Part 13
The streets were beginning to get lighter, as Dylan, Rhade and Beka kept to the shadows. They paused on hearing raised voices and pushed themselves against the wall as a troop of guards ran down the next street.
"I think they miss us," Rhade hissed.
"I don't miss them," Beka remarked.
"In here," Dylan gestured them into the building they were stood against.
They entered a darkened stone room, unlike the houses on the other side; this building was furnished and looked like a normal living space with utensils, a show of wealth and decoration. Rhade immediately found the food storage area and with Beka they began to fill their pockets with basic produce, and water canisters.
Dylan had scouted the building and hurried back. "There's an old couple asleep next door, be quick and leave something for them," he stressed.
Rhade put back something that resembled cheese and moved away. "Least we have food now," he stated. "I thought this mission would be a complete failure."
"We needed more time," Dylan said, as he gestured to the exit. "Now we need to get back, and see if Asa's had any success finding Harper."
"I don't know about you but I need to sleep," Beka followed Rhade into the now empty street, the sun was beginning to rise and the shadows became lighter.
They hurried along, and saw the stone boundaries ahead of them, it was now or never, and they made the mad dash across an open area. Voices were heard, and they all knew they'd been spotted as they reached the stones. With haste, they quickly took cover, but they were on the right side now, and knew the streets well as they avoided the guard's pursuit.
"In here!"
Dylan didn't need another option, as he darted into the building where the voice had come from, quickly followed by Rhade and Beka. They stayed low inside the building, catching their breath, as the guards rushed past outside oblivious to their new location.
Once the coast was clear, Asa beamed. "When I couldn't find Harper, and heard the guards all getting into a mess because the aliens were missing, I thought I should stick around, offer some assistance for your return."
"Thanks," Dylan offered, finally able to breathe again.
"No problem, they won't look for you here, this building is considered non-threatening to them, it's the last place they'll look, it belongs to my old mother," Asa explained.
"Where is she?" Beka looked around, it was just the one room and it was empty.
"She died fourteen months ago, they just don't know that," Asa stated with a smug grin.
"I'm sorry," Dylan offered.
"It's ok," Asa dismissed, losing his smile. "She died naturally, and before things got really bad around here, she was lucky to miss all this fun," he surmised with a distant air.
"It will get better," Dylan stated. "We just have to wait."
"Wait?" Asa asked. "For what?"
"The Andromeda," Dylan answered. "As soon as we fail to report back from here, help will come from the outside."
"I see," Asa nodded his head, then looked away to check the street from the window. "That's a good thing; that help will come."
Beka checked Asa's indifferent expression. "Are you sure you mean that?"
Asa turned to Beka. "It's just young Harper seemed to have his own ideas about what we should do."
"I bet he did," Dylan couldn't help the amused expression he now wore. "But Harper is not in charge around here."
Looking at Dylan with interest, Asa moved away from the window and faced him. "So your plan is?" he asked.
"We wait until the Andromeda arrives with backup," Dylan stated. "There's not much we can do here, whilst we have guards on our backs and I'm guessing Kenan wants us to cause trouble, which in turn would cause your people trouble."
"So you're going to do nothing?" Asa checked.
"Not exactly," Beka smiled, and pulled a sack from under her jacket. "We've just acquired some food."
Asa showed surprise, and then smiled. "I like your plan," he readily accepted the gift, as Beka handed him some bread. "We have never successfully evaded the guards before; nearly ten people have been killed trying to do what you have done!"
"We have more, tell us who needs this food most," Dylan requested, and with a fresh optimism, Asa checked the street before gesturing to Dylan and his crew to follow him.
"Ow!" Harper snapped, with his eyes still closed and half asleep. He abruptly woke up when he felt a hand covering his mouth.
"Get up, we have to talk," Zal hissed, and dragged Harper to his feet, guiding him roughly through to the front room.
Harper felt himself being pushed into the wall, and soon got his senses back before Zal could push him again, as Harper blocked the attempt and lunged at Zal, out of annoyance.
"Stop pushing me!" Harper hissed as they locked arms matching strength, he then noted the silence, and knew it was still early as the others slept.
For a moment they simply stared at each other, before grappling and continuing to match each other for strength.
"Well talk, you have my attention," Harper stressed finally.
"Truce?" Zal then asked calmly, and Harper nodded, and they both pushed away from each other. Harper composed his thoughts, looking at Zal and trying to figure out the kid's attitude. He seemed early twenties, his black hair was worn longer than the others, and he was taller then other Edenians Harper had seen, painfully thin with it. His face was almost gaunt, but there was a look in the kid's eyes now that showed fear.
"What do you want to talk about?" Harper calmly asked again, with composure when Zal remained silent.
Zal took his time, as he walked around the room, and then glanced at Harper. "Tell me more," Zal then asked.
"More?" Harper checked, and then looked away. "I'm not a storyteller," he then dismissed and moved towards the window, having been woken suddenly after only a few hours sleep, Harper wasn't feeling his best. His fever had broken, but now he felt run down and tired, and the feeling of hunger had finally hit him.
"Please?" Zal asked quietly, but it sounded pathetic to Harper who wasn't in the mood to talk.
"What do you want to know?" Harper spun around sharply.
Zal seemed caught out by Harper's tone and backed away, he remained silent for a moment. "Do you want some drink?" he asked softly.
"No," Harper returned sharply, crossing his arms, but watched as Zal grabbed a bottle and took a few gulps. Harper felt confused now, as he watched Zal, he sensed hostility from him, and the kid's actions against him so far supported that, but at the same time there was a layer of vulnerability, and it seemed the kid was scared. Feeling older than his years and almost knowing what it was like to be young and in a situation where the threat wasn't all that clear, Harper took some pity on the boy.
"Zal, how about we go for a walk and get some air?" Harper suggested softly, but with an awkward shrug. "I've not had a tour of this part of town yet, and I need to wake up before I can do the twenty questions, ok?"
Zal seemed unsure at first, but then nodded his head, and without word he gestured to Harper to walk with him and they both left the building.
"Should we tell the others?" Harper pointed back, as they stepped outside.
"No point," Zal offered.
"Why?" Harper asked.
"We'll be back before that bunch of lazy bastards wake up," Zal returned dismissively, putting his hands deep into his pockets. "I'm always first up, its so boring waiting for them to get up."
"Is that why you woke me up?" Harper asked, as they walked the echoing stone streets, the only noise was the footsteps they made, and it seemed the rest of the towns people were still asleep also.
"You looked like a morning person," Zal half smiled in explanation.
"For the record, I'm not, ok?" Harper joked back, sensing Zal was lightening up a bit. Harper watched as Zal picked up a stick, and began scraping it along the walls, causing an annoying sound to reverberate around the street. "Why are you doing that?"
"Why not?" Zal asked casually.
"Because people are sleeping, they might not like it," Harper gestured around them.
"They shouldn't be so lazy," Zal argued. "Just because they have no life, doesn't mean they should sleep in," he added.
"You're bored," Harper finally guessed.
"No," Zal returned.
"Yes," Harper responded.
"No," Zal continued to argue.
"Yes you are, it's obvious, you're trying to cause trouble, trying to get a reaction, that's why you woke me up this morning, why you picked a fight with me last night," Harper stressed, as the realisation dawned on him. "This has nothing to do with wanting to know more, you just want to cause trouble."
"What are you?" Zal asked. "Some sort of expert of stuff?"
Harper smirked. "No, not an expert, just it's what people used to accuse me of, where I come from. My mother used to worry when she couldn't find things for me to do, and looking back she was right to," he smiled a secret smile.
"Hey, I know what we could do," Zal quickly spoke and dashed off, leaving Harper to follow in his trail as they hurried through the streets.
Having nearly caught the guy up, Harper saw him suddenly dart into a building, and he stopped outside without going in. "Zal, get out of there, what are you doing?" Harper hissed, leaning in and seeing Zal going through the contents of an old box. "Do you know the people who live here?"
"Who cares," Zal returned without care.
"Let me guess, because they are asleep?" Harper frowned, shaking his head. "You know they won't be asleep for much longer, the noise you're making," he complained and tentatively stepped inside. "Come on, what are you doing? Let's get out of here!"
"Wait," Zal stressed, obviously looking for something specific.
Harper glanced around, hearing voices from the back room, and the sounds were of people being woken up. "Time to go, Zal," Harper stressed.
"Got it!" Zal exclaimed, holding up a jar, oblivious to the waking voices in the next room.
Harper grabbed hold of Zal when he heard a deep male voice shouting suddenly, and seconds later an older man came charging into the room, just as Harper and Zal dashed to the door to escape. Objects flew past the pair, as they dodged through the exit and ran into the street, running until they could no longer hear the older man yelling after them.
Catching his breath, Harper fell back and slid down the wall once he was sure they were not being followed. Coughing from his fever, it took a while before Harper could compose himself again, and wearily he was able to look up at Zal, who was still smiling and looking at the object he had stolen from the mad old man.
"What the freaking hell were you doing?" Harper asked between breaths.
Zal pulled Harper to his feet, and gently pushed the human forward as they began to walk once more. "This is for you," Zal offered the jar to Harper.
"Me?" Harper checked. "You went into some old guy's house, and stole this for me?"
"You'll need it," Zal shrugged.
"What is it?" Harper decided to check the contents and only found black gunk inside. "Because right now I only need a good meal."
"Don't eat that, you'll make yourself sick," Zal quickly spoke. "Sicker," he added seeing Harper's perspiring face.
"Well what do I do with a stinking jar of black?" Harper asked with confusion, having tentatively smelled the substance before shirking it away quickly.
"For your hair," Zal shrugged. "The older folk like to keep the distinctive black Edenian hair, this stuff is rare nowadays, but I always suspect that old guy's hair was false, he's nearly one hundred, no old man has black hair for that long!"
"That guy who was shouting and gave chase was nearly one hundred years old?" Harper gasped with disbelief.
"More or less," Zal laughed, and it was infectious enough to cause Harper to break into a smile.
"So this stuff is for my hair?" Harper finally questioned.
"You're one of us now," Zal confirmed. "Might as well fit in."
"I like my hair the way it is, thanks," Harper offered the jar back.
Zal pushed the jar playfully back towards Harper. "You look like a freak, alien boy, you want to play with us, you gotta look like us! That hair is just weird."
Harper smirked, and before they knew it they were scuffling playfully in the street, as Zal grabbed the jar and tried to push Harper to the ground.
"No way, you're not changing my hair!" Harper grinned madly, enjoying the tussle and seeing Zal was trying very hard to succeed.
"You'll have black hair before you know it, alien boy," Zal teased, and continued to scuffle.
Soon they both fell down, and with Harper's sickness, Zal began to get the upper ground as Harper's weakened state worked against him. Before long Zal easily had Harper pinned face down to the ground, and with victorious aplomb, Zal opened the jar and grabbed a handful of the blank gunk.
"Hey!" Harper protested lightly. "I don't want your freaking stupid hair!" he stressed mockingly, but Zal was only laughing now, as he began to apply the black stuff with Harper struggling in vain, knowing he was defeated. Soon Harper was laughing as Zal took too much pride in his work, being careful not to miss any bits.
There was no threat in Zal's actions as he completely covered Harper's hair, and more with the black gel substance and Harper remembered his 'bored' observation from earlier. Zal was simply messing about, Harper realised and it reminded him of some of the pranks he used to play in the camps to beat the boredom that stuck more times than not.
Zal finally moved off of Harper, his work was done and Harper rolled onto his back, and felt the gooey black stuff that now covered his head, and most of his face and neck. Moving his hand away, a whole load of black stuff covered his fingers now.
"You're not mad are you?" Zal asked casually, leaning against a wall.
"The only mad one here is you," Harper responded, pushing himself up onto his elbows, he then grimaced slightly. "This stuff is irritating the burn on my neck and shoulder though," he calmly noted.
Zal moved over to Harper and offered his hand, to help Harper to his feet. "Yeah, maybe we should wash that crap out, I don't think you were supposed to use so much in one sitting."
"Me?" Harper mocked, as he pulled himself up to full height with Zal's help. "I blame my stylist," he returned with smile, but it soon turned to a frown when he stumbled slightly with another dizzy spell.
"Are you ok?" Zal checked, seeing Harper's disorientation.
"Give me a second," Harper requested putting his hand against the wall to steady himself, as he tried to regain his balance. He had thought the sickness was in decline, and he was getting better but the dizziness was as strong as it had been during the height of the fever, and he hadn't touched a lot of the drink since then.
"You don't look good, we should get back," Zal stated, with concern.
"I'm good," Harper then offered, with his focus returned and he managed a reassuring smile.
"I shouldn't have got you up, with you still being sick," Zal showed genuine panic and concern now.
"Look, it's ok; just can we get this freaking black crap out my hair now?" Harper requested, with a smirk as he walked unaided.
"Yeah," Zal agreed. "Anything you want, sick boy."
"Don't call me that," Harper returned lightly.
"Ok, sick boy."
Harper shook his head, knowing Zal was on the wind up again. "Freak boy."
"Sick boy," Zal returned, as they casually walked back towards the building, and Harper then knew that he had reached an understanding with Zal, and felt some comfort in that fact.
"Will you help me find my friends, when we've sorted my hair out?" Harper asked.
"Sure," Zal responded, and no more words were said as they continued walking, and around them the city began to finally show signs of waking up.
TBC