The Frozen Desert by Moein Mansoori Fard (free e books to read online TXT) 📕

Right is Zairas and the left one, Vorarin.

Then he throws one of the cans to the Parkad. Nabidak gives a cough and says:

Hey boys do you want any?

Vorarin shakes his head and I say:

No, thanks. We’ve already had some snacks.

Finally, my patience runs out and I am constrained to sit near the door. I feel pain in my ankle, but with an enjoyable, but cold, breeze my mind becomes calm; it mitigates my breast, waist and back pains. Vorarin also sits by me and leans on the wall.

Parkad opens his can and becomes busy eating. A number of guns are arranged on the table. Three mattresses are also spread in a corner. While he is eating his food, Parkad points at us and asks:

Well, what are these two guys doing here?

Nabidak with a full mouth, but clearly, says:

They’re new people of the group.

Parkad holds his spoon in front of his mouth and says in wonder and with wide open eyes:

New members?

Yea, Karisan sent them.

His words makes me wonder. I don’t know how he knows we came here on behalf of Karisan. Parkad frowns and says:

why he sent them?

Nabidak smiles:

I guess they’ve letters of introduction in which you can find the reason.

Parkad stares at us, and nabidak’s words suddenly remind me of the letters. So, I pull out the letter related to parkad and I give it to Nabidak. He looks at the back of the letter and then gives it to Parkad. He puts his can and spoon on the windowsill and becomes busy with reading the letter. His face doesn’t change while reading the letter. Then he throws it into the oven. The letter burns slowly and joins the ashes in the oven.

Karisan has explained me everything in this letter. Although he knew that our group is complete, made this decision. You shouldn’t do anything without consulting us. You shouldn’t show any heroic act. This group, like any other group, has its own laws which you must respect.

Then he takes his can and says:

If you’re tired now, find somewhere and take a rest. We’ll talk to each other about the mission tomorrow.

Vorarin stands up and tries to prepare somewhere to sleep on. I don’t know whether Karisan has not said anything about me or Parkard didn’t care it. But he looks at me with appraising eyes once in a while. Maybe Karisan discussed about my father with Parkad, but he didn’t mention it. Certainly something is written about Vorarin too, but he even doesn’t look at Vorarin.

Finally he eats the last spoon of his food and asks Nabidak:

What’s up? They’re still there?

Nabidak throws the emptied can aside and then says:

Yeah, they’re still there. They stand guards from three directions in turn. Seems they don’t want to give over.

Parkad, who also has finished his food, puts the can in a corner of the room and says:

Well, here would be under the sands by a week. Besides, they hope most for here. How many of them are there?

Finally Kidaton breaks his silence and says from above:

Thirty six. It seems another group supposed to join them. They haven’t so much time. They began to searching the west part of the town yesterday. They are searching up to a range. Except for the west, there still remained the east and the north sides. Half of their force are searching around the regions they already searched.

Nabidak reaches out his legs on the table, rubs them and says:

What should we do? Do need we ask reinforcement?

Parkad gives the negative answer with his eyebrows and says:

No. No need to do this. They can’t find it. If things go like this and wind blows faster, they can’t search all over the town. Yet, we shouldn’t underestimate them. They know their own job well. They search in the more likely regions and don’t waste their time. Our plan is changed, we must find it before they do it.

Kidaton makes no objection but Nabidak says angrily:

What? Why? Why our plan changed? Is there any problem? They can’t find it as easily as you think.

Parkad looks at outside through the window and says:

Karisan asked me to do this. The plan supposed to be this from the beginning, now it’s sealed. We should talk about it tomorrow.

Nabidak winces and makes objection:

No, we can’t do this. The situation is too bad now, they’re everywhere and have guards all around the town. Surely they ask for reinforcements because of the weather conditions.

Kidaton also intervene from up the ladder and says:

We should do this from the beginning. But we’re just passing days and nights in this hell.

Parkad adds:

Some strange things are happening that…

All of a sudden, his word reminds me of that three soldiers’ talking. I cut his word immediately and say:

I’m not sure but I think the reds are also in the town.

Both stare at me but I can’t see anything special in their face. They don’t show wonder but Nabidak’s face changes slightly.

How do you know it?

The manner he asks the question, reveals his hesitation.

Before I saw Nabidak, some soldiers were talking about the red group, they were saying that they’ve seen one of them and also their footsteps in the west side of the town and recently, they’ve seen them in this part of the town.

None of them makes his eyes wide open and not even ponder.

I knew that.

Nabidak confirms parkad with shaking his head and says:

This was clear but I don’t know who was or were these spies who spread this news. This couldn’t be happened after so many years.

Finally it would be unmasked. Now we must prevent it. We should reorganize the group. Surely we have a rat in the group who could fixed himself in our group like the roots of a tree into the earth and we can’t find him easily.

Vorarine has spread two blankets on the floor and while he is watching their talks, stares at me once in a while. Some red root-like capillaries can be seen in his eyes, he seems slightly faint and yawns off and on. Parkad, while stretches his body, rises from the chair and says:

Nabidak I’m going to bed, I’m so tired. We’ll talk about everything tomorrow. You stay a little bit here to be sure everything is ok.

Then he goes toward one of the blankets. Following him, Vorarin lies on another blanket immediately, without gets any permission. Nabidak sits on the chair instead of Parkad and stares at outside. I go toward Vorarin in the room which seems to be the only room in the building. Except for the blankets and two knapsacks, there is nothing in the room. I lie on the blanket and put the knapsack beside myself. Although the blanket is thick, the small and big rubbles torture my back. So I have to change my place a little.

The only sound which is heard is the wind which brings and pours some sands into the room and then goes away. Occasionally, the sound of Kidaton’s footsteps which walks on the roof, or Nabidak who rises from the chair and walks because of rigidity of his legs are heard.

No sound is heard from Parkad. Even he seems not breathing. Karisan told me that when I reach hear, I would get news about Mansidan. But now I am just in the middle of a big trouble. Sleep finally comes to me as for the others and embraces me as a snake entwines around its victim. I close my eyes and the last thing I hear is the sound of the wind which falls on my eyelids as a lullaby.

Chapter 18

The familiar strangers

Dark, light, dark, light, dark…

I wink my eyelids repeatedly and look over there carefully. Then I realize that the ceiling seems to me this way. Some pale white parts still can be seen on it. When some dust fall on my face from the ceiling, I realize that I am drowzy. I get up and sit, then empty the dust out of my mouth clumsily. Luckily, I closed my eyes in time but not about my mouth. I wipe my face up with my sleeve and look around.

Vorarin stares at me like the confounded people and doesn’t move at all. He is still under the blanket and is slightly languid. Maybe he woke up because of my sudden movement. When everything seems calm to him, he backs into the blanket again and closes his eyes.

It is still cold and makes me tremble a little, but an angular light has illuminated inside the room. No sound can be heard. The incoming light through the windows and the walls, shows the floating dust particles in the air. They move slowly. I push the blanket aside and stand up with the help of the wall. Then I shake dust off my clothes to make it clean.

Hearing the sound of insignia, I read the message on its screen. I am asked to register my presence. I begin to do this and put my finger on the scanner and my eyes in front of it. When I finish, put it on its place and suddenly my eyes meet Kidaton who lied by the wall. I don’t know why I didn’t see him. His left hand is on his head and he is drawing an imaginary figures in the air. Once in a while, he shakes his leg which he put it over the other one. I don’t want to disturb him, but it is the best chance to give him the letter. I take the letter out of my knapsack and go to him. His eyes are closed and although he heard my footsteps, pays no attention to me.

Sorry…

His hand freezes in the air and then lands on his body. He opens his eyes and after a pause close them again. I consider it as his permission, so I say:

I have a letter from Karisan for you.

I hold the letter toward him and wait. Without opening his eyes, he reaches out his hand and takes the letter. Then he tears the edge of the envelope with his teeth, pulls the letter out with his lips and become busy with reading.

I get out the room both to not to disturb him reading the letter and also give Nabidak his letter. The chair is empty. The window through it parkad was looking at outside now is covered by the debris. Almost nobody can see inside from the outside. The entrance door is half opened. I go toward the door and look outside through it. It seems to me the sun has come out from his shelter completely.

I tremble when sunlight touches my body. Sunlight, although languidly, fondles me. I open the door to see the town under the sunlight, but suddenly a voice stops me:

Watch up!

The sound of paper crumpling is heard and then a sudden silence falls over. I don’t need to reply and go out through the door. I guessed correctly, the sun is seen fully; it looks like a magic which has changed everything.

Although the town is still mournful and lifeless, its eerie state is reduced. Those wandering ghosts who were roving in the town, now have crept into their nests. Passing the night away, those possessed buildings now are just some ruins. Dawning of the day, has disappeared the fog of darkness and town is now out of its shell.

The skin of the town has kept its own color and everywhere is still seen gray. The world destruction can be seen easily under the sunshine. There is no intact building; all have collapsed and ruined. It seems they sank in silence since many years ago. As far as the eye can reach, there is no building higher than ten-story, but the extended iron beams up to the sky show that they were skyscrapers once upon a time.

No form of life can be seen here. The streets and the alleys are just the passageways and crossings for the wind.