Part 9
The last two days and nights have been surprisingly kind to the Russian's head although the eyes have gone frosty and the skin is clearly beginning to sag and hang off the skull. The face still holds the expression it had when the Russian died, mildly interested and unaware of what just happened. PB gets himself upright, never taking his eyes off the head. Due to it's relatively good condition the head doesn't seem to have been molested or moved by any animals, meaning PB is close to where the Russian and Ranger were going to kill him. He scans the area around him but can't recognize it or spot the cliff that he jumped from through the trees.
While sliding down the rock face PB had let himself go limp in both body and spirit, fully waiting to die, but the shock of coming face to face with the actual dead has caused a sudden change inside him. The hunger and thirst, even the pain of his shoulder and various other wounds have retreated from the forefront of his mind and he is alert again. He limps through the trees, along the shelf of rock that makes up the base of the dome he slid down. He walks around the perimeter of a gigantic boulder, the size of a two story house, and is astonished to find a small creek flowing amongst the trees on the other side.
He eases his body onto the sand of the creek bed and scoops handfuls of sweet precious water into his cracked mouth. He drinks until he can drink no more and then splashes his face, washing the dirt and blood down his cheeks. He wants to lie there next to the water and celebrate with a rest when he hears the sound of a large truck motor.
He forces his aching body back to it's feet and limps through a dense thicket, trying to be quiet while pushing aside the sharp limbs and prickly leaves. On the other side of the thicket he finds a skinny dirt road hidden under the canopy of trees. There is a slight tire imprint in the dirt and PB follows the road towards the sound of the truck engine. As he gets closer the engine turns off and out of caution he retreats off of the road a few feet into the bushes. He finds that the creek goes parallel to the road until it turns in at which point a small wooden bridge had been built over the water.
Just in front of the bridge sits a large camouflaged truck and two men are crouched down changing the tire. PB posts himself behind a tree while the men struggle. He squints through the sun passed the bridge and can see that the road goes uphill towards the granite dome to the east. It must be the hilltop fortress where they have Sam and it seems the truck is headed directly there.
The men finish with the tire and climb into the cab and as the truck starts up PB emerges from the bushes, pulls back the canopy, and slips into the back of the truck. It's packed with boxes and packages stacked up in the dark. PB is able to squeeze in and rips open a top box in which he finds an assortment of candy and bags of chips. He scarfs down two bags if chips as the tuck bumps along and then rips open a bag of M&M's and pours them down his throat. He yanks a twinky from the box as well and shoves it into his mouth. The food in his stomach and the incredible sugar rush coursing through his blood inspires PB with an idea and he begins to pour loose M&M's out the back of the truck along with pieces of liquorish and other candies he finds in the box. The truck continues through a roll up door built into the granite wall and a long trail of multi colored candy lies on the road in it's wake.
PB stays in the truck a good while after it's stopped and the motor is turned off. He hides behind a box in case someone should get into the back but there is no movement or sound for some time so he decides the coast is clear and slips through the canopy. He finds himself in a dimly lit hanger, the truck parked next to a number of other vacant vehicles. He thinks it's the same hanger the Russian and the Ranger brought him to originally but he can't be sure. Some voices echo out from the other side of the room. PB quickly creeps up some metal stairs and down a hall through the granite.
He turns blind around a corner and an elevator opens up in the hall. He slips back around the corner and listens as two men step out of the elevator conversing in Ukrainian and make their way down the hall away from him. There is a flight of stairs going up from the hall which he decides to take but as he ascends the first step more voices filter down from the upper level.
They are close and he has no choice but to go through the first door he can. He locks the door behind him and then stands in the dark room listening. The voices get closer and closer and then they're right outside and someone is struggling with the knob. PB peers through the darkness for somewhere to hide but all he sees is a chair and then what appears to be an open coffin raised up on a table. He can hear someone trying a key and then another and can do nothing but run over to the coffin and climb inside.
He pulls the door down closed and waits. He can hear nothing inside the contraption, it's sound proof, and he starts to suspect that it may be air proof as well. He waits until the air inside has become stale and then tries to push the hatch open. It doesn't budge. He feels along the side for a button for some sort of latch but the inside of the chamber is smooth and metallic with nothing inside. The breath catches in his chest and PB realizes he is suffocating.
To be continued in Part 10 coming December 7th 2011
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