infected and bring it back with you.”

  “I know, and if I think that’s happened, I won’t return. There won’t be any way to know for certain, though, except to stay away from anyone who looks infected. Diana told Marcia they were holed up in the mountains above the family group site. That’s about as remote as you can get. I’m banking on being able to locate them without running into other people.” He stopped and met Alan’s eyes. “I don’t know any other way to do it, Alan.”

  Diana sat high above the cave in the precise spot where she’d first made contact with Dr. Kessler. She punched numbers on the sat-phone with increasing frustration. For two days, she’d been unable to raise anyone in the search party.

  More than anything, she wanted to hear Logan’s deep, reassuring voice once again. More even than that, she wanted to kiss him again. When he’d kissed her that one time, she’d felt it all the way to her toes. No one had kissed her like that back in New Jersey. All her cares had seemed to melt away. And that was definitely something she’d like to experience about now.

  It was frustrating in the extreme to be stuck here in the mountains at the edge of the bleak Taklamakan desert. It felt as if they were at the ends of the Earth. They had no way of knowing what was happening anywhere beyond the range of their own eyes. Blast this phone!

  She looked down to see Corkie and Lee scrambling up to join her. As they neared, she started to say something, but Lee shushed her with a finger to his lips.

  “What is it?” she asked softly, a questioning look in her eyes.

  “Look,” said Corkie.

  She followed his finger and gasped. Just a few hundred feet below them was a small band of men. There were no more than six or eight, but they were decidedly more organized than the ragtag army they’d spoken with earlier. To begin with, they had small motorcycles, some with three-wheeled trailer attachments that overflowed with gas cans and supplies. And they were armed. Even from this distance, there was no mistaking the rifle barrels. The group was evidently traveling cross-country on the bikes and had obviously camped below the previous evening. Diana realized how fortunate they were not to have been discovered.

  “We spotted them from the far side of the ridge,” Corkie said in a low voice.

  “Who the hell are they?”

  He shrugged. “Country’s probably crawling with bands like that one. Central authority has completely collapsed. People are banding together with anyone they can—for safety or to procure whatever they need.”

  “Maybe we should ask them for help,” said Lee.

  Diana shook her head. “No way. They look mean, and they don’t look sick. My bet is they’d kill us for a pack of cigarettes or a sack of rice.”

  “You think they’re going to come up here?” asked Corkie. “If they start looking around, they’re likely to end up right in our laps.”

  The same thought had occurred to Diana. They outnumbered the men, but aside from the pistol Corkie carried to dispatch snakes, they had no weapons. Their only real hope was that the small band below would pass them by.

  “I don’t know. They’re certainly not going to bring their motorcycles up here. But we’d better prepare for the worst. Lee, go tell the others what’s happening. Get everyone and everything inside the cave and hide any signs that we’ve been there. If they head this way, all we can do is hide in the cave and hope they don’t decide to check the place out.”

  Lee left, sliding cautiously down the rocky slope. The men below finished sharing a bottle of something and threw it away. They could hear the tinkle of broken glass as it crashed against a rock, followed by laughter. Then two of the men began to argue over which way to go, one pointing up toward where they hid and the other indicating a more roundabout path for the motorbikes. Unfortunately, the first man won out. They would evidently leave the bikes for the time being and climb to higher ground to get an overview of the surrounding landscape. It was all Diana and Corkie needed to see. They hurried back to the cave.

  “They’re coming!” Diana said.

  Lee was just finishing using one of their dig brushes to wipe out the impressions of footprints around the entrance. He quickly went to work on Diana’s and Corkie’s prints, and then they all went into the cave.

  There were twelve of them, all graduate students except for Diana. Somehow, they’d managed to select the worst possible moment in the history of foreign student research to study in China. Still, Diana felt a surge of pride in them. They were all in their early to mid-twenties, yet had shown remarkable resilience in the face of the extraordinary circumstances in which they had found themselves. There were no whiners or cowards in the group.

  Lee had stationed himself at the mouth of their hideout. Now he raised a hand and whispered, “They’ve seen the cave.”

  “Are they coming?” asked Corkie.

  “I don’t know. They’re talking about it, I think.”

  Suddenly Diana saw a light emanating from the rear of the cave, and one of the students appeared carrying a flashlight. He was covered in dirt. He turned the light off and hurried over. “We’ve got a back door,” he said. “Well . . . I don’t actually know if it goes out anywhere, but we might be able to hide if it becomes necessary.”

  “It just became necessary,” said Lee in a subdued tone. “They’re coming.”

  “Follow me,” the student said.

  “What’s the point?” asked Corkie. “They’ll know in a minute we’re here when they see the supplies.”

  “Maybe not,” said Diana. “They might assume it’s just someone’s secret stash—a hoarder or maybe a smuggler. I bet that stuff goes on around here all the time. Grab what you can, though—canteens and food. If they decide to take our stuff, we’ll be on our own.”

  “Hurry!” said Lee. “They’re coming fast.”

  Twenty feet into the cave the walls narrowed until there was only a small crawl space beneath a large boulder. It was a tight squeeze, but they all managed to get through just before the first of the men arrived at the cave entrance. Lee and Corkie quickly pushed dirt up into the hole, closing it almost completely, leaving just a tiny opening to peer through and observe the men.

  Diana eased up beside Lee. There was barely enough room for them to both look through. They hadn’t yet any idea what the new space consisted of, for they didn’t dare turn on their light until the hole was closed up entirely.

  Several of the men were in the cave now, poking around, turning over boxes, exclaiming at their good fortune. They kept their guns ready, however, until they’d followed the cave back to where it narrowed and seemingly petered out. Then they relaxed, calling to their friends to come see. Whoever the owners of the stash might be, they obviously weren’t around.

  Lee sat with his ear to the hole for a while, listening. Then he pushed several handfuls of dirt up and filled in the opening.

  “They’ve decided to stay the night,” he said, “and figure out what to take with them when they leave in the morning.”

  The student with the flashlight turned it on and they checked out their new abode for the first time. They were in a sort of winding rock corridor, the walls between ten and fifteen feet in height. But the first thing that caught their attention was a series of extraordinary paintings that adorned the rock walls. Vivid pictures of Chinese life, perhaps thousands of years in the past. One dignified, elderly man seemed to dominate the artwork. He was well-dressed in the finest clothing and sported a long, Fu Manchu-style moustache. Numerous servants waited on him. A rickshaw-like contraption served as transport for what must have been his wives and many children.

  “Whew! Anyone recognize this guy?” asked Corkie, but none of the students could place the figure. He was clearly a ruler of some sort, but it would take an expert like Dr. Kessler to determine the age of the scenes.

  They continued on with the corridor narrowing considerably. Diana began to fear it
would simply come to an end deep in the earth and they would be trapped—at least until the armed men decided to leave. However, they had enough food and water to last for some time, and it seemed unlikely the men would make the cave their home for long.

  But after half an hour of cautious exploring, they saw daylight flickering into the stygian confines of the cave. A few turns more and they emerged at an opening on a sheer cliff face. The panorama across the desert was spectacular.

  “Wow!” said Diana. “Looks like they picked a room with a view for their ruler, whoever he was.”

  “More like a tomb with a view,” said Lee. “Though there’s no sign of any bodies. Place was probably looted ages ago.”

  “At least we’re not trapped anymore,” said Corkie. He stared over the edge of the precipice. It was almost fifty feet to the bottom, but he’d been prescient enough to grab a long length of nylon rope while the others were stocking up on food and water.

  The entrance to the cave was flanked by columns thirty feet high and carved directly out of the stone of the cliff face.

  “This is pretty typical of tombs in the region,” said Corkie, the most experienced member of the archeological team, as he began to unravel their rope. It was more than long enough. Then, suddenly, they heard sounds from inside the cave.

  “Someone’s found our escape hatch,” said Lee. “They’re coming after us!”

  “Hurry,” said Diana. “Everyone down the rope.”

  Fortunately, they were all young and strong and managed to lower themselves quickly to the valley floor. Corkie was the last one down, but there was no way to detach their rope. If their pursuers wanted to descend after them there’d be no stopping them.

  Several men appeared at the entrance to the tomb and at once began firing at them. Everyone dove behind rocks. Diana ended up beside Corkie.

  “You think they’ll come after us?” he asked.

  “I’d bet on it,” she said. And in fact, one of the men was already beginning to descend, his rifle over his shoulder as his comrades continued to offer covering fire.

  “Have you got your pistol?”