Babylon (Eden Saga Book 2) Read online

  Lilev rocked on her hoofs and said impatiently, “We don’t have time for this!”

  “Why not?” Alexandra said. “Where am I?”

  “You picked a bad spot to go flaky on me again, girl,” Lilev said. “Snap out of it!”

  This was another dream. Alexandra suddenly remembered Brasilia, Talla and her journey back to Eden. Why was she dreaming about Lilev?

  Voices and footsteps echoed around the chamber and Lilev turned to face the maps on the wall.

  “Get to studying,” the demoness said, “sounds like we have run out of time. Again.”

  “Studying?”

  Lilev glanced over her wing at Alexandra. “Wake up, girl!”

  Alexandra swayed on her feet. “Yeah,” she said, “I think I’m dreaming again.”

  Growling, Lilev took Alexandra’s arm and spun her towards the murals on the wall.

  “We are out of time!” Lilev said. “You take those, and I’ll memorize these over here.”

  Like her other dreams, this one began to defocus. Alexandra stumbled.

  “We will meet in the Chasm of Saints,” Lilev said. She stopped short when she realized Alexandra’s condition. “Run! Now!”

  Arrows whistled through the air and one of them nicked Alexandra’s shoulder.

  “Stop them!” someone yelled from afar.

  As the cavern rotated from blur to clarity and back again, Lilev led Alexandra around a corner and into momentary safety.

  “What are you doing?” the demoness asked. “What happened back there?”

  During one of the clearer stretches, Alexandra said, “I don’t know. I think I’m seeing the future.”

  “Well, you better come back to the present!” Lilev hissed. “Now!”

  Alexandra sensed the attacker moments before he swung around the rock wall. His shining blade sliced through the air towards her chest. Still slow on her feet, she narrowly blocked the strike and dug her foot into the hard ground for balance.

  The man who attacked her wore vaguely priestly garments. He was bald with tattoos on his neck and head. Hatred filled his eyes.

  Confused, she said, “Who?”

  Lilev ripped into the man with her claws and he screamed as he hit the ground. Blood sprayed in all directions and he clutched at his back.

  “Let’s go!” Lilev said but her next words died in her throat as arrows riddled her body. She shook from the violent impacts and slammed to the ground. The demoness clawed at the air and gasped, but she was expiring. She couldn’t move.

  As the cavern faded from view, Alexandra watched herself flee from the other priests. The maps on the wall were important but she didn’t know why. Returning to the fog, Alexandra drifted backwards from that place. Questions about what she had just witnessed appeared and died before she could spend any time with them.

  Was that another glimpse of the future? Was Lilev destined to die in that cave? Who were those priests?

  Alexandra awoke safe in the truck. Though the wind rattled the vehicle, the cab protected her. She reached for her sword and felt a sting of pain in her shoulder. Her clothes were intact but blood oozed from a new cut. The arrow? Impossible! Even if it was a dream, she couldn’t be harmed. She must have scraped it in the night on something.

  Injured in a dream.

  Alexandra laughed at the absurdity of such a thought and grasped her sword. Perhaps she was breaking down again. Whatever the cause, she reasoned she’d do much better on a full stomach. Well, as full as one could hope for in her situation.

  Talla scurried from under the truck when Alexandra stepped onto the ground. The morning chill reminded her of the cavern from her dream. Was the dream real, then? The jury was still deliberating over her mysterious shoulder wound. But were those events really waiting to happen?

  Shaking her head, she meandered towards the flatbed. Talla followed.

  “I really think I’m losing it this time, Talla,” she said in-between mouthfuls of dried noodles. “I mean, before I was just looking for an end to the pain. Now, I think I can see the future. What’s next? A talking coyote?”

  She peered at Talla who cocked his head to the side in response. Alexandra hadn’t noticed before, but he was quite endearing with his one ear pointed tall as he could manage and his other ear half covered by the floppy tip that refused to reach upwards. Though his eyes reminded Alexandra of Zana, his personality was his own. He seemed to understand much of his surroundings and Alexandra guessed she was old and wise - as far as coyotes went, at least.

  “What do you say? Think we’ll find some gas today?”

  Talla licked his lips and smiled as he watched her reach for the water.

  “Yeah, you don’t care,” she said as she poured a bowl, “you’re the one making out the best here once I need to ditch this truck.”

  After watching him for a few moments she said, “I’m jealous. In many ways, I would love to fade into obscurity with you. Live day to day and forget about the world out there.”

  She sighed and looked to the horizon again. No, she couldn’t abandon Benjamin. As much as she thought she was ready for that unknown step into the darkness, she realized life’s call kept tugging at her. Her friends were relying on her. Koneh wanted her to live.

  Perhaps, once she was finished with everything, she would be allowed to fade into the wasteland. That thought, though comforting, was a lie. She knew there would always be one more thing waiting for her and she’d likely have a difficult path to peace.

  “Maybe we are more alike than I first thought,” Alexandra whispered to herself as she thought of Koneh.

  At once she understood Koneh’s puzzle more clearly. She could imagine how he felt as he moved from one crisis to another, never allowing himself to rest. How he likely shouldered responsibilities that would have broken any other man. How, after millennia of following that path, he became enslaved by it.

  Did she share that fate?

  This line of thought seemed impossibly familiar to her. Had she dreamt about it?

  “Nah,” she said to Talla, “I’m just over thinking this one. That’s what happens when your only company is a wild animal.”

  Talla panted and seemed to be enjoying the scenery. He occasionally looked in her direction but he seemed otherwise disinterested.

  “Alright,” Alexandra said, “time to get moving. Do you think that nose of yours can find us some fuel?”

  Oblivious to her plea, Talla barked once and circled her as he walked to the rear of the pickup. The coyote hopped into the flatbed and assumed his position at the side, waiting for Alexandra to make the wind come again.

  “Didn’t take you too long to learn the ropes,” she said as she closed the tailgate and flashed him a stern look. “Keep yer snout out of the food boxes, got it?”

  Talla tilted his head barked at her. He was likely telling her to get moving already.

  “Yeah, yeah,” she said, “don’t get too comfortable. This might be a short trip.”

  True to her prediction, they didn’t get far. She willed every ounce of gasoline from the truck and they glided the last few dozen meters on fumes. Far from any old cities or populated areas, she knew her likelihood of finding fuel was slim. They were past the old superhighways and almost to the former ocean.

  “Few more weeks on foot,” Alexandra said as she examined her supplies in the back of the pickup. Last time, Koneh carried the water. Last time, they had canned food.

  “I don’t know.”

  She organized supplies into her backpack and frowned.

  “This doesn’t look like enough. And I’m not as strong as Koneh.”

  Talla leapt from the flatbed and sniffed at the ground. Something had caught his interest.

  “Only the necessities,” Alexandra said as she collated the list in her head.

  Water and food took the first spots. Everything else fought for backpack space. Extra clothes? Out. Bandages? In. Tarp? Out. Alcohol wipes? In. Flares? Out. Deodorant? Must try. Water bowl? Out. L
ighter and kindling? In. Soap? Sadly, out. Scissors and other small tools? You never know - in.

  When she had finished, the backpack threatened to burst at the seams. The straps dug into her shoulders and she felt her bones creak under the weight.

  “Well, it’ll get lighter.”

  Alexandra caught her reflection in the side mirror and stopped. Her hair, shorter than when she was a lawyer in San Antonio, strayed in all directions. Without shampoo it had become coarse and frayed. Her olive skin held no shine and her pores begged for moisture. The scar across her cheek was deeper than she remembered. The bones at the base of her neck protruded noticeably like those starving children she used to flip past on the television. She put her hand to her chin and stared.

  “Is this me?” she whispered.

  It had been so long since she had examined herself in a mirror. How could she have changed so much? Was the attorney from her past still beneath the grimy surface or was this her new normal? If Lawyer Alexandra had passed this woman on the streets of San Antonio, she would have pitied her.

  She turned to each side and carefully examined her new face. Her chestnut eyes almost bulged from her drawn features. No amount of makeup could help her in this state.

  To her surprise, her appearance didn’t bother her as much as she first thought. Despite the need for a hearty sandwich, her former desire to maintain a certain image carried no authority. Society demanded she look and act a certain way, but those pressures meant nothing to her any longer. That artificial drive to conform had died within her.

  Even if the world did return to ‘normal,’ Alexandra doubted she would ever again care about the trappings of her culture. Proper behavior. ‘Appropriate’ clothing. Covered tattoos. Makeup. Holding her tongue when some bastard treats someone else like garbage. Blowing sunshine up other people’s asses because that’s what they want to hear. Doing what’s expected of a professional woman in her station.

  All crap.

  No, she was irreversibly changed and she realized there was no going back for her. She spent her life huddled by the fire with her fellow drones and she had now emerged from that cave. Again, she felt like there was no place left for her.

  A grin formed on her reflection and she said, “We’ll just need to carve one out, that’s all.”

  Talla barked and shook as if he had just emerged from water. The coyote was ready to go but he didn’t realize his reward was so close.

  “Okay, my friend. This is your lucky day.”

  Alexandra opened one the boxes of dried noodles she couldn’t take with her. She cut into one of the bags with her utility knife and turned to the coyote.

  “You found this, so it’s only fair you get to keep the lion’s share. No matter that I cannot carry it. Now, those other boxes are for me, if I happen to return this way.”

  Before she had finished her speech, Talla was already back in the flatbed with his nose in a crinkly bag, tail wagging furiously. Alexandra couldn’t contain her fluttering heart. She realized she would miss her only companion on the lonely road to Eden.

  “Don’t stray too far,” she said as Talla finally allowed Alexandra to pet his head. “And stay out of trouble. You coyotes sure have a knack for finding it.”

  After one last pat between the ears, she turned from the stranded truck and started along her path south. Talla followed her and her heart broke again as she shooed him.

  “You got all the food you need,” she said. “I don’t have enough for the both of us.”

  Talla whimpered and paced each time Alexandra disappeared from sight. Then, he would appear behind her again, ears low and eyes pleading.

  “I don’t have enough!”

  More whimpering.

  “Dammit, Talla, you’re not making this easy on me!”

  Then, like her realization in the mirror, the truth of the situation slapped her in the face.

  Perhaps she was the first living being he had seen in some time. Talla deserved to go with Alexandra if that was his choice.

  She assumed he would stay with the food, but maybe he needed something more. Like Alexandra, he was alone in the wasteland. Perhaps he lost his family or his mate. Didn’t he also deserve a second chance at making a new life? Didn’t he deserve the same consideration Alexandra gave to the survivors of the cruise ship? Talla wasn’t human, but he was a part of this world. Why did Alexandra immediately rank the value of life based upon that life’s comparable intelligence?

  More garbage from her former life. More imposed social pressures. More tradition which meant squat in this new world.

  No, Talla wasn’t an animal. He was Alexandra’s new friend.

  Alexandra turned, knelt and held her hand towards the coyote. Like the safe blanket of spirituality she enjoyed as a child, this new understanding of life warmed her. It was so obvious! How could she have lived before without understanding all creatures on the earth shared this bond? How could she not see it?

  Talla, his desperate eyes replaced with the surety of acceptance, approached and muzzled Alexandra’s hand. Though she couldn’t be sure, Alexandra sensed a change in him as well. He could have stayed with the food, and his instincts may have told him to. But, with these new circumstances, he felt compelled to follow the human.

  No, Alexandra thought, not follow. Join.

  “I guess we’ve both been forced to change,” she said as she hugged her friend. “And that’s not all bad, I think.”

  Talla pawed at her head and goaded her into a friendly scuffle. For the first time in many months, Alexandra allowed herself some play time. They batted at each other as they headed south. It wasn’t the most efficient few hours of travel, but it was fun.

  Leave it to a coyote to remind her about fun.

  After a few days, they reached the former bottom of South America. The ocean was still absent and Alexandra discovered a startling new feature while searching for a suitable path: hundreds of tire tracks leading over the edge and towards Eden.

  The exodus from Brasilia had come this way.

  Chapter 12

  “You see all this?” Alexandra asked as she knelt and touched the tracks. “We have a map again.”

  Talla sat on the ground and licked his back side.

  “All we need to do is follow these to Eden. Or, rather, to the former island of Alexander. If we can find it.”

  Something touched her shoulder and she whirled. The clear ring of steel filled the air as she drew her sword, ready for her attacker.

  The area was empty.

  Then, something small landed on her hood and she looked upwards.

  Nothing.

  Tap. Tap. Tap. The ground softly popped all around her and she realized what was happening. Her mind worked to process the details as she couldn’t remember the last time she had experienced rain.

  Without wasting any time, she retrieved her half-used bottle from her backpack and placed it on the ground. The dark orange sky answered her call and poured its contents downwards.

  Alexandra spun and whirled as the rain sheeted downwards. She felt the grime wash from her face and she ran her hands through her wet hair. Refreshing and invigorating, the rain kept falling. She stripped and endured the shivering sting of the drops to wash her body. Talla bounded around and drank from the puddles that formed.

  What a gift!

  “Well, a cold gift,” she said aloud.

  After a few more moments, her teeth began to chatter. She wrung her clothes and squirmed her way back into them. Though they provided no warmth, at least she was protected from the direct impacts.

  “What do you say? This looks as good a spot as any.”

  Talla followed her down the embankment and into the former ocean floor. This time, instead of unsure ground and sandy slopes, she was forced to navigate muddy stretches and sinkholes. The rain continued to pelt her throughout the day.

  Before she was ready to look for shelter she noticed an anomaly amongst the gentle hills in the distance. The point of interest did
n’t look like a rock formation so she decided to investigate. As she neared she realized why the object appeared out of place: it was a delivery truck.

  About the size of Santino’s rig, the truck rested on its side much like the beached cruise ship. However, this vehicle wasn’t on the same scale. Tires were missing from the two wheels that reached into the air and the windows were broken. No lights or other movement was apparent.

  Alexandra crouched and drew her sword. “Okay, Talla,” she said, “nice and slow.”

  Unconcerned, the coyote remained beside her. He was trying his best to use her as a shield to the rain. Alexandra advanced cautiously upon the stranded vehicle and peered inside from a safe vantage point.

  The truck was abandoned.

  Hoping to find some supplies and thankful for the sanctuary from the elements, she dashed through the ajar rear doors. Talla was on her heels and he almost tripped her when he zipped forward to reach the inside first.

  “Damn,” she breathed. The vehicle was stripped. Not much remained of the inside. Even the seats and most of the shelving was gone. Her hopes of finding a blanket were dashed.

  As she picked her way forward she reasoned this vehicle must have broken down during the exodus. The caravan likely salvaged what they could and kept moving.

  Though there wasn’t a comfortable place to lay her head, she needed to escape the weather. She hung her pants and jacket from a shelf. Talla watched her as she started a small fire from her kindling and some trash. The smoke swirled outwards and through the nearby open doors. If she could warm half her clothing she decided that would be a victory. Then, she could swap and dry the other half.

  Reeking of wet dog, Talla curled next to her leg and fought to keep his eyes open. Though he was clearly exhausted, he seemed to be interested in her every movement.

  She patted his head between his ears and said, “Don’t worry, buddy. I’m not going anywhere without you. I know you’re hungry but we’re not going to eat right now.”

  The rain drummed its disjointed tune against the steel of the delivery truck and Alexandra closed her eyes. Sleep only visited in quick bursts between the overwhelming discomfort of the truck, her nervousness over the unsafe fire and the stink of drying coyote fur.