Surviving the Improbable Quest (13 page)

Chapter
20

Light in the Dam

Rubic and Larry follow the river to the campsite and his overturned truck. The Wittmer family and some others finished their search and had come back to the camp empty-handed. The painkillers Rubic took have made him too weak to keep searching. His arm aches. His ribs thump. And deep breaths send shocks of pain throughout his chest. He’ll need to go to the hospital soon, but he refuses to leave with Allan still lost. To keep himself occupied while the dogs and the others finish their search, Rubic collects some of his gear from the mud. After placing a folding chair, a bag of clothes and his own washed-out lantern on a pile, he arranges for the Wittmer family to tip his truck back on its tires. They succeed easily. The roof is bent and slightly crumpled and the windshield is shattered, but there is still enough headroom to sit. The truck starts and runs then sputters and dies. With a heavy sigh, Rubic shuffles to the tailgate and, after popping the handle and lowering the gate, sits heavily.

A female ranger walks up to him. Rubic recognizes her. “You’re the ranger that tried to kick me and Allan off my campsite.”

She shrugs. “You should have listened to me. There’s a reason we do what we do. We’re not the bad guys.”

Rubic looks away for a moment then back to her. “I guess so. I apologize.”

She sits next to him. “How are you feeling?” she asks. Her eyes are kind despite their previous encounter.

Rubic rubs his face, which tingles like he’s covered in tiny bugs. “Not fine. I’m getting more and more sick. The pain isn’t bad, but I’m starting to see things. Like light trails. I can feel my heart thumping in my veins like there’s a marching band inside me.”

“Well, I’ve more medical training than the other rangers. Let me look at you.” She takes his pulse and looks into his eyes. “Your adrenaline is working its way out of your body, but you’re still in shock. I think it would be good to let me take you to the hospital now.”

Rubic shakes his head. “Not yet. I can handle this. What I
need
is to find my nephew.” Rubic stands. He watches a truck pull up to the campsite. Two men unload the dogs from the back of the truck and head out.

She touches his shoulder. “The dogs will find him. It will be okay. I’ll stay with you.”

Rubic shakes his head and follows the dogs, Alice keeping up with him. “They gave me a handful of ibuprofen earlier, but it feels like morphine.”

“Morphine is a little too strong to have in the first aid kit.” The woman ranger stops Rubic and puts her wrist up to Rubic’s forehead. “You feel hot.”

“I
feel
hot. Like, I-want-to-rip-my-shirt-off hot.”

She giggles. “Now we wouldn’t want you to do that.”

“What is your name? I . . . forgot it,” Rubic asks.

“Alice,” she says.

“Alice, what else can I be doing? This shouldn’t be taking so long. He can’t use his legs. Where can he go? ”

“I don’t know.” Alice takes his hand and holds it tightly. “We need to let the dogs find him. They’re faster at this than we are. We don’t need to follow them.”

Rubic shakes his head. “Something isn’t right. It doesn’t fit. Allan should’ve been found a dozen yards from where I woke up. I know these mountains like the back of my hand. But Allan, he’s never even
been
here before.”

“He’s young. Probably trying to get help. He could have dragged himself a long way.”

Hours later, two dozen people or more with flashlights and lanterns return to the campsite. Hound dogs return as well. No one has any luck.

The short ranger fiddles with his hat and approaches Rubic. “The search stalled at the base of a steep incline where the river flattens out. The water line on the trees was so low it would not have swept Allan any further.”

“Why can’t the dogs find him?” Rubic snaps as he sways back and forth.

“You need to sit down. That’s an order.” Alice helps Rubic to a large, fallen tree trunk.

The rotund ranger approaches with a brown dog with white patches over his ears and friendly eyes. “Gary here’s a tracking dog. He’s trained to find specific scents. You don’t have any of Allan’s things so we were never able to get him a clear sample to smell. I’m sorry.”

“Arrrrrrr! Allan! You get out here right now or you’re grounded.” Rubic cries out. He looks up at the stars. He can see the span of the Milky Way above him. The stars seem to dance and move around. They make patterns that rotate like those in a kaleidoscope.

“And why is everything looking so funny?” Rubic says. He looks at all the characters that have come to help. “This is like a carnival show,” he mutters and starts to laugh for no reason at all.

“Our search radius has more territory to the right because we assume Allan would try for the road.” Alice looks puzzled.

When Rubic doesn’t stop laughing Alice pulls his chin down and shines her light in his eyes. “Your eyes are really dilated. Dilated pupils can indicate head trauma.” She inspects the other eye. “Unless you’re on drugs you haven’t told me about. You need to go to the hospital. I’ll have to insist.”

“Not without Allan.”

“Dilated pupils can be the result of serious, potentially life-threatening conditions. You could have an intracranial hematoma, ruptured brain aneurysm, or have high intracranial pressure.”

Rubic slowly looks around. He waves his flashlight back and forth. He shines his light at the crowd of searchers. One of them has a horse. It’s huge, looks furry and has a funny nose. The saddle shimmers in the light. Rubic knows he’s seeing things differently so he shakes his head vigorously. He sees a strange pattern in his vision. The leaves of a nearby bush look like a thousand clapping hands.
What?! This is unreal.
He squints and the hands dissolve into normal leaves. There are noises off in the distance and a faint sound of cheering. Rubic runs his hand through his hair. “I’m hallucinating.”

“You took drugs?” Alice exclaims.

“No. But I feel funny and I’m seeing things that aren’t real.” He remembers the taste of the red clay. “I’ve ingested poison.”

Alice takes his wrist and checks his pulse. “Your heartbeat has quickened. What did you eat?”

“Clay.” Rubic stands. He pulls Alice along toward the horse. When he gets closer, the shadow that made it look like it was furry like a wooly mammoth fades.

“If you were poisoned you need to go to the hospital now. I’ll take you there.” Alice pleads. Her hands reach out and grab Rubic’s arm, but he pulls away.

“I only tasted the clay.”

“What clay?”

Rubic shows her a tree trunk. She scrapes some clay off the trunk and smells it. “I see what you mean. This has a chemical odor I’ve never smelled before. It burns my nasal passageway.”

Rubic rubs his temples trying to focus his mind. “We know the water came from the dam. The lake must’ve spilled a ton of water. Larry told me a flood had occurred a long time ago when a piece of glacier broke off and landed in the river. It must’ve happened again. Maybe twice.”

“That’s right. It has to be an overflow.”

“But this clay had to come from somewhere. If it’s poison, then it had to be in the water.”

“Illegal dumping?”

“Allan can’t go anywhere. Not really. Not fast enough to get this lost. Something’s wrong.” Rubic snaps his fingers. “My brother, Allan’s father, told me about Occam's Razor. It’s a theory on deduction.” Rubic paces as he thinks out loud. Unnatural energy pulses through his veins. “We must shave off as many assumptions as possible. What is left is the simplest solution.”

“Which is what?” Alice asks.

“Allan was taken away.”

“We’re in communication with local authorities. If someone found him, we’d know about it. You thinking he was abducted?”

“The clay and how it’s poisoning me is connected to Allan’s disappearance. I can feel it. Anything else is too coincidental.” Rubic looks at the dark mountainside. “Someone might want to cover up illegal dumping in the lake, which would be investigated if Allan was found sick from poison.” He rubs his eyes. “Take me to the dam.”

“The road’s been washed out for years. It’s condemned. Fenced off. No way could anyone get there. Come on. You’re tired. Let’s take a minute to think this through. What you’re saying is impossible.”

Rubic doesn’t listen to her and stumbles up to the man holding the horse. He’s an Amish man with a long beard and a white shirt. “I need your horse. Please.”

The Amish man nods quietly and hands Rubic the lead rope. Rubic tries to put his foot in the stirrup, but is seeing double.

“Where are you going?” Alice yells.

“Are you coming?” He finds the stirrup and steps up. He flops awkwardly onto the saddle. The horse steps back protesting.

Alice pushes Rubic’s right foot over the saddle. “Scoot back, now,” Alice orders. She steps up and settles onto the front of the saddle careful not to kick Rubic.

Rubic, glad for her help, hugs her waist tightly. Her warmth helps him to relax. Alice snaps the reins and they gallop away. He closes his eyes not wanting to see any more hallucinations, but a kaleidoscope of colors teases the insides of his eyelids.

The two ride hard for over an hour. The forest gets thick again and the temperature drops. Rubic’s butt is numb, and he feels like he’s sitting on cold T-bone steaks. Alice maneuvers the horse as close to the river as possible. The walls of the canyon get closer to the river the higher they ride, and the river gets deeper. As the horse rounds a bend in the canyon, they see the dam. The moonlight illuminates the concrete megastructure. The enormity of the structure makes Rubic suck in his breath. The dam is a monolith in the dark that towers above their heads. It spans the canyon and has support ribs that segment the sloping wall. At the top of the dam is a series of spillways. One of them is open, letting water run out and down the dam wall, feeding the river. The other three are closed, but dripping. On the right side of the dam is an old, concrete control house. It has six small windows along its flat front, is built on a solid concrete foundation next to the river and extends into the cliff side. Further to the right a large, white pipe comes out of the cliff and turns. Water trickles from the pipe and filters through the gravel and back to the river.

Alice pets the side of the horse’s sweaty neck. “Almost there, girl,” she whispers to the horse. She snaps the reins and rides up the rough side of the embankment where the service road used to be. The horse clambers up the side until it gets to the original road. Rubic shines his light on the pavement. Grasses thrust up from the cracks in every available space, but some are flattened and broken at the stems.

“Truck tracks,” Alice says pointing to the road. “If someone does have Allan, we need to wait for the authorities. I’ve already called them so they’ll be here shortly.”

“No. Allan’s in trouble. We go now. You can stay back if you want. Just tell me how to get into the dam.”

“Fine, I’ll go with you. I’m not supposed to let you out of my sight. Besides, I’m the one with the medical training.”

Alice slows the horse as she nears the large dripping pipe. Rubic falls off the saddle and barely lands on his feet. He looks at the water exiting the pipe.

“It smells just like the red clay, only stronger.” He shines the light on the pipe. The red clay has built up on the walls of the pipe. More water starts coming out of the pipe. Rubic backs up so he won’t get wet.

“Rubic,” Alice says. “Look.” There’s a single light on in one of the windows above them.

Chapter
21

The Bait Always Gets Eaten

Asantia grabs Allan’s hand and drags him back down the steps to the dock. The beetles scramble in circles as Jibbawk slides down the steps as if it were floating. Allan holds Asantia’s hand with a vice-like grip. His mind races. The doorway to home is right behind that creature. He’s so close, but not close enough. Frustration burns hot inside Allan, and if only he could channel the energy, he’d have a lethal flamethrower at his disposal.

Jibbawk aims a long pointy finger, which looks like a solid, black claw, at Allan. Red fluid drips from the point like a leaky hypodermic needle. The beetles skittle and move, making wet clicking sounds.

“Sss, I want the key and I will tear through your body to get it.” Jibbawk’s red eyes widen, showing off glowing pupils.

“I, I don’t have it. I gave it away,” Allan squeaks.

“I can sssmell it on you. It’sss in your pocket.”

Allan pats his back pocket. The key is in there. But he gave it to Mizzi. Allan’s mind races. “I . . . gave it away. There’s nothing in my pocket,” Allan says defiantly, though his voice quivers.

“You’re a terrible liar.” Jibbawk’s dagger-shaped finger gets closer to Allan.

“Back off, Jibbawk, and take your dung beetles with you. Otherwise, I’ll slice you into six pieces,” Asantia snaps. Her fingers on her free hand reach up to the handle of her long knife strapped to her back.

Jibbawk lunges for Allan’s throat. Asantia whips out her blade and hacks at Jibbawk.

The blade moves through the beetles causing zero damage. In retaliation, the beetles leap onto the blade and bite at Asantia’s hand, forcing her to let go. Jibbawk slashes at Asantia with his claws. They tear her leather shirt and slice her skin. She cries out, loses her balance and falls off the dock and into the water. Allan pulls the key from his back pocket and holds it up. “Take it. Just leave us alone!”

Jibbawk snatches the key from Allan. It grabs him by the throat and hauls him up and off the dock.
Choking. Can’t breathe. Pain.
Beetles swarm all over Allan and bite his skin, and it feels like lightning envelops him. A scream bursts from his throat. Allan grabs at Jibbawk, his hand seizing beetles. They bite him and draw blood, but Allan doesn’t care. He wants to rip Jibbawk apart. His fists close around the beetles and he crushes them, but it only makes Jibbawk laugh.

Wind comes suddenly. Over the top of the golden house comes a small helicopter. It looks like a copper teacup: the handle supports the black, belching motor and swishing blades. Under the helicopter dangles a metal shape. It’s cylindrical with a glass door on top. Inside is the prostrate body of Jibbawk. It’s similar to his beetle shape, but not made of beetles. Its body is completely covered in spines. The exposed skin around its eyes, beak and legs are pale and bluish. Its leathery hands lay clasped across its chest. Jibbawk looks at the helicopter and then looks at his body encased in the cylinder. It marvels at its former flesh and blood.

Mizzi grips the controls tightly. He speaks into a crooked metal pipe with a flange on the end that projects his voice over the whirr of the blades.

“I have something you need.” The helicopter lowers the cylinder to the steps carefully. “Just don’t hurt the boy
or
the girl and you can have it.”

Jibbawk tosses Allan into the water like he’s a doll. The beetles fall off Jibbawk and skitter up the steps in a stream of a thousand shining shells. They leap onto the cylinder. The glass cracks under the weight until the pressure is so great that it shatters. The beetles cover the dead body of Jibbawk. They melt away like frost when it meets the sun. It only takes a moment more before Jibbawk sits up, looks at its body, and stands. Its claws are gone, replaced by articulate fingers with sharp nails and has quills. Long quills adorn its neck like a collar and short quills cover every other part of its body.

“YYYYEEESSSSSS!” Jibbawk screams. “I’m back! I’m flesh. I can feel my bonesss, I have quillsss again and a tongue in my beak. I am more powerful than I ever wasss.” Its quills spread out like a chicken fluffing its feathers. It plucked one from its forearm and licked the end. “I have enough poison in these quillsss to kill a thousand Hetaphantsss.”

The gateway at the top of the stairs opens. A wind, a powerful vacuum, is sucked into the doorway. A dusty darkness containing the spores of the Hubbu plant lies beyond the threshold. Jibbawk isn’t holding on to anything. Its feet are yanked out from under it, and in one slippery movement Jibbawk is sucked into the doorway. Lyllia of Meduna quickly closes the door with a pull of a lever.

Mizzi lands the helicopter on the dock. He helps Allan out of the water and then they help Asantia.

“You did well, Allan.”

“Yeah, yeah, so what was hiding the key on Allan all about?” Asantia demands.

“I had to use you to lure Jibbawk here. It was the only way to get it close to the gateway.”

“You lied to me. I thought you needed the key,” Allan huffed.

“The key gave Jibbawk something to follow. I needed it to think the key was its only hope.”

“I was bait!”

“You saved a lot of people in this world, Allan. You’re a hero,” Mizzi says trying to lighten Allan’s mood.

“Two minutes later and Jibbawk would have popped off Allan’s head like it was a dead flower bud.” Water drips off Asantia’s hair and body.

“Did you mean all that stuff you said?” Allan asks Mizzi. “Are we friends or did you just need me and now I’m useless?”

“Sometimes good people use each other. They’ll do it to protect people, to spare feelings, or for the greater good. I’m sorry, I truly am. But I am still your friend and am in great debt to you. Jibbawk is ten thousand light years away on a moon called Plethiomia. It’s a very dangerous place with many large beasts, much larger and stronger than Jibbawk. We won’t see Jibbawk on this, or any other world, ever again. When you couldn’t walk anymore you thought you were useless. A burden. But you know that isn’t the case. You can still do great things.”

Allan rubs his sore neck. “I get it. I’m not helpless. I’ve still got my hands, my eyes and my brain.”

Mizzi gives Allan a high five. “You just passed your Testing. You’re free now.”

Lyllia starts clapping. “Thank you, Allan. Soon, everyone will hear what you’ve done. You’ll never have to fear walking the streets of Dantia ever again.”

“I guess I like being a bait-hero. It’s nice.” Allan blushes. Asantia helps Allan to the top of the stairs, seats him in front of the door like a package and then looks at Lyllia still sitting in her chair like a queen.

“Can we go, Your Royal Highness? Even though we got the riddle wrong?”

Lyllia smiles and pulls a different lever. “You didn’t get that wrong. It
was
Balance. There is balance to all. How you rise or how you fall. From the life you live, to the money you give. You did marvelously. When I let Jibbawk hide in my balcony, I knew of Mizzi’s alchemy. Oh, I could not let you be right because I had filled the gateway with pollen that went to Plethiomia. Trust me, you don’t want to go there.”

Asantia grips a gold handle next to the doorway, bracing herself. The doorway opens with a swoosh of air. Wind sucks into the room.

“Your Royal Highness, are you sure you’re not sending me to where Jibbawk just went?” Allan yells over the noise of rushing air.

Lyllia scowls from her high perch. “I do not simply open doors, young boy. This gate is not a toy. It will take you home.”

Asantia bends down and kisses Allan on his cheek. “Anyone else would have left me to fall into the crack during that earthquake. You didn’t. Thanks for saving me.” Her yellow eyes seem electric, her smile soft and her lips full and red.

“You, too,” Allan replies, holding on to the top step of the stairs. “See you soon? You promised to take me somewhere cool.”

“Yeah I did. When you’re eighteen, I’ll come see you.” Asantia’s hair dances in the rushing wind.

“Deal!”

Allan lets go of the step and slides through the doorway into the dark room. A dozen glass doors line walls on either side, and behind the doors are rows after rows of flowers. The door in front of the blue flowers opens, exposing the pollen to the sucking air. The pollen swirls into the room, sparking like static electricity, and surrounds him. His body jerks to the left, then the right. Something pulls on Allan’s skin. Even his teeth feel tugged. His body jerks up then down, then everything goes dark.