“My daughter, where’s my daughter?!” Lien continued, now at a jog, as he rounded the main area and approached those at the guardhouse near the gate. Others within the camp noticed the commotion and people were stopping. It took a great deal to get their leader agitated, so whatever the problem was had to be important. The two guards on the gate braced themselves. They knew only too well where Eve was and they weren’t enthusiastic about breaking the news.
“They were going to the river,”
“They?” Lien spat back.
“She was with Ky.”
“How long ago?”
“Maybe an hour.”
Lien swivelled and ran at speed to the stables.
“Saddle my horse!” he screamed as he ran. “Bennett, Liew, Bacher!”
As he reached the stables and began to throw a saddle over a mount, the three summoned men arrived.
“Mount up. We’re going after Ky and my daughter. They’ve got a start on us, so find yourself a quick horse.”
Bennett, Liew and Bacher stood in shock. They all knew of the rumoured relationship between Eve and Ky. But for a father to initiate a search to hunt them down, especially when Ky was second in command of the camp, seemed an extreme reaction.
“Mount up!” Lien screamed almost into the faces of the three. Saddles landed on animals and leather squeaked as it was tightened.
Lien was first aboard and quickly signalled the gate to be opened. In a symphony of rhythm, the four horseman rode into the apocalypse left to their people by those within the city. They rode for Callen’s hills, never for a moment considering the river, in the opposite direction, could have lured the couple to its banks.
Callen was nearing his goal. He was still too far to see the exact entrance to the tunnel, but something made him turn to look over the ground he’d travelled. Perhaps it was his deep sense of purpose and some foolish idea of marking in his own mind, what he was sure would become a fabled journey. All he saw was a ribbon of dust in the distance, rising from the feet of two horses coming his way at speed.
Callen watched them for a moment then looked to the hill ahead. The riders would reach him well before he reached his escape. He had no way of telling who they were or why they were coming at such a pace. He decided to be cautious and secured a safe haven, created by two balanced rocks. He had a seat, he had shade and best of all he had cover. It was a perfect vantage point for him to determine who seemed to be after him.
Within ten minutes the unmistakable sounds of hooves on hard earth could be heard. Callen watched from the shadows. His heart jumped on seeing Eve, but Ky’s presence gave him concern.
“That’s the hill there,” Ky said as he brought his mount to a halt and searched the surrounding terrain for any sign of Callen.
“Maybe he got lost,” Eve suggested.
Callen rolled his eyes, shocked Eve thought so little of his directional skills.
“Or he’s found another opening,” she continued.
Ky said nothing. Slowly his horse moved ahead. Eve followed. A sense of danger and worry clung to her as she stayed alert alongside Ky, both looking for Callen, although both intending very different greetings for him.
Callen waited. There was little else he could do. Once the sounds of the hooves were well away, he emerged from his hiding place and peered through a rock formation that framed Ky and Eve perfectly. They were still headed towards his hill and he was able to follow at a discreet distance taking full advantage of the rocky outcrops in order to stop him from being seen. By the time he could go no further without being spotted he was within a few hundred metres of his destination and the entrance to the tunnel was easily seen.
Eve and Ky grew restless. Ky laughed to himself.
“I think he did get lost,” he said.
The two took their horses to a small hill directly in front of Callen’s gateway. They dismounted and sat, breaking out water bottles. Their view of the hill was now partially obscured as they sat behind one of the larger rocks and Callen estimated he could climb almost half way to his tunnel entrance before he’d risk being seen. He decided to take the chance and carefully worked his way to the foot of the hill where he began to climb. As he made his ascent, he gained enough altitude to see Eve and Ky, still sitting in conversation. From this point he knew he could be seen. He moved slowly. One eye on the ground he was covering and one eye on Ky and Eve. He still had no idea why they’d come to him and he didn’t want to risk his plans by stopping to find out. He moved over the loose rocks trying to disturb as little as possible. One wrong step and even the smallest stone sent down the hillside would bring him undone. Eve turned her head for no particular reason and Callen, now in the open, froze. The couple stared at each other. Eve’s reaction alerted Ky, who glanced over his shoulder to the mountain side. He quickly spotted Callen, now well into the climb. Ky began to run almost in the same moment.
Callen was left in no doubt about Ky’s intent. He had a healthy lead as Ky reached the base of the slope, but the loose stones made progress slow. As Ky began to climb and Callen’s efforts increased, rocks began to slide down the hill side like a stream of stones flowing to its base. A slip from Callen reduced his lead considerably and Ky was suddenly a real chance of catching him before he managed to escape into the tunnel. Callen reached the entrance and crouched to find the passage blocked by rocks, the work of the industrious border patrols. He began furiously dragging rocks from the cave’s mouth and hurling them towards Ky. One of the hurled rocks connected and Ky fell backwards. He tried to grab hold of something secure with his hands, but found nothing, as the whole hillside seemed to move, sending him careering backwards down the slope. When he came to rest, he drew his gun from his side and aimed it at Callen.
“No!” Eve screamed.
Callen turned as one single shot rang out, the bullet only pierced the air above Callen’s head, but it was enough to make him stop.
“Next one won’t miss,” Ky said with the pistol deliberately trained on Callen. Callen turned to face him. Eve watched on, terrified.
“Don’t,” she called, worried that Ky might decide to end things quickly. Ky moved towards Callen with the gun still aimed at him. Slowly the gap between them disappeared.
“Come down here,” Ky ordered.
Callen had little choice. He began taking giant steps down the steep path. A dozen steps were all it took for Callen to be standing level with Ky who smiled. Callen hadn’t said a word. Had Ky known Callen better, he would have been worried, but he didn’t know him at all and he read his silence as surrender. It made him relax slightly. It’s all Callen needed and he hurled a small rock he’d been clutching and hit Ky’s hand, making a dull cracking sound that sent the gun spinning down onto the rocks below. Ky grabbed his wrist and rung it, as Callen knocked him down. The two rolled down the rocky hill and the air filled with a clattering sound as rocks shifted under them. Callen was trying to break from Ky and get to the gun, but Ky had recovered enough to keep a hold of him.
“Stop,” yelled Eve. Ky and Callen looked towards her and found her standing, with the gun in hand, trained hard on them both.
“Move away,” She said.
Ky looked at Callen. He liked surprises and this was a good one. He broke from Callen and stared at him with a broad smile.
“Shoot him,” Ky said, as if it were a trivial matter. He never even bothered to turn back to Eve as he watched Callen, waiting for the shot to ring out. It did and a slight flinch from Ky was the only sign things had not gone to plan. His face lost its sneer and shock registered as he grew shaky. His knee gave way, leaving him kneeling on the loose rocks. He looked to his thigh, growing slick with the wetness of his own blood, then crashed to a seated position, wrapping his hands around the fresh wound. He looked to Eve for the first time since the shot was fired, knowing he’d been betrayed. The look he gave chilled her. Eve placed the gun in her waist band and began to climb. Callen was already heading back to the tunnel. He resumed dragging roc
ks from its entrance, hurling them down the mountain. Eve joined him and she too began to take rocks and empty them from the small shaft.
It took a few minutes to clear enough rocks to pass through and during that time, Ky had twice tried to raise himself and move to prevent their escape. Both times he’d been brought to his knees with an anguished cry. On hearing his cry Eve and Callen stopped for a brief moment and looked to him, before getting back to work. Callen stopped before entering the tunnel.
“I don’t want you coming with me,” he said to Eve.
“I just shot someone to come with you and I’ve still got the gun.”
That was enough for Callen to give in and accept that he’d be heading back to his home-land with a partner. He figured, what he had to explain to them was dramatic enough. Bringing back an Outlocked who spoke and thought in a civilised manner, would only help to convince anyone who doubted his story. Callen took off the long City coat he’d been given by Lien and handed it to Eve. It would at least hide what she wore until they could find an appropriate change of clothes inside the city’s walls. Callen led the way into the darkness. Eve was close behind. Now it was her turn to travel into the unknown.
Half an hour later, Lien and his party of three rode into view and came upon Ky. He was no longer in any pain, as the once intense agony he originally felt had transformed into a dull ache. He looked helpless as Lien came to him. Ashamed and beaten, the warrior hardly looked up as he explained what happened. Lien listened with concern, but he didn’t react until he heard Eve had gone with Callen into the tunnel. Lien called for those with him to help Ky with his wound. There was no point trying to follow Callen and Eve into a world that Callen knew better than they did. There was only one course of action that Lien could take. The matter needed to be turned over to the Elders and it needed to be turned over immediately.
Chapter 16.
Callen and Eve neared the stairs to the underground carriageway. Eve hadn’t spoken since seeing the old man’s tombstone placed alongside the other stones in the cave. To see evidence of the journey Callen had talked about so often brought home to her the risks she was taking in accompanying Callen on his journey back home.
The young couple reached the stairs.
“This is it,” said Callen as he looked up to the entrance.
“Last chance to turn back.”
Eve shook her head.
“Who will you say I am?” she asked.
Callen looked at her for a long time. He had no grand plan.
“I’ll tell them the truth.”
“They won’t like it.”
“Once they hear what I’ve found they won’t care.”
“And if they don’t believe you?”
“They’ll have to believe now you’re with me”
Callen came to Eve and wrapped her in his arms. He put the warmth of his cheek to hers and held fast. He had no idea what lay ahead. His was a civilised world; a world of technology and incredible advancements; a world of a thousand rules and regulations and very little consideration for individuals. But Callen believed he alone could improve that situation and make it a world that even Eve would find inviting. He knew they risked severe punishment for their relationship, but he felt sure the laws regarding such things were outdated. Those enforcing them simply needed to be told of his discovery and he was certain, a new era of deregulation would follow.
Callen looked into Eve’s eyes.
“If we can make them understand, they’ll thank us for it. Then we can come and go as we please. We can choose where to live.”
Callen was convinced he was a modern day Columbus, returning to change the old world with news of the new. Eve’s manner showed she didn’t share Callen’s certainty, but she did her best to keep those thoughts to herself. Wherever Callen was leading them, she planned to be at his side until the very end.
Up the stairs the couple strode. Callen led his one disciple into the carriageway tunnel, giving a quick lesson on survival as they went.
“When a carriage comes, lean back into the wall. Don’t worry about how close it looks like getting. Close your eyes if you have to.”
Eve nodded her head. Her nerves were obvious. The monsters unknown had a hold of her mind and as brave as she was, her imagination knew exactly what to conjure up to evoke her worst fears. A few moments later a roar could be heard coming towards them. Eve froze and looked to Callen now ten metres ahead of her.
“Here comes one,” he screamed over the oncoming roar.
“Remember what I said, push back into the wall.”
He took up a stance by way of demonstration. Eve mimicked the pose. The roar grew louder and louder.
“Get ready,” yelled Callen as he saw the head light from the carriage round the bend. Eve looked to the piercing light in absolute terror. Callen bracing himself with his back firmly pressed into the white plastic wall of the tunnel didn’t help ease her fear. He looked like he was guarding against being swept away by a torrent. The roar was deafening and had Eve wanted to yell out for reassurance she wouldn’t have been heard. The beast was upon them.
Eve had only ever seen the wooden horse drawn carts of her homeland and now, she stood within inches of a silver serpent, flashing its clear frames giving sight into its belly. She could see people within, swallowed whole, sitting, standing, swaying. The flicker of fast light was only matched by the strength of the wind, whipped along beside the carriages. And then it was over. Eve had been holding her breath since the first distant roar. She exhaled as if she’d been under water. She gulped in breath and began panting as she watched the carriages and the light they came with disappear around a further bend.
Callen failed to notice Eve’s reaction and began to walk as he called casually over his shoulder.
“And now you know what a carriage is.”
Eve certainly did. For her, the adventure of entering a new world had well and truly begun.
Reaching the end of the tunnel, leading out into the well lit surrounds of the station’s platform, Callen came to a standstill. Eve caught up to him moments later.
“Why are we stopping?”
“See the passengers waiting?”
Eve did.
“We have to wait until a carriage comes. Then the platform will be empty, or people will be walking to that exit over there.” He pointed to the signed exit doors at the far end of the platform. The wait made Eve nervous, but she didn’t protest. They were in Callen’s world and she was ready to trust whatever he told her.
A second exhalation of breath from Eve indicated the passing of a second carriage. The moment it pulled away Callen spoke.
“Follow me and just keep walking.”
He was away, out of the tunnel and up on the platform in a moment. He quickly became part of the surge of travellers heading home. A guard caught a glimpse of Eve as she swung her leg onto the platform and dragged herself to her feet.
“Hey, you! What do you think you’re doing?” he yelled, with an annoyed tone to his voice. Callen was quick to double back.
“She dropped her crystal. We were mucking around. You know,” he said, evoking some shared male understanding.
“She was being a tease. I went to grab it and knocked it from her.”
The guard went quiet and looked at Eve with a pornographic leer.
“You should have let me get it for you,” he said as he came closer to Eve, “or don’t you trust me touching your crystal ?”
“She won’t do it again,” Callen said as he grabbed Eve’s arm and began to drag her away. They walked together up the ramp towards the exit gate.
“That crystal you wear, it’s something important?”
Callen began to explain. They had a good half hours walk ahead of them and he’d need every moment of the journey to detail the modern courting rituals to this primitive girl. Eve couldn’t believe what she was hearing and far from feeling left behind by the modern world, she couldn’t help but feel a level of superiority for her more
natural upbringing.
Turning one last corner and arriving at plastic prefabricated building that looked like all the others Callen announced their arrival. Eve had no idea how he knew where he was. Every building was identical. Callen laughed as he reached the front door. He took his crystal and waved it in front of the red light below the door. With a beep, red became green and a click of the latch could be heard. They moved quickly to his home floor and did the same with the lock to his apartment. Callen opened the door. He entered a little more gingerly than usual and gently called, ‘hello’. There was movement in the kitchen. A plastic bowl was placed heavily on a bench.
His mother called his name. A moment later, with her boy in her arms, she fired a million questions at him. Callen didn’t answer any. He matched his mother’s warm hug, before extricating himself from the sleeper hold she had upon him.
“I want to tell you everything, but I want to tell you and dad together.”
“I’ll call him. I’ll get him home straight away. We’ve been so worried.”
Annie went for the viewer phone.
Sometime later, Annie and Raegher Helfner sat on their plastic lounge suite, stunned. They greeted the story their son had just told them with silence. Both kept glancing towards Eve, who sat quietly at Callen’s side trying to project a friendly smile. It was a pivotal moment. Callen’s parents could, by rights, turn their son in. In fact, by law, they had a duty to do so. He’d confessed to making contact with the Outlocked and helping one to enter through the walls of the city. Annie and Raegher were giving no indication as to which way they would jump. Callen and Eve sat nervously waiting for them to reveal whether they had found sanctuary or not.
Raegher nodded slowly in agreement with nothing. He smiled at Eve, a patronising smile. He stood, stretched and asked Callen if he could have a word with him in the kitchen. Callen got up with some embarrassment, apologising to Eve as he followed Raegher away. One brief smile later, delivered only out of politeness, Annie rose and headed for the kitchen as well. She joined a heated conversation that centred on Raegher’s intolerance at having an Outlocked in the house. A primitive Outlocked who could kill them in their sleep, not to mention spread any number of infectious diseases that Callen’s parents both knew, from their education on the subject, Eve would be carrying.
Inner City Page 15
