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

Damn! We are nearly roasted in this air.

He looks at his watch and says:

Finally its life ran out.

He taps on the watch several times and cleans its glass with his sleeves. Then he puts it on his ear to be sure, and listens to its heart beat; but he shakes his head hopelessly, breathe a sigh and takes it off from his hand, looks at it under the light and then throw it aside and says nervously:

Its battery is scarce and isn’t obtained at all. What time is it?

I press a button on my watch to read the time.

About eleven, two or three minutes is left.

He looks outside through the ruined part of the wall. Then he says:

Turn on your insignia and set it on radar mode.

So I take out my insignia and turn it on. I enter in specifications section and turn on the acceptance option. Then I look at him to perform the next order, but he still looks outside. I account his inattentiveness for the end of the orders and I wait. I guessed correctly. He says nothing and I wait. Once in a while, I look at the insignia display and outside in turn until I see a new name on the display:

R-1-------------------------------------position: within a 20-meter radius

Mission: cancelled

Acceptance: accordant

Fingerprint confirmation: two hours ago

He is certainly from another group, because his name is different from us. It may be the reason why Parkad is looking outside, and he is waiting for someone. But, however, I should tell him the matter:

Someone is detected by radar, he seems to be from another group.

He even doesn’t turn his head toward me. Maybe he told me to turn on my insignia to be sure of R-2 presence or guiding him to here. The distance of R-2 becomes lesser and he comes close to us. I decide to turn off the insignia that suddenly a message appears on the display:

End of appointed time. You must rescan your fingerprint. In the case of disobedience, the set would be destroyed in less than two minutes.

This is the same message that woke me up this morning. I push aside the rear door of the insignia and put my finger on its screen. My fingerprint is confirmed with a soft beep. Then an acknowledgement message appears on the display for performing the order. When the message disappears, I see the R-2 who is at a distance of just two meters from us. I exit the acceptance option on the insignia and then turn it off. I stay where I am standing and look at the point which Parkad is looking.

A slim and tall man enters. His face is full of hair and his beard hang down to his breast. His hair is disheveled and he dressed in tatters. He seems to be saved from fighting with a lion. Although he is white-skinned, only his eyes are seen white in his dark face. His toes are visible through the cuts on his boots. He has used the wires instead of bootlace. His raincoat has turned into a shirt as well.

Seeing Parkad, he puts his gun under his waistband. Then he opens his mouth happily and says:

You don’t know how happy I am that I see human again!

Parkad moves his lips slightly but there is no affection on his face.

Henceforth you’ll see human as you wish.

The new member laughs but soon after he sees me, although his smile doesn’t change, he assumes an air of caution. He asks Parkad by moving his eyebrow toward me, to introduce me. Parkad darts a look at me and says:

He’s Alandima’s son.

The new member, as a wolf looks his prey, stares at me dumb stricken. He surveys me unbelievably but like a mad whose behavior is unpredictable, begins to laugh and says:

Alandima’s son? Well, finally I met you. What was your name? Wait a minute, I’d remember, what? What was? Sa… no, no. Sia… no, no!

Parkad helps him:

Zairas.

The new member confirms Parkad like a cock-a-hoop child:

Yeah, that’s it! You know, I was sure that I’ll finally meet you some day.

Then he pauses for a while and says:

What’re you doing here?

Parkad replies him:

He’s in our group now.

The new member frowns. I don’t know what is going on in his head. It seems to him a little strange that he sees me here, I guess. He seems to me an interesting man, I like his manner. He has a pleasant face and I feel comfortable with him.

I’d better introduce myself. I’m Jonadin. It’s true our group names are different but as a whole, we’re in one single group. You can count on me, whenever you need help just tell me.

Finishing Jonadin’s word, Parkard interferes:

Enough for now. The situation has changed completely. You should do whatever you can.

Jonadin’s face assumes an air of serious:

What happened? I reach here soon after received your message. If you’d sent later, I wouldn’t have been in the town anymore.

The plan’s changed. We need your help.

Jonadin’s face assumes an air of wonder and his eyes become wide open:

The plan has changed? What’re you telling about?

Parkad shows him the random-made chair of debris:

We should return the “fire”.

Jonadin makes a pause while he is sitting and says:

What?

Parkad hold out his hand to stop him and says:

I know, but we should do this. It seems the location of the fire is betrayed. But it remains to be seen. However, we should proceed as soon as possible. Karisan also asked us this.

May it be because of the reds and blues groups?

Parkad folds his arms and shakes his head.

Well, what should we do now?

Parkad taps on the back of his arm with his forefinger and, while staring at the floor, says:

We must find the fire and get it out before them.

So, what’re you waiting for?

He intimates with his look that he is asking me too. Parkad again folds his arms and says:

There’s a problem. Three entrances to the building are destroyed. Land has subsided just there and all of the ways are ruined. They may find a way to get in there at any moment.

Maybe the main entrance is blocked.

Parkad shakes his head and says:

We can’t take a risk. It may be not blocked. If the entrance is available, it makes our job easier, unless we’re facing with a big problem.

Their faces are confused and nervous. It is clear from their words that we should keep something away from those two groups. I am happy that I have finally found out something, but the event which is likely to happen, makes me worry. The imagination of being shot and having a bullet on my body, trembles me.

If the entrance is blocked we are facing with a big problem, and just remains one way, that is, we do enter through the main door of the building. There we would also encounter difficulties, because that point is in the middle and it’s hard to pass.

Parkad shakes his head and says:

I informed the group and asked them to reach there. They should be in the location now. We should join them too. Our only hope is the same secret way, unless you know another way which we don’t know.

Jonadin shakes his head and says:

I search all over there but I couldn’t find any way to enter and to get out.

Parkad puts and pushes his hands on his knees and rises:

Well, now we should move.

What about the plan?

Jonadin asks this while rises from the random-made chair.

Now, we should just join the group. We have no time, I’ll explain on the way.

Parkad moves ahead of us and enters the ruined street which the collapsed buildings have made a ceiling over it. Jonadin asks me to follow him with his hand signal. He reaches Parkad and takes step by him. I just follow them from behind.

It is cooler under the shadow and a soft breeze is blowing now. With the beginning of the wind blowing, houses again are howling. Sands are floating in the air. A small whirlwind passes in front us off and on, and once in a while collapsing a part of the buildings catches our eyes. Both of them move on cautiously and monitor around carefully. Time passes in silent until we reach the end of the street and then Parkad stops and says:

Where did you see the red group?

He hide himself in a dent in the wall and peeps around through a hole on the wall. Jonadin reaches a burnt lorry off the street and looks around through its load grate, and I hide myself behind a ruined wall.

Near the main building. They didn’t bother to hide themselves.

Maybe they arrived recently. As Zairas and Saidan said, the blue group heard from the red group newly. Yet we are on red alert. We have to act in time and prudently, nevertheless it remains just that way…let’s go, nobody is there.

Jonadin shakes his head to confirm and we move again. We cross the street and enter the metro station which is along with the street. The escalators have been slept since many years ago, the tiles of the walls are unstuck and have covered the stairs along with the collapsed ceiling. All of the fluorescent tubes on the ceiling are broken and their wires are hung from them. The inner space has a strange color and looks like a clothes which have been left under the sunshine for a long time. Unlike the town atmosphere, it doesn’t make me a good feeling, although some color can be seen here.

We go down the stairs slowly. The sound of breaking tiles under our feet echoes through the building. The side stairs is cleaner to some extent. As we go down, the light from the back reveals something strange in front us. A small door is in the middle and a wall of bars, tires, wires, iron beams, is made around it to prevent others from entering, and also to be a support for the door. The empty space between them is so small that only a hand can pass through it. This is just like a trench with barbed wires around it, but its door is open.

Parkad enters before us. This time Jonadin waits for me to enter first, then he gets in. I expect to see nowhere but here is light. The broken windows on the ceiling toward the sky and also the holes on the right side wall, make here bright.

As I guessed, here also has suffered changes caused by humans. The waiting hall of the station are partitioned and made some rooms, and an oven can be seen in each. There are some empty cans everywhere, some old chairs and tables, the picture frames on the walls, some threadbare and dusty cloth and rugs, kettles, and broken dishes. In some rooms there are also wardrobe and bedding.

In addition to soil, cement and plaster, cloth and nylon are also used in the track of the walls. Some of them are arranged acock. Some ruined and some are left halfway. These are the rooms in which the refugees were living, and now dust has replaced them and is the permanent resident of these rooms. The wind also visits here once in a while.

Sand has covered everywhere like the snow and in some parts has made some high and low hills. Like the path which is made by frequent passing of the cars, there is a narrow way caused by passing people, but is less visible; wind has cleaned its track.

Parkad and Jonadin pass by them inattentively and reach the railroads and wagons through the path in the sands. Wagons have been changed into a residential region. All of the windows are covered by some pieces of wood and iron. The barrels are unfolded and used as doors of the wagons. Although the railroads are intact,