SAND OF DEATH
Chapter 10
One by one the vehicles and people entered the tunnel. At the head of the column, Danziger had changed to the ATV, and its headlights penetrated the intense darkness. He moved slowly, carefully seeking his way among boulders and potholes. The earth shuddered again, debris from the ceiling showering down on the vehicles and people.
The Rover was right behind the ATV, with the Rail closing the line. Alonzo had been put in the back of the TransRover and Julia sat next to him, keeping an eye and a glove on his condition. Even over the clatter of rocks and the hum of the engines, his moans echoed loud in the low tunnel. Julia could only hold his head in her lap as she knelt behind him, gently stroking his face and whispering soothing words. She'd never felt so helpless in her life before.
Suddenly Alonzo screamed and flew up from her lap. The blood froze in her veins at the sound of the pilot's voice, so full of fear and anxiety.
Uly's head whipped up as the sound echoed through the cave. He jumped from the Rail and ran forward to the slow-moving Rover. "Uly, no!" Devon yelled, grabbing for her son and missing him by an inch.
"I've got to help Alonzo," Uly called over his shoulder. He pulled himself up the side of the Rover and crouched next to Julia and Alonzo. For a moment he sat contemplating the unconscious man with large, thoughtful eyes. Then he took Alonzo's hand and closed his eyes. Immediately his muscles went slack and he crumpled atop the pilot's body.
"Uly?" Devon climbed up on the bed of the Rover in search of her son. She gasped when she noticed him lying motionless next to Alonzo. Her eyes turned to Julia, accusing and questioning at the same time.
Julia gave a slight shrug, ignoring the accusation. "He has joined Alonzo on the Dreamplane, I think," she murmured. A quick scan with her glove confirmed the theory; they were both asleep.
Devon muttered something below her breath and sat down beside the doctor, joining her in a silent vigil. All around them the ground continued to growl ominously, the sound bouncing from the tunnel walls. Suddenly the noise increased in pitch and fresh slivers of rock fell from the ceiling, pattering down on the Rover's cover. Instinctively both women leaned forward to protect the sleeping forms with their own bodies.
"C'mon, c'mon!" Danziger yelled. He had turned over the wheel of the ATV to Magus and stood pressed against the tunnel wall further up ahead, gesturing frantically for people to hurry. With his luma-lamp Danziger pointed the way for Cameron in the Rover, waving him forward with his hand while casting anxious glances up to the tunnel walls.
"How're they doing?" he asked when the Rover rolled past him.
Julia looked down at Danziger. Sharp shadows played across his face, which was covered with dust drifted down from the roof. It gave him a slightly insane look and Julia shivered involuntarily, remembering the winter at the dome. "Okay, I guess," she said. "They're both on the Dreamplane. Nothing I can do."
"Hang in there, it won't be much further," Danziger encouraged the two women. "There's light up ahead, that must be the end of this tunnel."
Another sharp crack directly overhead made them all look up at the ceiling and while they watched a dark gap appeared and widened. Danziger stepped back from the Rover, once again urging Cameron on. "Move it, move it!"
* * *
With a worried frown, Danziger watched the vehicles pick up speed, rolling along as fast as their drivers dared to go in the dark and narrow enclosure. Yale drove past in the Rail and he hopped up on the rear, precariously holding on to the bars. Deeply concerned, Danziger kept swiveling his head in all directions, to look around him, overhead, at the walls of the tunnel. Everywhere he looked, fissures appeared. The rocks that continued to tumble down in their path grew in size and the stone walls were groaning. They were running out of time.
Suddenly a big boulder dropped into the path of the Rail and Yale steered sharply to the left to avoid it. Danziger nearly lost his grip, letting out a startled shout. The Rail's headlights bounced off the left-hand wall and in their glare the two men noticed a dark square patch that was gleaming dully. Surprised, Yale halted the Rail.
"What are you doing?" Danziger demanded. "Keep going, before this whole tunnel comes down on us."
"Look at that, John." Yale hopped from the driver's seat and approached the wall.
Despite himself, and heaving a deep sigh, Danziger followed him. Close up he realized that the square resembled some sort of plaque. Small scribbles were visible upon the smooth surface. "What the heck is that?" Danziger asked.
"It looks like some kind of hieroglyphs," Yale said. "Writing."
"Can you make it out?" Danziger asked.
"No," Yale shook his head. "It's too... alien for any of my library functions."
"Well, then, let's go," Danziger said, dismissing the plaque and jumping behind the wheel of the Rail. Yale hesitated a moment longer, before he joined the mechanic in the vehicle.
* * *
The instant he opened his eyes, Alonzo knew he was on the Dreamplane. How did he get here? He had no recollection of accessing the realm. Then he remembered the iron fist coming out of nowhere, and connecting with his face. That damned Danziger! The man was making a habit out of knocking him out, and it had to stop!
He worked his jaw, not at all surprised to find it didn't hurt one bit. After all, physical injuries didn't exist on the Dreamplane. Even when he had broken his leg, Alonzo had been able to walk on two legs in the strange world of dreams.
He willed himself to wake up.
Nothing happened.
Alonzo furrowed his brow. Why was he still here? Over the months he had gained so much control, he could enter and leave the Dreamplane whenever he desired.
Could it be because he was knocked unconscious, instead of asleep?
As he looked around, Alonzo realized that something was wrong. It was the Dreamplane, all right, the light coming from all directions at once. But the light was dimmer. Not as bright as it usually was. And the sand, it wasn't the brilliant whiteness he recalled from his first trips. It was a dusty gray, a murky color. It reminded him of--
He gasped when the memory hit him. It reminded him of the wasteland the Eden group had just crossed. The sand of death.
He reached out with the tendrils of his mind, calling for the Terrians, for any Terrian that would answer.
None came.
Again he called. "Hello?" He stretched his awareness as far as it would go. Nobody replied.
Or-- nobody?
A dozen meters ahead of him, the sand stirred and began to whirl around and up into a funnel-shaped column. Alonzo staggered back. "That's a new one," he muttered.
Wider and higher the column grew, sucking up more and more of the dusty gray sand. Alonzo squinted. A darker shape formed within the column.
Without warning, a dusty tentacle lashed out from the pillar of sand. It snatched his leg, the grains of flying sand abrading his skin. Alonzo yelled in surprise and tried to pull himself free. But the grip was relentless. He shouted again and fell back.
"Alonzo."
He looked up at the unexpected voice to see Uly standing behind him. The boy offered him a hand. "Take it."
Alonzo reached for Uly's hand. Their fingers touched but he couldn't get a firm grip. The sand-arm was pulling him in, dragging him across the desert floor, ready to suck him into its vortex. Uly's hand slipped from his fingers and Alonzo screamed as he flew across the ground and entered the vortex.
Then... blackness.
* * *
Swerving to avoid the rocks being strewn across the path, Danziger sped up the Rail until finally, amidst a shower of boulders, they raced out of the tunnel into the bright light of the sun. They were last to exit and a small cheer went up while Danziger killed the engine. Yale realized he had been holding his breath and blew out with a sigh. He turned in his seat to see the mountain shiver one last time before the passage collapsed behind them. A cloud of dust billowed up into the bright blue sky, blocking out the sun for long minutes until the wind dispersed the fines. Silence reigned, only broken by the creak of settling rocks, and small pebbles still clattering down.
"That was close," Baines muttered after several minutes, and shuddered. With a small nod, Yale agreed. It had been frighteningly close.
For the first time he looked around to see where the tunnel had brought them. The contrast with the area the group left behind was so sharp that he wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't imagining things. A lush green valley stretched out before him, as far as the eye could see. Trees grew thick on the valley floor and up the slopes of the mountains. And, an even more amazing sight to Yale's weary eyes: a lake of clear, blue water that sparkled beneath the sun.
He stepped out of the Rail and walked toward the Rover, which was parked at an angle. "How's Uly? And Alonzo?" he asked while climbing up its bed. Julia was bent forward, frantically running her glove over the two limp bodies on the floor.
Devon, pale and her eyes wide and anxious, turned to face Yale. "They should have woken up now," she murmured. At a loss for words, Yale patted her hand in support.
Uly stirred and Devon drew her hand away to lean once again over her son.
"Uly?"
The boy uttered a sigh and his eyes fluttered open. "It took Alonzo," he said in a small voice. "I couldn't help him, I tried." The boy burst into tears.
TBC
Chapter 10
One by one the vehicles and people entered the tunnel. At the head of the column, Danziger had changed to the ATV, and its headlights penetrated the intense darkness. He moved slowly, carefully seeking his way among boulders and potholes. The earth shuddered again, debris from the ceiling showering down on the vehicles and people.
The Rover was right behind the ATV, with the Rail closing the line. Alonzo had been put in the back of the TransRover and Julia sat next to him, keeping an eye and a glove on his condition. Even over the clatter of rocks and the hum of the engines, his moans echoed loud in the low tunnel. Julia could only hold his head in her lap as she knelt behind him, gently stroking his face and whispering soothing words. She'd never felt so helpless in her life before.
Suddenly Alonzo screamed and flew up from her lap. The blood froze in her veins at the sound of the pilot's voice, so full of fear and anxiety.
Uly's head whipped up as the sound echoed through the cave. He jumped from the Rail and ran forward to the slow-moving Rover. "Uly, no!" Devon yelled, grabbing for her son and missing him by an inch.
"I've got to help Alonzo," Uly called over his shoulder. He pulled himself up the side of the Rover and crouched next to Julia and Alonzo. For a moment he sat contemplating the unconscious man with large, thoughtful eyes. Then he took Alonzo's hand and closed his eyes. Immediately his muscles went slack and he crumpled atop the pilot's body.
"Uly?" Devon climbed up on the bed of the Rover in search of her son. She gasped when she noticed him lying motionless next to Alonzo. Her eyes turned to Julia, accusing and questioning at the same time.
Julia gave a slight shrug, ignoring the accusation. "He has joined Alonzo on the Dreamplane, I think," she murmured. A quick scan with her glove confirmed the theory; they were both asleep.
Devon muttered something below her breath and sat down beside the doctor, joining her in a silent vigil. All around them the ground continued to growl ominously, the sound bouncing from the tunnel walls. Suddenly the noise increased in pitch and fresh slivers of rock fell from the ceiling, pattering down on the Rover's cover. Instinctively both women leaned forward to protect the sleeping forms with their own bodies.
"C'mon, c'mon!" Danziger yelled. He had turned over the wheel of the ATV to Magus and stood pressed against the tunnel wall further up ahead, gesturing frantically for people to hurry. With his luma-lamp Danziger pointed the way for Cameron in the Rover, waving him forward with his hand while casting anxious glances up to the tunnel walls.
"How're they doing?" he asked when the Rover rolled past him.
Julia looked down at Danziger. Sharp shadows played across his face, which was covered with dust drifted down from the roof. It gave him a slightly insane look and Julia shivered involuntarily, remembering the winter at the dome. "Okay, I guess," she said. "They're both on the Dreamplane. Nothing I can do."
"Hang in there, it won't be much further," Danziger encouraged the two women. "There's light up ahead, that must be the end of this tunnel."
Another sharp crack directly overhead made them all look up at the ceiling and while they watched a dark gap appeared and widened. Danziger stepped back from the Rover, once again urging Cameron on. "Move it, move it!"
* * *
With a worried frown, Danziger watched the vehicles pick up speed, rolling along as fast as their drivers dared to go in the dark and narrow enclosure. Yale drove past in the Rail and he hopped up on the rear, precariously holding on to the bars. Deeply concerned, Danziger kept swiveling his head in all directions, to look around him, overhead, at the walls of the tunnel. Everywhere he looked, fissures appeared. The rocks that continued to tumble down in their path grew in size and the stone walls were groaning. They were running out of time.
Suddenly a big boulder dropped into the path of the Rail and Yale steered sharply to the left to avoid it. Danziger nearly lost his grip, letting out a startled shout. The Rail's headlights bounced off the left-hand wall and in their glare the two men noticed a dark square patch that was gleaming dully. Surprised, Yale halted the Rail.
"What are you doing?" Danziger demanded. "Keep going, before this whole tunnel comes down on us."
"Look at that, John." Yale hopped from the driver's seat and approached the wall.
Despite himself, and heaving a deep sigh, Danziger followed him. Close up he realized that the square resembled some sort of plaque. Small scribbles were visible upon the smooth surface. "What the heck is that?" Danziger asked.
"It looks like some kind of hieroglyphs," Yale said. "Writing."
"Can you make it out?" Danziger asked.
"No," Yale shook his head. "It's too... alien for any of my library functions."
"Well, then, let's go," Danziger said, dismissing the plaque and jumping behind the wheel of the Rail. Yale hesitated a moment longer, before he joined the mechanic in the vehicle.
* * *
The instant he opened his eyes, Alonzo knew he was on the Dreamplane. How did he get here? He had no recollection of accessing the realm. Then he remembered the iron fist coming out of nowhere, and connecting with his face. That damned Danziger! The man was making a habit out of knocking him out, and it had to stop!
He worked his jaw, not at all surprised to find it didn't hurt one bit. After all, physical injuries didn't exist on the Dreamplane. Even when he had broken his leg, Alonzo had been able to walk on two legs in the strange world of dreams.
He willed himself to wake up.
Nothing happened.
Alonzo furrowed his brow. Why was he still here? Over the months he had gained so much control, he could enter and leave the Dreamplane whenever he desired.
Could it be because he was knocked unconscious, instead of asleep?
As he looked around, Alonzo realized that something was wrong. It was the Dreamplane, all right, the light coming from all directions at once. But the light was dimmer. Not as bright as it usually was. And the sand, it wasn't the brilliant whiteness he recalled from his first trips. It was a dusty gray, a murky color. It reminded him of--
He gasped when the memory hit him. It reminded him of the wasteland the Eden group had just crossed. The sand of death.
He reached out with the tendrils of his mind, calling for the Terrians, for any Terrian that would answer.
None came.
Again he called. "Hello?" He stretched his awareness as far as it would go. Nobody replied.
Or-- nobody?
A dozen meters ahead of him, the sand stirred and began to whirl around and up into a funnel-shaped column. Alonzo staggered back. "That's a new one," he muttered.
Wider and higher the column grew, sucking up more and more of the dusty gray sand. Alonzo squinted. A darker shape formed within the column.
Without warning, a dusty tentacle lashed out from the pillar of sand. It snatched his leg, the grains of flying sand abrading his skin. Alonzo yelled in surprise and tried to pull himself free. But the grip was relentless. He shouted again and fell back.
"Alonzo."
He looked up at the unexpected voice to see Uly standing behind him. The boy offered him a hand. "Take it."
Alonzo reached for Uly's hand. Their fingers touched but he couldn't get a firm grip. The sand-arm was pulling him in, dragging him across the desert floor, ready to suck him into its vortex. Uly's hand slipped from his fingers and Alonzo screamed as he flew across the ground and entered the vortex.
Then... blackness.
* * *
Swerving to avoid the rocks being strewn across the path, Danziger sped up the Rail until finally, amidst a shower of boulders, they raced out of the tunnel into the bright light of the sun. They were last to exit and a small cheer went up while Danziger killed the engine. Yale realized he had been holding his breath and blew out with a sigh. He turned in his seat to see the mountain shiver one last time before the passage collapsed behind them. A cloud of dust billowed up into the bright blue sky, blocking out the sun for long minutes until the wind dispersed the fines. Silence reigned, only broken by the creak of settling rocks, and small pebbles still clattering down.
"That was close," Baines muttered after several minutes, and shuddered. With a small nod, Yale agreed. It had been frighteningly close.
For the first time he looked around to see where the tunnel had brought them. The contrast with the area the group left behind was so sharp that he wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't imagining things. A lush green valley stretched out before him, as far as the eye could see. Trees grew thick on the valley floor and up the slopes of the mountains. And, an even more amazing sight to Yale's weary eyes: a lake of clear, blue water that sparkled beneath the sun.
He stepped out of the Rail and walked toward the Rover, which was parked at an angle. "How's Uly? And Alonzo?" he asked while climbing up its bed. Julia was bent forward, frantically running her glove over the two limp bodies on the floor.
Devon, pale and her eyes wide and anxious, turned to face Yale. "They should have woken up now," she murmured. At a loss for words, Yale patted her hand in support.
Uly stirred and Devon drew her hand away to lean once again over her son.
"Uly?"
The boy uttered a sigh and his eyes fluttered open. "It took Alonzo," he said in a small voice. "I couldn't help him, I tried." The boy burst into tears.
TBC