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

chairs and furniture are seen. But a very big luster still hangs from the ceiling. Just the door and the windows has made here like a building unless it is rather like a niches.

In the front are two doors at the end of the building where those two soldiers are guarding. As we approach, one of them who is sitting on the floor, rises and along with the other one comes toward us.

Throw him where his friend is.

The soldier who takes me over, says:

Move along!

We go toward the right door, it opens and I am pushed in. At first, I think there is dark but the light is as other parts of the building. All of a sudden I see Vorarin who rises from the floor and approaches me. His vision is sand-blind and his face is loose. As I look at him, he lowers his head and looks at other point.

I’m really sorry. I did my best but I didn’t think things go this way. They showed up suddenly. I tried to get away but they caught me.

It doesn’t matter anymore. We should think of get away.

He lifts his head and looks me in the eyes, and says with regret and sympathy:

If we stayed together, we’d be caught.

It doesn’t matter. I said forget it. We should find a way to get out.

I go toward him and ask him whispering:

Where’s the fire?

He reaches out his hand to his coat to take it out but I hold his hand in midway and say slowly:

No, keep it by yourself

He looks at me with wide open eyes but obeys me without question.

Well, what do you want to do now? Any plan?

I shake my head and while I try keep cool, say:

We should wait.

I feel this plan is slightly problematic. Something unexpected has happened which is unknown to me. A bad feeling trembles each single cell of my body.

Wait for what?

I shrug my shoulders foolishly and say:

I don’t know…maybe for an event…I don’t know, we should wait.

One of his eyebrows is lifted and he looks at me in wonder.

Is there any hole?

I checked the room, there’s no way out. Although the wall is a rather thin, I don’t think we could use it. There’s a big hole on the wall but…

Where?

He shakes his head hopelessly and says:

Unfortunately it’s out of the room on the left side, but they have covered it with a piece of debris.

I shake my head to confirm and I say:

Yeah I saw there.

Time passes in silence for a while until he says:

What’re you thinking about?

Nothing!

You’re so cool! I can’t realize at all what do you want to do. Would you tell me something about your plan? I’m getting mad!

I try to elude replying:

Be quiet! They may hear us.

I go toward the door and look for a hole. I find one easily. Two soldiers are still sitting there and talk to each other. The last orange rays of sunshine are fading away and now the reflection of the fire can be seen on the wall. The shadows of the soldiers come along with the fire and are drawn with trembling flames on the wall.

As far as I can see everything is the same as before. All of a sudden door opens and a soldier, while carries a rather big box, goes toward the same man who is the chief in the case of Baltin absence. He disappears behind a wall and I can’t see them anymore.

Before I stop watching, suddenly my eyes meet the first floor. The ground and the first floor have not any ceiling! Now our work has become harder than we guessed.

What happened?

Anxiety has changed his face completely.

I don’t know what happened.

All of a sudden the sound of an explosion and collapsing buildings are heard. Then the earth quakes and makes all the people aghast. With this blasting sound there wouldn’t be any way to return and we should only trust in God. I go quickly to the hole on the door to check the situation.

What happened? What’s going on?

His voice trills clearly. I try to calm him without I turn to him:

Nothing, just be calm. We should wait.

Vorarin groans:

What do you mean?

I say persistently:

Just be quiet and calm and listen to me, do whatever I say.

As I guessed, the event caused a commotion in the soldiers. All the red soldiers are standing cautiously and up in arms.

What’s that?

Hey what’s going on? What happened?

One soldier who I can’t see him, says:

It’s not clear but I can see so much dust in the air. It seems a building is exploded.

Their chief comes one step ahead.

Go and see what happened. In case of any danger, call us. One of you also go with them. And you! Keep them company.

One of two soldiers who are guarding in front of the door, joins those three soldiers quickly. The other soldiers jump down from the first floor and before they exit, lower their head in sign of salute and then get out.

Vorarin loses his patience and while he groans, says:

Hey, would you tell me what’s going on here or not?

I see a soldier who comes toward us.

Move away from the door, Vorarin!

I also go aside with Vorarin and sit on the floor. It takes more time than I guess until I hear the door flies open. I sign Vorarin with my hand to stay there. Then I go to the door half-raised. The door stands ajar and no one enters. I look outside through the hole to be sure.

There is no sign of the soldier who stood guard here, and also of the soldier who was coming here. The number of soldiers is reduced to four. Two of them are in the ground floor and two other in the first floor. I call Vorarin with my hand to come near me:

Follow me with no question!

He shakes his head. I open the door slowly but I can’t prevent the creaky sound of the door. I move my hand slower to reduce the sound. With each creaking of the door, I gnash more tightly insomuch my jaws ache.

I open the door so that we can exit and I step out of the room. I see the shadow of a soldier in the ground floor who is guarding near the fire, but there is no sign of the second one.

There is no way to return anymore. I wish I had not any heart in my breast. This way that it beats in my breast, makes a sound which causes all notice us. Luckily, Vorarin is behind me and he can’t see my face. I gulp my saliva and take another step.

Six steps to escape or two steps to take risk! I don’t know which way I should choose. Now that the way of escape is in front of me, freedom has closed my eyes. I am overcome by temptation to take the next step but suddenly the spell is broken and it brings me to reason. So I take two risky steps and reach the next room.

Leave the door completely open and come in the room with me.

Vorarin winces to show me his opposition and roars:

What’re you saying? We can get away from here now!

I control myself hardly and say:

I said listen to my words. Hurry up, come with me.

Suddenly the shadow on the wall stops moving and reaches out his hand to his gun. I jump into the room and when Vorarin sees this, he also dives into the room. I close the door quickly but quietly and keep away from it. I seek refuge in a corner along with Vorarin, keep close to the wall and hide ourselves in the dark.

I hear a footstep. He takes step almost fast and I hear the sound of his gun which he replaces in his hands. Vorarin bites his lower lip and his face is tensed. As far as I hear he takes step toward us. Maybe he has heard my heartbeat! The foot step stops a few meters away from the door and a shout is heard:

They got away!

I heard the second footstep which after passing a distance in running, stops near the first soldier and asks in wonder or out of fear:

How did they escape?

I don’t know but they’re not in the room.

All of a sudden I feel that my stomach crumples up. I gnash my teeth and stare at the door.

We must go for them. We shouldn’t lose them so easily. I don’t think they’ve gone away from here.

Their chief says out of disability:

We should find them. We shouldn’t lose them. Do whatever you can to find them.

Then he shouts:

You two, come down from there!

All of a sudden the earth quakes and then those two soldiers say together:

We’re ready!

You take these two and with all the guards go and find them. Just find them!

Hurry up! Let’s go.

I go to the door to be sure. I check the situation through the hole on the door; nobody is there in the building. Then I signal quietly Vorarin, who is still near the wall, to come toward me. His face clearly shows that he is still in consternation.

We should get out of here before they return.

I open the door and we go toward the hole on the wall. The light of the fire is so weak that just can move the darkness away once in a while. Now we can get out of here with no trouble.

I sit on the ground to kick the debris, which has blocked the hole, more easily. I bend my leg to beat the wall with all force that Vorarin voice stops me:

Come, take this from me. It’s a heavy responsibility. I don’t want to get the jitters anymore.

I am afraid of taking it too, as if I have a grenade in my hand. I take the “fire” from him with a blink and thanks him, then put it on a pocket behind my neck. I hit the first beat with all force. The wall trembles a little and the blocked part slightly moves. Luckily this makes less sound. I give the wall the second hit and the blocked part heels.

Eventually the blocked part falls like a cut tree by the pressure of Vorarin’s hands at a 30-degree angle. A hole within an almost one meter radius and one meter from the ground appears in front us.

You go first.

He lies on the ground without any resist and passes through the hole and I do the same as he did. Suddenly I see a red soldier who held his gun toward Vorarin.

Sit down on your knees quickly! Damn you! Didn’t hear what I said?

Suddenly a shout is heard from behind:

Catch them! Don’t let them get away! Come, they’re here.

I see him running. I look at those two soldiers dumbfounded and in disbelief. My body is stiffed. My eyes just move on those three soldiers. All of a sudden Vorarin blinks at me and jump on the first soldier who held his gun toward him:

Get away!

I take step immediately. It seems I am a marionette in the hands of the puppeteer. I can’t do anything for Vorarin. I take my steps fast and long. I get away in opposite direction of the soldiers, to the end of the building. I should go far from here as much as I can. I run to the buildings which surrounded the main building like the wall. I hear a soldier asks help from two other soldiers to follow me.

They run fast, one can say they run double a common person. So they reach me sooner than I thought. I should enter the desolated buildings to get away from them.

Suddenly a cloud of dust rises in the air in front of me. I turn my head to check the situation. Those three soldiers are shooting toward me. I am just ten meters away to get out of open space and enter the ruins.

I try to swerve while I am running to bewilder them. Eventually I reach a building