As we readied ourselves to depart, with a lot of groaning and mumbling for the two older kids, Pipkin came to us with bad news. His scans had picked up life forms heading towards our location and he felt that the terrain was, in his words, sufficiently impassable that we would likely run in to them, whether we left or not.
Cedar and I weighed the options. If we met them on the road, we couldn’t be sure whether we’d have the advantage or not, but if we waited for them, we might be able to surprise them or if they were patently uncurious, we might avoid them by hiding in the salt silo. The choice was obvious; we’d stay and wait them out. The bot seemed to think they were only a few hours away, so we cleared the remnants of our tracks from the outside of the building and waited in silence, an eye continuously focussed on the approaching road.
When they came over the hill it wasn’t exactly what we expected. The group looked rag tag and worse for wear. I counted three people, one apparently hurt, as they were being dragged in a travois behind the other two. Our hope that they would just pass by the silo was dashed quickly, as they headed directly for the shelter. I drew my gun and Jake hid behind one of the doors with his Bowie knife at the ready. Pipkin hovered strategically over the entry and Cedar tucked Blossom and River safely away in the back of the building; an effort that neither girl appreciated.
An elderly man cleared the doorway first and he paused, waiting for his vision to adjust to the dim light. The other man pulling the travois was younger and he almost bowled over his travelling companion in his haste to be out of the blistering sun. If the blanket on the travois hadn’t caught in the doorway, the older man would have been eating dirt, but it was the younger who sprawled across the floor, inertia taking over. I could see an ancient looking woman carefully ensconced between the rods of the travois and I felt a shiver down my back as she turned her head towards me, like she knew I was there. The light fell across her face and all I could see was blank white orbs, obviously blind, but yet the feeling that she was looking at me persisted.
I stepped out of the shadows, gun raised and I planted myself between the entry and the back of the silo, where the girls were hiding. I almost jumped out of my skin as Cedar touched my shoulder to let me know she was there, but I recovered quickly and gestured Jake over to us.
The younger man stood and dusted himself off and stood protectively in front of the elders. I could tell he was staring at my gun and it somehow made me braver.
“What do you want?” I demanded gruffly. It crossed my mind that I should be more amazed at finding what were obviously outcasts so far from the domes, but my prior experience had made me paranoid and I wasn’t about to give up the advantage.
“Only some shelter from the heat,” replied the old man, stepping around what appeared to be his son. “We mean no harm and hope that you don’t either.” He gestured towards the gun and Jake’s knife, which he held aloft, still poised to strike. I gave him a nod and he lowered the weapon with apparent relief. He hadn’t been looking forward to coshing an old man on the head. I was equally relieved to lower my pistol a bit, but I remained wary.
“We’re passing to Camp Freedom, on the far side of Camp Creation and Black List. The leader has called for Grandmother.” The young man spoke, weighing his words carefully. “We aren’t Sand Walkers, but Grandmother’s services are often called upon. In exchange they leave us alone.” He obviously wanted us to keep them separate from the lunatics that made up the camps of survivalists. “Are you from one of those camps?” It wasn’t a very subtle question.
“No,” I wasn’t giving him any more information than absolutely necessary and I crossed my arms indicating that any further queries were out of the question.
“They travel far, my son,” said the old lady, voice cracking with dryness. “They are the travellers.” There was something about how she said ‘the’ that made my skin prickle; like she was talking about something she’d heard before. She turned her vacant eyes to me again and I had the sensation that she could see more blind than I could, fully sighted. “Yer needing food and we’re in need of some dome currency. Perhaps we can make a trade?”
“But how…?” started Jake, but he fell silent at Cedar’s warning look.
“Could I know?” finished the grandmother with an amused smile. “There is much to see in the darkness. This is why the Sand Walkers call me to them; they wish to know what I see.” She paused and licked her lips. “I tell them what they want to hear, for the most part, with a threat here and there, to keep them on their toes. But before we go any farther, might you share some water with some poor Outcasts?”
I didn’t know how but somehow, I’d lost control of the situation and I turned to fulfill her request.
Chapter 26 – Stanger than Fiction
The travellers sat, sharing the bowl from the water extractor and the two men watched us with curiosity. I was equally interested in them. They were all deeply tanned, with skin like cellophane; so dry and wrinkled that you could almost hear it crackle. The men had heavy backpacks and the travois ingeniously made up of their travel tent and poles. It was obvious by their sand softened and sun bleached clothes that they’d been travelling for a long while, out in the elements.
“Where did you come from?” asked Jake, eying the trio distrustfully.
“The Boston dome,” replied the older man, clutching his stomach at the weight of the water.
“You may want to go easy on that, it’s not like water tablets you know,” Cedar suggested, seeing his gesture. He nodded and carefully placed the collection tray down on the ground.
“Thanks,” there was an uncomfortable pause. “Name’s Crandle, and this here is my boy, Wilson.” He didn’t seem to think that the name of the woman needed sharing.
“Er, Crandle…?” Cedar left the question hanging in the air hoping that he’d fill in the missing information.
“Just Crandle,” he shrugged. “We’re on route, as we said to Freedom Camp, they need the services of Grandmother.” I blinked, trying to decide if it was Wilson’s grandmother or Crandle’s. She looked old enough to be Eve, but I held my tongue.
“What sort of, uhm, service do you provide?” asked Blossom politely, turning to the ancient lady.
“Advice,” cackled Grandmother, “I’m a soothsayer.” The latter was added in with a toothless grin and a wink.
“Oh.” I don’t think I’d seen Blossom at a loss for words before and it made me smile. Despite all of our technological advances, science had never been able to disprove all that bunk and I shook my head sadly, at some people’s gullibility.
“Don’t believe in that, do you young man?” queried the grandmother, pointing a skeletal finger in my direction. “You have a crisis of faith.” She narrowed her eyes and seemingly stared through me. The sensation was disconcerting. “At least she didn’t break your heart, only your pride.” It was said so simply that my head shot up in surprise and I changed the subject to cover my discomposure.
“You said you would trade for food?” I looked over their ramshackle assortment of goods and wondered what they could possibly have to share.
“Yes, if you have some dome currency, we can trade. We have some items that we need to barter for, before we reach the camp.” It was Wilson who answered. I’d almost forgotten that he was there; his two companions’ personalities overwhelming his own.
“Great, let’s talk business,” Cedar gestured him over to the travois and I left her to the negotiations. What could I possibly contribute, except the funds?
“So Grandmother, can you tell our future?” asked River, a little bit shyly.
“I could girlie, but I gots a rule, no one should ever ask a question they don’t want to know the answer to. What’d ya say to that?” River blushed a little bit and shrugged, suddenly engrossed in the sand scattered across the cracked cement.
“Well, I want to know!” interrupted Jake. “We’ve been on this crazy trip, looking for something and I know it’s out there somewhere, but I don�
��t know where. Will we find it?” He threw the question out like a challenge and he braced himself for the reply.
I watched the old woman carefully, as her eyes grew even more distant and unfocussed. Her whole body changed; somehow becoming more solid and straight and I could hear her faintly humming to herself. She mumbled something and nodded, as if she’d received a response.
“What you seek exists. The journey is arduous and has many keys. If you have faith you will complete your task.” She slumped back and her unseeing gaze passed over the four of us.
“That’s not really an answer, ah, no disrespect,” mumbled Jake, half embarrassed that he’d even asked.
“Young ‘un, when the path has as many challenges as you face, the outcome is never clear. My guide tells me that you gotta chance, but you gotta focus and things gotta go yer way. I don’t make the rules; I only follow ‘em.” It was then that I realized that the voice she’d used when she answered Jake’s question was much different than her usual speaking voice. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I chalked it up to con-artist mumbo jumbo, even though I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
Cedar wandered back and showed me an extra five days worth of food supplies and an empty wallet. The chits for the currency had been my little hold back, something that had made me feel safe, just by having it. I knew that where we were going, it would likely be worthless, but it was still hard to let it go. The men settled Grandmother back in to the travois and turned to head out in to the heat of midday. Cedar escorted them to the opening and we all wandered toward the doors to get a last glimpse of the strangers. As I stepped outside, the old woman hopped off her transport agilely and beckoned me to her, meeting me half way.
“The house and field is real, you just gotta believe that you deserve it. Don’t let doubt bring you unhappiness.” I nodded and before I turned to head back to the car, she laid her hand over my heart. She didn’t say another word, but a feeling of peace spread through me like the warming rays of the sun at first light. My eyes closed involuntarily and when I opened them she was already nearing the travois. Without looking back she was scurried back on to the blanket and she and the men disappeared around a bend in the road. I stood frozen, her words echoing around in my head like a storm trapped in a bottle. How could she have known what I dreamt about? There was no plausible explanation, except that she really had the sight. I hadn’t even told Cedar about my recurring dream. I took a big gulp of air and choked on some drifting grit. It was enough to knock me out of my shock and I turned back towards the shelter.
I walked slowly back to the car, trying not to analyze what had just happened. I didn’t want to break the spell of certainty that filled me, so I pushed my questions aside and opened the driver’s door. I also ignored the expectant glances coming from everyone as they procrastinated about getting in to the car and focussed on the bot, perched in his usual place.
Pipkin had made himself scarce once he realized that the Outcasts were not a threat, as he seemed to make them nervous, and I hadn’t missed him until I saw him on the dash; his system idling.
“Let’s roll!” The words came out more forcefully than I’d intended and startled Pip out of rest mode and sent the kids scurrying to obey.
“What did the crazy old girl want?” prodded Cedar after waiting a moment for a run down.
“Oh, uh, she just wanted to tell us to be safe,” I lied lamely.
“Yeah, sure she did,” she smirked, but didn’t press me further. “Come on, let’s get out of here. Wilson said that he saw drones heading north and that they looked like they were searching for something.” She gave me a meaningful glance, but I was still suffering from shock, so she broke it down for me. “They’re probably looking for us, but if they’ve left the area, this is our best chance to get out of here unseen. Crandle said that as long as we head due east, we shouldn’t come across any other settlements, Sand Walker or otherwise.”
It was hard to leave the cooling shelter of the storage barn, especially in the afternoon, but we were feeling hopeful and that helped. The bot kept us on an easterly track and soon we were cruising the rolling hills that surrounded the eastern shore line. If everything went as planned we might arrive as soon as the following day. What happened after that we could only guess at.
Night fell and we were in need of a place to camp once again. The routine of the road was both comforting and monotonous at the same time. We hadn’t seen a drone all day and we started to hope that they’d given up the search. We settled on a rock formation that gave us shelter on three sides. It was, unfortunately, open to the sky, but, despite our late start, we were exhausted and could go no further.
River had never slept under the stars before, and while the sky fascinated her, the unending abyss of the night sky was also terrifying in its enormity. I tried to imagine what it had been like earlier in the millennium. I knew that satellites could be seen streaking across the sky and that the lights of airplanes blinked and flashed as they followed their path to distant parts of the world.
“Did you know that at one point in history, the light from the city would be so strong that it was almost impossible to see the stars? Even in the country, light pollution got so bad that only the major constellations could be seen.” Everyone stared up at the star laden sky and pondered my statement.
“I was just learnin’ ‘bout the constellations, so I could track at night, when we went raiding,” offered River. “I’m right glad I got away. We were going to start going out in to the Bee Zee to learn survival stuff. I’m sure they woulda found me out then.” She sighed as she searched the sky again and finally smiled. I guess the prospect of being found out was way scarier than the endless universe.
“Can you see any constellations now?” asked Jake, curious as always. River nodded and pointed up to an arrangement of four stars that had a tail shooting off to one side.
“That’s the bear, there’s a little one, too, but I ain’t sure where it is. And see them three stars in a line over to the right? That’s the hunter; the three stars are his belt. Somewhere there’s a lightning bolt and that would be the Lady, but I don’t see it.” How she made out the shapes of the constellations was a mystery to me, as the sky was so heavy with stars that it resembled an anemone light with it thousands of fibre optic strands softly illuminating the area around it.
The conversation petered out and we all fell asleep, forgetting to set a watch, leaving Pipkin to keep us safe as we dreamed.
Chapter 27 – The Edge of Change
We awoke in high spirits. There was something about a good nights sleep, without worrying about who was out there, waiting to get us. It could have been an illusion, being so far off the beaten track, but it had made us feel safe enough to relax. There was also hope in the air, or something else floating around, giving us positive vibes. I felt it in my bones.
The water extractor was nearly full; a good indication that water was fairly close by, but at first taste, we had to dump the reservoir, as it was heavily salted and completely unpalatable. We finished up breakfast, followed by some water tablets and hopped in the car. I could tell that everyone was eager to reach the coast and maybe get some answers to the questions that had been plaguing us.
As we travelled conversation fell off as we all lost ourselves in our own thoughts. River was dozing, resting against Blossom’s arm and Jake had his head leaned back, at what looked like an uncomfortable angle, while he stared at the ceiling of the car. I couldn’t begin to guess what he was thinking, but his fingers drummed against his leg, driving me to distraction. I looked over at Cedar to see if it was bothering her as well, but she was fidgeting with the little black transponder.
The kids had reluctantly given up their medallions the night before, knowing that we were getting close and we’d inserted the chip into the slot. We all watched as the numbers scrolled around endlessly looking for a signal, but they never hit on anything.
I could hear the click of the chip as Ced
ar plugged it back in to the port and I waited, hoping that we’d finally get some sort of response, but Cedar didn’t react, so I assumed that the outcome was the same.
“I guess we need to wait until we get to the coast,” she sighed and pocketed the chip. I nodded, but didn’t say anything, hiding my disappointment.
We finally broke through a line of hills and came to the steep edge of a cliff. In the distance we could see something brilliant on the horizon, but for all we knew it could be an illusion. The drop in front of us was precipitous and we climbed out of the car to get a better look. The destructive waves of the Melt had ripped chunks of eroding land away from the coast and it was pure supposition to guess how much earth had been swallowed by the sea.
From our vantage point we could see what used to be the ocean bed stretching out for kilometres. There were vestiges of the rusty red earth that was native to the region, mixed with detritus from a good portion of the world. I turned my head north and saw the broken skeleton of a long bridge, spanning from the coast into nothingness. Either a good portion of the bridge had been wiped out or the land that it had spanned had vanished beneath the waves and scattered in the currents. There was nothing out there, except what I presumed was the sparkling line of ocean far in the distance. My heart plummeted a little.
“We’ll have to find a way down,” said Jake, scanning the ridge for a likely spot. Our view of the coast was limited by land protruding out on either side of our look out, so we decided to split up and survey the coast, Cedar and Jake going south and the rest of us north. Despite Cedar’s protests, I sent the bot with them.
We agreed to meet back at the car before the sun touched the highest hill. Blossom kept her eye on River, but it was a little like herding dust motes in a wind storm. Every hill and valley was a curiosity, holding all sorts of crap from old tires to boat hulls. The sun had moved half way towards the hill and I knew we had to turn back soon, but we still hadn’t found a slope that we could safely take the car down. I called the girls to turn back.
Last Farmer: Last Farmer Series - Book 1 Page 24
