Barrenlands: An Odyssey (Old Work)

Chapter Twelve.

1

THE better part of the day had come to an end before the mound of sand started to shift from within. Although the landscape was still, the sand continued to push outwards, flicking grains into the air and slowly uncovering its buried captive. The awakening of the Engineer was slow, and her mind and head remained feeble and caught in disarray. But despite her temporary confusion, she remained pounding through her heavy, layered coffin until she finally felt the wind against her cheeks and fresh air in her lungs. It was a long and hard process, but she had reached freedom at long last. Giving herself a final push, she wormed her way out of the remains of the mound and into the wide open space. The Engineer laid still for the next ten minutes, recovering from the ordeal and letting the realisation settle in that she was still alive, quite possibly the workings of a miracle.

And that was when she remembered. The giant wave, the push off her feet and... Little Girl.

Pulling herself to a stand – albeit a bit unsteady – she looked at her surroundings, her hopes fading rapidly. Everything was flat. The surface was quickly levelled by storms, and there was no indication of life anywhere in her sights – it was akin to a ghost town. There was no mound where she could possibly be buried, and there were no shows of footsteps or trails of any sort. In a final attempt, she wet her lips and called out to the silence of the Barrenlands. "Little Girl! Are ye here?"

Almost knowingly deep within her, there was no answer. The landscape listened, but told no tails and betrayed no signs of life. Feeling a sense of reluctance, the Engineer checked to make sure she was still carrying her water containers and pulse gun and set out across the vast landscape in her lonesome, aided nothing but by the company of the sun. If Little Girl was indeed left behind, the Barrenlands would have claimed another life.

2

That evening, the Engineer camped at a crumbling town, her back propped against a half-way which remained standing. It was larger than the outposts that she had encounter thus far, and featured a greater number of ruins than the others. But the size didn't matter to her; her water containers were topped-up to be full, and that was what kept her on travels. She would need the hydration to last the brutal sun and heat. Her mind throbbed, and her thoughts jumbled and refused to make any sense. With empty eyes, she gazed up at the heavens that opened above her; the stars shimmering like jewels against the dark backdrop. It was something beautiful that the pulse couldn't take away no matter how much it ravaged the land. Left to her own devices and wonderment, she was brought out of the hypnotic trance by a growl a close way away. It was only a single growl, quite possibly by a creature that travelled alone just like she.

Staggering to her feet, she withdrew the pulse gun and flicked the small switch. The gun glowed a radiant blue, but the light was short lived and died. There was no vibration in her hands to tell her that it was fully powered. Again, she flicked it, and the light quick – too – faded. Once more she gave it a push, this time showing a bit more promise. Her hopes may not have been fully diminished after all, like a light put to sleep. The gun hummed and glowed, the only thing that seemed familiar to her now. Raising it to her side, the Engineer prowled along the broken fragments of walls and peered through a gap that had come to open in the concrete. Although it was dark and night had fully embraced the small town, the Engineer could just make out the shape of something big – something much larger than mutated wolves that she had become accustomed too. As if sensing that it had company, the large creature paused in its tracks, slowly turning on its feet to face the Engineer. And then it began a saunter towards her, hobbling side to side as if it was drunk or a lover freshening up in the shower after an active evening. The closer it appeared, the more the Engineer could distinguish its features – two long legs attached to the bottom or a torso, and two arms protruding from its sides. On top of its neck, was an oval head.

A human? she thought, lowering her weapon just a few inches. Had it been one, she shouldn't shoot. Her Elders and fathers would have instantly condemned her. Instead, she took her chances. "Hello?"

The figure didn't say a word, rather responding with a deep grunt, much like that she had heard the first time. As it reached closer to the Engineer, she could feel a faint scent of rot and decay assault her nostrils. She took a step back, her reflexes making her gun fly before her and as the creature lifted an arm to take a swipe at her, the Engineer shot not once, but twice. Speckles of blood draped the room however, there was something that appeared to be amiss. It wasn't fluoro green, and it was of much thicker appearance. The creature fell into a heap, its body sprawled across the dirt floor and landing with a dull thud.

The Engineer gazed at one of the blood droplets, her thoughts more confused than before. It wasn't green, but rather red. And rather than being thin, it was thick.

She raked her mind, and stared at the liquid that began to climb down the wall. Oil?