Chapter 21
The entrance
We should hurry up, Parkad. They’ll return.
I can find out the depth of Nabidak’s anxiety. It is enough they back with more people, then we will lose both our life and the fire.
Zairas, Jonadin! Be ready.
We go to the top of the secret entrance and hang around there. Saidan comes to me and says:
What’s happened? Where should you go?
I point at the secret way and, while I try to hide my anguish, say:
We have to enter the secret way by rope.
Parkad! I’ll go down instead of Zairas.
I become so happy with saidan’s suggestion. Height, explosion and gunshot tremble me. Parkad decisively says:
No Saidan! We need you here. No, you can’t. Hey Saidan…no you Kidaton! Go around and stand guard. Just be around here. We’ll inform you if we need help.
Soon after Parkad finishes his word, Kidaton, without gives him the positive answer, disappears behind the building as quick as a flash. Saidan puts his hand on my shoulder regretly and says:
I’m sorry, we should obey peremptorily whatever Parkad says. Don’t worry, I’ll have your back from here.
I smile and wink at him:
Don’t worry, I’ll cope it. I should talk with you about Mansidan.
All of a sudden Saidan becomes pale, gulp his saliva and says:
I…
His word is cut off.
Parkad says to jonadin:
You should go down, but there’s a problem. We didn’t know the land has subsided here. Hence, we haven’t any tool. Do you have something come in handy?
He replies sneering:
When I was leaving here I gathered and brought them along.
Then he puts his knapsack on the ground and search into it.
What should be used for explosion?
The tone of Nabidak’s voice shows that it has come to his mind suddenly. I tell Saidan:
Have you heard anything about him? I must meet him.
Saidan lowers his head and says calmly:
Is Raya unwell?
As I open my mouth, Saidan becomes compel to keep distance from me, by Parkad’s hand sign. Jonadin says:
Don’t worry, it would be solved.
Then he brings two black palm size box out of his knapsack and put them on the floor. There is a small monitor and a red light on each box. Then he removes a looped rope from the back of the knapsack and place it beside the boxes. Evidently his knapsack is full of the odds and ends.
I’m afraid I haven’t more than a loop of rope.
He shakes his head in sign of regret. All of a sudden I remember my rope, but I regret more than Jonadin because I have lost my rope in that damned fall. Then I remember the yellow snake-like rope and I say:
Where’s your rope, Vorarin?
Vorarin, who seems shocked, like a robot which suddenly runs after a long time silence, puts his knapsack on the ground and says:
Yeah, you are right, I’d forgotten it.
Then he searches and finds the rope on the back of his knapsack, under the blanket, and place it on the floor beside Jonadin’s rope.
Well, it’s enough. We can start.
But Parkad gives no reaction, he is like a statue.
Nabidak! I must talk with you.
All of a sudden all guys look at Parkad with wide open eyes. Vorarin comes to me and with a doubtful tone says:
What happened?
Saidan also looks at me in wonder and I just shrug my shoulders.
It’s not a good time for this, Parkad. They may reach here at any moment.
Parkad pays no attention to Nabidak and goes away from us. Nabidak, perforcedly, follows him and they stand at a distance from us so that we couldn’t hear their words, and then they begin talking to each other. Nabidak listens more than he talks, but he says some words once in a while. I say to Vorarin:
Do you know anything about the matter?
Vorarin looks at me and then, while his look turns around, says doubtfully:
Well…, indeed I don’t know anything about the fire but I heard something about here from Nabidak.
About here?
Yeah, there was a secret way which linked five buildings to each other, and from there it was connected to three other buildings, in some branches. Their purpose was that they could reach the main building.
Which building?
I don’t know yet, although I don’t think it is all the matter. More likely, the buildings were in the important positions, but Nabidak didn’t tell me more. Now, except for the main building, those four are destroyed completely.
There’s a problem, they behave a rather abnormally.
He frowns and while he puckers his lips, says:
I can’t see anything strange.
I point at Nabidak and Parkad who are talking to each other, with my eyebrows. Vorarin looks at them and says indifferently:
Well, possibly they’re talking about something important.
About what? What’s more important than the fire they talk about? It’s so important that they left work and now due to the lack of time, they’re discussing.
Vorarin doesn’t move and just looks at them.
The fire now is more important than their life. We wanted to destroy it heretofore but I don’t know what happened that they decided to get it out of here.
They both talk very quietly until they conclude their conversations and come back to us.
Well guys, get ready! Nabidak you inform Kidaton.
Looking at the point of landslide, I suffer vertigo and I feel heaviness on my head.
Why should I inform Kidaton? He’d better stands guard. There should be someone to aware us in case of danger.
Parkad shows Nabidak the ropes with his hand and says:
We need the force of Kidaton’s arms. These ropes are short and don’t work alone. We should tie the ropes together, but the problem is that there is nothing around here to link and tie the rope, besides, we would lose some rope for tying. We have to send them down by ourselves.
He is right, nothing is seen here to tie the rope. We must tie the ropes together. Nabidak calls Kidaton by his wireless and he comes here in less than a minute.
Kidaton, just you can tie these two ropes together.
Jonadin, while points at kidaton’s thick arms, throws the rope to him. Kidaton ties a tight knot. Then Parkad like a master says:
We should test it. Take the two ends of the rope and pull it to be sure it is secure.
My feet are so weak that I have no tendency to take step and help them, but Vorarin goes to help them. He takes one end of the rope along with Kidaton and Saidan, and from the other side, Nabidak, Jonadin and Brasen pull the other end of the rope. A sound is heard from the rope, but nothing happens to the knot. Parkad shows his satisfaction for the rope by shaking his head:
Jonadin, get ready! You should go down. Tie the rope around your waist tightly.
Then says to others:
You should take the other end of the rope and send Jonadin and Zairas down.
All shake head and wait for Jonadin to be ready. Jonadin returns the small bombs into his knapsack, puts it over his shoulders and ties the rope around his waist. Then as he tries the rope, says:
Well, I’m ready. You can send me down.
All, except for Parkad and me, go toward the rope. Along with taking the rope, Parkad, who emphasizes by shaking his forefinger, says:
When you reach down there, remember that you should blast two walls so that you manage to block the entrance way. Jonadin you know it well. Then you reach the fire and get it out of there. After you entered the secret way, we go toward the main building and will wait for you there. You should come very quickly.
Jonadin replies him with peace of mind:
Don’t worry, trust me. It shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes. See you.
Then he goes toward the edge of the hole. four of us, hold the rope tightly and send him down slowly.
I have to swing myself to be able enter the entrance.
Jonadin has to shout so that we are enabled to hear his words. In less than two minutes, the rope becomes loose.
Well Zairas, it’s your turn. Come on, get ready.
I go toward the edge of the hole without looking at Parkad or even reply him, and take the end of the rope. I don’t know what I am doing. Nothing is under my control. Saidan comes to help me and ties the rope around my waist. Then he ensures me:
Take care. Don’t worry. We keep our eyes on you and have your back.
I just shake my head. I still can’t believe that I have to enter this damned hole. It seems that a force controls me. I go reverse to the edge of the hole and try not to look into it. Saidan says:
We’re ready. Go down slowly and confidently.
The rest also show their readiness with shaking their heads.
I go down from the edge backwardly, like a thief who comes down from a wall. I enter the hole by my lower body and feel the rope pressure which helps me go down easily. While I keep my distance from the wall by my feet, I walk downward on the wall holding the rope tightly. I don’t look at the bottom at all.
Again, I suffer vertigo, am overcome by nausea and my hair stand on end. For a short time, I hear all voices vaguely, I can’t understand even one word. But then, I gradually hear Jonadin’s voice who is approaching me momentarily. As I go down, I close my eyes for a short time. I ask God just keeps the rope safe and it would not rapture. I feel I am falling into this damned hole.
There’s no long way left, Zairas.
I open my eyes and see Jonadin. I am almost at a distance of one meter to be in front him. He holds a thin and a rather long rod in his hand.
Well guys, enough. Stop.
The rope stops moving. He reaches out the rod to me:
Take it and I’ll pull you in.
The lower part of the edge of the way is almost ruined about a meter. There is no room to place our feet on. Perforcedly, we should pass this one meter distance with the help of this rod. Now I realize that why Jonadin was swinging in the air. I hold the rod with one hand and keep my balance with the help of the rope. When I reach the ground, he takes my raincoat and keeps me away from the edge.
My feet are numb and I can’t stand on them. I drag myself on the ground with the help of my hands until I reach the wall of the tunnel and then I lean on it. I put my hands on my bended knees and hold my head with my hands. My heartbeats is so fast that I think he can hear it. I close my eyes to end my vertigo.
Are you afraid of the height?
I answer decisively:
No, I’m not afraid of anything high, I’m just afraid of holes and wells. I feel choked in them.
He gives me smile and says:
You’ll get used to everything gradually. Now get up and help me to mount these two little bombs.
There is no sign of the rope and no sound is heard from above. I stand up with the help of the wall and take a deep breath. He again brings out the bombs out of his knapsack and gets busy. He has already turned on their monitors and now is doing some functions on them.
How’s twenty seconds?
I ask in wonder:
For what? For explosion?
Yeah!
Isn’t there any remote control?
He goes to the second bomb and says:
No, I’ve lost it. Well, that’s it. Now we should mount them on the wall.
He looks around:
Aha, I got it. Put this bomb between those rods.
Then he gives me one of the small bombs and shows me the place with his hand. It is not heavy. Some rods emerged from the body of the tunnel on which the bomb can be mounted easily. So I place the bomb between the rods.
Press its green button.
According to him, I push the green button which is bigger than others. All of a sudden the red lamp begins to blink. I am slightly overcome by fear:
Well, what to do now?
He says unbelievably:
We should get away!
What!?
I feel that I nearly jump out of my skin. Then I see him begins to run away. Following him, I also take steps so fast that outpace him. Luckily, we keep a good distance from the bombs by the time of explosion.
The blasting sound is so loud that I cover my ears by hand, but still I hear a sharp whistle in my head. A cloud of dust rises so that I can’t see Jonadin anymore. My throat hurts and makes me cough. I cover my mouth with the wristband of my raincoat and keep distance from the blast location.
I curse him nonstop in my mind. He could increase the time of the blast lest we don’t suffer this situation. Without noticing him, I go away from there so far that I get out of the blast dust. I coughed so much that my eyes are wet.
My mouth is dried out and I need water. So I drink some water and I wipe my eyes with my sleeve. Time passes slowly more than I expected and Jonadin is still out of my sight. All of a sudden it comes to my mind that maybe he is hurt.
I call him several times but no response is heard. There is still dust in the air and it has hidden the depth of the tunnel. I decide to return that I see a shadow who is coming to me.
Well, now the entrance is blocked completely. Let’s go.
His seems normal and that the dust had no effect on him.
Well, what should we do now?
I hope at least he answers me.
Move on. You’ll find out. From now and then the situation is risky. All would come here because of the blast. So Parkad and the rest are in danger.
Taking fast steps, he shows me that we should go.