by Riley Moreno
The earth fell from the hatchway as he opened it further from the back, and both gave it a check from up-top to see if proceeding down was safe. One of them left their suitcase, and Lee figuring this was a stupid thing to do, spared no time in darting over and collecting it. The men would not know it was gone.
Lee had memorized the route and could get back out of there easy when it got a little late. The sun was setting, and there were many bugs under the boulder. But Lee had to wait ...
“Did she come this way?”
“Not sure. The trail stops here. She had a suitcase, so she must be one of them. That’s the first female I’ve seen.”
“It could be anybody. Let’s get back to Peacock and let him know that we should send out a search party around here.”
And then the rebels left... looking more like affiliated baggy-tee fishermen with bronze skin and bad gums. They had fired shots at Lee when she was passing casually to go back to the spot where Bennie had dropped her off. But instead, ran into them there, and made a break for it until she found this boulder.
They chased her for a while, the boulder was her saving grace. Lee waits until her instincts tell her to come out. It does when she sees the hugest spider that looks worse than a black widow. Taking no chances, she slips away slowly from the eight-legged beauty and comes out in time before it crawled on her arms.
Lee moves from the area and checks her phone that is nearly dead. As she goes through the maze of this stony and grassy greenery packed with many rocks that can collapse, and cliffs that she could climb with the right equipment. She comes to spots where she stops and tries to call Darren.
His phone is off... or dead. She thinks the latter. Lee fumbles for anything to eat and finds an old fudge in one of her trouser pockets. It adds some additives to her dull taste buds that need something in this defying heat. She peers up at the direction of the sun and wishes she knew how to read a compass by using clouds.
From here, she could get back to the facility, but if the men are still there, she’d have to break fire. With no other option in sight, Lee goes with the only circumstance that will get some proof to send back to Bennie and see if he’s for real.
Lee is on an ever-vigilant stroll. She hears voices and knows that she has to be cunning and quiet. There are rebels posted everywhere, and she thinks Bennie kept it quiet that he’s not the only one searching for that facility. At this rate, they’ll only find two Americans and want to chop of their arms and legs.
Lee sticks to the shallower paths and only diverts when necessary. To get to the facility, Lee starts to frantically pace down the twenty-metre sloped earth as it treads against the inner toes of her sandals. She starts to almost glide down, allowing the soles to have a mind of their own.
After more than one hour of walking, she notices the Americans being led away by the rebels with bags over their head, and they carry the orange insignia of Peacock. They have the other suitcase. And Lee can’t help but think this is a good thing. But Lee still must ask Bennie why he and Peacock were talking?
Lee’s near the bottom, and the rebels are now coming down too. Why this way? She makes it in time before she finds a shallow ditch that must’ve been wet recently. It’s the quickest hiding spot as she jumps in and skirts the rock that hangs just above it. She’ll be able to see them, but the rebels won’t be able to see her.
She bends down and waits for them to walk-on-by. They come, speaking to the Americans. “There was a girl with you? Where has she gone?” They mumble unheard because their mouths are covered. One of the rebels takes off the face-sack to allow one of them to speak, it’s Thomas. They ask him again, “Where has she gone? The black girl with dreads.”
“She’s not with us.”
“That woman had a suitcase.”
“Yes. She stole it.”
“Why have you come all the way out here?”
Thomas voice sounds like a baby’s rattle that’s forever shaking, “we ... got ... lost.”
“No. Tell us now, or deal with Peacock who’ll have harsher ways of making you tell the truth.”
“We got lost. We had gone for a walk.”
“A walk in the middle of nowhere? You Americans are not allowed to be here. It’s off-limits.”
“We have permission from Alabastor.” The name seems to give him a boost of charisma. “And with that you must let us go. If he hears anything has happened to us, he will order an attack on you.”
“Alabastor does not run us. And neither do you and your plans to make money and order. If we killed you both, it would mean nothing to him.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Thomas has found his inner manhood. “Felis is still neutral. I know you rebels want him on your side, but he is a power mongrel and loves the idea of getting rich –”
A left hook comes to Thomas jaw before he even sees it. It’s a nasty punch, one to teach him a lesson that balls out here are nothing. It works. And Thomas is that little boy who wants to wet himself again, as he tries to play-it-off as a small hit. They put the face-mask back on and start the march.
Lee spies on them until they are no longer to be seen. She then stealthily comes out of hiding, immediately to get back up that slope. She finds a sturdier way up after practically using her hands as the levy to the top. She feels her energy spent but continues her journey upwards.
It takes some time, but when she finds a firm foundation to get her feet onto the flat surface again, she uses the last ounce of vitality and after one ... two ... three tries she’s back on her feet and catching up to her lungs again. She jogs to the facility that still is some way off.
...
“You can sit down, Henny.”
Henny prefers standing. But there are five of them in this room, each with some part to play in the city. The mayor, a chief of police, the chairman of N.O., a government official, and a treasury who wants a new job in Torbelli. All important people, who sit in the middle of the room on grey sofas facing a screen that is now switched off.
Henny takes the single sofa and their heads turn to him. It’s Eman who looks the most disappointed. Jerome speaks, the mayor who has a big hand in the money jar. “No time to be polite, frankly put, Lee Coil took that suitcase. And the rebels have two of our American friends who work for Eman here. They have another. Not only this, but we can confirm that Camila is alive. How, well it seems she’s been held in a camp under the care of either Felis or Peacock. Bennie has been interrogating him ... offering him money ... but the man refuses to speak.
Felis is the same. Although with more notes added to the bonus he might nudge. We’ll keep going higher until we see the sweat pour. None of these things are good. None of us were expecting this to be easy going, but most of the irregularities have been from your corner, not ours. The pilot has been untraceable and yet was in contact with you. Lee Coil was only meant to find Camila for us and Shaka, as a means to show we are capable of such miracles.
And Darren... sources tell me that he and an American were meant to be brought in by officers. That American we found is called, Paul, but we suspect he might be Camila’s cameraman. And that was another area that we wanted to be assigned to Darren. So, he has a correspondence back at the paper and we’re breaking into that as we speak here.
To be frank, Henny, we’ve all decided what more use you can be off? And we need to know, from you, what more can you do for us? Besides telling me that you want to bring both Darren and Lee back. Because I know that will be in your speech.”
“I’ve given most of my life savings to be a part of this. Does that not count for nothing?”
“Your share would be returned.”
But Henny knows his life won’t. The way they turn away from him and stare at the blank screen is evident that this is not going to end well. His wife is what he thinks of. For her, he must keep it going. “What if I go out there? Lotan can come with me. I speak with Alabastor, pick up the search on Lee who’s avoiding and derailing my calls. I could be an extra ha
nd to see things through –”
Eman hums in disapproval, “We need either you or Lotan running the unit.”
“There’s always Laura or Saul –”
“They aren’t apart of N.O. Use your head Henny! I’m not talking to a rookie.” That was a compliment from Eman, who really gives that in the nicest manner. “You aren’t hearing us very clearly. All that needs to happen is that one of those runaways of yours causes a green light scale that reaches here and gets all the hippy-and-happy people wanting to save the poor and ban our work.”
“But you should know, if that was to happen, we’d diffuse the situation with our own news team.” Lason, the chief, head-of-a-bulldog and face twice as ugly are sure of that.
“Camila was our news team,” Eman makes everybody remember that. “I think going back to that as a source would be dangerous.”
“It won’t come to that.” Henny wants them to have faith.
“Give me a solid reason why?”
“We put pressure on Lee. She’ll find Camila and the facility, that’s certain. We wait for that to be the case. I think she’ll get in contact. Our relationship has been on the rocks, but she has nobody else. Only me. And Darren too. He’s in love with her, and that means he’ll do what she says. Lee might be tough, but she sees me like a father. If she finds Camila, then she would have done her job.”
“Her job was to be on a ghost hunt for Shaka. A fake Shaka. That no longer is the game plan.”
“I know –”
“I think I like it.” Eman steps in for the others who seem unsure. “She does have that fatherly emotion for Henny. I saw it on the day he gave her the scroll of achievement. It can’t be faulted. And I do believe she’s still unaware of everything. I say we let Henny redeem himself. We won’t send you to Torbelli. We’ll see if your plan works. Go home for now, take a few days off, and we’ll see what comes next after this.”
Chapter 8
Darren was sitting in the back of a stolen sedan with Mark. Diego and a few manage to swipe one - with the help of the youngest member of the clan a few days ago.
The teenager hot-wired the ride in under five minutes, and they were off. There were many casualties when it came to the homeless that were taken away. Many had been shot because they tried to escape. And Diego asked for a few moments of silence for those lost, as many of those men and women once had a good home and lived decent lives.
But Alabastor and the Americans came, tried to conquer and will stop at nothing. Mark looks guilty in the back of the car while they’re being driven back to his home. Sedans are a common sighting, and nobody asks any questions. Plus, Alabastor never gives much thought when any go missing.
Alabastor feels the people are conserving them for spare parts in the market, and some are getting ready to work at the factories again, selling parts that are on high demand. Darren keeps their conversation hushed, “you have a laptop, right?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Can I ask, what did Diego say to you?”
“Of course, you can ask. He wants to use the footage I have of Alabastor as ransom to get the Americans and other investors out of here. Not only that, but I recorded the hardships of the miners, as you know, and that could be used for the news.”
“Footage of Alabastor? Do they want to keep his identity hidden?”
“I think so. But Diego didn’t tell me. I just let him know that I’ve seen him.”
“Oh... and what did he look like?”
“Dark skinned. Scary looking. Lively in presence but carried the living dead deep within. Definitely a sketch for a comic villain who the geeks would love. He has the true air of an antagonist. Or a villainous dictator who wants to see it all destroyed.”
“Sounds very much like the picture painted of a hoodlum made rich for their own needs.”
“No. I think he belongs here. As if it’s his home. I get the sense he’s from here and proud.”
“Hmm. Proud to sell-out.”
“Unattached to his proudness. I don’t know. Did you ever see that news special about that case Lee –”
“Lee!” Darren had trouble getting through to Lee since yesterday, and that was because they had to move and there was absolutely no signal. It’s weak, but he manages to use the phone that Diego gave him, and rings her on the number.
Lee picks up, but the connection is poor. He cancels it more than three times when all he hears is, “hell... crackle-crackle-crackle ... hello ...” signal lost and no static. “Shit. I can’t get through.”
“I’m sure she’s ok –”
“None of this is ok. We shouldn’t be here.”
“I know. But it’s the line of work we do.”
“I wonder if it’s what I want to do anymore. This must be the ultimate form of corruption from the unit. And I knew Henny getting more green-wire than red-full-stops meant he had chosen to go down the path of Hades. It fits.” Darren shakes his head in shame. “It makes sense why they hated me. I never wanted to be promoted onto their black market. But Lee was young and so keen to prove herself to Henny. Shit. He’s using us. All of us. And the N.O. –”
“Is what’s funding the unit.”
“I knew it.” Darren runs a hand through the hair he doesn’t have, but not in frustration. More in weariness, and keen desire to just go home and have a desperado or summer breeze. Catch a good night sleep in his bed and wake up for a jog that leads him past the woman who always manages to draw her curtain at the same hour each day, wave to him, steps outside, and ask how far are you running today?
She’s beautiful. Attractive from top-to-bottom, and always has some water to give him. It’s too bad that he never gives her what she wants: a date. And getting her name would be appropriate, but he knows that would be deceiving. When your heart belongs to another, it has a way of blocking out the pheromones of rational thinking.
It wasn’t easy to fall for Lee. But being out in Torbelli has rounded up the cattle on how much he wants to be there for her. Like right now, his main thoughts are what’s Lee doing? Is she safe? Has she got a gun? Can she get out of the pickle jar and still be unscathed? Then he remembers that song by destiny child about independent women. And that’s Lee. No need to be assisted by a man. But a partner to care, that’s what he could offer.
But out here, all he has offered is bits and pieces. Not enough to show her that the armor he wears is for them both. And it’s soppy. Not like him. Lee would laugh at his softening. Say he needed to get back to the gym and pump more than two-hundred reps. And Darren would do it, to see if she’d notice. It’s that bad. “What’s on your mind?”
“Lee Coil.”
“Ah. Camila is often on mine.”
“Were you and Camila –”
“No. Just friends.”
“Ah.” Darren knows all about the friend zone with Lee.
“And ... you and Lee – “
“I never know what she feels. So I can’t answer.”
“What is Lee like?”
“Lee Coil... closed off. But not closed minded. In search of that unity flag to fly. She faced plenty of prejudice and sexism. She rose above it with the help of Henny.”
“Bummer. Henny isn’t a good man, Darren.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well. I and Camila were a part of the N.O. news. And me telling you this can’t hurt either one of us.”
“That’s a pretty steep line to cross.”
“Well ... how sure are you about getting out of here?”
“Slim.”
“Exactly. Slimmer than a weight loss product. Tomorrow, plenty of the miners are going to be on strike. It’s a good time to make movements in the business once again. I don’t know the details of the protest. I guess we’ll have a chance to see the result.”
“Diego wanted me to check on the motels. He wants to find what room Camila was staying in.”
“I’ve tried. Asked around. But none remember a light skinned girl ever being there.”
&nb
sp; “How many did you try?”
“Three.”
“Well, there should be another three left.”
“I can give you the name of the three I visited so you won’t waste time.”
“That will help. Very quiet out there tonight.”
“People need their sleep. Big day tomorrow.”
It was a few hours more until they reach back to West Shanti. But it was not the same in the town. There were officers patrolling and speaking with those out late. Even stopping drivers to get some identification and their first names.
The driver who has the same level of English as Diego turns around and says, “must be looking for rebels and possibly you both. They don’t stop sedans. But I’m not too sure.”
“What should we do?” Mark was worried about his home now.
“We could still try.”
“What’s the risk if we get caught?”
“They’ll take you to Alabastor.”
“And then what?”
“Many go missing. Some are sent out on planes. Others are found dead. It depends on the person.”
Mark nods. “It’s true. With me, they’ll likely want me dead. And that’s members of the N.O., because I know too much. If Camila is still alive, deep down I think she is, then executing her to will be initiated.”
“I wonder what they want to do with me and Lee?”
“If you’re out here with me, Darren. Then you aren’t playing by their rules.”
The driver asks, “shall we drive ahead?”
“No, turn back. Let’s go the long way around to my place.”
...
Lee knew her memory stank, but getting back to where the facility is, with the skies giving way to the night is hard work without a flashlight. Her eyes adjust, and she’s power-walking more than strolling aimlessly. But the orange flowers are hard to spot. And she has to stop, due to lack of food and water.
It slows her down; the hunger and the thirst. And what’s more, is that she has come across a few rebels and is always on the lady luck winning streak. They miss her. Or she hears them just in time before finding a concealed area and then running off when she gets the first chance to.
