Chapter 20
The encounter
He points at a three-story building which is at a distance of about ten meters from the hole. From here which we standing on, there is no much distance to there, in less than five minutes we would reach that point. I pass this distance in silence. The more we become close to that building, the more visible becomes the secret entrance. No part of the wall of the hole is slop but this part which has a gradient of fifty degrees and can be seen from everywhere; just like a crosscut of a watermelon. Its surface can be seen from each side. We stop at the building with Parkad’s hand signal. He looks around and then takes out his wireless:
Nabidak, we are in the ground in front of the building. Come soon.
As the footstep is heard from the other side, Nabidak says:
We’re coming.
We enter the building with other sign of Parkad’s hand and stop at the entrance door. He finds a place and sits on. Jonadin leans on the wall, and I just stay somewhere near the door.
There is a counter in the right side of entrance which still can be seen the written word “Information” on a signboard above it. Half of the counter is burnt and there is nothing behind it. There are so many shops inside the building which all of their showcases are broken and all of the goods inside them are stolen. Maybe one says it in other words, that is, people seized the goods because they were waifs.
Now the footsteps of two people is heard who are coming down. The sound is heard from the stairs at the end of the hall. A sound of dragging leg on the ground also can be heard from the outside. It can be guessed easily that who they are.
Finally, the sounds come so close that Nabidak and Vorarin from the end of the hall, and Kidaton from the entrance door appear at the same time. Kidaton stands near me without saying any word. Approaching these two, Nabidak’s face assumes an air of anxious. Seeing me, Vorarin’s face muscles begin to shake and, although he doesn’t smile, I can see the happiness in his face. When Nabidak stops, Vorarin stands near him and looks at the new member, Jonadin.
What’s your decision, Parkad?
Nabidak gets down to the brass stack.
We have no choice but getting the fire out.
Is there any necessity for getting it out now? If you were intended to bury it under the sands, there was a better way to do it. You should just told me, then I would set there in fire and everything was destroyed. Still now we can do it and be rid of it forever.
Jonadin says this straightaway and without any anxiety. I, although not knowing about the fire, agree with him too; that is, as they haven’t ever care about getting out the fire from here, now, again they can ignore doing this easily. All, except for me and Vorarin, look at Jonadin strangely, as if he has done something wrong.
What then? What’s in it that made it so important?
Kidaton moves his eyebrow toward him and says to Parkad:
Didn’t you tell Jonadin about it yet?
Parkad rubs his face and says:
It doesn’t matter now. We’ll tell him later. Jonadin, you know down there well, don’t you?
Jonadin laughs and says:
You know, I’m living here for six months, if I’m not wrong! I didn’t leave there even a day.
Parkad, sank in his thoughts, says:
Good enough!
Nabidak frowns and narrows his eyes:
What’s your plan, Parkad?
We haven’t time more than by this evening, that is, less than six hours. We can’t take any risk. Our biggest problem is the land subsidence, which if it didn’t happen, we wouldn’t have these problems. This event made a big problem for us. As the entrance become visible, our problems began, unless we had about one week and we could get the fire out from here without any problem and easily.
Everyone listens to him carefully.
We have to send two guys down there to get it out.
Then he looks at all and asks in wonder:
Where’re Saiden and Brasen?
Kidaton says:
They’ll come. Well, one of those two guys is Jonadin and who’s the next?
Although he doesn’t look at no one, his tone shows he is asking all of us. Nabidak and Jonadin both look at Kidaton, but Parkad just stares at his opposite wall.
Are you sure, Parkad?
It seems that Nabidak is still in doubt. Parkad shakes his head decisively and says:
Yeah.
Well. We’re ready. What should we do with this situation?
Finally, Parkad averts his eyes from the wall and, while looks at the faces of all members of the group, says:
Six of us should stay outside to be help in case of need. Two other should go down there to bring the fire. As Kidaton said, one of them is Jonadin.
Jonadin makes no objection and just waits for the rest of Parkad’s words.
I’ll go with him.
Kidaton says this decisively as he leaned on the wall and folded his arms.
No, we need you, Kidaton. If we weren’t constrained, I wouldn’t send Jonadin there too. Whoever goes down there, can’t do anything. He would be just like a soldier without gun. Those two who go down, just should bring the fire out. Those who stay outside are the key persons.
My body trembles with the look which Parkad darts at me and Vorarin.
We need the experienced and strong persons and we can’t lose one by sending him down there. The one who goes down with Jonadin, should help him. All of the group members can help Jonadin and this isn’t a hard work.
I realize his purpose completely. Vorarin is shocked too and looks at me dumbstruck.
Zairas will go down with Jonadin.
It is near I open my mouth and say “why me?” but I come to myself and I don’t say anything. It seems that all are satisfied with this decision and say nothing. I have to enter that hole. I feel a sucker set in my stomach and its power is set on maximum. The thought of I should go five meters down into the hole to reach the entrance of the secret way, makes me gulp my saliva repeatedly. The last night event enforces this fear and stings the scars left from that event.
Well, where should we be positioned?
Parkad replies Kidaton:
In the main building.
Parkad rises and goes toward a hole on the left side of the entrance door and stares at outside. Nabidak, as watches Parkad’s going, says:
Well, who’ll stay here? We can’t leave here all together.
We’ll burst here.
All of us look at Parkad and then we look at each other.
What do you mean? This way we block the bolt hole for Zairas and Jonadin and the blast would informs the others.
Parkad still looks outside as if he searches for something.
Nabidak, I still wonder why they haven’t found here yet, or maybe they’ll find here later. The probability finding here is ninety percent.
Imagine, when we are in main building and one group finds here, then there would be no way to get out and both Jonadin and Zairas would stuck.
We can wait for them here, but no, we can’t risk. They may be many in number.
Kidaton, while relocates the sands with his foot, says:
How do you want to burst the entrance?
Jonadin puts his knapsack on the ground and brings out two palm size black boxes and as he shows them to others, says:
Don’t worry, when I was gathering my outfits, I took these too. If you need any martial things, just tell me.
Parkad still looks outside and stares at a point momentarily. Nabidak looks him suspeciuosly. In my opinion, too, Parkad doesn’t behave as usual.
All hide away!
All of a sudden, each of us searches and finds somewhere to hide, like the raided sheep. All hide ourselves behind the pillars or the walls. I take one step backward and get into a dent in the wall. There is no partitive rib on the wall in my left side and just the right side wall hides me from the entrance view. I can see Parkad easily, as he bent under a hole, keeps himself close to the wall and is silent. Jonadin hid behind the entrance door, Kidaton behind the counter, and Vorarin in the shop. But I can’t see Nabidak.
Then I hear the footsteps of three persons who are approaching the building from behind. They seem to be talking to each other but I hear them unclearly. The sound of their footsteps shows that they take step a rather slowly. As it seems, they pass by the hole in which Parkad hid, and go toward the entrance door.
Hush! Nobody move!
I realize that Nabidak hid himself behind a pillar, near Vorarin.
No…that’s right…yes… yes sir…
As they come closer, their voices become clearer. I see Parkad’s hand taking the gun off his back and releases the safety lock. I press my gun in my hand.
The land has subsided here, if there was anything here now it should be destroyed.
Mr. Lasfor is right, sir.
The third one who seems to be their chief, says calmly:
Keep your eyes open for every move around.
The first voice, Lasfor, says persistently:
We already searched here but we found nothing. Now that it has subsided so it can’t be here. We’d better don’t waste time here.
It’s true that we didn’t find anything here, but now subsiding the land we may find something.
Then I hear just one footstep still walking. It seems the two other are standing:
What do you mean, Baltin?
From the footstep I find out their chief, Baltin, stops and says:
We’re horsing around. It’s true their plan is revealed but they tried to pull our legs by the word “Hotel”.
You mean all was false? There’s no hotel at all?
Lasfor’s voice shows he is slightly shocked at this news.
No, the hotel exists.
Why don’t you speak clearly?
Baltin sneers and says:
The word hotel is just a word to attract all’s attention; but you should get in from somewhere else. This way all look for the hotel and no one can’t find there.
Lasfor, as his tone shows that he doesn’t agree with him, says:
How do you know the hotel is here?
Baltin again sneers and says:
Since there is nowhere in this town that three hotels be in a line, and if you add an office building to the top of this line, there would be the figure of a flower.
Who said that?
Baltin pays no attention to Lasfor’s question and says:
We should search for the secret way.
The third soldier who kept silent heretofore, says:
But the blue soldiers are checking the region. They might have found there by now.
Baltin again with the same calmness and self-confidence says:
Maybe, but they’re searching just for a hotel, and not for a secret underground way. By the way, they are searching in the north side, while the secret way should be in the south part. They don’t know about the secret way and are searching just for sure. Maybe they reach here by chance.
Lasfor says hesitatively:
Well, if this secret way exists and we’ll find it, then what can we do threesome?
In case of we find there, we’ll inform our group but we’ll act according to the plan I already devised.
What plan?
Baltin, who seems plagued by so many questions, his voice assumes an air of serious:
It’s enough!
The sound of a deep breath is heard and then the owner of the voice, that is Lasfor, says:
Yes sir, where should we begin?
From here, in front of this building.
Hearing this, all of my hair stand on end. They will find there just by first look. Those three soldier move on and all of a sudden Parkad gets out quickly through the door and goes toward them. kidaton changes his place and stands opposite of the Jonadin, in the other side of the door. I get out of the dent too. Vorarin comes to me but he is silent and seems is waiting for the happenings in outside. Parkad, as he gets out through the door, moves on slowly. Suddenly those three footsteps cut off and I hear the chink and clang sound of their equipment, and their guns which seem they aimed at him.
I find a small hole on the wall which through it I can see Parkad and also those three soldiers. He is standing in front of them armless. They dressed in red uniforms and, like the blue group, have masks on their faces. The one who is in the right side, lowers his gun and says:
Where’re the rest of your group?
From his voice I find out he is Baltin. Although he lowers his gun, he doesn’t sheathe it. The two other soldier still aim at Parkad, without even move their guns a little.
What’re you doing here?
He shrugs his shoulders:
What do you think?
Parkad lifts one of his eyebrows and while narrows his other eye, says:
Do you forget you underwrote some papers?
Baltin gives a sneer and says:
Did we contrary to those papers? Did my people anything wrong?
Your people are dying of hunger.
This isn’t my will.
You were supposed to make a camp for help.
My people can cope with their problems.
All of a sudden, I see baltin who turns to the secret entrance. His eyes can’t be seen under his mask. He, again, turns his head to Parkad. Although the secret way is hidden from his point of view, Parkad’s presence probably made him a rather suspicious.
When their chief can’t cope with his people, we can’t expect they could.
Their chief is trying to do better jobs.
Parkad frowns:
Hide-and-seek game?
Baltin utters a derisive laugh:
It worths playing. Maybe I can say “I see you” before the others.
Be ready, boys. We should interfere. Keep your eyes on me. When I told you, Jonadin and Zairas would go toward Parkad through the entrance door. Vorarin and kidaton would enter with me from behind.
Everyone confirms either saying “ok” or shaking heads, and waits.
Now! Go! Hurry up!
Nabidak says this slowly with a tone of bawling and makes me come to myself, so my feet guide me to the door. My feet are like the preprogrammed computers, they do their job automatically. I lift my gun to be able to aim at easily. I run toward Parkad, behind Jonadin. Nabidak, Vorarin and kidaton besiege them from behind. All of a sudden, Saidan and brasen appear from back of the wall and stand by those three. All stare at each other in silence and hold their guns toward the rivals. No one reacts. Baltin looks at all and says:
I’ll back.
Then he sheaths his gun and moves and says his people:
Let’s go.
He passes through Nabidak and Vorarin and disappears behind the building.