Children Of Fate

  Dave opened the back door and ushered them out of the car. “We’ll be safe here for a while.” He closed the door behind the five kids. “I know a driver who works from this yard. Now do you guys wish to tell me why there’re people following you.”

  The group shared looks of uncertainty then Tony said, “We found something and I think there are people out there who want it.”

  “Must be pretty important? What is it? Do you have it?”

  Tony crouched on the floor over Alicia’s bag and took out a wooden box. Tony walked over to Dave, lifted the lid on the box and flashed the object at him. Dave held the object in his eye of wonderment. Dave then shut the lid carefully making sure he did not touch the disk itself. The cautious gesture raised an eyebrow on Roy’s pink forehead.

  Dave’s face suddenly clenched and his hand clenched even tighter around the wooden box. His other hand dipped into his inner jacket pocket and returned with blue lightning in-between his fingers.

  Before Tony could react Dave jabbed the Taser into his side. Tony hissed in pain, turned to stone then crumbled to the floor in a heap.

  “TONY!” Nadia screamed.

  Joel followed his nature instinct and began to charge at Dave to protect his friend on the floor.

  “Naughty, naughty” Dave stopped Joel after only one step by kneeling and placing the Taser against Tony’s neck. “Stay back, no heroes. I only buzzed him at half power. Take one more step closer and I’ll hit him with a million volts.”

  Joel retreated back

  “You run your own guys off the road to trick us.” Alicia growled.

  “No. I have no idea who they were.”

  Joel cut in, “there’s more than one group after the disk. Who are you working for?”

  Dave tapped the side of his nose.

  “Tony are you ok there?” Roy asked, concerned.

  Tony drew in two deep breaths, “Yeah, I’m ok.”

  Dave pressed harder into Tony’s neck, a little warning not to get up.

  “You’ve changed Dave. I thought we were friends,” Joel said.

  “Ahh, Joel always throwing in jokes trying to make himself look cool. Just cause you got a moe it doesn’t make you a man.”

  Alicia had enough of all this. Her temper boiled over and she took a step forward, “JUST TAKE THE STUPID BOX AND LEAVE US ALONE!”

  “Can’t do that sorry, witnesses, knowledge and all that. My boss will be here soon and you can plead to him for your lives.”

  They did plead more to Dave to let them go but he would not break orders. Then a blink, a nod of the head and a confirming smile was shared between Tony and Nadia.

  Nadia turned to Roy, Alicia, and Joel and whispered ever so lightly, “get ready to run.”

  The others frowned in confusion.

  Nadia turned back to Dave and readied her feet.

  “Dave,” Tony set the unspoken plan into motion. “We know what it does, we all experienced it. It’s beyond anything you could ever imagine. Try it for yourself and let us go.”

  Dave looked down at the box.

  “We’ll tell you how to activate it.”

  Dave flicked the box lid open with his thumb and fell into the beauty of the disk. “Do you know this is millions of years old? It was made by an ancient unknown civilization.”

  Tony moved as fast as a desperate wild animal. He rolled into Dave, grabbed the Taser with his right hand and pressed it into the concrete ground. Nadia sprung forward, knocked up the bottom of Dave’s hand; the one holding the box and caused the disk inside to leap out of the box and into the air. As if gravity played a cruel joke the disk hung in the air for what seemed like eternity to Nadia who waited under it. She finally plucked it out of the air, brought it to her lips and whispered a single name into the tiny hole in the center of the disk.

  A tidal wave of white light washed away the shadows, the sun rays and the images that sat in all their eyes. In the blinding light Tony swung his fist and got lucky. His fist came down onto the bridge of the Dave’s nose like a sledgehammer. In the blindness of white Tony picked himself up and clumsily ran for the exit.

  Roy, Alicia and Joel did the same.

  Shadows and shapes slowly drifted out of white as the light subsided and their eyes regained control. The group of four found themselves closer to the roller door than what they expected. Joel heaved the chain down and the roller door staggered open. Tony stopped short in following the others out, something was wrong. He turned over his shoulder. Dave lay out cold on the ground, beside him Nadia wondered around aimlessly taking small steps with her hands hugging the disk protectively against her chest. She was smiling and muttering to herself.

  Tony sprinted back to Nadia and grabbed her elbow, “Nadia we have to get out of here.” Nadia ignored Tony, her mind in another place as if in a deep day dream. “Come on Nadia,” Tony pleaded desperately then pulled Nadia towards him. She followed but almost subconsciously. Tony guided Nadia with one hand and walked her towards the exit with a gentle push into her back.

  Tony and Nadia shuffled slowly out the warehouse.

  The vast expanse of the yard seemed to offer no sanctuary.

  “What do we do?” Alicia said spinning around in a complete circle on her heels.

  The group schooling like fish ran towards the new building with the three trucks parked beside it. Tony still guided a dazed Nadia with a gentle hand. To their right a line of four vehicles drove up the street in close formation. Joel out in front urged the others to hurry.

  They reached the building as the convoy of vehicles drove into the yard and headed for the old warehouse. Alicia and Roy tried all the doors.

  “Locked,” growled Joel.

  “The other two doors are locked as well,” Roy said coming back from around the corner of the building.

  The cars stopped. The occupants a collection of men and two women smartly dressed got out and entered the old shed.

  “How about in there?” Roy suggested pointing to the only thing that was open, the back door to the trailer attached to one of the prime movers.

  The group who had just entered the shed came scurrying out like ants ready to hunt down a stray bug.

  With no other choice the students climbed into the trailer, Alicia and Tony helped Nadia up.

  The trailer faded to black as they moved further in. a stack of empty pallets was pushed to one side half way in. towards the front were various drums, boxes and sacks of stock stacked on pallets. The five duck behind the stacks and waited in silence.

  Nadia broke the silence as once again she began to ramble on under her breath, but in the silence her words were heard clear and dangerously loud.

  “You found one too,” Nadia said, her eyes staring out through the metal wall that made up the coffin like trailer. “Ahh that’s amazing. Is that how you knew?”

  “Nadia you got to keep quiet,” Alicia urged but to no avail.

  “We’ll call you the Aztecs in our time. You built them to honor the gift of the calendar. But you don’t understand the other images. See those animals you engraved on those pebbles, they are called dinosaurs. And this picture you etched is someone performing surgery. No, please you should stop using the disk; it’s not good for you. It’s surgery to help cure certain conditions.” Nadia became louder and agitated.

  Tony pleaded to Nadia but she continued, “No, stop using it, it’s driving you mad. What are you DOIING? That’s not what it means. You are going to murder him. NO, NO!”

  Nadia’s eyes sprung open wide as if jumping out of a nightmare, she was breathless and tears slid down her face.

  “Nadia are you ok,” asked Tony.

  Nadia slipped back into awareness and dropped a small nod of her head. The trailer suddenly began to vibrate and an engine roared. The group shot out their arms and gripped anything they could to keep balance as the trailer started to move. They held on tight as they picked up speed and then turned. Before any thought of the next action they should take entered their
minds there was a sound of another engine then a deafening crash. The trailer floor slipped from under their feet and rolled sideways. Pallets and stock crunched and tumbled about. The team rolled and scrambled to keep upright as the trailer rolled like a barrel around them.

  Then came another crunch and the momentum stopped dead. The trailer filled up with the smell of metal that hung on their tongues. It got darker as one of the back doors closed and blocked off the top half. Footsteps drummed on top of them. They followed the steps to the side door that now hung above them. At the same time the movement towards the back drew their attention and they saw a pair of legs in white pants limp into view. Beside the pair of legs, a white cane.

  The door above them flew open and a figure thrust his head down.

  “Richard Bursik?” Roy said confused.

  “Children are you ok?” Mauritius asked from the rectangle opening in the back. He painfully leaned down on one knee and peered in.

  Another intense smell thickened and filled the cabin. It was the smell of fuel.

  “Quick come out and hand me the disk. I will keep it safe.” Mauritius said.

  “No!” Richard yelled and attempted to climb down.

  “Get back,” Joel shouted then snatched the disk out of Nadia’s hand using his sleeve as not to directly touch the disk. Joel slid it directly under a broken crate holding two car batteries that teetered on the edge of a skewed upright pallet. “Stay where you are, both of you or I’ll crush the disk.”

  “Can’t you see, Richard is trying to hurt you and obtain the object,” Mauritius said.

  “He’s lying. He only made up this race to give him an excuse to come to this country and search for the disk.”

  “Don’t believe him.”

  “He was having trouble finding it so he decided at the last minute to give each team the ancient clue hoping your local knowledge would help find the location.”

  The way Richard leant into the trailer exposed his gun that was tucked into his belt.

  “He’s got a gun on him,” Roy pointed out and then rubbed his eyes that were burning from the fumes.

  “Please kids I can’t let your safety befall to this thing,” Mauritius said.

  “Man with a cane or a man with a gun? Your call Joel,” Tony said.

  “Come now before his colleagues surround us.” Richard reached in with his left hand offering it in one final plea.

  In the poor light Joel caught a glimpse of a something that made up his mind. “Tony that way,” he said nodding in Richards’s direction. “Help the others up.”

  “Man with gun, you sure?”

  “YES! GO!”

  Richard pulled them out one by one.

  Joel bent down and used his sleeve once more to pick up the disk. He looked up and saw Mauritius’s murderous eyes.

  “Fry him,” Mauritius said and another pair of legs came into view. The other knelt down, an orange flame in his hand and a wicked smile on his face. The flame floated into the trailer in slow motion and then the bottom door was lifted and closed shut. It the pitch black Joel scrambled over solid boxes and hit every sharp corner his shins could find. His legs throbbed in pain but he reached the square opening only to find Richard above had stood and turned away helping Nadia out and onto her feet. Joel held the disk awkwardly with his sleeve and knew he could not jump up and pull himself out with only one free hand, so as he jumped he shifted his weight and shot his legs out first towards the door like a pole vaulter.

  The metal lighter hit the floor with a clink. That was immediately followed by a disapproving roar. Orange light filled the trailer. Joel’s legs made it out of the opening but did not have momentum to get the rest of him out. Hanging half in and half out he looked up and saw a fireball charge at him, its breath clawing at his cheeks. Joel closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable but then he felt a hand clasp the back of his shirt collar and lift him up with such force and ease the memory of his father play-throwing him in the air when he was five came to his mind.

  Joel felt the ball of fire stampede past his face then the cooler air sooth it. Joel opened his eyes and saw Richard. “OK? Good, now let’s move.”

  Standing on top of the trailer it was now that Joel witnessed the carnage around him. Another truck had T-boned the trailer and knocked it onto its side; where it slammed up against the corner of the building.

  Two of Mauritius’s men were circling the truck to reach them and no doubt others were rounding the building to surround them. Richard glided to the ground and Joel clambered down the side of the trailer. The group huddled together looking to Richard to lead them to safety.

  “Go.” Roy said pointing to the row of abandoned cars by the old shed warehouse.

  The group ran. As they ran Joel slipped the disk onto a handkerchief Alicia held out on her palm. Richard anticipated the two men rounding the truck would beat them before they passed and would cut them off. He moved to the front and ran in close beside the trailer. He reached the rear of the truck and seemed to kick out into empty air but then a figure appeared and slammed into his raised foot with a thud then folded to the ground. Richard spun, blocked an attack by the other and countered with a combination of fluent blows that also dropped him to the floor alongside his friend.

  Out of breath and shedding sweat the group reached the cars. Richard ushered them into a Four-wheel drive second from back. To their luck, the keys still dangled in the ignition, a metallic wolf on the key ring swung with excitement as Richard turned the key. There was an almighty explosion of glass as an iron pipe sliced through the driver side window. They all shielded their faces from the glass then followed the pipe with dread to reveal Dave on the other end, pissed off as hell. Richard and Dave wrestled together through the shattered window. Dave on the weaker side had done no other damage apart from causing enough of a delay to let the others catch up.

  Richard found an opening and drove his left fist into the bridge of an already swollen nose and sent Dave reeling back. Richard took the chance and sped off but was now followed closely by a pursing car.

  The car quickly reached up beside them.

  “Joel, Take the wheel,” Richard barked.

  “What? I don’t know how to drive.” Joel clung to dear life in the passenger seat.

  “Easy. It’s an Auto. D makes it go datta way,” Richard pointed forward. “R, that way,” he pointed to the back. “Right petal makes it go. Big round thing here make it turn, lesson over.”

  Before Joel could respond Richard was climbing out of the broken window. Joel replaced him in the driver’s seat as Richard completely disappeared out of the car.

  Richard like a sure footed cat jumped onto the roof of the car, shuffled across the roof to the far side and slid into the vehicle through their driver’s side window. The car shook and rocked before Richard reappeared as he opened the passenger side door close to the Four-wheel drive. In a quick leap he landed with a foot on the Four-wheel drive’s broken window, ushered Joel back to the passenger seat then slid back into the driver’s seat. The other car lost speed and slowly veered off. Before he could get comfortable the Four-wheel drive was rammed from the back.

  Richard smiled at Joel.

  “No not again,” Joel protested.

  Richard this time climbed back through the car to the rear window. Joel jumped back in control.

  The Four-wheel drive suddenly broke hard to a stop and the pursing car slammed into the back of it.

  “That was the brake Joel, try the other pedal,” Richard called out.

  “Sorry, right pedal I got it.”

  The mangled wreck of the car behind had caught onto the back of the Four-wheel drive creating extra drag. Joel pressed the accelerator but the Four-wheel drive strained under the extra weight.

  Richard kicked out the rear window, jumped onto the crushed bonnet of the other car and jumped up and down attempting to dislodge it.

  Joel pumped the accelerator and swayed the steering left and right to help. The car
released its grip and the Four-wheel drive shot forward.

  “LOOK OUT!” Alicia shouted.

  Dead ahead was a petrol bowser beside the old warehouse.

  Richard left behind on the bonnet of the car watched on helplessly.

  Joel swerved at the last possible second and missed the bowser but smacked straight into the shed. The sheeting and frame buckled. Joel clumsily found the R and pulled out. The old shed seemed to ponder whether it still had the will to stay up then after a slight pause made its decision. The newly buckled iron sheet floated to the floor and then the rest followed. The entire warehouse caved in and collapsed to the ground in a cloud of dust. An old steel beam finally released from the burden of holding the shed up for so many years seemed to make a run for it but as it was waving so long to its friends over its shoulder it hit the petrol browser and knocked it off its base and onto to the ground. Petrol spewed out fast and quickly created a river between Richard and the students.

  In the distance two more cars bore down at them.

  Richard hopped down off the bonnet and ran. He jumped over the deep pink river then onto the back of the Four-wheel drive; one foot on the tow bar and a hand gripping the empty window frame.

  “Go, now!” he yelled.

  Joel accelerated.

  Richard slid the gun out from under his belt, turned back and lifted his heavy hand.

  The two cars passed around the crumpled car on either side then reached the river. Richard squeezed the trigger. The gun coughed and the river ignited into a wall of fire. The two cars simultaneously exploded and were lifted ten meters into the air, complete a full somersault then drop back down on to their burning tires. Richard climbed back inside and took over the steering wheel.

  Chapter 24

  Joel sat crouched over a shard from broken mirror in the small store-room two levels above a closed restaurant. All the furniture in the room and the floor seemed to be all one colour, the colour of dust. Tony comforted Nadia who massaged her temples as she sat amongst a clatter of old wooden chairs. Alicia and Roy slouched over Richard Bursik who sat cross-legged on the dusty floor, all three staring at the disk that was laid out on a handkerchief in front of Richard.

  “Can't believe my moes gone. Singed right off my face,” Joel said staring into the dirty triangle shaped shard of mirror.