The dark green forest was far behind, as was Mary Fleurs dwelling. Ahead were views of hills of varying heights and steepness of slope, hiding between them small, cozy valleys with murky streams babbling in them. The going was hard. There were no roads or beaten paths in this area. I had to stop a couple of times to find the safest route. In some places the mud was too much even for a prepared man, and Adam in his current condition could not boast of being prepared. His legs were weak, as was the rest of his body, but on the whole he felt fine. His legs were weak, like the rest of his body, but he felt fine.
He walked on, trying not to waste energy on thinking, but when his eyes came upon a patch of bright red grass, he could not hide his surprise, stopped and looked at the miracle of nature for a long time. Further along the way he met other similar spots. He did not pay attention to them, so he did not notice how soon all the grass lost its green color, changing it to yellowish, bright red or purple, exactly as Maria had said. In addition, the small shrubs and trees had disappeared from the path, she said. The only thing left to do was to meet herds of rabbits and representatives of various hobby clubs, and then every word of the madwoman would be confirmed.
Naturally, Adam didnt believe anything the strange woman said, even as he met confirmation of her words. She might have been right in small particulars, like what had happened with the grass, but she was definitely wrong about everything else. Well, there couldnt be any mutants or sectarians with real power! It was all an invention of her sick mind. He felt sorry for Maria. She seemed a kind and frank woman, worthy of another life, a life of sanity and adequate society. Perhaps it was the fact of her alienation from the rest of the world that made her so. Adam decided for himself that when he got to civilization, he would definitely not forget about her and help the poor woman return to a normal life. After all, she had found him and helped him, and that couldnt be ignored.
Shadow was descending on the curves of the hills when the path led to the long-abandoned watermill. Its wheel was broken, its walls were brown with moss, its door hung on rotted hinges and held only by good word of mouth. By this time the traveler was too cold to be selective, so he opened the door without caution and stepped inside. To his great joy nearly all the space was occupied by the millstones. They were, by the way, entirely absent. Instead, the familiar RITEG generator stood in the middle of the spacious room.
The room was fully equipped for habitation: a once stylish kitchen, a couple of sofas, an armchair, chairs, a bathroom, and a fireplace for a shower. The only pity was that the furniture had rotted away, the kitchen was covered in dust, and the bathroom was covered in a strange-looking moss. Apparently, for years this room, like the rest of the mill, had been a haven for insects and rodents rather than people. Nevertheless, under the circumstances, it was better than nothing.
Adam walked over to the generator and with a heart full of hope pressed a few buttons on the control panel. There was a slight electrical hum somewhere in the depths, and the control screen lit up, displaying an inscription:
«Thirty-eight days remain until the end of the generators service life. Contact Technical Support to replace the unit and dispose of the radioactive core. Thank you for choosing our services, we work for you «Lumiere & Schott».
Adam exhaled a sigh of relief. He only needed one night and then it would be up to him.
The fireplace, programmed to maintain the temperature in the room, woke up along with the generator. Its holographic flames illuminated the room with a warm and soft light, and streams of hot air rushed out of the dampers, blowing up dust sheaves. Satisfied with the results of his labor, Adam moved his chair closer to the warm shutters, sat down in it, and fixed his eyes on the fire. He was thinking about everything at once, or not at all. He would rather not decide anything, he would rather not be afraid or worried either, he had some inner certainty that he wouldnt be lost. All he had to do was to get to the people, to find his home, Annet, and then to tell the police about the secret bunker and the illegal trials of the cursed Audley.
He quickly became warm. The light crackling of the supposedly existing logs and the tantalizing dance of the flames, together with the feeling of safety, left the exhausted, tired guest no chance. Not ten minutes later, the trembling body relaxed. The guest put his legs on the chair and fell asleep unnoticed.
Chapter 6: Neighborhood
The wind was howling outside the murky windows. Its gusts made not only one old door creak and sway, but it seemed that the whole «mill» creaked and swayed. From somewhere behind the walls came the howling of unknown creatures, creatures of the night, and inside, curled up, a man slept peacefully. The door swung open once more, allowing the light glow of the fireplace to take a few inches of the nights darkness. Then it swung again, trying to return to its original position, but this time something held it back. The cause was the long, black, charcoal-burned fingers of an unknown creature. It gingerly pushed aside the dilapidated barrier and stepped onto the creaking floorboards. The creatures entire body was black in color and covered with the same charcoal growths as its fingers. It moved on four limbs, occasionally stopping and crouching on its massive hind legs. Its head was covered in growths, hairless, with no dedicated organs for breathing, hearing, or speech. It was held up by a powerful neck that transitioned into a broad black back.
The creature walked around the perimeter of the room, then stopped at the fireplace. The artificial flames playing in the darkness attracted him. The flames were bright, with rich reds and ginger. It danced, frolicking, without fatigue. This dance captured the attention of the night viewer so much that he lost his alertness and did not hear the old hinge of the door give way. The door fell to the dusty floor with a deafening slam. The sound, followed by the movement of someone alive in the chair, startled the creature. It jumped back into the shadows and lurked.
Adam felt exhausted. He heard something hit the floor, but the fatigue was such that even if the cannonade had rumbled here, it would not have made him open his eyes. He was still warm and cozy. He rolled over onto his side, not having the slightest thought that he was not the only one living in the old mill.
The wind outside the walls had picked up. Its fierce gusts blew warmth through the opening, making him shiver and shudder. Adam dreamed dreams. They troubled his mind as much as the cold stirred his body. Unable to fight both any longer he opened his eyes. The tongues of flame were still frolicking on the old screen, but at this moment they were somehow boring. The man stretched and sat up. Heavy thoughts settled in his head. He wondered where he was, tried to find explanations for the colorful grass and the widespread desolation. Even this house in the guise of an old mill, after all, people had once lived in it and lived well. Why had they abandoned it, how could anyone ever bring their house to such a terrible state?
In the kitchen, in the darkness, something came into motion. At first Adam didnt pay much attention to the creaking floorboards, but when the sound came closer, the man turned around.
Something from his nightmares appeared before him. It crawled slowly toward him, its whole body pressed against the floor. There were no eyes, no mouth, no nose, but instead a solid black cloth covered with growths. His heart shuddered. Adam staggered, stumbled and fell. The creatures long limbs seemed to be reaching for him. A little longer, they would grab his leg and drag him to the underworld. There was no doubt about the latter. Only the children of hell could have such a visage, only they could inspire such terror. His hand fumbled for a chair leg, his fingers clenched on it. The chair soared into the air and flew in the creatures direction, but the creature jumped back and shrieked. It was the most terrifying sound. Goosebumps ran down his spine, his heart hammered in the corner of the rib cage and pounded as if it were trying to break through it, to jump out of his chest and escape.
Adam didnt remember running out of the house. He was a hundred yards away when he first turned around. The silhouette of the creature, illuminated by the glow of the fireplace, was visible in the doorway. It stood on its hind limbs, and if it could look, it would stare after him. A leap, and the darkness of the night concealed its charcoal-black body.
The new dose of fear added strength, and the muscles tensed again. There was no room in his head for thoughts; there was a voice there. It kept repeating the same thing: «Run, run even faster! As far away as possible! Anywhere, as long as its faster and farther!».
Grass and earth crumpled beneath his feet, rocks flying into the darkness from brief encounters with his boots. Adam ran as he had never run before. He ran from fear, from the night, from death itself, whose breath he could feel at his back. He slowed down only when the frequent breathing began to make him dizzy. His lungs ached from lack of oxygen, his body burned, his temples throbbed. Even the voice in his head had lost its former strength and now, if it spoke, it was a whisper, asking rather than demanding. His body, already exhausted to the limit, was taking what little was left of its last resources.
There were no signs of pursuit, though Adam could easily have missed them. He couldnt trust his eyes; they were too poor at seeing in the dark. He felt in his heart that danger was close at hand and kept walking away from it. What was he doing this for, what was he raping himself and his body for? He was doing it because he had to. He had to survive now, survive after, get out to civilization and show everyone what he could do. And then to tell Annet that he loved her, to send away the ungrateful job and to go away, as he and his wife had planned to the sea. Everything else didnt matter, everything else was too much pressure.
As luck would have it, the path became more difficult. The scarlet-colored grass, distinguishable even in the night, had grown larger and thicker, and there was more and more small growth. The exhausted feet stumbled more often than before. It was hard to tell whether they were dragging the body behind them or dragging themselves behind it. How much time had passed, much or little, Adam did not know. The forest around them appeared, as if by itself, in an instant. The wind pushed the branches of the trees together, humming and howling the soulful song of his cursed days. Along with the howl came an odor. A subtle, barely perceptible odor of hope-the smell of human food. Through the sparse growth, he spotted the flicker of a campfire. There were people there, quite definitely. Here it was civilization, and not in its ideal form! He was saved, all that remained was to get there and not to scare away the tourists.
The fire was only ten meters away. His eyes already recognized the body of the man sleeping beside it, two huge backpacks and camping utensils left on the rocks by the fire. Suddenly, something blunt and hard hit him in the head. Circles ran before the eyes, and after them came darkness. His body collapsed and fell on a soft blanket of forest moss.
Chapter 7: Two Brothers
Oh, whats the holdup? We could slap it here on the spot and throw it in the forest! It would be fertilizer for the soil, said the tall red-haired man with small eyes, sucking on his cigarette. He pulled out a huge knife from behind his back and playfully pointed the blade at the man tied to the pole.
Willie, calm down, his partner said in a measured, husky voice, pulling the hood of his cloak tighter by the laces. How do you envision this? We stomped all this way just to swat him? No. We need to find out who he is and what hes doing in our territory. The hooded man pushed back the dense cloud of smoke that the redheads lungs released, interlocked his fingers and crunched them together. Marcus wasnt likely to be thrilled with another head. We should interrogate him. Maybe this ones getting his feet dirty for the Kreds, or the Order sent another preacher. His clothes are strange. Ive never seen anything like them before.
Youre right, Billy. Youre the head! Its not for nothing that my mother called me the oldest, even though I was born earlier, the smoker grinned.
The loud voices and laughter woke Adam up. His head was buzzing, a throbbing pain in the temples and back of his head. His eyes snapped open. His hands and feet were bound, he couldnt even feel them. The tight cord was cramping his veins, digging into his skin, preventing the blood from flowing along its usual route. There were two men in the garage-type room besides him. Both tall, well-fed. They were dressed in military style: insulated boots, black overalls, a hiking cloak that concealed rare armor elements and a simple military exoskeleton they looked dangerous, to say the least.
Behind him the door opened ajar. A disgruntled womans voice filled the room at once:
Guys, no, come on! the woman was clearly angry. What are you guys doing here? Not only did you bring a tied-up man to me, but youre smoking at home! Im grateful for a lot of things, but I wont let you sit on my neck. Follow the rules! Confirming the seriousness of her words, she tapped her shoe on the concrete floor.
Rules!!! The hooded man turned around and added with a smile. Have you gone to the Credes, Maria?
Maria was standing behind me. Yes, that was definitely her voice. Daring to speak, Adam ventured into the conversation:
Im sorry, there must be some mistake, he said carefully.
There was silence in the room. Only the big red-haired man noisily let out another puff of smoke. After a brief pause, footsteps approached quickly. A womans legs covered in a thermal suit, a slender body, and Marias face, for some reason twisted in a grimace of contempt, came into view. Before Adam realized what was going on, a slap left a red mark on his cheek. The thugs laughed.
This is for your gratitude! To their applause, the woman voiced her resentment. I carried you a kilometer and a half on my back, then washed you, treated you, washed your clothes. I did everything, and what did you do?!
Her eyes were a whirlwind of emotion, and he didnt know what to say. Her words were true-hed done the wrong thing. He hadnt thanked her properly, and hed been rude. The shame and feelings that came with the well-deserved but seemingly unfair slap were burning him from the inside out.
I he stammered, and, driven to the limit, he swore, shaking his arms and everything he could. Damn ropes, take them off! Yeah, I was wrong. Im sorry. But youve got to understand me! I dont remember anything since RobotixGansIndustries, and then you show up, telling me fantastic stories that Im sorry, but I cant believe. Then the weird grass, the monster at the mill, my head is spinning. I think Im crazy, but Im not! Forgive me, if thats possible. I acted like an idiot, its true. But please, please help me sort this out and set me free! Goddamn it, Im not a criminal!
Soulful! I almost cried, the hooded man said ironically. You may need help, but theres nothing and no one here to help you. You may not be a criminal, but youre Capers property now. Youre nothing now, you understand? he wheezed menacingly.
Billy was just as sturdy as the red-haired Willie. Only now, when he got a better look at Caper, did Adam notice their similar features: eyes, eyebrows, nose, even lips. All that distinguished him was his sunken cheeks, the baldness of his red curls, and the cool calm in his eyes.
Wait a minute, Billy, Maria said suddenly. Until we settle up, it belongs to me. Im the one who found it, so I own it. Thats what the Code says, isnt it?
Yeah, damn you, woman! the hooded caper bellowed. What do you want him for?