The Sands of Borrowed Time (23 page)

Runaway

Bayliss slowed as he saw the ship come into view through the haze, driving closer carefully with a gun in hand, cocked and loaded, ready for anyone.  He relaxed, though, a wide grin spreading across his face when he saw Cain leaning against the rails on the deck.

What the fuck’s going on here,
he laughed to himself, giving out a loud condescending cackle, stopping the buggy and looking up towards Cain’s pissed off face.

“Good afternoon,” Bayliss shouted up, still grinning.  Cain replied with a sarcastic smile as he watched Bayliss climb the steps up to the deck.  As he neared the top, peering over the deck, Bayliss saw Carla standing there, just behind Cain, looking that look of hers, that devious look of triumph.

“And good afternoon to you,” he saluted to her.  She smiled at him, narrowing her eyes.   Cain turned to look at him saying nothing.

“Nice ship,” Bayliss said, looking around, “beautiful ship indeed,” walking over to the living quarters, opening the door and peering inside.  “Very nice!”

Carla walked towards him, looking him straight in the eye, “We exchanged it for our buggy.”

“Really!” Bayliss exclaimed, looking at Cain.

“Yes,” Carla replied, speaking like an actress, “we fancied doing a bit of sailing, now that the kids have flown the nest so that we can spend a bit more time together.”  Bayliss steadied his face, looking at Cain’s angry face, knowing that Carla was playing one of her mindless games. 

Cain rolled his eyes, “It is nice, glad you like it, Bayliss.”

“Comes fully equipped with food, water and blankets,” Carla added.

“Five stars, then,” Bayliss replied, raising an eyebrow at her. “Dare I mention the little starling that has flown the nest at this point? Bayliss asked, looking directly into Cain's eyes.  “I don’t seem to see her,” looking around the deck with his arms in the air.

“I imagine she’s doing very well,” Carla said quickly as Cain folded his arms.  “She doesn’t need her mommy and daddy anymore, ain’t that right Cain?”  Cain remained silent, staring intently at Carla.

“The buggy?” Bayliss asked.  “You gave her the buggy?”

“We’re not sure who took the buggy, it was all over so fast,” Carla was quick to reply.   “No sooner had we got to the deck, the buggy was gone in a swathe of dust.”

Cain could stand her pretense no more, “It was her, you know it because you saw her!”

“I saw the buggy go, but it was too dark to see who, the weather, you know how it is these days,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Cain gave out a long deep growl, looking at Carla with daggers in his eyes, “Yes, I know precisely what you mean dear.”  Carla smiled that actress smile of hers.

“If only you had mentioned it when you saw the person get in the buggy, I could have helped you out with identifying them,” Cain said between gritted teeth.

“Well, easy to say that in retrospect.  Next time I promise, I mean to be more ready,” Carla teased.  Bayliss folded his arms, enjoying the slanging match, but careful not to show his amusement, Cain looking like a volcano about to blow.

“And the ship? Where does this fine ship fit into the picture?”  Bayliss asked, glancing at them both.

“It was just sitting here,” Carla simply replied.

“Abandoned?” Bayliss enquired.

Carla shrugged, “How do I know?”

“Looks like Kyla had found some friends, a ship.  They were out and about for a wander, and when they came back they took the buggy, to make a long story short,” Cain said, looking at Carla with anger.

“She is a little scoundrel now isn’t she,” Bayliss cackled, “not sure where she’s got it from,” looking across at Carla.  Carla faked a polite smile.

“That’s why we need to get her back,” Cain sternly added. “We need some bright young sparks back at the camp, ‘cause, to be honest, we don’t have many left.”

“How long ago did all this happen?” Bayliss asked.

“A few hours ago.  She’ll be long gone.”

“I guess she will,” Bayliss replied.

“Maybe she’ll come back for her bracelet and blanket, assuming, of course, it was her,” Carla said with a knowing smile.

Bayliss ushered Cain over, leading him to the edge of the ship, away from Carla. 

She smiled, “No talking about me behind my back now boys, you know how paranoid I get.”

“There're rumours of everyone going north,” Bayliss murmured with his back to Carla, looking over his shoulder at her before continuing, “They say storms are coming from the south, hurricanes laden with sand.  They will consume everything and everyone.”

Cain didn’t look too surprised, “That’s what Kyla has picked up on, she’s not stupid, that’s why she’s fled, and that’s where she’s going, up north.”

“Along with everyone else it seems,” Bayliss added.

“These rumours, how robust, how real?” Cain asked, looking at Carla as she stared at them intently with her little fake smile.

“There are hordes roaming north.  I have seen them across the valley being picked off by bandits.  There must be some truth to it.”  Bayliss turned his head to look at Carla again, before continuing in a whisper, shielding Carla's view of his lips with his hand.  “They say things are good up there.”

“How good?” Cain eagerly interrupted, curious to know the truth.

“Extremely good.  They say it is like before.”

“No, impossible, the North took a direct hit, everything was vapourised, irradiated, nothing can live there.”

“Then why go there, because that’s what people are doing?”  Cain put his hand to his chin, rubbing it intensely as he contemplated what Bayliss had just told him.

“Hope it's good news!” Carla shouted across, her eyes hungry looking. She was curious to know what they had been talking about.

A stream of sand swept across the deck, forcing all three of them to cover their eyes with their hands.

“You have to admit, the storms are getting a little intense lately,” Bayliss continued quietly, barely audible under the ferocious wind.  Cain opened his mouth with a sigh, Bayliss continuing with a forced whisper, barely able to hold back his emotions before Cain could gather his thoughts to speak.  “We need to go somewhere, if we stay put, we will die, all of us will die, it is that simple.”

“Yes I know,” Cain said,” I had heard these rumours myself, but did not want to believe them, that’s why I asked you how robust they were. Everyone is fleeing, and all are going north, but who knows for certain what’s there.  Who says there is water, there is life?”

Bayliss shrugged his shoulders, “That I cannot tell you.  People are taking it as a matter of faith.”

“Through desperation no doubt.  Faith is easy when you know you're fucked.  Maybe we shouldn’t be too hasty to react.  We should check out these claims a bit more seriously, more thoroughly.”

“But there’s no time, look around you.  The storms are already here, already pissing their sand in our faces, laughing at our predicament, ready to consume us.”

“You think we should go?”

“Yes, without a doubt.  Kyla was the first, but now Jeff, Callee, and Laren, they’re leaving in droves.  They see us just sitting there, doing nothing, waiting for the inevitable.”

“Ok, but no mention of it to Carla.”

“Fine by me.”

“Just that I mentioned a move, a strategic one and she freaked out.”

“Boys, what’s the story?”  Carla shouted as she walked towards them.  “Why the secrecy, nothing can be that important on this shit hole of a planet?”  She dragged her fingers through her hair, cleaning it of sand, staring at them waiting for an answer, her smile fading.

“Come on, what, what is wagging those tongues of yours?” Carla insisted, curling her hair around her finger, staring at them impatiently.

“You already know, you have seen them,” Cain said, “Bayliss didn’t want to scare you.

“Who? What you talking about Cain?”

“Those from the north,” Cain replied, Bayliss trying not to look confused.

“Remember, the guys with the pretty blue eyes and a passion for horn music.”

“So?”

“Bayliss has seen them too; naturally he was a bit concerned.”

“Just nomads, Bayliss,” Carla said with a huff, feeling that she had wasted her time.  Bayliss responded with a smile and a small nod of the head.  She frowned, “Just think of them as gypsies.”

Cain and Bayliss looked at each other, trying not to laugh, before Carla spoke again, “What to do? A girl on a ship with nowhere to go,” she said looking out into the swirling bands of sand.

“Yes,” Bayliss said, looking out through the storm and northwards across the desert, “where does one go?”

Running in and out of Trouble

              The deafening purr of the buggies engine was overwhelming.  Almost as intoxicating as the speed at which they thundered across the dry prairie ground.  All three girls were silent, mesmerised by the fissures and undulations in the ground as they hurtled towards them like on an arcade screen during a racing game.  The buggy bounced, jumped, its suspension juddering as it rode across the rough, uneven ground, the girl’s heads and stomachs nauseating as it did so, the noise of the engine screaming louder as the wheels bounced upwards from the ground.

“Faster!” Hayley suddenly screamed waving her fist in the air.

“Hell yeah!” Demelza shouted above the thunder of the double V8.  A wild grin broadened across her face, revealing cracked teeth as her long, brown hair billowed behind her in the stream of fast moving air.

Kyla smiled, shaking her head,
How mad have we got these last few days?  It's like one flew over the cuckoo’s nest, the post-apocalyptic version.
She stamped hard on the accelerator, hitting the floor with a clang.
This is turning into a merry go round, a circus for the freaks,
she thought as she brushed her shabby, blond hair away from her eyes.
 
The buggy accelerated at neck breaking speed as Kyla tightened her grip on the steering wheel.  Hayley and Demelza held on tight to their seats as the clear air fluttered past their smiling faces, feeling every bump and crack in the ground as the four pillared suspension worked hard, shuddering up and down like crazy pneumatic drills.

“Shit!” Hayley screamed as she bounced clear of her seat, the buggy shaking, thumping into a large dune, it's frame buckling sideways as it absorbed the shock. 

Kyla laughed, “Any passengers overboard yet!” she shouted as she floored the accelerator again to regain speed, the air streaming through their hair and buffeting their skin, feeling clean and fresh.  There was no mugginess to prevent their sweat from cooling their skins, no sand to make their eyes feel gritty.  Kyla pointed ahead as the snow-capped mountains came into view as they breached the summit of a hill.  Hayley rose from her seat as their towering height gripped her attention, holding onto the chassis bar as Kyla gently slowed the buggy to a stop.

              “Wow! Hayley exclaimed, in awe at the sight of the stony slopes, topped with brilliant white snow that shimmered a hint of orange from the setting evening Sun.  Trees packed the valleys, their green canopies a fitting complement to the grey, jagged mountain tops that protruded from the white carpet below.  “So it’s true,” she continued, turning to look at Kyla and Demelza with wide and excited eyes. “Can you believe it; this is it, this is it!”  Kyla stood up onto her seat, holding her palm out across her forehead to shield her eyes from the setting Sun, looking at the beautiful scene ahead of them.  She felt a happiness well up inside, her face becoming a mess, awash with spasms and ticks as tears trickled down her face.
 

Have we made it, after all we have been through; is this really it? 
Kyla’s head quickly turned to the wing mirror as a splinter of light sparkled in the corner of her vision.  She jumped back into her seat, her foot hitting the accelerator, like a reflex, as she watched the vehicles in the mirror gain speed on them, the Sun shimmering off their windshields.  Hayley fell violently back into her seat with a thump, looking across at Kyla bewildered. 

Kyla felt her stare and pointed her thumb over her shoulder,
It’s not over yet!  It will never be over; just running and running until one day I can’t run no more, like a tired deer always on the lookout for the wolf, eventually succumbing to its fate. 

Hayley turned to look over her shoulder, “What the fuck now, can’t we get a moments peace?” 

Demelza looked back also, “Do you think they have seen us?”

Hayley nodded, “Yes, yes, of course, that's why they’re racing this way.”  Kyla tightened her grip on the steering wheel as it began to shudder from the sheer speed, the suspension rattling over the stony ground.  Nevertheless, Kyla could see the vehicles gain on them, slowly but surely, until see could see them clearly in her rear view mirror, big black jeeps cutting through the hard soil elegantly, throwing streams of dirt high into the sky behind them. 

Bandits! Fucking bandits!  Do they ever rest! 
Kyla began to panic, realising that the buggy was flat out.  There was nothing more she could get out of it as she listened to the pistons begin to whine. 
You can whine and complain, but don’t you dare give up on us, don’t you dare give up,
as she thumped the steering wheel with her fist,
otherwise…

“We need more speed,” Demelza demanded as she desperately tugged on Kyla's shoulder.

“I’m going as fast as I can!” Kyla replied as she felt every stone and bump vibrate up the steering column, her wrists beginning to ache. 
Fuck, there's no way I can keep this up!

“
Faster, for Christ’s sake!” Demelza complained, leaning across to shout in Kyla's ear, “I can feel them rubbing up against my arse.”

“They’re coming either side!” Hayley shouted out.  Kyla looked in her mirrors, she could see the Jeeps behind part, two by two, their engines now audible as they guzzled hungrily from their big petrol tanks.

“Time for a shoot-out, girls!” Kyla yelled, not knowing if she was heard.  She went for her gun as the steering wheel rattled in her other hand, her wrists now burning with fatigue. 

Damn if I can shoot straight, I can barely hold it up! 
She could see men leaning out of windows as the Jeeps edged ever closer, their scalped heads shiny in the Sunlight, their grins one of anticipation as they observed their prey before them down the barrels of their guns. 
Never a dull moment in this life, that's for sure.  Can’t say we're lacking excitement in our lives. 
There was the ricochet of a gunshot, causing a sudden flash of adrenalin through Kyla's heart as she suddenly felt it thump hard in her chest.  She quickly placed her hand on her breast thinking she had been shot, but there was no blood and no wound.  Taking a deep breath, she took a quick look round.  Everyone was okay.  They both had their guns out and ready.  There was another shot, this time deafening her left ear as Hayley blew out one of the Jeeps tires, it's rubber trying to hold fast to the wheel as it wobbled and spun, disintegrating and flying off to the side. 
One down, three to go,
Kyla thought as she saw the Jeep on her near side creep up in the corner of her vision, it's engine sounding powerful and relaxed against the whine of her Buggy’s. 
Now, now, Demelza!  Now would be a good time to pull the trigger and get the fuckers.  Make it hurt as they have hurt others! 
She turned to see the Jeep towering high above the buggy, a man looking down on her, confident as he lifted his shades to reveal his staring, blue eyes.  He lifted his arm slowly, positioning his gun.  He squeezed the trigger gently.  Kyla stamped on the brake pedal as a crack rang out beside her, the Jeeps whizzing by either side.  All three held on tightly as the buggy shuddered to a stop, Kyla feeling Demelza hit the back of her seat hard with a shriek.
You'll be fine Demelza, just a little bump,
Kyla thought as she swiftly engaged reverse and swung the buggy round in a semi-circle, watching the Jeeps grind to a halt in front of them, their tyres struggling to grip the loose ground as their black shells momentarily disappeared in a haze of dust.

“Head for the dunes!” Hayley shouted.

“That's exactly what I'm doing! Kyla shouted back.

“But you need to take over, my wrists are knackered!”  Hayley nodded as they swapped seats, the buggy barely losing speed.

“You okay back there,” Kyla said, turning to look at Demelza, “That was some dent you made in my seat.”  Demelza was just about to respond when she ducked her head in response to another gun shot.
Getting desperate boys, that was way off!
Kyla nervously sniggered as Hayley picked up speed, the terrain getting rougher and bumpier.

“They will never catch us over here, for sure, just keep up a good pace,” Kyla shouted out as she watched the three remaining Jeeps behind start to gain on them again.

Come on my little beaut’
Hayley thought,
do us proud,
as she tapped the steering wheel with her fingers. 
Let's loose those shit for brains, those maggots!  Focus girl, focus,
she continued to think as she manoeuvred the buggy around the dunes.
Don’t overdo it, feel your way, as you would feel your way through the darkness,
the buggy responding well to the dips and peaks of the many dunes.  Over and up the buggy went as it slammed into a large dune, all three holding on for their dear lives as the front wheels left the ground, then bouncing back down into the sand, it's front suspension depressing fully until the chassis thumped into the terrain in a spray of sand.  Hayley hit the accelerator again, this time manoeuvring through the troughs between the dunes that were either side of them.  The buggy tilted and turned as the tyres dug deep into the sand, throwing up a stream of sand behind them obscuring the view of the Jeeps.

“Keep it up Hayley, you’re doing well, so well!” Kyla shouted as she hung onto the dashboard.  The engine began to scream as the tyres spun through the sand, the buggy zigzagging forward, all three caked in sand.

“Where are they, anybody see them? Hayley asked anxiously.

“Can’t see sod all,” Kyla replied as she wiped the sand away from her watery eyes.  Hayley continued to manoeuvre the buggy through the dunes, getting into a rhythm, the buggy dancing elegantly on its tough suspension.

“There behind! Demelza shouted out, “There’s still two behind!”  Kyla turned to look, seeing the Jeeps stumble clumsily through the dunes, their large frames wobbling on top of their wheels.

“Floor it girl!” Kyla screamed.  “Keep it going, nicely and steadily!”

“Ok, ok, there's not much grip.  Are they close?” Hayley replied.

“Keep going, we're losing them, but you need to keep going.”

“I am, I’m doing the best I can,” Hayley cried out in tears.  “There's no grip!”

“Take it up a gear, but don’t stall it, ride the clutch.”  Hayley grabbed the gear stick, slamming the clutch down and flung it up a gear.  The wheels stopped spinning as the engine began to growl, Hayley releasing the clutch slowly as the buggy gained more speed, it's growl turning into a snarl.

“That's it, my girl, that's it, keep our baby going!”  Kyla cried out.

“I still see them, but they’re losing ground,” Demelza cried out.  “Shit, duck!  Kyla turned to see a stream of smoke come rapidly towards them.  She held her head in her hands as a piercing shriek followed by a thunderous roar passed her side of her buggy, the smell of kerosene filling her lungs as a wave of nausea ran through her body.  She wanted to vomit but held it down as the dune in front of them exploded in a flash of flames, black smoke and sand billowing up into the air, sand raining down on them, filling their hair, laps and seats in a golden charred mess.  Another missile screamed its presence as a trail of black smoke whizzed by close above them, exploding out of sight ahead, shaking the ground in a dizzying rumble of thunder.

“Use the dunes Hayley!” Kyla shouted out.  “Use the dunes for cover.”  Hayley shook the sand out of her hair as she swung the buggy round a large dune, driving straight ahead of it, looking in her mirrors to orientate herself but seeing only sand.

“What now?” Hayley cried out.

“Keep her going, nice and steady,” Kyla replied, her head thumping with pain.  “That’s it, nice and steady,” as the buggy weaved onwards through the desert.  There was an uncomfortable silence in the air, the drone of the buggy’s engine suddenly sounding lonely, the blaze of the setting Sun looking distant and unreal to Kyla's eyes.

Fuck, I feel so faint.  Keep it nice and steady, girl.  Nice and steady, and we will wake to see another day; another Sun high in the air, shining down rays of love, rays of warmth and forgiveness,
Kyla thought as her head spun round and round, the Sun painfully bright to her eyes, the sky turning from blue to black.  She vomited across the dashboard and then it was gone, her sickliness exorcised in one violent heave of acidic gunk.  She gathered her breath.

“Sorry,” she spluttered as see wiped away the stringy puke dangling from her mouth.

“Here,” Demelza said, tugging her shoulder as she passed her a bottle of water.  “Take a few swigs.”  Kyla gladly drunk from the bottle as she thought about the shit they were in. 

She started to giggle hysterically as she looked at the sticker of the Earth on the dashboard and remembered what Cain used to say when he held a globe high in his hands, his eyes looking dreamy yet full of ambition,
“One day all this will be mine.”
 
We'll never mind Cain; dreams turn to ashes, and ashes to dust, consumed back into the Earth at her pleasure to rise again as another shitty maggot, on and on until the sky grows old and cold until there is nothing left to say or do, and the chessboard and its pieces go back into the drawing board, to be forgotten forever, lost in the eternity of time, until time itself exists no more.