SAND OF DEATH
Chapter 9
Yale's concern turned out to be justified. Just after noon, when they had climbed high enough for the temperature to be a bit more pleasant, the pass made a turn around an outcrop and the road ahead was revealed. The Rail, riding at the head of the column with Danziger at the wheel, tottered to halt and the mechanic jumped out. He swore beneath his breath as he raised a hand to shield his eyes.
"What's up, Danziger?" Devon called while making her way forward. When she rounded the bend and caught up with him, she stopped to stare in dismay at the pile of rocks and rubble that blocked the pass from wall to wall.
"We have to turn back," she said dully. "Find another way."
"We can't go back!" Julia protested. "We've almost used up our water supply. There has to be a way across."
"Julia, are you blind?" Devon lost her temper. "There is no way we can pass that wall!"
"Yes, there is," Uly piped up. He climbed from the cabin of the Rover to join his mother, Julia and Danziger. "There's a tunnel through the mountain. The Terrians showed it to me last night."
"What?" Devon exclaimed. "Uly, are you all right?" She knelt in front of him, grabbing his shoulders and he impatiently shrugged her off.
"Mo-om. The Terrians are my friends. They won't hurt me."
"What's this about a tunnel?" Danziger brought the subject back to the matter at hand. He didn't think Devon would ever feel completely comfortable about her son's link with the aliens.
"There's a tunnel through there," Uly repeated. "You can't see it from here, it's behind that rock." He pointed at a large boulder that seemed to rest upon a pedestal close to the wall.
"Uly's right," Alonzo said, sauntering closer. "I can... feel it. I also don't think this is a natural rock slide." He shrugged when Julia raised an eyebrow. "Ever since we entered the pass I've been experiencing these... I don't know what to call it. It's like... an itch. Like something's tugging at my mind. A bit like a memory that keeps getting away from you."
Danziger was shaking his head. "I don't want to know. All I care about is a way out of here. Let's see if Uly is right." The boy glared at the big man for doubting him but Danziger never noticed.
He hopped back into the Rail and waved the caravan into motion. They ambled forward in the direction of the rock. The Rail rounded the boulder first and Danziger let out a triumphant yell at the sight of a darker shadow, an entrance into the rocks. It wasn't very wide but looked high and wide enough for the TransRover to drive through. He halted the Rail again. Better to scout ahead first.
He soon realized that Alonzo was right. The tunnel was artificial, looking old and not very well maintained. Rocks had loosened from the ceiling and cluttered the path. It seemed that nobody had used it for quite some time. From what he could see, though, when he directed the luma light into the darkness, it shouldn't be too hard to drive the vehicles through. He took a step forward, intent to explore a bit more before ordering the caravan to follow him.
Sudden shouts behind him made him spin around in the opening. Alonzo lay crumpled in a heap on the ground next to the boulder. Julia crouched beside him and the others were gathered in a semi-circle around the pair. Danziger hopped from the Rail and hurried back to see what was wrong. Alonzo was holding his head in his hands, curled up into a ball and moaning in pain. Julia was feverishly running her glove across his body.
Uly crouched next to Alonzo, his eyes distant and unfocused. As Danziger pushed his way through the crowd, silently grateful that Devon's attention was on the pilot, Uly blinked and his eyes rolled back into focus.
"It won't let him go," he said, nodding vaguely in the direction of the underground passage. "He'll be better if you take him back."
They all stared at the boy for a moment until another moan from Alonzo broke the spell. Danziger frowned. Uly seemed serious and that strange calm he displayed when his Terrian side was presiding radiated from the boy. Danziger signaled to Walman for help and together they easily lifted the squirming pilot to carry him back down their tracks. As soon as they moved away from the boulder that protected the tunnel entrance, Alonzo calmed. A few hundred yards further down the pass they gently put him down on the floor. Alonzo opened his eyes and Julia was with him in an instant.
"'Lonzo? How are you feeling?" she asked, once again running her hand across his body.
"Woozy," he said, shaking his head and trying to sit up. "Ow," he added with a groan when he raised himself. "My head hurts."
"Do you remember what happened?"
He frowned. "Not really. I walked around that rock, saw Danziger stop in front of the tunnel and then it was as if something blasted through my brain. I thought my head was going to explode."
"It's the bad thing in the ground," Uly said. He squirmed his way through the crowd of grown-ups.
"What do you mean, Uly?" Julia asked. "What bad thing? What is inside that passage?"
"The Terrians built the wall," Uly said. His voice was oddly mature and Danziger saw Devon shiver at the sound. "To kill the... monster. They blocked the river so it couldn't feed."
"Monster?" Baines repeated, taking an involuntary step back. "You mean, a Terrian thing like Icecube Harry back at the dome?"
"No, not a Terrian," Uly said. "This monster comes from somewhere else. It doesn't belong on the planet. The Terrians are afraid of it."
"What does that have to do with Alonzo?" Julia asked. "Are the Terrians hurting him?"
"No," Uly said. "I told you, it's the monster. The Terrians said that it will use Alonzo to get on the Dreamplane."
"Why Alonzo?" Devon asked. "Why not..." She hesitated a moment. "Why not someone else?" Why not you, Danziger suspected she had been about to say.
Uly shrugged. "Because nobody can dream like Alonzo," he said as if stating the obvious.
* * *
"You'll have to leave me here," Alonzo said. "Give me some food and water and a tent."
Julia spun around to stare at him. "Are you nuts?" she asked, her voice too calm.
"You can come for me later," he explained. "You need to find water first."
"Oh no, Flyboy," she said. "I would not dream of leaving you. None of us would. Devon?"
"Julia's right," Devon agreed without missing a beat. "You're talking nonsense. We're not leaving you. We'll find a way."
"Don't you see?" Alonzo urged. "It's not letting me go. If I get even near that tunnel I get the mother of all migraines. If you take me inside, I could die. And I'm not sure that's the worst that could happen."
"What if we put him to sleep?" Danziger suggested, ignoring the protesting pilot. "He clobbered that Terrian freak onthat Terrian thingth the dream plane."
"That might work," Devon said, nodding gratefully for the out. She wasn't about to leave anyone behind ever again. She turned to look at Julia.
"I can do that," the doctor said reluctantly. "Uly?"
With a shock Devon realized that Alonzo's fate was placed in Uly's nine-year old hands. Oddly enough nobody questioned the boy's tale of a monster beneath the earth. If he said he received that information from the Terrians, they were all prepared to accept it at his say-so. Even she, his mother. Devon shook her head and concentrated on her son.
The boy lifted his shoulders. "I guess it--"
His words were cut short by a low grumble deep inside the mountain. The ground vibrated beneath their feet.
"Uh oh..." Uly muttered.
The wall that blocked the pass shook and large boulders came loose to roll with an earsplitting rattle onto the floor of the pass. Devon grabbed her son, pulled him to her and wrapped herself around his small body protectively. A few minutes later the last of the chunks stopped rolling and the ground beneath their feet was still again.
Alonzo was the first one to find his voice. "You have to go," he urged. "Now. Whatever this thing is, it's... waking up. There's not much time." He pushed Julia and she had to take a step back to keep her balance. "Please, Julia, go now." Another tremor shook the earth and more rocks slid down.
Julia looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Don't ask me to leave you behind," she pleaded. "I can't do that."
"You have to," Alonzo said. "The others need you."
"Solace," Danziger said and Alonzo turned to look at the mechanic. A fist shot out and caught the pilot square on the jaw. His eyes rolled back into his head and with a barely audible sigh he slumped to the floor. Baines was just in time to catch him before he banged his head upon the ground.
"What the--" Devon began, glaring at Danziger.
Danziger shrugged. "You can yell at me later. Alonzo was right about one thing: there's not much time." Another quake marked his words. "At least now he's out of it and can't waste our time by arguing any more."
"I don't know..." Julia said. She sat gazing down at Alonzo; a finger brushed lightly against his jaw that was already coloring blue into a bruise.
The earth shook again and Devon felt it shift beneath her feet. Small pebbles from the canyon wall rained down on them.
Julia took a deep breath. "Let's go," she said. Her voice was hollow and Devon could see the desperation in her eyes.
TBC
Chapter 9
Yale's concern turned out to be justified. Just after noon, when they had climbed high enough for the temperature to be a bit more pleasant, the pass made a turn around an outcrop and the road ahead was revealed. The Rail, riding at the head of the column with Danziger at the wheel, tottered to halt and the mechanic jumped out. He swore beneath his breath as he raised a hand to shield his eyes.
"What's up, Danziger?" Devon called while making her way forward. When she rounded the bend and caught up with him, she stopped to stare in dismay at the pile of rocks and rubble that blocked the pass from wall to wall.
"We have to turn back," she said dully. "Find another way."
"We can't go back!" Julia protested. "We've almost used up our water supply. There has to be a way across."
"Julia, are you blind?" Devon lost her temper. "There is no way we can pass that wall!"
"Yes, there is," Uly piped up. He climbed from the cabin of the Rover to join his mother, Julia and Danziger. "There's a tunnel through the mountain. The Terrians showed it to me last night."
"What?" Devon exclaimed. "Uly, are you all right?" She knelt in front of him, grabbing his shoulders and he impatiently shrugged her off.
"Mo-om. The Terrians are my friends. They won't hurt me."
"What's this about a tunnel?" Danziger brought the subject back to the matter at hand. He didn't think Devon would ever feel completely comfortable about her son's link with the aliens.
"There's a tunnel through there," Uly repeated. "You can't see it from here, it's behind that rock." He pointed at a large boulder that seemed to rest upon a pedestal close to the wall.
"Uly's right," Alonzo said, sauntering closer. "I can... feel it. I also don't think this is a natural rock slide." He shrugged when Julia raised an eyebrow. "Ever since we entered the pass I've been experiencing these... I don't know what to call it. It's like... an itch. Like something's tugging at my mind. A bit like a memory that keeps getting away from you."
Danziger was shaking his head. "I don't want to know. All I care about is a way out of here. Let's see if Uly is right." The boy glared at the big man for doubting him but Danziger never noticed.
He hopped back into the Rail and waved the caravan into motion. They ambled forward in the direction of the rock. The Rail rounded the boulder first and Danziger let out a triumphant yell at the sight of a darker shadow, an entrance into the rocks. It wasn't very wide but looked high and wide enough for the TransRover to drive through. He halted the Rail again. Better to scout ahead first.
He soon realized that Alonzo was right. The tunnel was artificial, looking old and not very well maintained. Rocks had loosened from the ceiling and cluttered the path. It seemed that nobody had used it for quite some time. From what he could see, though, when he directed the luma light into the darkness, it shouldn't be too hard to drive the vehicles through. He took a step forward, intent to explore a bit more before ordering the caravan to follow him.
Sudden shouts behind him made him spin around in the opening. Alonzo lay crumpled in a heap on the ground next to the boulder. Julia crouched beside him and the others were gathered in a semi-circle around the pair. Danziger hopped from the Rail and hurried back to see what was wrong. Alonzo was holding his head in his hands, curled up into a ball and moaning in pain. Julia was feverishly running her glove across his body.
Uly crouched next to Alonzo, his eyes distant and unfocused. As Danziger pushed his way through the crowd, silently grateful that Devon's attention was on the pilot, Uly blinked and his eyes rolled back into focus.
"It won't let him go," he said, nodding vaguely in the direction of the underground passage. "He'll be better if you take him back."
They all stared at the boy for a moment until another moan from Alonzo broke the spell. Danziger frowned. Uly seemed serious and that strange calm he displayed when his Terrian side was presiding radiated from the boy. Danziger signaled to Walman for help and together they easily lifted the squirming pilot to carry him back down their tracks. As soon as they moved away from the boulder that protected the tunnel entrance, Alonzo calmed. A few hundred yards further down the pass they gently put him down on the floor. Alonzo opened his eyes and Julia was with him in an instant.
"'Lonzo? How are you feeling?" she asked, once again running her hand across his body.
"Woozy," he said, shaking his head and trying to sit up. "Ow," he added with a groan when he raised himself. "My head hurts."
"Do you remember what happened?"
He frowned. "Not really. I walked around that rock, saw Danziger stop in front of the tunnel and then it was as if something blasted through my brain. I thought my head was going to explode."
"It's the bad thing in the ground," Uly said. He squirmed his way through the crowd of grown-ups.
"What do you mean, Uly?" Julia asked. "What bad thing? What is inside that passage?"
"The Terrians built the wall," Uly said. His voice was oddly mature and Danziger saw Devon shiver at the sound. "To kill the... monster. They blocked the river so it couldn't feed."
"Monster?" Baines repeated, taking an involuntary step back. "You mean, a Terrian thing like Icecube Harry back at the dome?"
"No, not a Terrian," Uly said. "This monster comes from somewhere else. It doesn't belong on the planet. The Terrians are afraid of it."
"What does that have to do with Alonzo?" Julia asked. "Are the Terrians hurting him?"
"No," Uly said. "I told you, it's the monster. The Terrians said that it will use Alonzo to get on the Dreamplane."
"Why Alonzo?" Devon asked. "Why not..." She hesitated a moment. "Why not someone else?" Why not you, Danziger suspected she had been about to say.
Uly shrugged. "Because nobody can dream like Alonzo," he said as if stating the obvious.
* * *
"You'll have to leave me here," Alonzo said. "Give me some food and water and a tent."
Julia spun around to stare at him. "Are you nuts?" she asked, her voice too calm.
"You can come for me later," he explained. "You need to find water first."
"Oh no, Flyboy," she said. "I would not dream of leaving you. None of us would. Devon?"
"Julia's right," Devon agreed without missing a beat. "You're talking nonsense. We're not leaving you. We'll find a way."
"Don't you see?" Alonzo urged. "It's not letting me go. If I get even near that tunnel I get the mother of all migraines. If you take me inside, I could die. And I'm not sure that's the worst that could happen."
"What if we put him to sleep?" Danziger suggested, ignoring the protesting pilot. "He clobbered that Terrian freak onthat Terrian thingth the dream plane."
"That might work," Devon said, nodding gratefully for the out. She wasn't about to leave anyone behind ever again. She turned to look at Julia.
"I can do that," the doctor said reluctantly. "Uly?"
With a shock Devon realized that Alonzo's fate was placed in Uly's nine-year old hands. Oddly enough nobody questioned the boy's tale of a monster beneath the earth. If he said he received that information from the Terrians, they were all prepared to accept it at his say-so. Even she, his mother. Devon shook her head and concentrated on her son.
The boy lifted his shoulders. "I guess it--"
His words were cut short by a low grumble deep inside the mountain. The ground vibrated beneath their feet.
"Uh oh..." Uly muttered.
The wall that blocked the pass shook and large boulders came loose to roll with an earsplitting rattle onto the floor of the pass. Devon grabbed her son, pulled him to her and wrapped herself around his small body protectively. A few minutes later the last of the chunks stopped rolling and the ground beneath their feet was still again.
Alonzo was the first one to find his voice. "You have to go," he urged. "Now. Whatever this thing is, it's... waking up. There's not much time." He pushed Julia and she had to take a step back to keep her balance. "Please, Julia, go now." Another tremor shook the earth and more rocks slid down.
Julia looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Don't ask me to leave you behind," she pleaded. "I can't do that."
"You have to," Alonzo said. "The others need you."
"Solace," Danziger said and Alonzo turned to look at the mechanic. A fist shot out and caught the pilot square on the jaw. His eyes rolled back into his head and with a barely audible sigh he slumped to the floor. Baines was just in time to catch him before he banged his head upon the ground.
"What the--" Devon began, glaring at Danziger.
Danziger shrugged. "You can yell at me later. Alonzo was right about one thing: there's not much time." Another quake marked his words. "At least now he's out of it and can't waste our time by arguing any more."
"I don't know..." Julia said. She sat gazing down at Alonzo; a finger brushed lightly against his jaw that was already coloring blue into a bruise.
The earth shook again and Devon felt it shift beneath her feet. Small pebbles from the canyon wall rained down on them.
Julia took a deep breath. "Let's go," she said. Her voice was hollow and Devon could see the desperation in her eyes.
TBC