Like Veins of Red Rubies (Most Precious Book 1) (3 page)

"All
right."

Stanley set the drill down and
removed his gear. He placed every piece beside the drill and kneeled to fold
his pants. He stood up and started through the lake.

"Aren’t you going to wait
for Victor?" said Mr. Roberts.

"The guy can handle
himself," Stanley said. He walked through the lake and continued
barefooted, through the broken wall to the city. He passed town square where
many had gathered to speak with the other men who had dug that day. But Stanley
passed them, and made his way through the streets to his domicile. He knocked
on his door and Emily answered.

"Oh Stanley," Emily
said, looking him up and down. "You seem emptied."

"Just exhausted,"
Stanley said.

Emily led him inside. "Did
you eat?" she said.

"No."

Emily handed Stanley a pill and a
cup of water. "I thought you might have forgotten."

"I love you," he said.
He took the pill and cup of water from her.

They leaned on the wall and
simply stared each other in the eyes as they swallowed their pills. Without
breaking eye contact, they drank the water, and they both smiled, but Stanley’s
was weak.

"What’s wrong?" said
Emily.

"I tried getting those
rubies for you," Stanley said. "But that bastard Victor destroyed
them." He ran his hand through his hair and stared down the street.

"Stanley," Emily said.
"Stanley, look at me." She caressed his face with both hands.
"Forget about the rubies. I don’t need anything like that. I need you as
you are." She kissed his lips. "But first, take a shower."

Stanley smiled and hugged Emily.
He stepped into the shower and remained in there for a long time. The hot water
dug into his skin and trickled down his body, taking with them the dirt he had
accumulated over the day, the dirt that had puffed and seeped through his
clothes. He stepped out and dried himself and returned to his room.

Emily was awake in bed and he
joined her. Throughout the night, they talked and laughed. Stanley told her
what had happened in the tunnels and she told him about how worried Mrs.
Roberts was about her husband. Stanley held her close as she fell asleep and he
slept shortly after, as he lost himself to his dreams.

Emily tightened Stanley’s apron
and placed hers over it, then tightened it as well. She poked in a kiss.
"I’ll come by when you’re all done. We’ll have our pills outside,
together."

"I can’t wait," said
Stanley. He kissed her and left.

Stanley walked past the domiciles
and into the streets.

An old woman who had followed him
for a while scurried up to him and said, "Mr. Barrett, how is the dig
developing? I heard you and Victor made good progress yesterday."

"Yes, we’ve dug up far,
thanks to the new drills. If we advance at the same rate, we’ll reach the
surface in no time," said Stanley. "Honestly speaking, I am excited
for the outcome."

The old woman nodded. "I’ve
heard the stories, as everyone has, but can you imagine? A world without roofs
or walls, to see trees that wither! Oh, it may seem grim, but it adds
character."

Stanley nodded.

When Stanley reached the town
square, he parted with the old woman and passed through the crowd. The other
workers made their way into the broken wall. They waded through the lake that
sloshed due to their rough steps. Stanley walked gently through the middle and
met Mr. Roberts.

"Ready for the second
day?" said Mr. Roberts.

"I am very well
excited," Stanley said.

"Well I hope you can manage
the dirt from piling up today," said Victor. He approached from the lake.

"My mind has been
refreshed," said Stanley. "We should have no trouble today."

"That’s it, a clear mind,
the mind of a good man," said Mr. Roberts. "That's what we
need."

Victor dried his legs and
equipped his gear, Stanley as well. Victor picked up his drill and secured it
on his back. He walked over to the tunnel and climbed in.

"Let me go first," said
Stanley.

Victor turned and said,
"No." He flicked on his light and slowly progressed up the tunnel,
with Stanley following patiently behind. After a considerable amount of time,
Victor’s helmet tapped against the end of the tunnel. He grabbed his drill and
said, "Get ready, I’m starting now." As soon as he flicked the
drill’s switch, it spun and dug into the earth, ravenously eating away at it,
and regurgitating it almost immediately at Stanley who shuffled to push them
down. Victor progressed upward in tremendously efficient time and Stanley
matched his pace. The drill did not falter, but soon enough, the men did. Victor’s
arms loosened and Stanley’s movements lagged.

"We should take a
break," said Victor. He turned the drill off and set it beside him as he
rested his head.

Stanley heaved and slid a final
massive mound of dirt down the tunnel. "I would appreciate that very
much."

"I’ve been holding this
thing too long," said Victor, "that my head is still vibrating."

"My arms feel like mush.
It’ll be difficult for me to fold my clothes tonight."

"You think the others are
having as much trouble as we are?" said Victor. He raised his head and
glanced at the end of the tunnel then rested his eyes and scrunched his nose.

"Trouble?" said
Stanley. "This isn’t trouble; it’s just a lot of work. We’re making great
progress now."

Victor nodded and picked up his
drill. He aimed it at the end, but froze and slowly set his drill down.
"What is this?" he said. He pulled something from the earth.

"What have you found?"
said Stanley.

"I don’t know," said
Victor. "It’s flat, smooth,
maybe
plastic?"
He studied it a bit longer before saying, "It has six holes on it. Maybe
we put our arms in them." Victor removed his gauntlet and slid his bare
arm in.

"Let me see," said
Stanley.

Victor slipped and thudded onto
his chest, dropping his drill. "Oh damn," he said.

Stanley lunged aside and grabbed
the drill. "What’s wrong?" he said as he set the drill into a ledge.

"Oh no," said Victor.
"Stanley, help!"

Stanley hurried and climbed up on
the ledges. "What? What?" he said. He squeezed beside Victor, but
Victor’s elbow flailed and blunted Stanley’s nose. He rubbed it, but it only
tickled it and incited a sneeze. He looked up and said, "What happened?
Tell me."

Victor held before him a white
sheet with holes. He waved it and said, "Did you not see what it has done
to me? It's a torture device!"

"Let me see that," said
Stanley. He grabbed the sheet and observed it. It was thin and had six holes
that were only slightly smaller than his fist. But the material was smooth and
extendable, enough room for him to pull his hand out. "How exactly did
this hurt you?"

Victor motioned at his exposed
arm that had a slightly red outline on it. "Can you not see what is before
you?" Victor snatched the sheet and fluttered it. "Pay attention. I
am risking my life to reenact that terrible moment." Victor brought the sheet
right between him and Stanley. He brought his fist before one of the holes and
breathed in deeply. He opened and closed his hand and rolled his fingers and
pursed his lips. He closed his hand and pointed to one of the holes as if to
punch it. But then he extended his fingers forward to create a beak--like
shape. He poked and his hand ran through the hole. He pulled the sheet closer
to and it gradually climbed his arm until it stopped. In a panic, he opened his
hand and dragged the sheet away from him, but it did not tear. It only
tightened farther around his arm.

"Stanley," Victor
called. "Help me!"

Stanley stood still.

"You cannot just stay there
while I am engulfed by this heinous trap!" cried Victor. "I did this
for you!" Stanley opened his side pouch and fumbled around the tools
within. He clumsily brought out a pair of scissors and turned to Victor. He
tried inserting an edge between Victor and the sheet, but could not, for it had
tightened too much. Amidst Victor's trembling, Stanley's grip on the scissors
jerked and sliced a line on Victor's arm.

"Ah, Stanley, you
fool!" Victor wailed as his blood trickled down the tunnel.

"I cannot do it!" said
Stanley.

"No!" cried Victor.
"I am sorry I lashed out at you. It is the doing of this foul thing! You
mustn't give up!"

Stanley's eyes darted from his
scissors to Victor's arm. Stanley's head was trembling when Victor said,
"You can do this. I believe you can."

Stanley said, "Help me by
keeping your arm still."

Victor held his arm on top of a
rock and it calmed. "Do it fast," he said. "I cannot hold it for
long."

Stanley brought an edge of the
scissor between Victor and the sheet again.

"Now snap it," said
Victor.

Stanley used both hands to clip
the plastic sheet which then fell off of Victor's arm.

"Gah," said Victor. He
brought his arm to his chest. "You did it." He grabbed his digger and
flicked a switch. He aimed it at the sheet and pressed a button. A ray of fire
spouted from the tip of the drill and engulfed the sheet. The sheet burned all
over and shriveled into a black crisp.

Victor lowered his drill and
said, "That thing will never harm another man again."

"Your arm’s bleeding,"
Stanley said. "We should go down and get you some medicine."

"Right," said Victor.

"Are you going to slide
down?"

"I’ll try," said
Victor. He handed Stanley the drill.

Stanley clutched the drill and
slid down. Victor grabbed his gauntlet and slid behind, taking his time and
using his legs to maintain his pace as he went down.

When Stanley reached the bottom
of the tunnel, he was met by two men, their arms outstretched and dirtied.

"We had to stop,"
Stanley said to them.

Mr. Roberts walked over.
"What’s the matter?" he said.

"Victor is bleeding. He
needs pills immediately."

Victor slid down and jumped out
of the hole. His hand was forced on top of his wound, but blood still seeped
through his fingers.

"Move away," Victor
said. He pushed past the others and cut through the lake, gear still on.

Stanley and Mr. Roberts hurriedly
removed their boots and followed Victor. They followed a trail of blood and
reached the town square where a crowd had gathered to watch Victor limp toward
them.

"Somebody
get
me a medicine pill," Victor said. A young man brought him a pill and a cup
of water. Victor grabbed the pill and stuffed it in his mouth. He emptied the
water down his throat and crushed the cup within his seizing hand. The dirt in
his gash cleared away and fell to the floor as the clean blood receded. The
torn skin reconnected. Victor released a coarse, long--drawn sigh and patted
his arm.

A burly, bald man, Buckner
approached and said, "What happened, Victor?"

"I ran into a menace,"
Victor said. "It was a thin sheet with holes that clutched and strained my
arm." He waved his arm around and patted it again. "At first, I was
deceived by its simple form, but it activated when I foolishly brought it close
to me."

Buckner stepped forward and said,
"Did it cause your cut?"

"Yes," Victor said.

"No, it was not really the sheet,"
Stanley said. "I accidently slashed him with scissors, while I was trying
to get it off of him."

"But it was because the
thing had clung on to me that we had such a scuffle," said Victor.

"Where did you leave
it?" cried a voice.

"We burnt it in the tunnel
and left it there to die," said Victor.

"Are you completely sure
that it is no longer a threat?" said Buckner.

"We saw it burn and shrivel
before us," Victor said. "It shrunk into a single twisted, black
strand. It will never pose the same threat it has before."

The crowd of people lightly
clapped and smiled at Victor and Stanley. One man even cheered.

"You two have experienced
much today," said Mr. Roberts. "Go to your domiciles, get some rest.
Give me your gear. I’ll return it."

"Thank you," said
Victor. He removed his gear and handed it over. "Keep a close eye on the
others. They may encounter their own dangers." Victor rubbed the dirt off
from his clothes and strode away to the domiciles.

Stanley handed his own gear to
Mr. Roberts and then walked toward the crowd.

Emily ran to him, her face grim.

"Stanley, I’m so glad you’re
safe," she said. "Victor came out drenched in his own blood. Imagine
if that had happened to you."

"I don’t know if it would
have," said Stanley. "He was exasperated, and made too big a deal of
it."

"I’m just glad that you’re
fine," Emily said. She handed him a pill and a cup of water.

"Thank you," Stanley
said and swallowed the pill and drank the water before Emily had hers. "I
needed that."

Stanley started down the row of
domiciles and Emily trailed behind. She brushed the dirt off of Stanley’s
clothes and rubbed it off of his face and neck. She ran up ahead and opened the
door for Stanley.

"I’m going to wash,"
Stanley said. He stepped into the shower and dried himself off. When he emerged
from the bathroom, Emily was sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Come sit with me," she
said.

Stanley sat beside her.

"I'm more worried for
you," she said, "after seeing Victor like that."

"He overreacted to the
situation," Stanley said. "I hardly think that thing was meant to be
a trap or even a weapon."

"But you heard Victor. He
said he was deceived by it."

"He was. He saw it as
something more than what it truly was," said Stanley. "And so, he
overreacted."

"I just want you to be
careful in there," said Emily. "Keep your safety first. Everything
else is secondary." She peered into Stanley’s eyes. "You’re not
trying to get those rubies, are you?"

"Victor destroyed the vein,
along with my hopes of getting them for you.

"That’s good," Emily
said. "That really is."

Stanley chuckled and looked down
at Emily’s hands and held them. "Thank you," he said.

Stanley and Emily changed into
their sleepwear and jumped into bed. They spoke for a while before falling
asleep.