Only Shadows Ahead

Chapter Thirty-Five

Ma-Ti and his fellow travellers had left Barstow the day before, having replenished their food and supplies via a snatch-and-grab at the local Walmart. It had been surprisingly well-stocked and best of all, had running water. No water pressure — just a wet dribble issuing from the faucets — but it was better than nothing.

They'd spent the night before inside one of the classrooms of the local elementary school, mentally preparing themselves for the next leg. Knowing that the section of road ahead would be the most difficult part of the journey.

The team had set out again at dawn, intent on travelling until the mid-afternoon heat proved too much for them. Hoping to come across some form of shelter where they could rest — but it wasn't to be. Dry, dusty fields continued to stretch as far as the eye could see and the highway seemed to be a never-ending expanse of bitumen.

Ma-Ti took a swig of water from his hip flask and wiped his brow, eying the horizon. The sun was setting and the heat of the day had given way to a bone-numbing coldness. Combined with tiredness, the conditions were causing members of the team to slow somewhat. They were struggling. Some of them ambled onwards with slow, lurching movements and he could see that exhaustion was starting to affect them. The team leader chose to set up camp for the night and they all scattered, seeking out shelter from the frigid air whipping around them.

Ma-Ti sighed; knees drawn up and back straight under the protection of the broken vehicle he'd perched himself beside, closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around his knees.

He chatted for a while with Anna and Jamie until the distant sound of a motor pricked his ears.

A yell from up ahead interrupted them.

"CAR!"

Ma-Ti peered around the side of the fender as everyone dove for cover. White headlights were visible in the distance. The team members still stretched out along the road either scurried towards Ma-Ti's vehicle or dashed blindly into the dry grasses bordering the fields beyond the highway.

It was certainly not the first time they'd come across others since they'd set out from LA. Vehicles passed through at semi-regular intervals. The raiders were easy to spot, however it was difficult to tell the intentions of the others cruising past. Most likely Blight's people, making their regular supply runs back and forth between states.

They'd even witnessed a violent carjacking just outside of Hesperia. The raiders had been swift and brutal as they took possession of the SUV. Ma-Ti closed his eyes, pushing the memory from his mind. The screaming still haunted him.

The motor noise was louder now, a low roar with intermittent grinding noises and he chanced another look around the back of their shelter.

"Doesn't sound like the pick-up truck from earlier," Anna whispered, gripping Ma-Ti's arm. He shook his head as the shape rumbled towards them. He squinted, struggling to make out the shape in the faded light. It was bulkier than a car or wagon and only one headlight was working.

Whatever it was, it was loud. Ma-Ti could feel the vibrations as it ambled onwards. Confusion gave way to astonishment as the vehicle came into focus in under the gloom of the moonlight.

"It's a tank," he said faintly, shocked as the camouflaged army-carrier approached. A look-out was perched within the open hatch on top: clad in fatigues and gripping a heavy machine-gun. A spotlight was mounted on top; it's beam moving through the landscape. "Where would they get a —"

"Fort Irwin Military base isn't too far from here," Jamie whispered back. "Reckon they're raiders?"

"Not really wanting to find out." The spotlight glanced over them. He nudged Anna with his elbow, aware that they would be within the tank's field of vision within the next ten seconds. "Move!"

They crept around the hood and ducked down again on the other side as the tank rolled past them. The engine noise decreased as it continued along the highway. Then suddenly, the squealing of brakes as the tank ground to a halt about 200 yards down the road.

Ma-Ti held his breath, eyes wide and staring at their leader Jim — just visible in the grass to Ma-Ti's left. The spotlight turned in their direction again, it's beam flickering as it passed. Jim held up his hands in confusion, not knowing what to expect. Mechanical grinding could now be heard, along with excited whoops and the sound of glass breaking.

With the benefit of foresight, Ma-Ti suddenly understood. With mounting panic, he realized that the inhabitants of the tank were drunk and looking for a little target practice — and the only target in sight was the one they were hiding behind.

"Shit," Jamie hissed, staring at Ma-Ti in fear. "Oh, shit! Does that thing have a canon?"

"Go!" Ma-Ti whispered, shoving the others towards the long grass. "Move!"

They staggered away as an ear-shattering blast filled the air. The whistle of a projectile followed and Ma-Tilaunched himself into the field, hitting the ground hard as the car exploded behind them, sending a ball of fire spiralling upwards. Blistering heat bore down on them as the shell of the vehicle was forced into the air by the impact. It came crashing down uncomfortably close to where Jim was lying and he rolled himself clear.

Ma-Ti stared back in the direction of the tank, hearing more jeers and rowdy yelling from up the road. He felt a surge of rage and hatred towards them. Cursing the fact that for many weak-willed survivors empathy and compassion had been replaced by a complete and utter disrespect for life.

Gang mentality was the worst of the human traits Ma-Ti had witnessed since civilisation began to crash and burn; the selfish ideology that 'surviving' must occur at the expense of others — no matter how unjust and brutal. It had begun when the financial institutions folded. The attacks, the pointless death and destruction had taken his breath away.

Sometimes human nature sickened him to the core.

More muffled jeers issued from the tank's direction. Ma-Ti turned, about to speak to —

Reach.

Ma-Ti froze, startled by the voice. It had come out of nowhere, a mere whisper in the darkness but it had definitely been there. "What?"

"We stayin'?" Jamie dragged himself through the grass, keeping low. Jim soon followed and they sidled up beside Ma-Ti, glancing nervously towards the tank that was showing no signs of leaving. The spotlight glanced over the fields again. "What if they've seen us?"

"Uh," Ma-Ti said, still on edge. "I do not —"

Linka.

Ma-Ti's mouth snapped shut. Jamie's question was left unanswered. He suddenly felt light-headed and dizzy. He gripped the grass tightly within his fist; dropping his forehead onto the ground and breathing heavily. Trying to focus, because he could hear a voice in the back of his mind. Almost an echo.

Now.

Distinctly feminine, it caused the hackles on the back of his neck to rise.

He rolled onto his back, clutching his head as a flash of light shot across the field. It struck Ma-Ti head on and he gasped, raising his hands over his face, an automatic reflex.

"What the hell was —" Jamie began, startled by the phenomenon, but Ma-Ti shook his noise invaded his mind. It was like flicking on a light switch. He concentrated on it, focusing the static into one collective command. Scarcely breathing, unwilling to believe that it might work.

"Heart."

The scent of lavender overwhelmed him. He scuttled backwards, incredulous as he felt Gaia's distinct presence — sharp and clear as day. Her energy slowly withdrew, but the emotional turmoil and fear coming from his travelling partners was unmistakable. Their feelings were tangible, easily accessible to his reach.

"Oh God," he said wonderingly, rolling back onto his stomach and flexing his fingers. He gazed at his ring, watching the stone glow for another few moments before fading back to a dull yellow again. "Oh my God. They did it."

"Huh?" Jim said, eyes sweeping nervously towards the headlights now barreling back towards them. "What are you —"

"They did it... my power is back." His eyes flitted in the direction they'd just come from and he felt a sudden swell of unmistakable pride. "Our powers are back."

They were all silent, letting the words sink in. All eyes were on Ma-Ti as he pushed himself up off the ground and strode confidently towards the road, heading towards the tank. He moved his ring to his head with a wonderous grin.

Jim scrambled to his feet and ran after him. "What are you doing?" he hissed, trying to grab Ma-Ti's shoulder as the others followed closely behind. "Are you nuts?"

"Getting us some transport," Ma-Ti grinned. "Oh god. I can't believe they did it."

"Transport? We'll be sittin' ducks in that thing. As soon as they don't call in, they'll send more raiders out to —"

"Have a little faith," Ma-Ti said with a wide smile. He raised his hand to his eyes, issuing a silent command. The tank stood still and silent for a moment and his team-mates looked on nervously as the hatch swung back open and a head appeared. The tank inhabitants began climbing out one by one, looking around in confusion and Ma-Ti grinned. "I have a feeling our luck is about to change."

Three scruffy-looking men alighted and wandered away, scattering into the arid landscape with dazed expressions on their faces. The headlights illuminated the path they took.

"Are you doin' this?" Jamie asked, stunned as he watched a burly, bearded raider drop himself down next to a dry clump of weed. "Holy shit, are you serious?"

Ma-Ti motioned for them to follow. He approached the barrel and peered up at it, the smell of gunpowder unmistakable. The heat issuing from the tank was enormous. He watched Jim raise his leg up, grabbing hold of the road wheel and heaving himself up onto the side skirt. Jim gripped Jamie's arm and pulled him up before feeling his way towards the hatch.

"I'll send someone to come and get them," Ma-Ti said, hauling himself up and standing on the wheel mount. "They have no supplies on —"

"Why bother?" Jim muttered, beckoning towards the others and helping them up one by one. "I'd leave 'em here to rot."

"Why bother?" Ma-Ti repeated. "Because the idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world." Ma-Ti turned his brown eyes towards Jim. "It does not matter what they have done. The day we start becoming like them — we might as well give up now."

"Fair enough," Jim murmured, following a woman with dirty blonde hair into the hatch. He paused towards the bottom of the ladder; only his eyes and forehead visible. "You'll know if anyone's heading our —"

"Yes. I'll be able to scan for people approaching. Get into their heads and control their free will. We'll be fine. I think we'll want to switch transport though as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Drain the fuel. We're a little conspicuous."

Jim nodded, disappearing below. Ma-Ti soon followed, swinging his legs over and lowering himself into the cramped tank, closing the hatch behind him. The others were crouched over the controls, trouble-shooting how to get the machinery started. After five minutes the vehicle finally lurched forward. It was noisy and cramped, but they were moving — and they were under the protection of the heart ring.

Ma-Ti dropped down towards the back of the tank and raised his ring again, intent on communicating with the others.

Bleak winced, rolling over and doing his best to ignore the shrieking and whooping coming from the room next door. He reached for his jacket and wrapped it around his face, trying to drown out the high-pitched noise assaulting his eardrums.

"Goddamn idiots," he grumbled, willing himself to calm down. He had a splitting headache and was seriously in need of a good night's sleep. The dreams — the nightmares — were getting out of control.

Just one decent fucking night.

A loud thump, then more hysterical laughter. Bed springs squeaking loudly. It felt like the walls were about to come down.

"Fuckin' hell," he growled. Rolling over onto his side, he glared at the wall that separated himself and the two weirdos in the room next door. "Bunch of grade-schoolers."

Excitable chatter floated through the walls and then silence descended again. Bleak closed his eyes, settling himself back to sleep but the reprieve didn't last long.

Thump. More cackling.

Bleak flung his jacket into the corner and pushed himself to his feet, stalking to the next room of the little bungalow they'd come across yesterday afternoon. Baby-sitting these two was driving him up the wall. "Stupid fuckin gi—"

He pushed the door to the main bedroom open and froze within the door frame. Gi and Grace were jumping on the bed, holding hands and shrieking wildly. They spotted Bleak and slowed their bouncing efforts, but joy still radiated from their faces.

"What the fuck," he began, glaring at them with contempt. "I swear to fuckin' God, I'm gonna dump you both by the side of the —"

"Aw, cheer up, cranky-pants," Grace begun. "You won't believe —"

Grace lost her footing. She yelped and slipped off the bed, tumbling to the floor and setting Gi off into a new wave of giggles. Gi leapt off the mattress and tip-toed to the other side of the bed, pulling the spread-eagled girl back to her feet again. Grace grinned, regaining her breath and pointing at the mattress, tilting her head. "Slippery there."

"You drunk?" he said, incredulous, looking around for evidence of empty bottles. "Fuckin' stupid, girls. Makin' enough noise to —"

"My power's back!" Gi blurted out, stepping forward and waving her ring hand in the air. "They did it!"

"Huh?" Bleak stepped forward, staring at them with a crease in his brow. "What do ya —"

"I've got my power back!"

Bleak's eyes narrowed. "Prove it."

"Not a lot of water here, but here goes." Raising her hand, she turned and pointed her ring in the direction of the bathroom. "Water."

Brown, muddy liquid broke loose from the pipes, surging through the air and hitting the wall opposite. It slid downwards and puddled into the carpet, spreading until it gradually reached the toes of Bleak's bare feet. He stepped away, scratching his bald head. In all honesty, he hadn't been expecting positive news.

He'd doubted Blondie was capable of pulling it off.

"See!" Gi exclaimed, running forward and gripping Bleak by the arms, shaking him excitedly. "Back in business!"

Grace jumped up and down, clapping her hands and Gi soon joined her. They wrapped their arms around each other and stumbled around the room blindly, oblivious to Bleak's unimpressed attitude.

"I'm goin' back to bed," Bleak muttered. He turned and headed out until the excited shouts reduced to a dull roar behind him. "Morons."

Kwame's eyes fluttered open. He was having trouble staying awake. Unable to tell if the cargo area was dark, hazy or if his vision was blurry. He could see the drivers — chatting idly to one another as they bounced along whatever road they were travelling along. Singing country and western songs out of tune while glancing back every now and then at their precious cargo. As if attacking and kidnapping people was an everyday occurrence.

A crack to back of the head had rendered him unconscious and he'd woken up here, tied up in the back of a truck. Seeing snippets of the landscape illuminated in the headlights courtesy of his view of the front windshield, Kwame was under no illusions. He knew they were heading to Nevada.

He breathed out, flexing his fingers outwards against the ropes bound around his wrists but it was no use. A dull ache pounded at his temples. His mouth and throat were dry and his nerves were shot — fear and worry for his friends overtaking any concerns he might have for his own welfare.

His ring was also missing from his finger, but he'd been semi-alert and responsive when the beam of light had hit the driver about half an hour ago — a surprised yelp issuing from the man's mouth as a flash bathed the interior in a green glow.

The truck had fish-tailed for a moment as the driver lost control, veering off road. Kwame was slammed into the side wall but the truck was brought back under control again, but the driver and his passenger had been spooked. Regardless of the pain he was in, Kwame had felt a strong surge of hope.

He eyed the Earth ring, shoved on the stubby finger of the man in front.

His power had returned. Wheeler and Linka had been successful.

He hoped to God they were all right.

Wheeler, are you there?

Wheeler woke up, startled. He'd been dozing in an upright position, facing the door — ready to fire-bomb whoever dared enter. He stretched, lighting his ring and glancing down at the tangle of soft hair beneath his chin. Linka was still slumped in the same position he'd left her — her back resting against his chest and her head tipped back upon his shoulder.

He checked her pulse, worried that she still hadn't regained consciousness — almost reassuring himself that she was still with him. Her breathing was steady — eyelids fluttering — and thankfully she had regained some color.

She'd been pale and wax-like when he'd found her; bowed backwards over a pile of rock in the middle of the crater. He'd been unable to rouse her. Hauling her up from the ground, he'd quickly tossed her over his shoulder and headed back up the tunnel and into the basement, sending a wall of flame towards anyone who tried to stop him.

He hadn't encounter much resistance once he made it to the main areas of the museum. It was too dark. In the resulting chaos and confusion, people had mostly mistaken him for just another museum dweller fleeing the crumbling building. The foundations had started to weaken courtesy of Captain Planet's rumblings and eventual exit, and he'd high-tailed it out quickly, fearing a collapse.

Black night had awaited him outside, making it impossible to negotiate his way far through the darkness— not to mention the dead weight he was carrying. He'd blundered through the grounds and eventually made the decision to wait it out, kicking open the door to a caretakers' shed on the outskirts of the property. He'd slipped inside, dropping down to the concrete floor and readjusting Linka's weight, pulling her into his lap.

Wheeler had melted the lock shut and fallen into a restless sleep soon after — until something had awoken him.

He glanced around the interior of the caretakers shed, listening carefully. It was quiet outside now. The screams and running footsteps had faded away. Rubbing a tired hand over his face, he used the other to pull Linka's limp form closer against him, pressing his mouth against her cheek. Silently willing her to wake up.

Wheeler? Can you hear me?

"Yeah," he rasped, sitting up straighter. "Yeah, little buddy, I'm here. You scared the shit outta me."

Oh thank God! Ma-Ti's relief was palpable. Are you all right?

"Splittin' headache," he complained. "Few cuts and bruises. I'll live. You?"

I am fine. I cannot you believe you did it!

"Barely," he answered. "Got pretty hairy in there. Geez Ma-Ti, forgot what it was like to have you bouncin' around in my head."

Sorry. You had me worried, though. Gi is the only one who has answered so far. Are you sure you're all right?

"I'm fine. Linka and I are fine." He paused, glancing down as Linka's chin lolled forward against her chest. "I think Linka's all right. She won't wake up. I'm startin' to get —"

What happened?

"It all went to hell in a hand basket pretty quick. Wasn't pretty," he lamented. "Linka managed to free Cap though. Don't know how. Fuckin' Kroi was—"

Kroi was there?

"Piece of shit," Wheeler muttered. "Asshole went straight for her."

Shatter his face again?

"Nah. Set fire to his ass, though."

What happened to Linka?

"Dunno. I didn't see, they were…" Wheeler shook his head, trying to sort the conflicting images. "I think she found where they buried Cap. Big bang. Found her passed out just after I torched Kroi."

Ma-Ti sighed. All right. We've made it to Kelso. Tank ran out of gas but we've switched —

"Tank?"

Yes, we're heading —

"You're in a tank, Ma-Ti?" Wheeler repeated, stunned — and a little impressed. "How'd you manage that?"

It is a long story, Ma-Ti replied tiredly. I suggest you bypass through Barstow. You will find food, water and supplies there.

"Kay." A beat passed. "They've got Kwame."

He heard Ma-Ti sigh. I can't communicate with him but I can still sense his presence. He seems to be all right. Gi is safe. Her team were ambushed, but Bleak got her and Grace out in time. We are going to swing by and pick them up. They are not too far.

"All right."

What are your plans?

"Wait for Sleepin' Beauty to open her eyes. We'll work the rest out from there."

Linka is all right, Wheeler. I have a feeling she's in good company.

"Good company?" Wheeler frowned, glancing down at Linka's face. Her eyes were still twitching under her eyelids but she was warm and her face was peaceful. "Whadya mean?"

I am sure she will fill us in.

"All right." He glanced up, seeing daylight breaking through the gaps in the corrugated door frame. "Better go."

Okay. Stay safe. I'll be in touch.

Ma-Ti broke off the communication. Wheeler settled back, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

His fingers glided lightly over her temple, tracing the fine line of her cheek and jaw. Sweeping along the delicate ridge of her ear, he brushed the matted hair away from her eyes and forehead. Her eyelids continued fluttering, dark lashes against pale skin; lips parted and looking peaceful. He hugged her closer, seeking comfort; cuddling her limp form to him.

Apprehension had now settled in. He pushed the worry to the back of his mind. Because despite his best intentions — despite the precautions and emotional stone-walling — that fine line he'd been treading with Linka was weakening.

He was in the same damn situation he'd been desperately trying to avoid.

They were now on their own.