It was night. After a few more hours of hard traveling, we came to the entrance of the valley. From the moonlight above I could see the ground gradually sloping downward, ending in an opening between two massive stone slabs. Compared to the open space of the desert, it looked like a trap. I felt nervous. I swallowed hard, trying to force the lump in my throat down.
Suvan handed me the water-skin. “I’m sorry that I cannot offer you anything more than this,” she said regretfully.
I hefted the weight of the water in my hand. “But how will you survive without this?”
She shrugged, the motion just a blur in the darkness of the night. “There is water back at my little camp, but I cannot spare you my bow or my sword. I’m afraid that you will be unprotected from the Mutans or any of the other numerous monsters that reside within the valley.”
“I will figure something out,” I said as bravely as I could.
She grabbed my arm and squeezed it tightly. “Please don’t go in there. You can return to my camp with me. I’ll take you somewhere away from the reach of the Mujadeen. We can be together.”
I shook my head. “The Mujadeen control everything but the Wasteland and the mountains beyond. I have to get there if I want to continue to live. Even if I run to another town, there is always the danger that some Mujadeen will recognize me.”
Her hand dropped from my arm. She said coldly, “There is a stream in the valley if you look for it. The Mutan mostly stay together in the larger ruins, but there are other dangers that you must worry about. Just stay close to the cliff walls and don’t do anything foolish.”
Not knowing what to say, I bent over and gently kissed her on the cheek. She did not respond, but instead pulled back. I said haltingly, “Thanks again for saving my life.”
Suvan turned and started to walk away. She said over her shoulder, “Go to hell.” Before I could respond, she took off in a run and soon disappeared in the shadow of a nearby dune.
For a moment, I just stood there. I was not ready to face the unknowns of the city yet. Anyways, I already missed Suvan. Though I had only known her for just a short time, I liked her forwardness and beauty. I wondered if I would ever see her again.
My stomach grumbled, reminding me that I must find food soon. So with a heavy heart, I started walking down the slope to the entrance of the valley. In the sand, I could see deep paths cut by the treading of numerous Mutan feet. I wondered how Kalam and the other Rebels made it through here since the Mutan seemed to be everywhere. But still, they had made the journey, which at least gave me some hope of my own survival. The valley floor was flat, and as I progressed, the walls rose higher and higher into the sky. I suddenly stopped, amazed at what I saw. On the sides were several large black alien creatures, slowly inching across the stony surface of the valley sides. Because of the distance and darkness, I could not make out any details, but the thought of some new creeping horror unsettled whatever calm I had.
As I walked further, the ground began to widen out. At my feet, partially covered in sand, was a road built by the Ancients. It was broken and pot-holed, but I still recognized the uniform construction and direction. On the shoulders of this ancient street were curious mounds of a rather large size. I approached one cautiously and found that the lumps were made out of hollowed-out metal that was rusted and dirty. I wondered what purpose they once served. Perhaps they were used as storage, but I could not understand why they would be placed so close to the road. Then it dawned on me – these were cars, the vehicle of the Ancients that my father told me about. In his days, they were practically gone since the fuel to keep them running had long disappeared. I wondered if there were any running vehicles inside the city. It would be amazing to find such a thing and drive it.
My interest in the cars disappeared as soon as I saw the ruin ahead. It wasn’t so much the building itself, but the realization that something could be watching me from within. Full of fear, I cautiously approached the destroyed building, half-expecting a mob of Mutans to pour out from the shattered doors. However, my anxiety was unfounded since there was nothing left of the ancient walls but twisted metal. In the remains of the gloomy interior, I could see nothing but the wreckage of whatever this building once held. A thick layer of sand covered the floor. There was a sign with flaking red paint that written in the same letters of the coded note I was carrying. That gave me food for thought – perhaps I could learn the secret language too.
As I continued down the dark road, the cars and buildings started to become more numerous. I was in awe of the Ancients. How could a civilization that built and did so much just destroy itself? It seemed impossible that their knowledge and power would just disappear, leaving only dust and rusted remnants. If anything, it just proved the folly of mankind and all of his aspirations. Everything we build and loved would, someday, be gone.
My dark thoughts were interrupted by a noise to my left. It was the faint sound of metal grating on metal. There was another building over there. Its roof had collapsed ages ago, leaving nothing but a jumbled wreck of rusting steel and broken concrete. However, the foundation was still intact with a black empty square indicating where a window once stood.
Suspecting Mutan activity, I silently crept in the direction of the building. As I left the road, my boots began kicking up dirt-covered glass shards, remnants of the windows of the destroyed building. Even though the valley had so far been sparse with vegetation, I noticed that the ground around this ruin was completely devoid of plants. I impulsively stopped, feeling unsure of myself. Something was definitely wrong with this place.
Around my right ankle, there was a sudden squeeze and then a violent pull. Before I could react, I fell over onto my back, knocking the air out of my lungs. My heart raced with panic as I realized that I was now being slowly dragged along the ground towards the foundation of the building. Looking down, I saw that I was being pulled by something that looked like a thick, black rope wrapped tightly around my ankle. The pressure was so hard that I could feel my foot going numb. I reached down and tried to unloop the rope around my ankle. As I touched the rope, I shuddered with disgust - it was scaly and had an unnatural warmth. I then realized it was alive. Some unknown monster was trying to pull me inside the ruin!
I kicked and struggled, but I still could not break the grip. I wished I had a sword. With my left foot, I began pushing against the tentacle, but its grip only increased in intensity. With my healing burns, the sudden burst of pain caused me to scream.
My left foot then hit something solid. It was the foundation of the building. Here was the hole, where the length of the tentacle disappeared inside. I could smell the strong stench of rotten flesh. Bracing my free foot against the concrete foundation, I pushed against the strength of whatever terrible creature was trying to devour me. As I locked my knee, the strength of the tentacle redoubled. I gritted my teeth, fighting to keep myself from getting drawn inside.
The grip on my ankle momentarily loosened. I thought for a moment that I would win against this inhuman strength, but that hope vanished when another tentacle emerged from the hole. I watched in horror as the second appendage ran along the edge of the foundation, almost like it was searching for whatever was impeding my entry into creature’s lair. It was only a moment when my other ankle was found and the pulling began anew. I shut my eyes and strained against the impossible strength.
My strength was fading quickly. In vain, I cried out, “By Allah’s mercy!”
Suddenly, I heard a swing of a blade slicing through the air. As I opened my eyes, I saw Suvan striking the taut tentacles with her sword. With two quick hacks, I was free. From under the ruin, came a horrific squealing that made my ears ring. I began scrambling away, thankful for the miraculous reprieve.
From out of that fetid hole burst a dozen or more tentacles, flailing randomly for a chance to strike at their attacker. As Suvan stepped back foot by foot, her sword began making a prac
ticed crisscross pattern, the deadly blade slicing into any appendage that strayed too close. Her face was grim, but she did not panic as the creature pressed the attack. Since I did not have a weapon, I took this chance to run. I stumbled back to the road. Once Suvan was out of reach, she walked calmly over to join me.
She said disdainfully, “I couldn’t leave you for less than an hour before you got into trouble? You men are insufferable.”
My face burning with shame, I smiled broadly at Suvan, glad that she was here.
Chapter 11