The Frozen Desert by Moein Mansoori Fard (early reader chapter books txt) 📖

I come to myself and I don’t say anything. It seems that all are satisfied with this decision and say nothing. I have to enter that hole. I feel a sucker set in my stomach and its power is set on maximum. The thought of I should go five meters down into the hole to reach the entrance of the secret way, makes me gulp my saliva repeatedly. The last night event enforces this fear and stings the scars left from that event.

Well, where should we be positioned?

Parkad replies Kidaton:

In the main building.

Parkad rises and goes toward a hole on the left side of the entrance door and stares at outside. Nabidak, as watches Parkad’s going, says:

Well, who’ll stay here? We can’t leave here all together.

We’ll burst here.

All of us look at Parkad and then we look at each other.

What do you mean? This way we block the bolt hole for Zairas and Jonadin and the blast would informs the others.

Parkad still looks outside as if he searches for something.

Nabidak, I still wonder why they haven’t found here yet, or maybe they’ll find here later. The probability finding here is ninety percent.

Imagine, when we are in main building and one group finds here, then there would be no way to get out and both Jonadin and Zairas would stuck.

We can wait for them here, but no, we can’t risk. They may be many in number.

Kidaton, while relocates the sands with his foot, says:

How do you want to burst the entrance?

Jonadin puts his knapsack on the ground and brings out two palm size black boxes and as he shows them to others, says:

Don’t worry, when I was gathering my outfits, I took these too. If you need any martial things, just tell me.

Parkad still looks outside and stares at a point momentarily. Nabidak looks him suspeciuosly. In my opinion, too, Parkad doesn’t behave as usual.

All hide away!

All of a sudden, each of us searches and finds somewhere to hide, like the raided sheep. All hide ourselves behind the pillars or the walls. I take one step backward and get into a dent in the wall. There is no partitive rib on the wall in my left side and just the right side wall hides me from the entrance view. I can see Parkad easily, as he bent under a hole, keeps himself close to the wall and is silent. Jonadin hid behind the entrance door, Kidaton behind the counter, and Vorarin in the shop. But I can’t see Nabidak.

Then I hear the footsteps of three persons who are approaching the building from behind. They seem to be talking to each other but I hear them unclearly. The sound of their footsteps shows that they take step a rather slowly. As it seems, they pass by the hole in which Parkad hid, and go toward the entrance door.

Hush! Nobody move!

I realize that Nabidak hid himself behind a pillar, near Vorarin.

No…that’s right…yes… yes sir…

As they come closer, their voices become clearer. I see Parkad’s hand taking the gun off his back and releases the safety lock. I press my gun in my hand.

The land has subsided here, if there was anything here now it should be destroyed.

Mr. Lasfor is right, sir.

The third one who seems to be their chief, says calmly:

 

Keep your eyes open for every move around.

The first voice, Lasfor, says persistently:

We already searched here but we found nothing. Now that it has subsided so it can’t be here. We’d better don’t waste time here.

It’s true that we didn’t find anything here, but now subsiding the land we may find something.

Then I hear just one footstep still walking. It seems the two other are standing:

What do you mean, Baltin?

From the footstep I find out their chief, Baltin, stops and says:

We’re horsing around. It’s true their plan is revealed but they tried to pull our legs by the word “Hotel”.

You mean all was false? There’s no hotel at all?

Lasfor’s voice shows he is slightly shocked at this news.

No, the hotel exists.

Why don’t you speak clearly?

Baltin sneers and says:

The word hotel is just a word to attract all’s attention; but you should get in from somewhere else. This way all look for the hotel and no one can’t find there.

Lasfor, as his tone shows that he doesn’t agree with him, says:

How do you know the hotel is here?

Baltin again sneers and says:

Since there is nowhere in this town that three hotels be in a line, and if you add an office building to the top of this line, there would be the figure of a flower.

Who said that?

Baltin pays no attention to Lasfor’s question and says:

We should search for the secret way.

 

The third soldier who kept silent heretofore, says:

But the blue soldiers are checking the region. They might have found there by now.

Baltin again with the same calmness and self-confidence says:

Maybe, but they’re searching just for a hotel, and not for a secret underground way. By the way, they are searching in the north side, while the secret way should be in the south part. They don’t know about the secret way and are searching just for sure. Maybe they reach here by chance.

Lasfor says hesitatively:

Well, if this secret way exists and we’ll find it, then what can we do threesome?

In case of we find there, we’ll inform our group but we’ll act according to the plan I already devised.

What plan?

Baltin, who seems plagued by so many questions, his voice assumes an air of serious:

It’s enough!

The sound of a deep breath is heard and then the owner of the voice, that is Lasfor, says:

Yes sir, where should we begin?

From here, in front of this building.

Hearing this, all of my hair stand on end. They will find there just by first look. Those three soldier move on and all of a sudden Parkad gets out quickly through the door and goes toward them. kidaton changes his place and stands opposite of the Jonadin, in the other side of the door. I get out of the dent too. Vorarin comes to me but he is silent and seems is waiting for the happenings in outside. Parkad, as he gets out through the door, moves on slowly. Suddenly those three footsteps cut off and I hear the chink and clang sound of their equipment, and their guns which seem they aimed at him.

I find a small hole on the wall which through it I can see Parkad and also those three soldiers. He is standing in front of them armless. They dressed in red uniforms and, like the blue group, have masks on their faces. The one who is in the right side, lowers his gun and says:

Where’re the rest of your group?

From his voice I find out he is Baltin. Although he lowers his gun, he doesn’t sheathe it. The two other soldier still aim at Parkad, without even move their guns a little.

What’re you doing here?

He shrugs his shoulders:

What do you think?

Parkad lifts one of his eyebrows and while narrows his other eye, says:

Do you forget you underwrote some papers?

Baltin gives a sneer and says:

Did we contrary to those papers? Did my people anything wrong?

Your people are dying of hunger.

This isn’t my will.

You were supposed to make a camp for help.

My people can cope with their problems.

All of a sudden, I see baltin who turns to the secret entrance. His eyes can’t be seen under his mask. He, again, turns his head to Parkad. Although the secret way is hidden from his point of view, Parkad’s presence probably made him a rather suspicious.

When their chief can’t cope with his people, we can’t expect they could.

Their chief is trying to do better jobs.

Parkad frowns:

Hide-and-seek game?

Baltin utters a derisive laugh:

It worths playing. Maybe I can say “I see you” before the others.

Be ready, boys. We should interfere. Keep your eyes on me. When I told you, Jonadin and Zairas would go toward Parkad through the entrance door. Vorarin and kidaton would enter with me from behind.

Everyone confirms either saying “ok” or shaking heads, and waits.

Now! Go! Hurry up!

Nabidak says this slowly with a tone of bawling and makes me come to myself, so my feet guide me to the door. My feet are like the preprogrammed computers, they do their job automatically. I lift my gun to be able to aim at easily. I run toward Parkad, behind Jonadin. Nabidak, Vorarin and kidaton besiege them from behind. All of a sudden, Saidan and brasen appear from back of the wall and stand by those three. All stare at each other in silence and hold their guns toward the rivals. No one reacts. Baltin looks at all and says:

I’ll back.

Then he sheaths his gun and moves and says his people:

Let’s go.

He passes through Nabidak and Vorarin and disappears behind the building.

Chapter 21

 

 

The entrance

 

 

 

 

We should hurry up, Parkad. They’ll return.

I can find out the depth of Nabidak’s anxiety. It is enough they back with more people, then we will lose both our life and the fire.

Zairas, Jonadin! Be ready.

We go to the top of the secret entrance and hang around there. Saidan comes to me and says:

What’s happened? Where should you go?

I point at the secret way and, while I try to hide my anguish, say:

We have to enter the secret way by rope.

Parkad! I’ll go down instead of Zairas.

I become so happy with saidan’s suggestion. Height, explosion and gunshot tremble me. Parkad decisively says:

No Saidan! We need you here. No, you can’t. Hey Saidan…no you Kidaton! Go around and stand guard. Just be around here. We’ll inform you if we need help.

Soon after Parkad finishes his word, Kidaton, without gives him the positive answer, disappears behind the building as quick as a flash. Saidan puts his hand on my shoulder regretly and says:

 

I’m sorry, we should obey peremptorily whatever Parkad says. Don’t worry, I’ll have your back from here.

I smile and wink at him:

Don’t worry, I’ll cope it. I should talk with you about Mansidan.

All of a sudden Saidan becomes pale, gulp his saliva and says:

I…

His word is cut off.

Parkad says to jonadin:

You should go down, but there’s a problem. We didn’t know the land has subsided here. Hence, we haven’t any tool. Do you have something come in handy?

He replies sneering:

When I was leaving here I gathered and brought them along.

Then he puts his knapsack on the ground and search into it.

What should be used for explosion?

The tone of Nabidak’s voice shows that it has come to his mind suddenly. I tell Saidan:

Have you heard anything about him? I must meet him.

Saidan lowers his head and says calmly:

Is Raya unwell?

As I open my mouth, Saidan becomes compel to keep distance from me, by Parkad’s hand sign. Jonadin says:

Don’t worry, it would be solved.

Then he brings two black palm size box out of his knapsack and put them on the floor. There is a small monitor and a red light on each box. Then he removes a looped rope from the back of the knapsack and place it beside the boxes. Evidently his knapsack is full of the odds and ends.

I’m afraid I haven’t more than a loop of rope.

He shakes his head in sign of regret. All of a sudden I remember my rope, but I regret more than Jonadin because I have lost my rope in that damned fall. Then I remember the yellow snake-like rope and I say:

Where’s your rope, Vorarin?

Vorarin, who seems shocked, like a robot which suddenly runs after a long time silence, puts his knapsack on the ground and says:

Yeah, you are right, I’d forgotten it.

Then he searches and finds the rope on the back of his knapsack, under the blanket, and place it on the floor beside Jonadin’s rope.

Well, it’s enough. We can start.

But Parkad gives no reaction, he is like a statue.

Nabidak! I must talk with you.

All of a sudden all guys look at Parkad with wide open eyes. Vorarin comes to me and with a doubtful tone says:

What happened?

Saidan also looks at me in wonder