The Sands of Borrowed Time (17 page)

“Yes!” Kyla replied, looking awkward.  Both Hayley and Demelza stared at each other before looking outside again at the shadowy figures as they walked slowly through the driving sands.  They had a large animal with them, its thick matted fur flapping in the wind.

“You must have heard of them?” Kyla continued,
the Others
, gatekeepers of the south?”

“What the fuck are you muttering on about Kyla?”  Hayley asked confused.

“You know, the gatekeepers of the south,” Kyla said, her furrows creasing.

“It is said their horns stir up the wind and the sand to stop people from going south, trapping them in the desert forever.

“And their eyes?  Demelza interrupted.

“They have beautiful, blue eyes.  If you look into them, you are lost forever.  They steal your soul, your vitality.  It makes them stronger until you perish.  It’s like squeezing the juice out of fruit to drink.”

“What utter tosh!” Demelza exclaimed.

“That’s what I’ve been told, and they could be them!”  Kyla said, looking perplexed.

“Just boogie men stories to scare the children, Kyla,” Hayley said dismissively as she watched the group of figures and their beast head north through the torrents of sand.

The horns wailed through the wind as the hooded figures dragged their beast onwards, straddled in chains with a rider atop, a bayonet held vertical under his shoulder.  He looked across to the land ship.

“Shit!” Hayley whispered loudly. “He’s looking across at us.”  The figure stared at them awhile, his brilliant blue eyes shining through the darkness, penetrating through the dense swirling sands.

“Don’t look into his eyes,” Kyla commanded, slamming the door shut, looking at Hayley and Demelza, their eyes wide with fright.  Hayley looked at Kyla defiantly and opened the door again to peek out into the hazy air.  The rider was looking ahead again, more interested in his journey than the girls and their craft.  She watched as the figures disappeared into the sandy gloom until their shadows faded from view and were no more.

“Never look into their eyes!” Kyla repeated anxiously.  “They will change you forever!” she continued.

“They were so blue,” Hayley said dreamily.  “So blue, they dazzled,” she continued.

“Never look at them again,” Kyla remarked.

“Their eyes so blue, but their faces so dark, so scared, like they had been burned,” Hayley continued.

“They must have been
the Others
, gatekeepers of the south!” Kyla insisted.

“They could have been anybody,” Demelza said.

Hayley looked stunned, “But their faces and eyes?  she asked.

“Because of what happened!” Kyla exclaimed.  “When the star exploded, they got caught, it burnt their skin and bleached their eyes bright blue!  Or at least that's what Cain told everyone.”

“Whoever, whatever, they are gone now,” Demelza said with a smug smile.

“I’m sure we will see more of them as we travel northwards,” Kyla said under her breath.

The girls settled down for the night.  The horns could still be heard above the ferocious wind in the distance, like a demented animal in search of a mate.  As exhaustion overcame them, they slowly fell asleep, dazzling blue eyes worming deep into their dreams.

Northbound Adventure

The girls were still sleeping as the Sun rose above the horizon, Jeff still driving the van as fast as he could northwards along the highway, his eyes sore with tiredness.

“Girls, girls, wakey, wakey,” he mumbled tiredly, “the Sun is looking particularly beautiful this morning, you can see it on your right-hand side if you care to bother, shame to miss it.”  He turned around to see them fast asleep in their blankets amongst the cans of food, water, and gasoline.  He honked the horn until they began to stir.

“Time for a pit stop girls,” he said over his shoulder.

The girls groaned as they twisted tiredly in their blankets.

“So cold,” Callee moaned.

“Ah, but not for long, remember that big, hot orange thing in the sky, well it’s coming back over the horizon, and it's ready for you and everyone else.”  Jeff chuckled as he pulled over to the side of the highway, bringing the van to a slow stop.  “Right then girls; shit, piss, breakfast and a nice cup of water in any order or combination you please, before one of you takes over to continue the journey.”  Jeff jumped out of the van and took a piss, aiming as far across the desert as he could.

“Oh please,” Laren complained, I can hear your filthy piss splashing everywhere from in here.”

“Now that, that is what I call freedom,” Jeff replied, zipping up his jeans, “I’ll think I’ll save the shit for a later date, save them all up for one almighty dump, maybe for a special occasion.”

“My ears are sealed,” Callee chuckled, covering her ears with her hands as she wriggled out of her blanket, opening the door and jumping out.

“Wow, it's good to get some fresh air into our lungs,” Callee said with a bright smile.

“Before we get some hot sand into our lungs,” Laren mumbled loudly as she struggled to get up.  Callee puckered her lips, choosing to ignore the comment as Jeff held back his laughter with his hand to his mouth.

After they ate and drank, Callee took the wheel, taking the van back north along the highway at a leisurely pace.

“Looks like bandit country,” Laren said, glancing across at the stirring sands.

“Why?” Callee asked as she listened to the wind sweep across the sands.

“Cause everywhere is bandit country,” Jeff said amused.

“And what if we meet some,” Laren asked, looking annoyed. 

“We run like fuck; no looking back, until the soles of our feet are bleeding, our lungs panting and our hearts racing.  Well, that’s my plan anyway,” Jeff said, looking back over the front passenger seat to Laren.

“Oh, cheer up girl,” Jeff said, rubbing her shoulder, “what’s the worst that can happen?”

“Tripping?” Laren said, beginning to smile.

“Tripping?” Jeff asked, curling his nose.  “Yes, when we're running like fuck!”  Jeff gave out a burst of laughter.  “If you trip, you die.  So don’t trip,” Jeff said, still laughing.

“For fuck's sake,” Callee said, “let's not dwell on such things.”

“Ok, ok,” Jeff said, “but it’s a possibility.”  Callee huffed, looking across at Jeff with a stern stare.

They drove on in silence as the wind began to rage, the sand rising up into the air, turning the day into night.

“Headlights,” Jeff finally said as he strained to see the road ahead.  With a click, two beams of light blazed out into the pitch-black fog of swirling sand, the yellow lines in the middle of the road streaming towards them at breakneck speed like an ambush of arrows.

“Should have brought my umbrella,” Callee mused quietly.

“You’d ruin it out in that,” Laren said with her chin in her hands, watching the road stream hypnotically towards them.

“Maybe, but a girl has to keep the sand out of her hair,” Callee replied.

“You could have hidden behind it when the bandits strike,” Jeff suggested, pretending to be serious.

“Ha, fucking ha,” Callee replied.

“You need to work on that laugh Callee, it's starting to sound a little contrived, to say the least,” Jeff said.

“Ha, fucking ha, ha, ha,” she retorted, looking across to Jeff.

Jeff pointed to the road, “Eyes on the road my dear, makes it easier to stay on it.”

“Really,” she replied sharply.

“Makes it easier to aim for those darn Bandits, flatten them under the wheels,” he continued. “You could finish them off with that umbrella of yours.  Don’t forget to use the pointy end, of course,” Jeff stabbing his fist downwards.

“Damn, I didn’t bring it,” she replied sarcastically. “Did I not mention that I forgot it?”

“Then we would just have to leave them there to die a slow agonising death,” he said contently, folding his arms.

“Yuck, like a big squashed slug,” Laren said, putting her mouth to her hand.

“Food for the birds, food for the birds,” Jeff half sang aloud. “They must be getting hungry by now.”

“Funny how the food chain works around here these days,” Laren giggled.

“Don’t encourage him,” Callee cried out.

“Pass us some water, my dear Laren,” Jeff asked, “my lips are slowly welding together.”

“Cup or jug?”  Laren replied.

“Now, decisions, decisions,” Jeff replied, tapping his fingers on his chin.

“What does it matter?” Callee said tiredly.

“It matters immensely,” Jeff replied, while Callee shook her head.

“Any fool can make a decision, but it's making the right one that counts,” Jeff replied.

“Here, it's in a cup, there’s no jug,” Laren said, handing the cup over to Jeff.

“I’m amongst politicians here,” Jeff said with a big smile.  “You gave me a choice, and not a very real or a diverse one may I add, and then you made the decision for me, as the alternative wasn’t there to give in the first place.”

“What utter shite,” Callee remarked.

“I believe they call it bait and switch,” Jeff replied smugly, “and I’ve truly been had,” he continued, looking at the cup and smiling, before quenching his parched throat.

“Where does it all come from,” Callee asked, watching the sand lash against the windscreen.

“Feels so close and oppressive, like I can’t breathe too well,” Laren added.

Nobody spoke for a while as the van struggled onwards, its engine struggling against the howling wind as it strengthened further, buffeting the side of the van as it weaved through a layer of dark, brown sand covering the road, flashes of lightning sparking continuously overhead.

Callee thought about the supernova.  She had been so young when it exploded, but the memory was clear.  It began with a dim light on the horizon.  There was a strange flicker, followed almost immediately by a bright, white flash, spreading so quickly across the sky, outshining everything in its path until nothing could be seen in this brilliant, white darkness.

“Nothing feels real anymore,” Callee said, “like we’ve all died and this is like a dream.  We’re ghosts, drifting in limbo.”

“Like we’re in hell, but a living hell,” Laren said.

“Lighten up girls, this is as good as it gets,” Jeff chipped in. “We have a chance to build our own lives, with no interference from anybody.”

“But from what?” Callee protested, raising a hand from the steering wheel.

“Well, from nothing,” Jeff replied.

“From this shit,” Laren said, looking out into the dark day.

“Exactly!” Jeff exclaimed. “From this shit, we will build ourselves a new life.” 

The girls remained quiet, contemplating what Jeff had just said, what it really meant to trade in their lives for a chance at freedom as they journeyed ever deeper into the darkness.

Sun Day Jolly

“Pass me the bastard wrench,” Cain spoke annoyed, holding his arms up in defiance of the blowing sand.  “They’ll find me fucking dead here one day, I guarantee it.  This shit is everywhere; in my mouth, my eyes, in my fucking arse.”  Bayliss passed Cain the wrench saying nothing, sweat streaming down his arms.

“Bastard sand clogging up the carburettor too.  Why it’s fucked,” Cain continued, rubbing his eyes, kicking over his bike.  Can’t see a bastard thing.  For fuck sake!” throwing the wrench to the floor.  “Sand, bastard sand, everywhere!  She’ll be way over the horizon by now.”

“Would it not be better to search for her at dawn or dusk, when the wind is not so fierce,” Bayliss boldly suggested, tired of Cain’s charade.

“Might not be a bad fucking idea,” Cain replied, slapping Bayliss on the head.  “Not a bad idea at all,” he continued, defeated by the task at hand.  “Can’t see fuck all anyway, with all this bastard sand blowing around.”

“There would be fresh foot tracks to follow,” Bayliss added.  “No wind and dust to cover them.”

“Tis true.  She is long gone, though.  There is no way she could have travelled so far by herself on foot.  She would have required a vehicle.  Some cunt has helped her,” Cain continued, sounding bitter.  “Some little, fucking weasel has whisked her away,” looking beaten.

“We could use an airship?”

“An airship?”

“Yes, an airship.  Why not, from the air we could see the whole of the plains, even further afield, past the horizon and beyond?”

“Good idea, why didn’t I think of that?”  Bayliss already knew the answer, nervously feeling Cain’s gaze.

“You know why, ‘cause we don’t fucking have an airship!” Cain continued, staring Bayliss in the eye.  There was a long silence until finally Cain spoke again. “However, I like the idea.  An airship.  Where the fuck can we get an airship from?”  Any ideas professor?”

“We just nick one,” Bayliss said with a nervous smile, unsure whether Cain was approving or mocking his suggestion.  Cain walked slowly forward, with subtle nods of the head, looking distant and dreamy.

“You know Bayliss, an airship would be a great addition, with significant benefits to our group, yet I have only ever seen one.”

“And we burnt it, blazed it out of the sky.” Bayliss interrupted.

“Yes, we did.  Out of necessity.  Self-defence.”

“The pilots died in the crash.”

“But there must be more.  We never see them ‘cause they fly by day, riding the breeze above the sandy haze.”

“It’s a good way to get around, as you say, flying high above the dust storms, covered from danger, away from sharp seeking eyes.”

Carla pulled up in a buggy, Cain smiling and nodding his head, pointing at her to switch to the passenger seat.  He turned to look at Bayliss.

“Catch us up, once you’ve got that heap of shit working,” he said, looking at the bike ditched in the sand.  He got in the buggy and adjusted his shades.

“Why do we fucking put up with this shit,” Cain protested as he throttled the buggy across the valley floor, enjoying the struggle to control it as it bounced around on the cracks of the baked ground.

“Put up with what?” Carla replied serenely, holding tightly onto the roll bars, pretending not to understand.

“This fucking shit,” Cain repeated, slamming his fist into the steering wheel.  “I feel like a bastard maggot looking for shit to eat,” he continued.

“A maggot?” Carla asked, surprised that he could compare himself to such a creature. 

“Yes!” he exclaimed as a pool of dust sprayed up from under the buggies tyres either side of them.

“A maggot doesn’t care what it eats, but you clearly do. Thus, your feelings contradict your nature,” she continued with a sly look.

“A maggot doesn’t have much choice, and considering the predicament we’re in, nor do we!”  Cain shifted down a gear to gain more speed as the wind began to buffet them from ahead.

“Talking about maggots, I don’t think Kyla would have strayed so far away from this shit; do you?” Carla mentioned self-assuredly.  Cain decided to play her game his way.

“I guess the brighter maggots, those that make it, turn into flies, and embark on a life of their own. 

Carla looked rattled, “Yes, but they still eat shit!” she replied, spitting and snarling her teeth at him.  Cain looked as cool as he could possibly be as he swerved the buggy through the sandy hurricane. 

He replied in a relaxed manner, “I guess you’re right.”  There was a subtle, confused look from Carla before he continued softly, barely audible against the roaring buggies engine, “But some feed on the sap of plants, and the smartest feed on the nectar of flowers.”

“Yes, and some become parasites, feeding off the blood of others,” she added hastily.

“I guess that’s why she looks so sweet,” Cain replied with a dreamy smile, pretending to ignore Carla’s comment, raising an eyebrow as he glanced across at her, giving her a wink. 

There was a huff and a shake of the head from Carla before she bluntly said, “Well, she certainly knows how to work the system, that’s for sure.”

“She’s a child, its natural behaviour.  Don’t all children seek to get the best from their parents or guardians?”

“There’s nothing natural about that child, and I am not her guardian,” Carla trailed off into a sulk.

Cain floored the accelerator as the wind swung behind them, taking advantage of the extra power.  The sandy haze seemed to thin, and the light brighten, Cain enjoying her silence as she battled to conjure up a further reply.

“She’s a smart girl,” Cain said slowly and seriously. “She would have gone north in search of life, enchanted by the rumours of what lies there, but away, as you say, from this shit.” Carla remained silent, doing her best to look unamused as the buggy rattled ever faster across the plains.  Cain continued pragmatically, “She has received help, that is for sure, getting as far as she has.  From who, I cannot tell, but they would have been harmless, also, like she, otherwise she would not have gone with them, and them with her.  A chance encounter, a roll of the dice in her favour, perhaps.  We will see where this leads.  If we catch her in time, she could be our scout for the North, our eyes in hers, to see what is really up there.”  Carla looked across at Cain, her soft blue eyes revitalising, her face looking more vivacious.  He could tell she liked the idea.

“A scout for the North?” Carla asked, putting her finger between her teeth, gently biting her nail.

“A scout for the North, indeed.  All the movie stars are moving there,” he said in a more jovial tone, “and if it’s as good as they say, so should we.” 

Carla looked at Cain, caressing her cheeks, contemplating the idea before finally saying, “What?  Now!  What about our home?”

“It’s drying up, Carla.”

“It snowed just the other day?”

“But for the first time in three years,” Cain replied despondently, looking across at Carla sternly before continuing, “Remember, it used to rain a couple of times a month.  Now all it rains is fucking sand, every day, all day long.  I fucking shit sand, it is in the food, the water.  Aren’t you getting tired of it?”

“It’s an acquired taste perhaps?” Carla replied, still thinking of the implications of going north.  “Anyway, a move north would upset the status quo,” she continued, furling her lips.

“We may have to say goodbye to our little set up back there,” Cain replied ominously as the buggy hit a few bumps, Cain holding tighter onto the steering wheel.”  He wiped the sand from his face.

“Look at this,” he said, showing Carla his sandy hand.

“If we stay, the desert will consume us, and we will die, for sure,” he continued.

“You want to give up on all that we have worked for?”  Carla snapped.

“Can’t you see, it doesn’t work anymore, Carla,” he complained.  “If the desert doesn’t consume us, others will, even our own kind.”

“I don’t know?”

“I see it in their faces, their eyes.  They are weak, tired. They will bolt.  They have seen Kyla go and not come back.  Others will follow; it’s just a matter of time.”  Carla did not reply as she contemplated what Cain was saying.  It was true the weather was getting awful.  There was no food left.  If it had not snowed the other night, there would be no water either.  Maybe Cain was right, maybe it was time to move on, but the thought frightened her.  She wanted to take the people with them, her people, but without food it would be impossible.  Without a food supply to drive them, there would be no spirit, no hope, utter chaos, and despondency.

“What about
the Others
?”  Carla asked, “Have you considered them in your little plan?”

“Fuck them,” Cain said, growling. “Fuck them all. They can all crawl back to hell.”

The storm lightened, and a watery Sun appeared above them through the dusty mist, its large and yellow orb pulsating heat down through the clouds.  Cain took advantage of the lighter weather, taking the buggy even faster through the valley ahead.

“
The Others
, just a fairy story, invented to keep the people in check,” he continued, concentrating on the road ahead, weaving back and forth through the bumps.

“Really?” Carla replied, looking across at him surprised.

“Not long ago, you told me about them in some detail,” she continued.  “
Never look into their burning blue eyes or they will spellbind your mind and take you with them, enchanting your soul until you roam the desert like them, forever in pain
.”

“I’m a convincing man.  People believe what I say, even when it’s nonsense,” Cain replied with a smug look.

“Oh, really now,” Carla laughed, leaning over to pat his bald head.

“And your encounter with them?” looking him straight in the eye with a sardonic smile on her face.   Cain was about to say something when she continued,

“You were white as a ghost when you came running back that night, trembling with fear, unable to say anything.  Then when you could, you talked about
the Others
; guardians of the South, blue eyes as bright as the supernova!”

“Oh, shut up, Carla!” Cain exploded. “Shut the fuck up!”  There was a pause.  Carla wiped away the sweat that was dripping down his brow.  “Ok, I admit it!  I was spooked by something, some strange looking people, but the name,
the Others,
and the shit that I dosed out with it, I made up.  Or at least someone else made it all up.”  Carla slumped back into her seat, looking a little stunned.

“So, it’s true then, they exist?” she asked, looking across again at Cain with her hands in the air.  “Who and what are they?”  Cain said nothing, staring blindly into the yellow haze ahead.  “And why the rush north, it can’t just be the weather if they’re guardians of the South?  Tell me that?”

“How the fuck do I know, maybe they’re going on holiday,” Cain replied, looking across at Carla with his nostrils furled.  “If we ever bump into them, we’ll ask them,” he continued.  Cain saw the fuel indicator blink in the corner of his eye and walloped the brakes, sending Carla forward.  She managed to grab the bottom of the seat before she went over the impact bars and into the engine.

“For such a big man you’re a childish little shit!”  Carla wailed.  “You could have fucking killed me!  she yelled as she punched Cain in his side.

“Calm down my dear, just keeping you on your little toesies,” Cain replied with a smile as he jumped out of the buggy to retrieve the petrol canister from the boot.  Carla slumped back into her seat with a huff, before jumping out herself, staring at Cain with malicious eyes, her arms crossed tightly across her chest.

“Fuck you, you big, ugly cunt!” she stammered, her body trembling.  “Fuck you,” she huffed again, breathless from shock.   Cain filled the tank with petrol savouring its smell, before tossing the canister back into the boot of the buggy.  He looked back at Carla, laughing at the state she was in.

“Come on sweetie, get over it,” he said mockingly, pulling his shades back down over his eyes.  Carla was startled by something, suddenly turning to confront whatever it was.  “What was that?” she stuttered nervously, her breathing erratic.  She looked back towards Cain for a response.

“Just the wind,” he said as he jumped back into the buggy.

“That was not the fucking wind,” Carla said distressed as she got back into her seat, looking at Cain, searching his face for an answer.  Cain looked back at her and run his finger down her face.

“You’re so cute when you’re angry,” he cooed.  “Very, very cute,” feeling the heat in the sweat on her skin.

“Oh, fuck you!  Just forget it!  Forget I’m here! Just carry on looking for your little, pet bunny!”  She pushed Cain away.  There it was again, a long, deep drone, unmistakable from the wind, Carla thought.  She continued to look at Cain saying nothing, clutching his arm, squeezing it, demanding an answer.  The drone continued ominously, getting louder.

“It’s a horn, is it not?” Cain said, flinging her arm away.  “The sound of a horn?”  Cain asked again softly.  He leant across towards her and whispered in her ear, “Guess who?”