We stayed at the store the rest of the day, hidden behind a tall empty shelf. It was there, using some precious water from my canteen, that I first sampled the food of the Ancients. It was beef stew that was too salty and rather bland, but the meal was still satisfying to my hungry stomach. Suvan ate chicken soup that I also sampled - it was even saltier than my beef stew. It was strange to consume something so old, but my innards did not rebel. With a full belly, I dozed next to Suvan until the coming of night.
Suvan shook my shoulder until I awoke. We then gathered our supplies, left the store and went into the night. I carried the lengths of rope coiled over my right shoulder. Suvan took the food. We changed directions, this time striking due north towards the cliff walls. The air was still with the hidden menace of the night, but there was no sign of the Mutans or any other horrific creature. We went past the now-familiar ruins and destroyed cars, only taking the precaution of not losing our footing in the rubble and trash that littered the streets.
Sometime later we had reached, without incidence, the cliff. At this point they rose to dizzying heights, the shadowed wall cold and black. In the cover of the night, I could see nary a handhold or crevice to navigate. The wall creatures I had seen before were above; now dark lumps, moving slowly without the heat of the sun.
“We cannot hope to climb this at night,” I commented after I had examined the wall with my hands.
“Then let's continue along the wall,” she replied. “The height should drop as we get close to the exit. That will make the climb easier for us.”
I readily assented since I had some misgivings with this idea. It was going to be difficult climbing that rock, so any lessening of the height would help. We began picking our way westward, heading towards the exit of this accursed valley. There was no rest on our journey, and my feet were aching when Suvan finally stopped and pointed. There was a glow on the horizon ahead, but this light had nothing to do with the rising of the sun which would have been behind us. The morning was still too early for that.
“It has to be the Mutans,” I said, thinking that Suvan’s prediction had come true. They had closed off the exit and lit bonfires. That way was surely guarded from escape.
“Then we can go no further,” Suvan said. "We are too close to them now."
I looked at the wall above. It was now shorter than before, but still apparently smooth and impassable. “Can we even climb this section? It looks no better than before.”
Her reply was tinged with exhaustion. “For now, let's just rest. It's been a long night. But to answer your question, we cannot go back and we can go no further, so we shall have to climb. I have seen the cliff side in the daylight before and there are ways up, thought it looked difficult. It is best that we wait until daylight comes so we can find the necessary footholds.”
We spent the rest of the night talking and eating the food of the Ancients. There was only a splash of water left in my water bottle, and I knew that Suvan had very little remaining in her own canteen. But I wasn't about to return to the river or search out another source within the valley. We had to escape and take the consequences of the Wasteland beyond.
As the dawn broke along the eastern sky, I could finally make out the irregularities on the rock face. It was a good one hundred feet to the desert above. Though the handholds and outcroppings were few, I could see that the ascent was possible, provided care was taken. We laid out the length of rope, tying ourselves together with some twenty feet of distance between us. The other lengths of rope were to be used to create safety points to tie ourselves to in case one of us should slip. Suvan went first, nimbly finding a foothold and then a handhold to pull up on. She went on and as the rope grew tauter, I followed, trying to use the same spots that she had found. It was slow going. I felt like a fly on a wall. To my surprise when I looked down, I saw that I was already some thirty feet off the ground. The wind was picking up here, making me feel more vulnerable as it whistled past my ears.
The sun was already baking the wall, turning the coldness of night into hot stone. The wall creatures were off to the left, grazing on spots of lichen like content cattle. The rope creaked. I looked up and saw Suvan stop at an outcropping. She took a length of rope and tied it around her waist before tying it onto the rock. That was to be our lifeline in case one of us fell. I brushed that terrible thought aside and instead concentrated on the task at hand.
Foot after agonizing foot, I slowly pulled myself up using the rope and sparse footholds. My feet hurt and my throat was parched with thirst, but I fought on. I was about half-way up when I heard a faint cry from below. Craning my neck, I looked below and saw nothing. But I still felt a growing apprehension. My muscles strained and I pulled myself up another foot using a small handhold. The cry then became louder. I looked once more, and this time I saw a single Mutan staring at me. He was quite a distance away, standing on top of a pile of rubble in the middle of a street. The damned thing was calling to his brothers, and it would only be a few minutes before he had a whole host of them to fire arrows at us. I'm sure the infernal creatures would find it great sport to have us killed in such a manner.
I called out to Suvan above, “We have company! Hurry!”
Suvan’s lithe figure began moving rapidly up the rock face. I was surprised by her speed and had a hard time keeping up. Several times the rope went taut, causing her to slow until I could gain another foothold. She paused once again to tie another rope to an outcropping, tying the other end to her waist after removing the previous one. I took this moment to look below where I saw more and more Mutans running in our direction. It was going to be close.
With a sudden burst of energy, Suvan finally pushed herself up and over the ledge above. That only left me alone on the rock face. I clambered past the last outcropping where I rested my foot and took a much needed breath. This was a mistake. An arrow shot past within inches of my head and bounced off the rock face. I looked down and saw a single Mutan drawing his bow on me again. I started climbing again with my back clenched, ready to receive that deadly iron tip.
I heard another cry, but this sounded like a creature in pain. I took the chance to look down again and saw that the Mutan was lying on his back, an arrow protruding from its back. Not thirty yards away stood a figure wearing a black robe with a hood that covered the face. He was carrying a bow. With a wave in my direction, the stranger ran off to disappear into some ruined buildings that were close by. I had forgotten all about my mysterious follower and could only wonder how he fit into all of this. However my respite was temporary since the dead Mutan was now replaced by several of his comrades who were still very much alive. This small knot of creatures gathered together, drawing back their bows to release a hail of arrows.
I saw all of this with just a glance as my hand found the ledge above. With a savage yank, I pulled myself over. The black arrows of the Mutans flew over my head and ended up landing in the soft sand beyond.
Suvan helped me up. Her face was flushed as she said, “We must hurry before they leave the valley to hunt us down. It is our bad fortune that we were seen climbing.”
We took off in a run, heading north into the desert. The trackless Wasteland felt strangely empty compared to the crowded, ruined city below. There was no shade here from the heat of the relentless sun, and I was soon sweating profusely. I stopped momentarily to rest but that only made Suvan angry.
“There is no time!” she shouted. “Do you want the Mutans to capture us after all that work?”
“Did you see that man dressed in black?” I asked, breathing hard.
“What are you talking about?” she replied impatiently.
“You must have seen him! He saved my life by killing that Mutan before the infernal creature could draw a bead on me.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t see anyone. But there isn’t any time to talk right now. It will not take much effort for the Mutans to track us on this de
sert sand. Our only way to escape is by out-distancing them.”
I shook my canteen. It was nearly empty. “We cannot last out here long with the water we have.”
“Do you have a better idea?” she snapped.
Now it was my turn to shake my head. There was no way we could stand and fight against such an overpowering force. Our only option was to flee and hope for the best. We began running again. The sun grew higher, baking the yellow sand into a fiery haze. With her lithe figure, Suvan easily outpaced me. Whenever she would gain too much distance, she would stop to let me catch up. This only angered me since this gave her time to rest while I was constantly moving. Her words of encouragement did little to help either, but only made my mood more malicious.
I really wasn’t aware of the danger we were facing until I had labored up to the crest of a high sand dune. Forced to stop at the very top to rest, I turned and looked behind us. There, on the shimmering edge of the horizon, I could make out a mass of figures moving towards us. They were moving at a good pace, easily faster than us. It wouldn’t be too much longer until they caught up. Shaking my head, I wondered if the horrors of the city would have been a better place to die.
On we ran. My lungs were wracked with pain, and my legs felt like leaden stumps that only moved because I willed them to do so. My throat was parched, and my tongue felt thick in my mouth, but I dare not drink my last remnant of water. I don’t know what kept me going; perhaps it was the fear of being cooked alive by those evil creatures. Or perhaps it was the fear of coming so far only to be defeated. But even the strongest of wills and the halest of bodies can take so much. This was too much. I could no further.
I dropped to my knees, the heat of the sand engulfing me like a wave. Taking the cap off of my water bottle, I swallowed the last stale remnant. It tasted like the best wine in the world.
Suvan had stopped and quickly ran over to join me. She was flushed with heat and looked as if she could barely stand herself. “We must keep going,” she gasped.
“I can’t,” I replied through my uneven breathing. “Go on without me.”
“I won’t leave you here,” she replied testily. “They will kill you. We can both stay and fight.”
I shook my head. “That will only result in the death of both of us. No, I will stay here and slow them down. Anyways, I’m only stopping you from going faster.” I reached into my pocket and took out the note. “Here, take this with you. Head towards the mountains and deliver this message for me.”
She took the paper from my hands and stared at it stupidly before she slipped it inside a pocket. Suvan then leaned over and kissed my sweaty forehead. Without a further word, she left, running as hard as she could.
Chapter 23