Shane ~ Ashes in the Wind (c) Arrow De La Vega Finally, a new Shane post!! Check out the awesomeness!! (Incidentally, awesomeness is a word...how odd??) ****************************************** “Danny, you’re starting to sound like Watson.” Will rolled over onto his back and opened his worn satchel, “We’re tunneling in.” He pulled out a two piece trowel and screwed the handle into the blade. “What?” Steven looked over at him abruptly. He pushed his black cap back on his blond head, “I hate to tell you this, Will, but none of us are gofers. I think it might put a dash in your plan.” “Also.” one hand shot into the air and Danny peeped over the heads between them, “That’s a really small shove, Will.” “There’s already a tunnel.” Will handed the trowel off to Liz and slithered over the dune top on his belly, sledding down the long dune toward the flatlands below. “Oh.” Steven glanced up at the dark walled city in front of them and shrugged, “Well that makes more sense.” Liz stared blankly at the trowel in her hand. She stuck it towards Eddy and took off down the dune after Will. Eddy looked down at the trowel in the sand between his arms and shook his head, handing it over to Steven and sledding after his siblings. Steven eyed the trowel, glanced up at the city in front of them, and tossed it toward Danny. He slid after the Shanes. Danny caught the trowel in both hands. He paused, dug it into the sand, flung the glittering golden scoop over his shoulder followed by the trowel, and slithered after the others, “Lousily little shovel anyway…” tttiinnnkkk tttiiiinnnkkk ccchhhiiinnnkk Vic lifted the butt of her knife from the last stake and slipped it into her belt, standing as Cody joined her. He stared, “What have you done to my shirts!?” The dismay echoed in his voice as he threw his arms wide, “My precious shirts?!” “Relax.” Vic patted his stomach, “They make a great tent.” “But…but…” Cody stuttered as Vic ducked down and slipped into the makeshift tent, “My shirts…??” Her head poked out, bronze of her turban reflecting metallic in the sunlight, “By the way, did you hobble the camels?” Cody looked down at her, “What’s a hobble?” “Question answered.” Vic pulled herself out of the tent, “Ok, don’t go anywhere, right?” she ordered, striding off toward the herd in the near distance. Cody glanced after her forlornly, “But my shirts….” The desert was not flat between the dunes and Ashtak. It was littered with great boulders of the same golden hue as the burning sand. The jutted up, twisting and thrusting from the hard sand like giant withered fingers groping for an escape from some dark world below. Will lead them on a twisted, ducking, darting path between the boulders, almost too sure of his path, careful to keep a bolder thrust between them and the city’s walls at all times. The sand was hard and crunched beneath their feet. Where the shadow of the rocks lay upon it was almost cold to the touch. Where the sun glared down it burned with heat. Liz caught Eddy’s arm as he stumbled and pulled him back to his feet. Will suddenly stopped ahead of them, holding up one hand and crouched, peering around the great warped bolder, his back pressed to the warm rock. “Watch yourselves.” He hissed back to them, “We’re touch and go for cover from now on.” Steven came even with Liz. Will dropped to his hands and knees and scuttled forward around the bolder. Steven leaned closer to the younger Shanes, “This is the prison camp, isn’t it?” Liz nodded without look at him. Her face was grim. “The prison camp?” Danny joined them cluttered behind the bolder, “What prison camp?” “This is Ashtak.” Liz lowered her head almost bulldoggishly, “It was built of ashes of prisoners who died here.” “By the prisoners who lived here.” Eddy added softly. A light seemed to dawn on Dannny’s face. He rocked back, hazel eyes wide, “Oh.” he breathed, “That’s why she won’t go in.” Steven’s blue eye had shifted inward. “That must have been hell.” he muttered softly. “You’d have to ask her.” Liz scuttled forward after Will, “She lived through it.” “Ahch, Cody!” Vic cocked her head to the side, “Really?” she spread her hands. “Hey!” Cody shook one finger in her direction, carefully folding the last shirt and placing it on the top of his pile, “These are my shirts, ok? They’re not tents.” Vic threw her arms wide, half exasperated, half amused, “Then what am I supposed to use for a tent, eh?” “Are you Canadian?” Cody looked up at her, one eye half closed. “I’m British. Technically the Canadians are one of us.” Vic crossed her arms, “Why?” “You say ‘Eh’ an awful lot.” “I also impersonate a man an awful lot.” Vic turned and started digging in the bags scattered around. “Doesn’t necessarily mean anything.” Cody nodded, “You need a bigger beard.” “I happen to look very fetching in a beard.” Vic laughed, pulling a kit from the bag and tossing it aside, “Did we not bring any tents?” “No.” Cody shrugged, “Isn’t that why you used my shirts?” Vic turned slowly, “Um, if you knew we didn’t have any tents, why did you take down the one I made?” Cody turned slowly, “Um, if you didn’t know we didn’t have any tents, why did you make one out of my shirts?” “They were handy.” “Down!” Will’s hissed warning came almost too late. They dropped to the dirt; the sentry’s head appeared over the wall of the dark city, scanning the desert. Liz licked her dry lips slowly, watching the man’s eyes roam over the sand beyond them. Her breath hissed on Danny’s collar as he lay still in the dapped sand beside her, half on top of Steven. Eddy was behind them, tense and waiting. His arms trembled with tension as the guard hesitated on the wall. Eddy’s blue eyes flickered up to Will ahead of them. Sand rattled under his breath as he lay on the sand half behind one of the huge boulders, straight brown hair clinging to his damp forehead, assault rifle slung across his back. The soldier turned from the desert and disappeared behind the wall. “Go!” Will hissed, pushing himself up. “That was my leg.” Steven whispered back to Danny as they hustled forward. “It’s a very nice leg.” Danny replied evenly, “But next time keep it to yourself, please.” Liz passed them, sunk low to the ground, her keen blue eyes dark. She caught up with Will as he crouched a the foot of one of the boulders, glancing left and right. “We should be close.” she whispered over his shoulder. Will’s jaw tightened. “I know.” Liz glanced at him. She pointed silently to the bolder to their left, nearer the city walls. It was shaped like an shallow cave, pointing away from the city. The dark recess of the hollow cave almost concealed the dark splotch on the floor of the desert - the opening of a tunnel. Will glanced back at her, “I would have found it eventually.” “Good for you.” Liz patted him on the back. Will motioned for the others to follow and scuttled forward. Liz jerked her head and followed him. Will reached the shallow cave and ducked into its curves, pressing himself to the back of the shallow scoop. Liz slipped beside him, Danny on his other side. Eddy dashed forward and fell plunk headfirst into the narrow tunnel. Steven grabbed his belt and hauled him out, then pressed to the every edge of the shallow cave. “Uh, Colonel, we have a problem.” Danny raised his voice slightly to be heard. “Quiet.” Steven warned, pressing back against the side of the cave as the sentry reappeared on the top of the wall. They fell silent, waiting, breath coming back slowly. Steven nodded and Danny continued. “That tunnel is not going to fit me. Or him.” he nodded to Steven. Steven shrugged. “Or probably you.” “It widens out closer to the walls.” Will replied, “Just the last twenty meters are narrow.” “Twenty meters is a long way.” Danny shifted his rifle uneasily. Steven looked over, “She didn’t tell me this story.” Will’s blue eyes met Steven’s. “It’s not mine to tell.” “It’s hot.” “You took down my tent.” “It was made of my shirts.” “Because we didn’t have a tent.” “Because you didn’t pack one.” “They’re usually in my pack. I didn’t check.” “We left them in the desert…I bet they’re still standing there too. Hmm.” “Funny, isn’t it? Someday someone may come across those tents and wonder what mysteries befell their occupants.” “Ha, I wore one once. A tent I mean.” “I remember.” “It was a very fetching, I think.” “Not so much.” “I think I’ll start a fashion line when I get back the US.” “Oh heaven spare us. People everywhere wearing Cody-Clothing.” “Hey, as Eddy said, Cody-Clothing is special, and you need to share it with the world. Uhhuh, yep.” “It means there will be an awful lot of people wearing ripped clothing or ruined shirts. Everyone will be running up to them to rip their shirts off their bodies.” “And socks. And Shoes. Maybe I’ll go into body building instead.” “I could see that. Cody Keaston - World Famous Body Builder and Eater.” “Maybe I’ll just open that restaurant.” “Good luck with that.” “Ha ha, hmm thanks. I think.” Vic looked over at Cody, on his back in the sand beside her and shook her head, “I’ll advertise for you.” she spread her hand across the sky, “Just think - You can eat in the same restaurant as Cody Keaston, best known for being Victoria Shane’s little known best friend.” “….I have a feeling that’s going to be a really big draw.” “I know.” “This was a bad idea.” Steven remarked to Eddy’s rear end, somewhere in the pitch darkness ahead of him. He flinched back as a boot ticked the end of his nose. “Don’t take it personally.” he muttered. “I’M SUUUUUCCCKKKK!!!” Eddy wailed ahead of him, feet kicking dirt across Steven’s face. Steven sighed, brushing dirt and sand from his check. “HHHEEEELLLPPPP MMEEEEEE!!!” Eddy wailed again, and Steven could hear his fists beating into the ground. “Eddy, Eddy.” He reached out and caught the younger man’s leg in the darkness, pinning to the dirt, “Calm down.” “No!” Eddy stated empathically. “I’m stuck!!” He sounded far from panicked in the darkness. “We’ll get you out of this.” Steven promised, reaching out for Eddy’s other leg. “What’s up?” Danny called from behind him. “Eddy’s stuck.” Steven called back in the darkness. “Oh that’s good.” Danny’s reply came to him, “I’m not alone then.” Steven lowered his forehead to the dirt and blew out a long breath. He shook his head, “Thank you Vic for making me run a lot.” He raised his head, “Eddy, are Liz and Will ahead of you?” “No…” Eddy’s voice came back to him, “They’re gone.” “I knew I should have kept that lousily little shovel.” Danny muttered in the darkness behind him. “Ok. Relax.” He felt Eddy’s feet jerk under his hand, “We can get out of this without their help.” “You might want to be very gentle.” he could hear Eddy swallow, “I’m stuck on my bottle of nitro.” Steven closed his eyes and sighed deeply. “What’s wrong?” Danny called up. “Nothing.” Steven replied, opening his eyes, “Nothing at all. Ok, Eddy. Can you move your hands at all?” “Yeah.” “Please try to get the nitro out of your belt.” “I don’t think I can.” “For for the love of all things living, please try!!” He snapped. There was a silence in the darkness ahead of him. Steven sighed, “I didn’t mean it, Eddy. I’m sorry.” “You sounded like you meant it.” “Well I didn’t. Please try, Eddy.” “Ok…but I don’t think it’ll work.” Eddy’s voice was soft in the darkness. Steven rolled his eyes, “And now I know what having children is like.” he muttered under his breath. “Um, not to complicate things or anything…” Danny spoke up from behind him, “But I would dearly love to see daylight again someday.” “Working on it.” Steven replied tightly. “Hey!” Eddy called back, “I got it.” “Good!” Steven caught hold of both Eddy’s boots and called back to Danny, “Can you brace me?” “Sure.” He felt Danny’s hands on his boots a moment later. “Eddy, I’m going to push you ahead. Once you get free keep going and don’t stop. And get rid of that nitro!!” he paused and added, “Not in here though.” “I’ll blow up a villain.” Eddy promised. “Ready?” Steven felt Danny’s hands tense on his boots. “Go!” He pushed with all his might on Eddy’s boots. The treads bit into his hands, and then Eddy slid forward and suddenly scrambled from his reach. “I MADE IT!” Eddy’s jubilant voice came back to him, “And the tunnel widens up here.” “Great. Keep going.” Steven called up to him. “What about you and Danny?” Eddy called back. “Uh…” Steven hesitated. “MOLES!” Danny called up, “SEND ME MOLES!” “How about a belt?” “That’ll work too.” Danny agreed from behind Steven. They heard Eddy scrambling around in the darkness ahead of them and then the end of a belt fell across Steven’s fingers. “Thank Eddy.” He called, wiggling around to grab the strip of leather in the darkness. “I’ve still got the end.” Eddy informed him. “Danny, can you reach my belt?” “Negative.” “Can you hang on to my boots?” “Positive.” there was laughter in Danny’s voice “But please don’t any buddy tell Vic I got stuck. I’ll never hear the end of it.” “No promises.” Steven smiled. He called up to Eddy, “Can you pull us out?” “Yeah! I work out.” Eddy replied. “He does a lot of running away from explosions.” Danny agreed. “I beg your pardon.” Eddy sounded indigent, “Cool people never run away from explosions. We stroll epically.” Steven wrapped the end of Eddy’s belt around his wrist and nodded, “Go!!” The leather pulled tight and he gritted his teeth as it bit into his wrist. They inched forward. Steven felt the walls fall way around him and he wiggled forward. Danny’s hands released his boots and he stopped. The ceiling was high enough to rise to his hands and knees. Eddy bumped into his head, “Oh there you are!” He grinned in the darkness, “Everyone make it alive?” “I’m alive.” Danny replied from the rear, “Slightly dead, but alive.” “Well that’s a positive outlook.” Steven grinned in the darkness, “Even if I don’t know what it means.” “It’s ok.” Eddy’ hand found it’s way to his head and patted his cap reassuringly, “You are a Shane Groupie and therefore an adopted Shane, and ergo when something does not make sense all is right with the world. Let’s go.” ******************************************** What do you think? Is all right with the world, Shane Groupies? ;)
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 22:52:15 +0000
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