Chapter 4- danger in the dark
John had tried to go to sleep, yet every time his eyes slid shut they would snap open again. The thoughts swirling in his mind were keeping him awake. He sighed and sat up again, perhaps a drink would help him sleep. Softly sliding out of bed, he padded across the floor. There was no way he wanted to wake Maureen. When he returned with a drink in his hand and found her sitting up staring at him, he realised she had just been feigning sleep. " I should go out now and find those parts for the Jupiter", he told Maureen. "The dealers of illegal parts are not likely to be around during the day. "Perhaps at the same time, I could ask about Judy. Zor has been here before ,someone may know where he went."
Maureen put a hand firmly on his shoulder, "I don't think you should be out on the streets alone at this hour John, especially visiting aliens involved in illegal activities." John knew she was right. "The robot can come with me", he told his wife.
The hand on his shoulder squeezed harder. "I think the robot will slow you down, Maureen remarked. "Plus he might actually put some beings off talking to you. I want to come with you John. The robot can come here and look after the children. By the time morning comes we will be back and they will be none the wiser."
John could see a glint of tears glistening in his wife's eyes. She was reacting to all the rapid changes and fearing more. Both of them knew it was possible that Judy would leave with Zor. With the loss of Smith and Don as well, they would be a pale shadow of their former selves. Perhaps Maureen recognised that this was their final destination. He pulled her into an embrace. "Alright, you can come", he agreed. "I will call the robot now".
Not to far away Don West was also awake. He was in a tiny room, with the walls mere inches away. It felt like he was shut in a box. "Lights", he called out. The AI system illuminated the room. Don sat up. 'Time", he asked the system . "The time is 0330, came the reply. Morning was still a few hours away. Don knew there was little point trying to get back to sleep, he was simply too restless. 'You still love Judy", Penny's words circulated in his mind. "Ah Penny, it is complicated", he should have told her. "What do you mean complicated Don", Penny would reply 'You love her, or you don't, it is that easy". Then he would resort to the old 'you don't understand", line.
The trouble was, he did not understand either. In the future he had imagined, they would have made it to Alpha centauri and he and Judy would have been married. When they had instead gotten lost in space , it changed a lot of things. Judy had began to change from the woman he loved into someone he barely understood. Doubt then begun to creep into their relationship until he had to admit to himself that he was not longer sure he wanted to spend his life with her. It was at that point he began to pull back. They then slipped into the 'friends zone' and Judy had decided that meant it was over.
Now he had to admit that seeing her with someone else was like getting a fork rammed in his eye, excruciating. So he still had intense feelings for Judy. He could not go back to how it was though, that seemed to have been lost forever. Gosh ,why was it so damn hard to know what to do. Sliding himself out of bed, Don decided that a walk might just clear his head. He was not particularly worried about his own personal safety at this time of morning. Activating his rooms computer, he found a map of the city. It was easy to memorise as most of the streets were straight lines, running toward a large pool of water. He would just walk to the edges of the city then return.
Quickly changing he strolled out into the darkness. There were a lot of transports waiting outside the administration building. This must be like a taxi rank, he figured. Looking at some of them, Don shivered, his bravado might just be fading away. He ignored all of them choosing to just walk down the street alone. His senses snapped to high alert now, as he was conscious of the stares of many different beings. Some would be assessing his own danger level and deciding whether they would attack him. He walked faster, keeping his head up and making it look like he was on important business.
The air had a stale smell, smoke, drink and over heated aliens, it made walking less pleasant than he had anticipated .Around him the space port city was alive. Music from various different places blended together to make a pulsing beat that was beginning to give him a head ache. Around him other beings weaved unsteadily . They had most likely drunk most of the night and were now heavily intoxicated. If they came too close he would just move away rapidly which sometimes caused them to fall flat on their faces. Then they just lay on the ground laughing. It was unsettling.
He kept walking, passing many nightclubs and gambling joints ."Come in here babe", many different aliens called out to him . Some of them were so unusual that he did stop just for a moment to stare. One particular alien caught his eye, a stunning vision, that made him break out in a sweat. She beckoned to him, with a slow seductive smile. He hurriedly turned away and kept walking. That told him something as well. It would be easy to get drunk and go off to a private room with that alien or someone else. He was not ready for that step, yet. Picking up his pace, he hurried out of the central entertainment area, out to the edges of the city. There were rather ugly looking houses out here as well as large buildings that could be factories. Not all of the business here was entertainment, he reflected. Now there were less people and he was for awhile totally alone. It did not bother him, he was enjoying the silence.
When a soft squeaking interrupted the lovely moment of peace he sighed heavily .Ahead of him, he could just make out a cart moving slowly . One light on the side of that cart illuminated its contents, a pile of trash. Most likely some alien, was taking the rubbish gathered from many clubs, out to a dump somewhere on the outskirts of the city.
He moved past the cart, and held his breath as the smell of rotten food assailed him. The alien, he noticed, was covered from head to toe. This gave him rather a sinister aspect, though Don knew it was for protection against the trash rather than trying to hide from others .He guessed that this planet desperately needed trash collectors and this poor soul had that job. Don hurried past.
The alien man frowned, usually travellers were not seen moving away from the centre of the city. This man seemed distracted though, barely noticing where he was going. Most likely he had an argument with someone and was just walking off his frustration. That would not be unusual. Kyle breathed a sigh of relief that the man had not studied his cart closely.
Although she was well hidden there was still the slightest chance he might have noticed the unconscious body of Judy Robinson, lying under the layers of rubbish. Kyle did not plan on getting caught and had chosen a method of transporting the girl that would attract the least attention. Nobody bothered the trash collector .
He moved, slowly not wanting to knock off any of the waste hiding the body. As he came over the top of a slight rise, his light illuminated the man who had passed him minutes before. He was standing at the barrier, gazing into the darkness. "You cannot proceed', he told that man. "Ahead is the city dump and the tidal pool". They are out of bounds due to safety concerns. Go back to the entertainment area".
Don had no wish to goto either of those places anyway. It was time he went back to his tiny room and at least tried to get some sleep. Without saying anything to the man he began to walk back the way he came.
Kyle moved the barrier and then rolled the cart onward. He could now hear the water lapping at the edges of the pool.
Stopping his cart he began to throw the pieces of rubbish, out toward the dump. Within minutes he had uncovered the blondes still unmoving form. Picking her up in his arms, he took one last moment to savour her beauty. Zor certainly had good taste.
He was so focused upon Judy that he did not see the small figure approach ."What is that", the child's voice made him jump. Kyle turned . He knew that children did not normally go out at this time of night. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his high beam torch. Shining it toward the small figure, he shivered as he saw what he suspected, a maimed and hideous face. The child must have seen his light and known he was bringing the trash out to the dump. It was what happened every morning at this time. He had not wanted to seem suspicious by dumping rubbish, and the body ,at a different time.
"Go away", he yelled at the child. It barely flinched, just standing and staring at him. "All I want is any food", the words were distorted by the fact one side of its face was about 2 inches higher than the other. Of course, thats how they ate, by picking over the waste dumped on the edges of the city. There was some very good food amongst the rotten leavings .He had been stupid after all. "Do not come closer", he had to warn.
"But you have something huge there, that could feed us for awhile. Just drop it there and leave", the child replied. It could not see the body yet as Kyle had the torch light blinding its eyes .Kyle moved back, keeping his eyes firmly on the child. Were there any more of them. It was hard to tell in the dark.
The child, did not move back, instead inching closer and closer. It must be starving and hence desperate . He tripped slightly which gave the child enough time to come alongside. Now it would see clearly what he held. He supposed that was fine because at least it would leave. Sure enough, "thats not food, its a girl", hissed out of the child's mouth.
"Yeah, she's dead", he lied. That comment seemed to work, the child did not come closer. Good, he thought. It was time to dump the girl. He turned away from the child and moved forward until he was at the edges of the pool.
This pool was not natural, being designed by one of the planets most famous architects . It's tides were controlled from the administration block and thus could be relied on to happen exactly on time.
He dumped Judy down, face upwards in the shallows. The water fanned out her hair and made the material of her dress billow out around her. She looked serene, lying there with her eyes closed. He could see her chest rising slowly. Thankfully her eyes stayed closed. She would not regain consciousness before the tide came rolling in over her.
Kyle yawned loudly, he was exhausted. It was time to go back to the nightclub. He moved out of the shallows and back toward his cart. His torch was down now toward the ground , he thought the child would have finally gone home. Therefore the voice once again surprised him."Why would you dump a dead girl out there", the words were harsh and accusing. They were not from the child this time. Oh no, this was worse, he thought, the child had brought back his mother.
She stood in front of him now. At only around 5 foot, she was tiny . Yet he reacted like she was a huge intimidating presence, quickly retreating a few steps. That did not stop her moving closer again. She knew he would be more afraid of her, than she was of him. This was not good.
"Its not your business", he snapped out loudly. "Just go away". He moved toward her then quickly swerved and changed direction. The light of his torch illuminated a large tree. Within minutes he had scaled it . He felt like he was hiding from one of the most frightening things imaginable .The woman and child's disfigurement extended to their arms and legs so he was safe from them following him. He could wait here and watch the tide come in. Then he would know for sure the girl was dead. Once it was over, then he could run back to the nightclub.
The mother and child had not attempted to follow the man. Instead they slowly and painfully waded into the shallows and regarded the pale blonde girl lying in the inch deep water. They only had a small light, but it was bright enough to for them to see that the girl was not actually dead. "She will die when the tide comes in", the boy said gravely. 'That she will", his mother acknowledged sadly. "We have to do something please," the little boy begged. A small tear came out of the mutilated eye to run down his face.
The woman knew exactly what to do to bring help, taking in a deep breath she screamed, louder than she ever had in her entire life.
"Do you hear screaming John", Maureen Robinson asked her husband.
They had moved at a rapid rate through the populated parts of the city and into the outskirts. That was where the map told them the alley where the illegal parts dealer was located. They hoped that the beings they were meeting were honest enough to give them a reasonable deal.
Out here, there we're only a few sounds and thus the scream carried to them with a painful clarity . "Yes", John replied quickly as he pulled Maureen in the direction of the scream. They had heard other screams as they had moved through the city. But they were not like this one. Somewhere, someone was in mortal danger.
In front of them was a barrier that glowed with a bright red warning sign, "stop". John simply pushed it aside. He was sure he could tell where the screaming was coming from. Both of them did not consider that the barrier was there for a reason as they raced ahead.
Don had heard it as well. He had not gone far from the barrier to the rubbish dump, just sitting himself down on the hard ground. Now he jumped up and ran.
The screaming was getting closer he noted as he ran. It did not take him long to see the woman and child. He stopped as they turned toward him. In the dim light of this torch they, looked like zombies, with bits of their flesh hanging from their bodies. "Don't come any closer', they told him. Don froze in place, his eyes watching the pair. What did they want he wondered. Had the scream just been a trick to lure him closer. The woman looked at him sadly ,"there is a young woman who is unconscious, she had been dumped in the shallows, quickly get her before the tide comes in", she explained. Her finger pointed past him, into the darkness.
Don did not hesitate, beginning to wade into the shallow water. He could feel it lapping around him. The water was icy and seemed unnaturally thick. He found his legs dragging .His torch was out and he swung it left and right across the water. There, a flash of something, he focused the beam on that point. Then came the moment that Don knew without a doubt exactly what he felt for Judy Robinson .
He almost blacked out as emotion, hit into him hard, what was she doing out here. "Please don't be dead', he found himself crying. He sunk down until he was kneeling in the cold water and leant over Judy's still form.
Tears rolled down his face as he heard the unmistakable sound of her breathing. He wrapped his arms around her , then stopped as he heard something else. It sounded exactly like a waterfall. Don quickly grabbed Judy up and held her tightly too his chest.
On the shore the mother and son watched. They both knew what that sound meant. "Oh no the tides coming in", the mother cried. She clasped her son's hand tightly. The young boy began to scream, loud and panicked.
John and Maureen had stopped running when the woman screams had ceased. They were now surrounded by old buildings. This was the part of the city visitors were not supposed to go. There seemed to be no one around so it was impossible to tell where the screaming had come from. When Maureen heard the child screaming ,she found tears rolling down her eyes. She remembered Will screaming like that once when he went flying off a horse he had been riding.
Now she was the one who grabbed John's hand and began to pull him in the direction of the scream. They weaved in and out of rubble that had fallen from the old buildings. It was obvious nobody really cared about this place. It was more like a demolition zone than an area where people would live. Yet the screams told him someone was out there.
Finally they came to the edge of the buildings. Ahead of them they could hear water.
John and Maureen found the child clinging to its mother on the banks of a large tidal pool. Here the sounds of water cascading in were loud. "What's wrong ",demanded John quickly. "We found a girl left in the shallows to drown. A young man went to rescue her, but now the tides coming in. They will not make it back to shore in time."
John flickered his torch out over the expanse of water. When it illimuniated the most frightening sight he could imagine John found himself for a moment paralyzed with terror. "Maureen, Its Don and Judy", he managed to hiss after his head stopped swirling.
Don could feel the water rising rapidly around him. Minutes before he had had a good chance of making it back safely. Now his increasingly wet and heavy clothing was hampering every movement. The water seemed to be rising unnaturally fast ,gaining inches in mere seconds. Soon he would have to swim or drown. Deep down Don had a fear of water. It had started after he had almost drowned when he was 15 years of age. Since then he would only stay within waist high water and swim. Panic was beginning to rise up and he knew that could mean a death sentence for them both. He clung tightly to Judy, wishing that she would waken.
"We have to do something John", Maureen screeched. She could not help the tortured sound slipping from her lips. It was the madness of a woman about to see two very important people in her life die.
John knew she was right. He also knew that once in the water it was going to be difficult to get Don and Judy out safely. "We should form a chain, you lady, whoever you are, please help us", he turned to the women.
It was only then that she moved away from her child and turned toward him. His breath caught in his throat. She looked like she was from a horror movie. "I cannot help you", the woman told him.
You have to help us, Maureen insisted. "Don't waste any more time John, go and help Don".
John began to wade out into the water. It was hard to make any progress as the water kept pushing him backwards. He kept one hand firmly clasped onto Maureen. This was his life line. If things went wrong he would have to rely on the strength of the two women to pull him back.
Maureen grabbed the woman hand in her own. "Stand there on the shore. Firmly plant your feet like this and hold onto me", she instructed.
The woman gave her a look that was chilling. "You do not know what you have done. But it is too late now. I will do my best to aid you.". She followed Maureen's instructions.
John was now within inches of Don. He reached out his hand and took hold firmly of Dons uniform. Don''s eyes spoke of the deep terror within. "Don't think about the water Don, just look at me. Hold tight to Judy and keep moving. It will be alright." Don floated Judy on the surface of the water and kept one hand under her to hold her up. He could feel his muscles straining with the effort. Pain was shooting through his legs now as they struggled under the strain of both his own and Judy's weight.
John could not afford to let go of Maureen's hand. He could feel her pulling him. The cold water was biting into him ,numbing both his hands. It would be so easy to let go of Maureen or Don. John forced his hands tighter and firmly told his mind that it was not cold and tired. His legs felt like lead weights as he concentrated on making step after step.
It felt like he had been in the water for hours. John could not even be sure that he was getting closer to Maureen. All that he knew was that Don and Judy were behind him. Don's breath was sounding tortured in his ears. At least the sound told him that Don had not given up. He would try his hardest to save Judy. Was it his imagination or was there less water lapping around him than before. He could not really be sure, it was taking all his effort just to keep moving and he knew things would be harder for Don . "Keep going", he yelled back. "I am trying John", Don strained voice came to him. "It's hard", he spluttered. 'Yes, I know Don. You can do this". I have you", John told him. He wrapped Don's uniform tighter around his hands.
John looked ahead and saw the welcome sight of Maureen's torch light. There was not far to go now.
A slight pull of his hand and John found himself no longer feeling the sensation of water around him. He found himself propelling forward, pulling Don and Judy with him by using every ounce of strength he had left. He fell to his knees onto hard ground with Maureen and the strange woman lying over the top of his legs. Don and Judy almost fell on top of them. They were a mass on the ground, too exhausted to move for the moment. The woman who had aided Maureen was the first to move, wriggling out from underneath Don's legs.
Don too was struggling to get upright and used his nails to pull himself up enough to gaze down at Judy. His hand rubbed over her face. John could clearly see the emotion reflected upon Don's face. It spoke of the horror of almost losing someone he cared about. There was no doubt in John's mind that Don did indeed love Judy. "You did it ", he told him. "Yes, I did. But If I had not left then saving her would not have been necessary", Don puffed. His voice dripped guilt. So there were definitely issues there. "Lets leave that conversation for another time Don", John told him firmly. We need to get back to the nearest nightclub and get ourselves some help for Judy."
Don's teeth were beginning to chatter as the adrenaline burst he had been using faded away. Now all he felt was cold and tired. "I will help you carry her", John told him as he took stock of his condition . "Take a moment to rest, then we will head back".
"I am sorry but you can't", the slight woman had moved to stand in front of John. He frowned at her. "What do you mean, we can't. Judy needs help, John insisted. "I did try to warn her", the woman pointed at Maureen.
Maureen was feeling chilled as well, but not because she was feeling cold. There was a look in the other woman eye, that made her brace herself for something worse. "This, the woman pointed to herself," is not natural, it is a contagious infection. By touching me, you have all been infected." You cannot return to the city now. Instead you must come with us, to our home. There you must stay, until a cure is found or..", the woman paused. Her child had come closer now, into her arms. Maureen knew what those last words were going to be, they weren't something you should let a child hear. Tears fell from her eyes and she thought of Will and Penny."
"We have children, in our apartment, they will wonder where we have gone", Maureen spluttered. The woman nodded, "if you have any one else to care for them then contact them. You do not want them to come to find you, trust me".
John was still shaking off the shock. "We will still need help", he said. The woman laughed then, 'they do not care for our fate. All they think about is the cost to their businesses if it becomes common knowledge that there is a disease here. If you attempt to go to the city they will kill you".
Maureen shook her head, this sounded unbelievable. "How will they know", she challenged. Right now she was tempted to walk back into the city and damn the consequences. "Already you skin is blushing red, the woman told her. You cannot hide that". I am sorry. I did not wan't to condemn others to our fate".
John could clearly see a flushed red colour, creeping up Maureen's neck. Most likely it was on him and Don and Judy as well. He just could not see that so well in the dark.
When he looked up ahead of them and saw a man outlined in torchlight he knew that any chance of them trying to sneak through the city and onto the Jupiter was gone. That man fled toward the town, most likely to tell others about their fate.
"Lead us to a place of safety ", he requested to the woman. All they could all hope for was that they would have a chance to find the cure .
