Ch5: Desolation

Copyright © 2013 by P.A. Lackey

All rights reserved.

No part of this story may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. 

Chapter Five: Desolation 

The day warmed as Arius had expected, and only within a couple hours were they topping the hill before them. The trees began to disperse and the foliage gave way to long grass.  The sky appeared blue now as the sun canvased the island below. The group left the dense forest and topped the hill ahead of them which began to dip back down before ascending to the next larger hill. A large white structure sat at the top of the next one carrying many finely decorated windows.

“Do you think anything resides there?” Rie asked.

“I’m not sure anything resides here,” replied Thorim. “The island looks desolate.”

Arius gazed to the north where he could see a few more buildings off the northern coast. It wasn’t far and much closer than the western coast they had come from. The forest separated the field they were in from the nearby town.

“Arius,” Jayvolni said, approaching him. “Do you have your scope? I lost mine during the wreck.”

Arius began to pat his various pockets within his leather-like jacket. It shed water well and kept him warm during the night. After feeling for it a few seconds he finally located it in the right upper pocket. Unzipping it he pulled out the small scope and handed it to Jayvolni who took it with a skeptical eye.

The mercenary headed farther up the hill where he stood next to a large elm. Putting the scope to his eyes he surveyed the area. Arius meanwhile explored his small pack as he had not done so since the wreck. He did not even know what he had with him.

He had the basics, but to his surprise his dagger was gone. The blue stone was present which he used to sharpen his blades, but the dagger itself was gone. He couldn’t imagine what would have happened to it as it was in there before the crash. This was unfortunate as he now had no weapon. The others appeared to have their daggers, while Thorim, Jayvolni, and Dueson had rifles that they had salvaged from the wreck. Otherwise everyone was minimal on supplies.

“Something wrong?” Ruekrow asked, with a strange hint of a smile.

Arius felt threatened by it and closed his pack.

“No,” he replied. “Everything’s fine.”

“The island looks deserted,” Jayvolni said, coming back from the tree. “Town is empty and the building up there is empty from what I can tell. I don’t see a gray tower anywhere.”

“Perhaps on higher ground,” Thorim suggested. “We should check out the building for anything useful. We should travel along the tree line though. I don’t want to get caught in the open.”

“Sounds good,” Jayvolni said, giving the scope back to Arius.

The group moved back to the tree line and began to follow it around to the next hill. The white structure sat in the midst of the trees where a paved road came to it from town. Arius wondered what its purpose was. A large house for a wealthy inhabitant of the world, or a type of hotel for travelers.

Soon they approached a red rusty cruiser sitting in the parking lot. It had a small front cab and long bed toward the back. Arius wondered if it was able to run, but its neglect looked unpromising. It caused him to wonder about the inhabitants of this world though. What were they like, and what was their story? From the intel they had received, the planet was currently blacked out as a biological entity had subdued it. The status of the inhabitants was unknown, but it was said that most of them were in hiding due to the attack several years ago. What this biological entity was exactly was a mystery in of itself, and Arius could only speculate what had happened on this seemingly lonely planet.

As soldiers from another world, they were told not to interfere too much with the affairs of this world. They were to strictly focus on their target, complete their mission, and return so that no one would ever be aware of their presence there. Arius could only wonder what this would mean in the long run. 
Thanks for reading chapter five, and be sure to stop by next week for chapter six, "Sanity." Please leave a comment and let me know what you think, and check out my book.
Buy on Kindle here.