Faded Borders (The Convergence Saga Book 4)

by Rick Kueber

  “Tanner found you...” Elle put her hand over her mouth and tears streamed down her cheeks. “You found us.” She strode to the other side of the room and lifted little ‘Nix from the blanket on the floor where he slept quietly, in spite of the chaos that was happening all around him. “Tanner... Meet your son.” She handed the sturdy little baby to me and I took him from her, cradling him in my arms.

  “This is Tanner?” Maya asked in a hushed breath, to herself. “I didn’t even recognize him.”

  “Maya?” I was already shaken. “From the cabin?”

  “Yes. Your meeting was brief, but yes... You’ve met before.” Elle thought about the few hours together in the cabin and how many things had transpired since then. “Let’s just start this over... Tanner, I’d like you to meet Maya. Maya, this is Tanner... ‘Nix’ father.”

  “I need to sit.” I could feel my knees going weak again and I took a seat on the grungy sofa that looked like something from a backwoods, horror B-movie. The weight of everything that I had just experienced came crashing down on me. I stared without blinking into his fiery eyes and he stared back. Almost as if he knew I was his father, he smiled and gave a sweetly soft ‘coo’. I laughed with tears of joy on my cheeks.

  “We have much to discuss and explain and we may not have much time. I’m sure they are already looking for us.” Tory broke the ‘feel good’ moment with a face slap of reality.

  “Then let’s get in the truck and get as far away from here as we can. Someplace safer.” Said the second man, who was dressed in black jeans, a tan button down shirt and a dark brown overcoat. He was average in stature with a head full of thick, brown, wavy hair. “By the way, I’m Stellan. Most of my friends called me Stan, because they couldn’t process the name Stellan, but after everything that’s happened, and losing my family and friends, I’m going to stick with Stellan.”

  “Pleased to meet you Stellan.” I shook his hand and he looked at me no different than anyone else which put my mind a bit more at ease.

  “Sorry about the... You know...” The large man extended his hand to me. “I’m Torrance.”

  I took his hand and gave it a firm shake. “I have an Idea of where we could go to be safe.” I gave Mariah a glance.

  “We have a sailboat at a marina by the coast. It’s nothing huge, but we should all fit on it just fine.” She suggested what I was insinuating. “Might be a little crowded, but the open water seems pretty safe.”

  “Brilliant Idea.” Tory agreed. “We will need some supplies.” A plan seemed to be brewing behind her glassy eyes.

  “Can you find your way back in the dark?” Torrance asked.

  “I think so.” I looked to Mariah and nodded to her with eyebrows raised.

  “Yeah, it was mostly just a straight shot south.” She returned the nod.

  “Grab your stuff and let’s get out of here as quick as we can.” Stellan spoke up and began shuffling everyone out to the truck.

  It was a four door truck, but there wasn’t enough room for all of us and ‘Nix to ride in the cab, so for comfort’s sake, Stellan and I rode in the bed of the truck. Torrance drove with Mariah in the front to navigate while Elle held ‘Nix against her chest in his papoose and sat between Tory and Maya in the back. It was less than a two hour drive to the small coastal town where we hit a couple of grocery stores to stock up on food and supplies. The bed of the truck was filled with our supplies and Stellan and I held them down and did our best not to break into any of the snacks or drinks. Just after midnight, we rolled into the parking lot at the marina and everyone popped out of the truck like soldiers scattering for cover.

  “Can you set sail in the dark?” I asked Mariah.

  “On the open water, yeah, but even with my new ‘night-vision, I’m a little uncomfortable trying to moor out of the cove under sail.” She said honestly.

  “So are we stuck until daylight?” Tory was obviously concerned.

  “That sucks!” Maya chimed in.

  “No, we probably aren’t stuck.” Mariah answered calmly. “Guys, load everything in the sailboat and girls, help me search the rest of the boats for some paddles or oars. If I steer and everyone else paddles, we should be able to break out past the tide.”

  We scattered and each one had their job to do. It was a busy dock for about a half an hour, but before we knew it, the lines were being untied from the dock cleats and Torrance and I were shoving off. Mariah had to steer because she understood the waterways and how to properly guide us out. Paddling, however, was less successful than we had hoped. Even with six of us rowing our hearts out, we barely crept along. I couldn’t imagine how the others were doing it because by the time we made it to the open water, my arms felt like Jello.

  “Everyone but Tanner, keep paddling!” Mariah shouted. “Ready the sails!”

  “Aye aye!” I felt like I actually knew what I was doing. I called out for help from Stellan and we winched up the jib sail and set the mainsail and with Mariah’s directions we set the boom and caught the light breeze. With the wind in our sails, everyone soon realized that paddling was no longer needed and everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. With shouts of ‘Woo-hoo!’ and “YES!’ we were headed out into the Gulf of Mexico and there was a feeling of freedom that most of them had not felt since before the invasion, if ever.

  We trolled on and gradually picked up speed until the hydro-electric generator kicked in and I began turning on the deck lights and the cabin lights, which also drew a rousing cheer. Stellan and I straightened the cabin area and put away the supplies and stocked the refrigerator with drinks. Straightened the bed areas, set up the playpen for Phoenix and made a couple of makeshift pallets for the extra guests to sleep on. It was going to be tight, but we found room for everyone. When we had finished our tasks, we rejoined the others on deck.

  “There are drinks chilling in the fridge and the fresh water generator will only make so much fresh water per hour, but there is a shower and a sink for brushing your teeth. There is also a toilet.” I announced the good news to those who weren’t familiar with boating or sailing and I had to give a basic explanation of how the fresh water and hydro-electric generators worked to satisfy everyone’s curiosity.

  “I am going to suggest that you all get some sleep and I’ll set a course and join you a little later. I’ll only sleep about thirty minutes at a time, but that’s okay. I can handle it.” Mariah announced with a sailors grin. “We can discuss... Your plans tomorrow.” Mariah had forgotten Tory’s name, but remembered that she was the one with the information and a plan.

  “That sounds like a great idea.” Elle said. “Is there a place for ‘Nix’s playpen?”

  “Already set up.” Stellan said proudly, as if it were some great accomplishment.

  There were the two beds on either side of the steps. Tory took the one to the left and Maya laid in the bed on the right. A table with bench seats that converted into a third bed was where Torrance chose to rest his head and Stellan took the pallet on the floor. It was probably the least comfortable spot, but he didn’t seem to mind. I recalled sleeping on the cave floor and thinking that a lot of us had probably learned to look past comfort and accept necessity as a standard. Everything above that was a luxury. At the bow of the cabin, just past the restroom was an actual bedroom. This was where we had set up the playpen and where Elle and I would sleep. I felt a little guilty, having an actual door separating us from the others, but I quickly learned to live with the guilt ...and to sleep with it as well. After all, it was far less than the guilt I carried in my soul for things I had done with Mariah in my moments of weakness when the dark voices in my head tormented me with reason. Voices saying things like, ‘the only woman you will ever really love is dead and your only child died with her.’ or ‘you’ll never see her again and you’ll never meet your own child.’ But now, here I was, lying next to her with my arm around her shoulder and her head on my chest after kissing my son good-night. The darkness weighed heavily on my eyelids and I fo
und myself in that magically frightening place between awake and asleep. There was an unmistakable fear that if I allowed myself to fall completely asleep, I might wake to find myself on this same sailboat, on the Gulf ...alone with Mariah. I might wake to find that this day and finding Elle and my son was all just a dream. As afraid as I was that it could be a dream, I couldn’t stay awake any longer.

  “You awake.” A sultry voice whispered and stirred me from my restless sleep.

  “Mmmm...” I moaned trying to acknowledge that I was awake. “Kinda, I guess.” I stretched the muscles in my legs and arched my back.

  We said little else for a while. I took Elle by the hand and led her out of our private sanctuary on the sea. With a glance to little Phoenix and leaving the door open, I led her past our snoozing companions and to the stairs. The moon was nearly full and the pale light cast a faint, bluish-gray glow onto the bed to our right. Maya and Mariah were intertwined and the sheet they had been under was now tangled around them. My thoughts of guilt returned, but were fleeting. Had I known that Elle was having the same feelings, I might had felt differently, less worthless and immoral. We paused but a moment and then we crept up the stairs as silently as our bare feet could carry us.

  The sky was filled with countless stars and the moon, in its nearly full majesty, lit the deck of the vessel brightly. The way it danced across the choppy, black waves was like a bag of diamonds spilling out across crumpled carpet of black velvet.

  “Wow.” Elle said in amazement. “This is so beautiful.”

  “It is now.” I looked into her eyes and fell in love all over again. We held each other close and stared silently at the majestic beauty of the universe for a few moments.

  “I wonder where we’re headed?” Elle asked and a nervousness telegraphed through her words. I couldn’t help but see the deeper meaning behind her words. It was a profound question and I wondered, about the whole of humanity and what our destiny would be and what roles we would play. Where were we headed, indeed?

  “Mexico.” A voice from behind surprised us both.

  “Mariah.” I knew the voice before I even turned around. “Mexico, huh?”

  “I had originally thought we’d sail around Florida and up the east coast, but I had this dream, or a thought as I was waking... I’m not sure which it was really, but a voice said we needed to be on the Pacific coast. If I knew the locks would work or were open, I’d head for the Panama Canal, but that would be a bad place to be stuck if we can’t get through.” Mariah was cool and calm and showed no signs of jealousy, though I still felt an uneasy twinge in the pit of my stomach.

  “I’ve never been to Mexico, or Panama, or anywhere really, but I don’t think there is any ‘good place to be stuck’ these days.” Elle made a good point. “Besides, we probably should find out what Tory’s plan is before we make any real decisions.”

  “I’m captaining this vessel. I’ll decide where we are headed.” Mariah had suddenly become defensive. “If you want a mutiny, then be my guest to take over, but I doubt any of you could make it across the gulf and into any port alive. The weather can change without notice and if you don’t understand the nautical maps you could wreck us in the shallows.” She brushed past us with a snobbish glance and took to the helm again.

  “What crawled up her ass?” Elle whispered into my ear and pulled me away to the stairs and I could feel Mariah’s laser stare follow us until we disappeared below deck.

  “Oh I dunno... Maybe your boyfriend.” Mariah said quietly into the night air. ‘I know I’m too much of a free spirit, and a bit of a loser, but I really think I love him.’ She thought to herself as the solitude of the dark ocean and the sound of the sloop cut through the crashing waves as salty as the tears that she held inside. “God... Just give me a sign. Anything to let me know what I’m supposed to be doing.”

  “You are important.” Mariah turned with a start to see the voice had come from Elle, who had returned half way up the stairs before stopping.

  “What do you want, and what are you mumbling about?” She snarled defensively at Elle. “I love him too, ya know?”

  “This world is a mess and I don’t know a lot, but I do know this; You have a purpose and a destiny to fulfill. If not, I don’t think you would have met Tanner and you wouldn’t be here with us now, guiding us and bringing us to safety aboard your boat. It was a brilliant idea to escape the Titans on the open sea.” Elle found the strength to be kind and encouraging to her. The connection she had to the spiritual world led her down the path that needed to be followed... The path that might lead them to victory over the invaders... A path that might lead them home.

  Elle stayed topside with Mariah and though they didn’t talk much, when they did, they spoke of life before the invasion and how things had changed in its wake. Elle told her story and our story and Mariah, though riddled with jealousy and guilt, was drawn in, fascinated and began to understand why Elle and I had such a deep connection. I remained below deck, returning to the bedroom to watch my little miracle boy, sleeping as peacefully as an angel. I worried and wondered what the two women were doing or talking about and what the repercussions of my actions would be. I knew it was out of my hands and I also believed that the outcome might be devastating. The choices were my own and the consequences would be something I would have to live with, but the longer I waited for Elle to return, the less comfortable I became with what those consequences might be.

  “It’s kinda funny, I was just asking for a sign that I was on the right path when you showed up and said what you did.” Mariah’s tone was more subdued. “I wasn’t asking for your help or approval.”

  “I didn’t think you were.” Elle looked to the heavens trying to think of how to respond. “Look!” She pointed to the sky above them.

  “Wow...” Mariah said in amazement. “That’s... That’s beautiful.”

  Elle and Mariah watched breathlessly as a single shooting star streaked across the night sky. Behind the glowing meteorite, a faint trail of yellow light was drawn from where it entered the atmosphere to where it touched the earth and mapped a line that remained much longer than it should have. It was impossible to utter a word as they watched the magical phenomenon until it had finished its journey from space to the surface of our planet.

  “I’m not trying to be a smart ass, but I think you might have just got your sign.” Elle said, still staring at the yellow line of sparkling stardust.

  “Okay, I won’t argue with you about that, but now what?” She was so stunned at the miraculous event that she couldn’t look away.

  “It’s your sign, but if it was up to me, I’d follow it.” Elle confirmed exactly what Mariah was thinking.

  “I thought so too, but with everything that’s been going on, I wasn’t sure if I should follow it, or run away.” She voiced her fears. “Can you bring me the map from the closet? It’s the one on top. I’ll bring us around and make a bearing for a new destination.”

  Elle rushed down the steps as quietly as she could and started searching through the closet. Searching in the darkened cupboard and feeling about with her hands. “It’s gotta be here somewhere.” She whispered to herself as she pushed random items to the side and felt for the map, trying not to wake those around her.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, walking over in the quiet dark of the cabin.

  “Trying to find a map.” Her volume was low, but her frustration was high.

  “Here.” I pulled out the tattered remains of the map. “This is probably what you’re looking for.

  “What are you doing?” A voice came from the dark corner by the steps. Though Elle could not see in the darkness like I could, she knew the voice well.

  “Tory?” She whispered. “Something’s happened. Mariah needs the map to plot a new course.”

  “A new course?” Tory popped up from the bed and raced up the steps with Elle and I close behind her. “What’s going on up here? Elle said we were changing course.”

  “There wa
s this awesome shooting star...” Mariah hesitated. “It sounds kinda silly now, but it had this brilliant tail and we felt like we should follow it; like it was showing us the way.”

  “It’s gone?” Elle noticed the guiding line in the sky had disappeared.

  “Yeah, it was just a shooting star... but using the compass and the stars, I think I have us headed in the right direction. I’ll still need the map to get us there safely.” Mariah said nonchalantly.

  “And where has this shooting star directed us?” Tory said snidely. “Can you be sure it wasn’t the arrival of another Titan?”

  “I don’t know.” Mariah felt threatened by Tory’s interrogating questions. “I’ve never seen a Titan that wasn’t on land and I think we are headed towards Texas, but I’ll have to study the map to get a handle on exactly where we are headed. We won’t get wherever we’re going until sometime tomorrow.”

  “Make sure that we don’t.” Tory seemed put off by not being involved in the decision to change course. “I am going back to sleep. Wake me if anything happens that I need to know.”

  Mariah nodded submissively.

  The night passed like the rolling blue waves of the gulf. When the sun started to peek over the horizon behind us, Elle, Phoenix and I were already on deck with Mariah. We watched as the world ahead of us grew closer. The coastline was in sight and a cityscape was in our direct view. The dawning sun was mirrored on the glass shrouded skyscrapers. I had no idea what miracles or horrors might await us on land, but from a distance, this place appeared as if it may hold all of the majestic wonders of the Emerald City. As we closed in on the unknown coastal city, we were amazed to see an elevated bridge connecting tiny isles just a mile or less from the actual coast.