Chapter 2

[elstrom99]

The leader of the youths led him along the expanse for several hundred yards, then turned into a side alley.  All the while he could hear the beast chasing them getting closer and closer.  Several turns later, they ducked through a doorway and the youth slammed a door behind them.  
 

Tamarken leaned back against the all with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

“No stopping plainster.  We’re not safe yet.”  To accentuate his comment he heard the breathing of the beast on the other side of the door, coupled with loud screeches and the scrabbling of claws on the door.  “If we stay here, he’ll stay until he can get through.”

“Can he get through?”

“If he tries long enough.  We aren’t going to give him a chance.  It’s not far.  And we don’t have to run.”  The youth set off again, and squaring his shoulders, Tamarken followed.

They wandered through several corridors, then stopped at another door.  The youth nodded at one of the boys who slipped through another room off to the side.  A few moments later, the door in front of them opened and the boy stepped in.  “It’s clear.  At least I don’t hear nothin’.”
 

They all set out down another broad expanse past buildings that were slightly less damaged than those on the outskirts of the town.  Tamarken counted doors as he went, at the twelfth door, the leader opened a door and entered.  There were stairs in front of them, and they climbed up.  Tamarken had never seen stairs before, but it didn't take too much effort to figure out they were a means of going higher.  After passing three more doors, they opened the fourth, then stepped through to a long hallway.  Several doors down, the leader tapped quietly, waiting with his ear to the door.  A few moments later he nodded as the door opened an the troop entered.  

Tamarken was only slightly startled when the door shut behind him.
 

“We’re here, now.  You can throw your stuff there in the corner and have a seat.”
 

Tamarken did as was suggested, but squatted against the wall instead of sitting directly on the floor .   Three of the boys who’d been with them sat as well, but the leader disappeared into a side room.  He heard some mumbling and an affirmative, before the youth returned.
 

“I’m Rasha.  These are my mates Sahrn, Thresh and Squint.”
 

“You their leader?  How many other people are here?”
 

“No leader here, really.  But I guess I do tend to take charge.  No one’s stopped me yet.  You know us.  Or do you want to be known as Plainster?”
 

“Ah.  Sorry.  I’m Tamarken.  You can call me that or plainster… whichever you prefer.  Where’s the rest of your tribe?”  At the blank looks on the boys faces he tried again.  “The rest of your group, your family?”
 

“This is it, Ta… Tamarken?  Tamarken.  There’s no tribe, no family.  Except us.  Six people living here in hell.”
 

Tamarken was confused and it showed clearly on his face as he looked from boy to boy.  “No body else?”
 

“No.  At least we don’t think so.  I mean, there used to be a bunch of us.  Our parents, some grankas.  A few other oldsters.  I remember when we used up almost an entire building.  Then the sickness came  And they started dying.  The oldsters and grankas first.  Then a bunch of other kids.  When it was over, I thought that was the end of it.  Six of us boys, a girl - Satar, my pa and two other men, and Sahrn’s mada.”
 

“But it wasn’t over?” 
 

“Well, it was… no more sicktimes.  Then the booms and the ash.  The three men took off to see what happened.  They never came back.”
 

“What happened to Sahrn’s mada?  Is she here, somewhere?”
 

“Nah.  Satar left a door open.  A beasty came.  Got Satar and the mada.”
 

“I’m sorry.  The booms.  That was months ago.  When did you lose the women folk?”
 

“Lost track of time.  Been a long time though.  Days blend in and out, especially with no sun.  I guess maybe three months.  Maybe more.  Maybe less.”
 

“Where’s your clothes?  Don’ you get cold?  Or shamed?”
 

“Oh, we were plenty shamed at first.  We’re used to it now.  When the beasty came for mada and Satar we were all in bed.  We heard the shrieks, the screams.  We ran.  Left our clothes behind.  Can’t go back.”
 

“And no way to get more.  So you survive here on your own?  Food?  Water?”
 

“There’s water here.  No food.  We kill small beasties from time to time.  Babies, or non killers.”
 

“Who’s back there?” Tamarken nodded at the room that Rasha had gone into.  “The one you talked to?  Is that who closed the door, too?”
 

“Nope.  Soren closed the door.  He’s on watch.  Back there is Walkr.  He’s hurt.  Tell us about you, Tamarken.  And your plains people.”
 

“Not much to say.  We’re a fairly big group, nearly fifty of us.  I’m on huntquest.  Or, I was until I came into this place of ancients.  I’ll have to go back and confess, now.”
 

“Why’s that?  What’s to confess?  And what’s a huntquest anyhow?”
 

Tamarken relaxed then, sank to his bottom and stretched out his legs in front of him. 
 

“I’ll answer.  But first, you got anything to eat?”
 

Rasha looked at the other boys, then at the ground.  “Sorry.  No.  Haven’t eaten in three days.”
 

“I thought as much.  Here.  I have some food.  Not much, but perhaps enough to help a little.”  He reached into his bag and pulled out several chunks of dried meat, then handed them to the boys.  Rasha took three, then disappeared.  Tamarken heard him in the back room, the one where the injured boy was.  A few minutes later, he heard Rasha at the door, talking to Soren.  He returned shortly and sat; it wasn’t until he took a bite that the other boys bit into their own jerky.
 

“Ijah.  I said I am on huntquest.  Among our people, when we reach sixteen years, we go on a two month huntquest.  If we are successful, we come back as men, with a new name and game for the people.  During the first part of the quest, we identify our guides, the ones among the beasts that will help us throughout life.  I’ve identified my guide, the anckat.  It lead me here.  But that’s the problem.  It is against the laws of our people to enter the place of the ancients.  I will have to go back, now.  Back to my father and the eldest and tell them I came here, that I followed my guide right into the one place I was not supposed to go.  I’ll tell them, also, that as soon as I got here, and realized where I was, I turned to leave but realized I was being stalked.  I’ll tell them everything.  Maybe they’ll let me redo the quest.”
 

“If they do not?  What then?”
 

“Truthfully, I tell you I do not know.  No one has ever done this before.  At least not from my tribe.”
 

“Ooww!” The cry came from where Rasha had spoken to the injured boy.  Rasha rose to his feet to go and Tamarken rose, as well.
 

“Would you like me to check on him with you?  I have some training in injuries.”
 

Rasha looked conflicted for a moment then shrugged and gestured for him to follow.  Passing through the door, and then another one, Tamarken saw the injured boy on the floor in a corner.  There was not much light entering the room, but immediately his nose alerted him to the problem.
 

“He was cut?”

“Ya.”

“It has taken fire and rots.  Did you wash it?”

“Wash it?  We’ve tried to make him comfortable, but this is the best we can do.  But no, no washing it.”

“That is bad.  And the rot is bad. I’m surprised the beasties haven’t tracked you down by the smell.”

“You said you could help.”

“I can, maybe.  A little.”  Tamarken dug into his bag, and rummaged a bit.  Pulling a wrapped satchel from its depths, he carefully opened it. 
“Look I can barely see this wound.  Can we get more light in here?  A fire?”
 

“We can’t start fires.  Never learned before the old ones left us.  And nothing here to burn.”

“I’ll do what I can.  We’ll have to try again in the morning when the sun is up.”  With that Tamarken wrapped the wound as best he could, covering it first with the healing powder his mother had given him.  “Can we carry him into the other room with the rest of us? I want to have him close.”

Rasha nodded and reached for the boy’s shoulders to drag him. 

“Wait, I’ll carry him.”