Barrenlands: An Odyssey (Old Work)

Chapter Four.

1

"STAY near me shall you, these lands are hostile to the uninitiated," the Engineer called out to Little Girl.

The sun was at its highest now and she found her skin damp and moist from the sweat that seeped out from the pores of her skin. There was moisture in her yet. Just like most other days called on from her recollection, the sky was clear and blue – the usual wisps of cloud hanging above them in the most teasing fashion possible. Although unknowing why, she continued the hope that lived deep inside her that one day she would see the thing the fathers called rain. Oh, what the Engineer would give to see drops of water fall plentiful from the skies and wet the wastelands, bringing the odd, off-chance that it would bring the land to the fruition that once had been. Had been. The words instantly shot down the little hope – the little imagination – she had left, and the Engineer found herself staring absentmindedly across the dusty, orange-brown expanse. She readjusted her numb bumcheeks in the sand, her back against the rock, and drew her face covering over her eyes. It blotted out some of the harshest parts of the sunlight, but she could still see some. And then she closed her eyes, breathing deeply in through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. It was now time for an hour or so of rest at the boulder cluster that they had found.

The Engineer – now light-headed as if drugged to the highest of heavens – let her head become light as a feather and her eyes droop like saggy breasts. Succumbing to a nap was a powerful thing, and she couldn't help but let go of most of her bodily consciousness. Her mind roamed free like a bird taking to the wind, and played images – vivid images – in the blackness behind her eyelids. The images came to her but a few times, and they were always the same. Mountains that spired into the sky beyond the clouds, other humans just like her, and a room full of technology. Was this her workplace in the previous life? It was a question that she always pondered; a question that still remained to have no answer. The Engineer, entranced by the picture-show, couldn't help but give a faint smile as she carried on dreaming away.

2

The vivid dreams and alluring picture show was short lived. The Engineer jolted awake, her eyes quickly flickering open and becoming blinded by the sudden shock of sunlight. Although painful to her eyeballs, she could faintly make out the position of the sun – only a few mere centimetres after of the position where it was previous to when she had drifted away. Going by these little movements, she had only been asleep for a vague few minutes. It was no surprise that she was still exhausted with aches but now was not the time for self-pity. Somewhere close by, a creature lurked, its howl transported with the wind. And somewhere, close by, was Little Girl.

Scurrying to her feet, the Engineer took a few tentative steps away from the rock that had acted as her prop, and felt her boots sink into the fine grains of dirt. The soft surface as a godsend, masking the crunching echoes of her steps along the floor. Hopefully it was enough to provide her with an added advantage. Hopefully. But despite all the quietness she could muster in the world, she knew deep within her mind that the creatures had been the product of evolution – their hearing had developed to pick up the slightest of sounds, their teeth were solid and designed to tear apart flesh, and they were relentless against others, instantly attacking without a further thought. All of these developed to provide them with an added chance of survival. The Engineer shifted uneasily and her gloved-hands sprung towards her back, unsheathing the pulse gun that lived within the folds of the cloth. Holding this in front of herself and nearing an edge of the boulder, she dropped to her knees and waited with pricked ears. Her eyes diverted to the floor, her gaze and attention quickly caught by a pattern of deep impressions within the sand. There was one, after another, after another. And they were the same size as-

"Little Girl," the Engineer breathed. From beyond the boulder – amidst the wails of the wind – she could hear low, vicious growls some close way away. The creature was there alright, and sounded hungry for flesh. Sitting tight for only an ever moment more, the Engineer ripped out from behind the boulder and into the open sights of the company ahead. The creature cocked its head but it was all in a moment too late. Slamming the switch home on the pulse gun, the Engineer could feel it gain power and hum at the ready. And then the trigger was pulled, and an electric blue pulse shot from the thin barrel. The moves were started and executed flawlessly within a few short seconds with thanks to primed reflexes. Before the creature could react, it kipped to the side and gave a last, high-pitched whine. It then lay rigid like a dead body, lifeless and now soulless. Watching the plume of dust settle from the fallen beast, the Engineer came to realise that the Little Girl was within centimetres from the corpse, its hair and ears splattered in fluoro green blood as was the girls dress. It remotely reminded her of the telling of stories of a wolf-like creature, and despite seeing them at a distance, this was the first she had come so close to one. But there was something that didn't make sense to the Engineer at this scene – tears streaked down the face of Little Girl, the drops rolling down from eyes and her cheek, leaving behind a dark-brown muddy trail. And nor did she see the creature attempt to make any form of move on Little Girl, despite standing within inches of each other. Surely, it would've devoured her in an instant. Deep in entrancing thought, the Engineer stowed its gun.

3

If one thing was for certain, the Engineer thought, was that nothing was as it seemed.