Awaken (3 page)

“
I’m sorry Tara,” he says.
“I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that, and on your born day
and all. It’s just….” he looks back at me and his eyes remind me
more of some old man than his true seventeen years.

“
Don’t you ever worry ‘bout
what’s gonna happen to Rivercross? To us?”

“
What are you saying,
Ben?”

I don’t like how he’s talking. He
scratches his head, mussing his hair even more so, and loosening
some dust that floats lazily in a stray sunbeam sneaking through
the cracks above our heads.

“
I cain’t understand why the
old folk don’t do nuthin. Every year is worse than the one before.
Every year we have less and it gets harder to find. And what do
they say? ‘Oh the gods will provide. The gods will bring rain.’
It’s a load of shite! We ain’t had rain in months! The well is all
but dried up along with the river. All of the animals have
practically died off. And the harvest…well there ain’t no way in
dirt dog hell we’re gonna have a harvest this year or the
next!”

I know he’s speaking the truth but like
the old folk I reckon I don’t want to admit it either.

“
Then we go look for water,”
I say. “There’s gotta be another river or spring, sure enough. We
find it and we bring water back. We dig another well maybe…whatever
we have to do. If we gotta travel further into the sand lands to
find game then we do that too. And the rain will come, you’ll see,
and there will be a harvest next year…”

“
Tara,” he stops me from
talking. “Open your eyes. You sound worse than the old folk…than
pa. Rivercross is dead.”

“
No,” I say.

“
Yes Tara.”

“
No, you’re
wrong.”

His words are making me angry
now.

“
Why you being so mule
headed about this?” he asks.

“
Because!” I say, “This is
our home! To say Rivercross is dead is to give up on our home and I
ain’t no quitter….and neither are you!”

I poke him in the chest so hard it
hurts my finger. He just sighs at me.

“
I ain’t saying we should
give up….hell no. What I’m saying is we should move on elsewhere.
And if the old folk weren’t so stubborn they would know that’s the
right thing to do. There’s gotta be a better place out there…” he
jerks his hand toward the sand lands “…somewhere.”

I stare at him all quiet like for a
bit.

“
You talked to your pa ‘bout
this then,” I say.

He nods. “Aye. He’s too stubborn to see
it though, just like the rest of ‘em. He keeps saying it will turn
around and that a boy my age shouldn’t be concerned about things of
that nature. It’s just…frustrating!”

“
Well then maybe he’s
right,” I say. “Maybe we ain’t got no reason to be concerned. The
old folk have been around a long time….they ain’t gonna let
Rivercross perish, surely you know that. Gra’da and your pa and the
others…they know what they’re doing. And as for ‘out there’…I use
his words. “There ain’t nuthin out there except ruins and dead
lands. And beyond that…what? Muties and raiders and critters
that’ll just rip us into pieces, gobble us up, and shite us
out.”

I ain’t expecting it but he
laughs.

“
We ain’t ever been more
than a day’s travel from Rivercross. How the hell do you know
what’s out there? Muties? Raiders? Have you ever seen such things
Tara or you just letting the old folk scare you with such
nonsense.”

In all the years I known Ben I ain’t
ever heard him talk like this. Something sure has got him riled
up.

“
It ain’t just the old folk.
The traders that pass through Rivercross sometimes….they speak of
such things too. You’ve heard ‘em same as me,” I say.

“
Aye, I’ve heard their
stories round the campfires. I’ve also heard ‘em speak of magic and
demons and monsters…does that make it all true? It’s just tales
Tara meant for scaring young’uns. Don’t try to tell me you don’t
believe the same.”

He knows me too well. But unlike Ben I
don’t want to say those thoughts out loud. To speak ill of the old
folk it seems wrong...disrespectful somehow. He takes my silence as
a yes.

“
Look, we know there’s other
places out there somewhere…other villages. The traders prove that
much. They have to come from somewhere. They ain’t just blown to
life by the dust and the wind. All I’m saying is maybe where they
come from is better than here. Don’t you think we should at least
find out for ourselves?”

I finally understand what he’s saying
and it scares me.

“
You want to leave
Rivercross?” I say, shocked. I cain’t imagine living here without
Ben. We grew up together, did everything together. We were
kin.

He shrugs. “Dunno…maybe. Been thinkin’
‘bout it for a while now. Who knows what I could find. The worlds a
big place Tara, bigger then you or me can imagine I reckon. Maybe
I’d find some magical place where there’s always fresh water,
always a good harvest and always clean beds with not a single damn
grain of sand in ‘em.”

I think about this in silence for a
bit.

“
Aye, maybe you will,” I say
finally. “And then again maybe I will shoot me a wild hog
today.”

I know he’s trying to stay somber but
he cain’t keep a straight face and he laughs.

“
Okay, you win this one,” he
says.

“
I win always,” I say and
toss his waterskin at him. “Come on enough talking already. We
still got work to do, that trap line ain’t gonna check
itself.”

He pretends to scowl at me but packs up
like I ask. I follow him back out into the heat of the day, glad we
ain’t arguing no more. It would have ruined my born day gift with
all that talk about leaving Rivercross. I know he ain’t serious
about that…he’ll come around. He never was one to stay serious for
long. I cain’t help but look back down at my flower and smile and
I’m so busy admiring it I don’t see Ben stop suddenly in front of
me. I ram solidly into his back, almost knocking me off of my
feet.

“
What the…?” I right myself,
follow his gaze to the horizon. A huge cloud of dust, about two
leagues away, is rolling towards Rivercross.

“
What is it?” I say,
anxiously. “A rider?”

He squints into the sun.

“
No, too big.”

“
A dust storm?”

“
Dunno….maybe.”

We watch in silence for a
bit.

“
Whatever it is its moving
fast,” I say.

Then we feel it. Vibrations under our
feet, like thunder, only it don’t stop. I ain’t ever felt the
ground shake like this and a lump of fear starts growing in my
belly. We look at each other wordlessly and I can see the concern
on Ben’s face.

“
Maybe we should head back,”
he says.

“
Aye,” I agree.

We don’t hesitate, we both start
running full out as the vibrations get stronger. Even the land is
disturbed by the dust cloud ‘cause I can feel its distress and what
I’m feeling right now is ‘danger.’

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * *

Most everybody is out watching the dust
cloud move in. Some of them are holding their axes or bows but all
of ‘em are looking mighty scared. Their fear hangs heavy in the
air, almost like you could reach out and touch it. I know in my own
gut that something real dangerous is coming in that
cloud.

Shelly runs right up to us as soon as
she spots us, panic etched in her face. “Have you seen Jane and
young Thomas?” She’s nearly screaming at us she’s so scared. I
shake my head no and she wrings her hands.

“
Oh gods, they were out
playing…I gotta find ‘em! Help me find ‘em!” She don’t wait for us
to help though, she just takes off yelling their names, her worry
making her voice high and shrill. I look over at Ben and I can see
that his dark eyes are clouded with fear.

“
Go get your crossbow,” I
say. “This ain’t good! And tell your pa to get his ax! I gotta find
gra’da!”

Used to my gut instincts, he don’t
question me, he just gives me a quick nod and runs off. I head for
the shanty, the vibrations in the ground so strong now it feels
like they’re jarring my bones.

Gra’da comes limping round the shanty,
looking relieved when he spots me. He yells to me but I cain’t hear
him over everybody ‘cause by now, I reckon, they’re realizing the
danger. I run to him and I’m struck by the panic in his face. I
ain’t ever seen him look like that! Gra’da is a big man, a brave
man. I ain’t ever seen him scared of anything. It makes me afraid
something fierce.

“
Tara! You have to come with
me right now! You have to get to the storm cellar!” he says. He
grabs my wrist and starts hauling me around the shanty toward the
back.

“
Gra’da no! It ain’t a dust
storm!” I say, thinking he must be confused. As if to confirm what
I’m saying the rumbling vibrations from the cloud is made much
worse by a high pitched screeching. No..... it’s screaming! I look
over my shoulder. It’s almost upon Rivercross, this massive dust
plume, and every villager can now see what was hiding in it. I stop
in my tracks, frozen.

Shizen! I ain’t ever seen the likes!
Black metal monsters moving over the land, gobbling it up and
spitting out the dust. There’s three of ‘em from what I can see,
rolling on huge wheels taller than any man. They’re like something
straight out of a night terror! I cain’t even begin to understand
what they are.

“
Tara no!”

I don’t even realize I’m moving towards
them, towards the screaming villagers ‘til gra’da grabs me around
the waist nearly lifting me off my feet.

“
There’s no time! You have
to get to the cellar!”

Old Molly runs by us screaming, her
eyes almost popping from her head with fear. Vaguely I notice she
only has one boot on but she don’t seem to pay no heed to the sharp
rocks under her bare foot.

“
They found us! Death! Death
is here!”

She trips and goes sprawling in the
dirt. I should help her, I think. But I cain’t move. I cain’t
breathe.

Everybody’s running, screaming, but
it’s all muffled like I’m back at the swimming hole listening to
them all from under the water. Like none of it ain’t happening for
real.

“
I have to find Ben!” I say
suddenly and try to pull away from gra’das grip but he just holds
me tighter and gives me a shaking, making my teeth
rattle.

“
Listen to me Tara and mind
what I’m saying! You have to hide in the storm cellar! I’ll cover
it well enough, they won’t find you. You stay in there nice and
quiet ‘til they’re gone!”

I hear his words. I can see his lips
moving but what he’s saying ain’t making sense.

“
I’m sorry, I thought we
woulda had more time…”

He looks over my shoulder and I see the
despair in his face. But he keeps talking.

“
When they’ve gone you
follow the riverbed east to a place called Littlepass. You find a
healer there by the name of Lily. You find her and tell her who you
are. You tell her… tell her she was right. Tell her I’m sorry and I
should have sent word long ago but… I was being a selfish old man.
You minding me girl!”

He shakes me again and finally his
words sink in.

“
No!” I scream it at him. “I
ain’t hiding! I ain’t leaving y’all out here! We have to fight
gra’da! Whatever those…things are we gotta fight ‘em! We gotta
protect everybody!”

He shakes his head at my words and his
hands leave my shoulders, fall at his side.

“
No girlie, we cain’t stop
‘em.”

The rumbling is so loud now it’s
hurting my ears. I stare into gra’das face. His eyes look empty.
Dead. And I know he’s already accepted what’s about to
happen.

“
No!” I scream it again. It
bursts out of me, I cain’t hold it in. There’s a peculiar burning
flowing through me, like my blood is being set aflame.

“
We will fight! We have
to!”

I tear the crossbow from my shoulder,
thread my arrow and turn to face the oncoming threat. I know in my
soul that I have to protect gra’da, Ben, everyone! I have to at
least try!

“
I’m sorry child but you
must stay alive.”

Gra’da’s voice is strangely calm in the
face of all this chaos and his words truly disturb me. I turn to
him...just in time to see the cooking pot from our fire pit aiming
straight for my head, then…..

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*

Blackness…all around me. I think my
eyes are open but I cain’t see! I’m lying on my stomach. I know
that ‘cause I can feel the cold ground pressing into my face. I
roll over. Where am I? I try to stand but a shooting pain in my
temple sends me back down to my knees. I think I’m gonna retch up
Miz Emma’s berry bread!

I stay on my knees for a bit, take a
few deep breaths and the bread thankfully stays in my stomach. My
head is throbbing something fierce. I reach up, feel above my left
eye where the pain is worse. There’s a lump about the size of a
crow egg and real tender to the touch. I’m bleeding too, I can feel
the stickiness of it all down the side of my face. How did this
happen? I cain’t think straight….then I remember. I remember gra’da
hitting me with the cooking pot, the metal monsters, everything! It
all comes flooding back into my head and panic starts clawing at my
throat.