I slide down to the bottom of the mound, sit in the sand, and lean my head against the cold rock.
What is wrong with me?
Anger is all I feel. Devlan was never mean or abusive to me. I should be torn-up inside as he was my only friend in this inhospitable land.
I’m not sure how long I sit there, but eventually the sun begins to creep over the horizon. Leaning over, I drag the satchel across the ground to assess what Devlan has given me. The first thing I pull out is a Beta gun, then the Levin gun that injured me. I set those aside and continue digging, pulling out a few detonators, one small metal canister, and something I recognize as a computer tablet, with a hand-written note taped to the screen.
Meg – I have encoded your history into the memory of this device. It will only work if you place your right palm onto the screen. Anything you have ever questioned or wondered about is right here. Don’t let anyone see you with this. Don’t trust anyone you meet. Everyone in Sirain has their own agenda, even if they are from the Wasteland. No one can be trusted. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you in person. Everything I’ve done has been to protect you, please remember that. I’ve always thought of you as my daughter and I’m grateful for our time together. Devlan
My eyes finally begin to tear up then spill down my cheeks. He never told me how he felt about anything, especially me. I thought of him as my captor, and even jailer, not someone who genuinely had feelings. Let alone someone who cared about me.
I place the tablet back into the satchel, pick up the metal canister, and twist off the top. Inside are two syringes of Quarum. I seal the canister and shove everything back into the satchel then walk over to the bike, and dig in my duffle bag until I find my leather jacket, which I slip on. After strapping the satchel across my chest and secure the duffle to the back, I start the bike and head north.
I stay off of the main road and travel across the desert terrain. Luckily the monsoon season is months off, so the ground is hard and cracked, leaving perfect traction to ride on. I’m not sure where to go, but I keep heading north. Buildings are scarce so it will be hard to locate any useful shelter. The only place I can think of heading to is the Refuge.
I see the dilapidated roof of the barn about a half-mile away, so I throttle down and approach the area cautiously. There doesn’t seem to be any sign of movement on the property so I turn off the engine, hop off the bike, and approach on foot, concealing my bike behind an enclave of rocks and tumbleweed several hundred feet south of the barn. I quicken my pace and sprint across the open expanse between the barn and the house, open the door, and then gently close it behind me, trying not to make any noise. The living room and bar are empty. I don’t dare call out, just in case a Collector is hiding somewhere on the premises.
I walk over to the doorway at the back, looking through the small window in the door to see if anyone is in the hallway, but it’s empty so I carefully step through and walk over the planks covering the basement. Rena is down below, going through crates with the red and black emblem. I begin to retreat backwards towards the door when the board I’m on begins to crack. Rena looks up when she hears it and sees me. At first she looks annoyed, but a smile slowly surfaces.
“I’ll be up in a minute, hon,” she calls out to me.
I exit into the living room, plopping myself down onto one of the broken couches. My eyes begin to get heavy, so I lay my head down onto the arm, falling asleep.
At some point I feel the weight of a blanket on me, so I wrap myself up further into it and lie fully extended on the couch, going back to sleep. My nap is restless, full of nightmares. Collectors oozing out of the walls, coming up through the floorboards, reaching for me, grabbing at my arms as I try to run. At last I’m caught, bound, and dragged through the desert. I lie there waiting for the inevitable. My heart pounds as I’m secured to a boulder, watching as a Collector stands feet in front of me, aims a Levin gun and fires, causing my body to explode into a dozen pieces.
I bolt upright, sweat drenching my clothes and the blanket. As I’m removing my jacket, I look around noticing that Rena is tending bar - though no one is around. I flop back down on the couch, rubbing my forehead as I try to erase the nightmare, along with the headache that is beginning to form.
“I wasn’t sure you were ever going to open your eyes,” Rena says as she walks over to me with a tall glass of liquid. I sit up as she hands it to me. The water is warm, but I don’t mind. She sits on the couch opposite mine, watching me. “You look like hell, girl.”
I try my best not to break down since Devlan warned me not to trust anyone. I do tell her my name as I didn’t mention it on our first visit, then about Devlan’s death, the Collectors, and that I didn’t know
