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

some wagons have derailed. When I pass by a wagon which one of its window is open, I find out that all of appurtenance are detached and ejected and it is turned into a house. Most of the furniture which is needed for a house, can be seen here. Between the wagons and the walls there are still some ropes which were used for drying the clothes.

Parkad and jonadin take steps on the rails and move ahead along the tunnel and near the wagons. Although the wagons line still continues, wagon-houses are just in the waiting hall, and as we proceed they disappear from our sight.

You said that we have only one way? What’s that?

Parkad looks at Jonadin and after a pause says:

In case of the entrance isn’t blocked, two of us should enter and get the fire out. The rest of the group would wait for interfere if any problem appears. Of course it’s just my view and depends on the conditions.

And if it’s blocked?

Our plan may change but then it would be too hard for us. These two groups hung around here so they smelled that the fire should be somewhere around here.

Do we need inform thunderbolt-2 or another group? This way we may do our work easier and more confidently.

No, time doesn’t allow this and most importantly, few persons make few difficulties. We should only act correctly and planned.

Then he looks at me as if he has a definite intention:

Their large number is just because they don’t know the exact place of the fire. They’ve a little time to find it. We have an ace for the nonce, that is, we know where it is and…

All of a sudden Parkad reaches his hand to his waist and brings his wireless set from under his raincoat.

Hey parkad, we are now in the position, where’re you?

In the metro station. I found Jonadin. We’ll be there by ten minutes. Where’s Kidaton?

Just a minute!

The sound cuts off for a short time, and then Nabidak says:

He’s here too.

How’s things going on?

Again, the sound cuts off for a short time.

As I see from here, the metro is completely safe. Nobody is about there. But here, the blue soldiers are innumerable. The subsided land attracted them too much. All is for that damned building which is betrayed.

What about the reds?

No, they still hide themselves. Just the blue group have imposed the martial law and do whatever they wish. It’s not important for them to be seen and they’re searching severely. Kidaton said that when he was coming here, the blue soldiers were searching the north side of the subsided region. They’re likely to reach here by evening, if they wouldn’t change their plan, and then, they’ll find the way to get in.

Saying this words, all of us go pale. I, who don’t know anything about these events, feel quite overcome by fear.

Look, as you’re in metro station and the subsidence has occurred exactly near you, I think you can find the entrance easier than us.

Now I find out the origins of lights which come from the right side wall; there are so many holes across the metro which allow the light comes inside. All of a sudden, Parkad runs the rest of the way until he reaches the part in which half of the metro is ruined along with the subsidence. Its height is the same as for the tunnel, and its length is almost three meters.

He goes on to the edge of the hole and looks at inside. Jonadin joins him, and I approach there slowly and stop at a distance of one step from them. Although my eyes got used to the light, it still annoys them. I close and press my eyelids, then after several winking, look outside. Suddenly I feel overcome by fear and my knees sag. It gives me vertigo and my eyes go black. I go back two steps involuntary and lean on the wall. Although I kept distance from there, I can see the view of the other side clearly. There are so many pipes and sewage canals on the wall of the hole. Some iron beams also emerged from the walls.

I overcome my fear and go closer. The height of the hole is about forty meters with a radius of one hundred meters. It is really huge. Again I feel emptiness and I have to put my hand on parkad’s shoulders. He pays no attention to me and still stares at the hole.

The north side of the hole is filled up to the half by debris of the collapsed buildings but the south part of the hole, in which the secret way passes through, is still empty. In addition to the collapsed buildings into the hole, the pavements of the road and some pieces of rusted metals also can be seen. My eyes begin to look for in the south side of the hole. I don’t know that is the anxiety which prevents me from seeing the things, or I really haven’t seen it. I decide to begin searching again but Parkad and Jonadin make it easy for me. I follow their view direction until I see a black squarish spot on the wall of the hole.

Damn! It’s completely visible. I wonder why they haven’t seen it yet.

Jonadin confirms him and says:

Nabidak is right, they’ll find it by evening.

Parkad replace his wireless set under his waistband and says:

We should go.

He takes his steps fast and move ahead nonstop. I feel that my soul returns to my body again, since I get away from the horrible hole. I go on the rest of the way in silence until we reach the place the ceiling has collapsed and has made an upward stairway. Parkad go up through it immediately, but takes care at the end of it and before he passes the last step, looks around carefully. Then he signals us with his hand to go up. Jonadin asks me to go first. I go up the stairs with the help of my hands and stand by Parkad. He is looking around like an eagle. His eyes moves fast from one building to another one:

We should reach that building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 20

 

 

The encounter

 

 

 

 

He points at a three-story building which is at a distance of about ten meters from the hole. From here which we standing on, there is no much distance to there, in less than five minutes we would reach that point. I pass this distance in silence. The more we become close to that building, the more visible becomes the secret entrance. No part of the wall of the hole is slop but this part which has a gradient of fifty degrees and can be seen from everywhere; just like a crosscut of a watermelon. Its surface can be seen from each side. We stop at the building with Parkad’s hand signal. He looks around and then takes out his wireless:

Nabidak, we are in the ground in front of the building. Come soon.

As the footstep is heard from the other side, Nabidak says:

We’re coming.

We enter the building with other sign of Parkad’s hand and stop at the entrance door. He finds a place and sits on. Jonadin leans on the wall, and I just stay somewhere near the door.

There is a counter in the right side of entrance which still can be seen the written word “Information” on a signboard above it. Half of the counter is burnt and there is nothing behind it. There are so many shops inside the building which all of their showcases are broken and all of the goods inside them are stolen. Maybe one says it in other words, that is, people seized the goods because they were waifs.

Now the footsteps of two people is heard who are coming down. The sound is heard from the stairs at the end of the hall. A sound of dragging leg on the ground also can be heard from the outside. It can be guessed easily that who they are.

Finally, the sounds come so close that Nabidak and Vorarin from the end of the hall, and Kidaton from the entrance door appear at the same time. Kidaton stands near me without saying any word. Approaching these two, Nabidak’s face assumes an air of anxious. Seeing me, Vorarin’s face muscles begin to shake and, although he doesn’t smile, I can see the happiness in his face. When Nabidak stops, Vorarin stands near him and looks at the new member, Jonadin.

What’s your decision, Parkad?

Nabidak gets down to the brass stack.

We have no choice but getting the fire out.

Is there any necessity for getting it out now? If you were intended to bury it under the sands, there was a better way to do it. You should just told me, then I would set there in fire and everything was destroyed. Still now we can do it and be rid of it forever.

Jonadin says this straightaway and without any anxiety. I, although not knowing about the fire, agree with him too; that is, as they haven’t ever care about getting out the fire from here, now, again they can ignore doing this easily. All, except for me and Vorarin, look at Jonadin strangely, as if he has done something wrong.

What then? What’s in it that made it so important?

Kidaton moves his eyebrow toward him and says to Parkad:

Didn’t you tell Jonadin about it yet?

Parkad rubs his face and says:

It doesn’t matter now. We’ll tell him later. Jonadin, you know down there well, don’t you?

Jonadin laughs and says:

You know, I’m living here for six months, if I’m not wrong! I didn’t leave there even a day.

Parkad, sank in his thoughts, says:

Good enough!

Nabidak frowns and narrows his eyes:

What’s your plan, Parkad?

We haven’t time more than by this evening, that is, less than six hours. We can’t take any risk. Our biggest problem is the land subsidence, which if it didn’t happen, we wouldn’t have these problems. This event made a big problem for us. As the entrance become visible, our problems began, unless we had about one week and we could get the fire out from here without any problem and easily.

Everyone listens to him carefully.

We have to send two guys down there to get it out.

Then he looks at all and asks in wonder:

Where’re Saiden and Brasen?

Kidaton says:

They’ll come. Well, one of those two guys is Jonadin and who’s the next?

Although he doesn’t look at no one, his tone shows he is asking all of us. Nabidak and Jonadin both look at Kidaton, but Parkad just stares at his opposite wall.

Are you sure, Parkad?

It seems that Nabidak is still in doubt. Parkad shakes his head decisively and says:

Yeah.

Well. We’re ready. What should we do with this situation?

Finally, Parkad averts his eyes from the wall and, while looks at the faces of all members of the group, says:

Six of us should stay outside to be help in case of need. Two other should go down there to bring the fire. As Kidaton said, one of them is Jonadin.

Jonadin makes no objection and just waits for the rest of Parkad’s words.

I’ll go with him.

Kidaton says this decisively as he leaned on the wall and folded his arms.

No, we need you, Kidaton. If we weren’t constrained, I wouldn’t send Jonadin there too. Whoever goes down there, can’t do anything. He would be just like a soldier without gun. Those two who go down, just should bring the fire out. Those who stay outside are the key persons.

My body trembles with the look which Parkad darts at me and Vorarin.

We need the experienced and strong persons and we can’t lose one by sending him down there. The one who goes down with Jonadin, should help him. All of the group members can help Jonadin and this isn’t a hard work.

I realize his purpose completely. Vorarin is shocked too and looks at me dumbstruck.

Zairas will go down with Jonadin.

It is near I open my mouth and say “why me?” but