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We arrived at the outskirts of Ilari after sunset. The entrance to the city from the north was blocked by countless wagons drawn by just anyone. The closer to the city, the more abandoned junk was lying around. The man was sobbing, hugging his favorite pillow. The girl was saying goodbye to her pet lizard the size of a cart. Shouts, cries, hubbub and the creaking of wheels merged into an agitated sea of anxiety that struck travelers even on the approach to the city. If before, in the desert, there was hope in their eyes, then here, in the seething fear of the crowd, it drowned and choked in tears and moans.
The people fled from the “shooting stars” that sow death. No one knew anything about the fifth moon, Rob, or the invasion. Everyone believed in the end of the world and the punishment of the moons who sent their children to kill them. I heard some woman claim that this is all a punishment for believing in the sacred DVD box and the legacy of the Outs. And she was right in some way.
"It's too dangerous here," Sha Zumm said, looking around the crowd.
“What do you suggest?” I asked.
“Throw me on the wall, I'll try to get to the checkpoint.”
The cyborg pointed to the gate, where the crowd was reaching. I grabbed the cart and lifted myself up on the wheel. The wall was clearly visible even in the dark. But what was behind it and where to land Sha Zumma, I had no idea.
"What if I miss? You'll just fall off the wall.”
"The risk is within acceptable limits," the Cyborg shrugged.
I closed my eyes and wished Sha Zumma on the wall. And the next moment I saw him dangling on the edge, holding on to one of the ledges. Ricochets of bullets flashed next to him. I closed my mouth in horror and began to calm my breathing to wish him back. But the Cyborg pulled himself up and disappeared behind the battlements of the loopholes.
"Already got the hang of it,” May-e-oka chuckled.
I nodded automatically, struggling with a sense of shame. I didn't want to feel it at all. I didn't want to blame myself for what was happening and who I was. But, nevertheless, I did.
“Are you suggesting I withdraw myself? Don't learn to use it?” I said angrily, getting off the cart.
“I suggest you look for a reason why you care. After all, who are you mad at? At me? I don't even have a personality.”
“I see a quite clear, sharp, self-confident personality.”
"You're seeing an illusion.”
“By the way, where is Baraman?”
“I haven't seen this slippery, furry creature for a long time.”
"Sometimes I wish he would disappear.”
“Wish it.”
“The Savior!” it was heard behind my back, and my body visibly shuddered, which made the girl burst out laughing, “Baraman found his way to the city!”
I turned around in surprise and looked at my furry companion. He giggled with pleasure and grabbed my hand.
“Come on, Savior! You're going to love this," he exclaimed and dragged me through the crowd.
At a short distance from the frightened people, there were carts pulled by giant lizards. And by the smell that hit me in the nose worse than the surrounding human horror, I recognized it. It was a caravan of slavers.
"Why did you bring me to them?" I asked, wincing, pulling my hand away.
“Baraman knows where to hide, under the wheels of the ore wagons.”
“But why should we hide there?”
“Baraman heard how the caravaneers bought guards, soon they will be allowed into the city, and from there to the ship that sails to the capital. They bought the last ship there is," the blind man pulled my hand again, lowered me to him and whispered in my ear so that people around us would not hear us, "Baraman hid there until he found out that the caravan would meet the Savior!”
Images of Sha Zummma flashed in my head, but I pushed them away. To the red moon this tin can, he gets out so be it, no, I will not grieve.
“Old acquaintances," May-e-oka said, coming out of the crowd.
“We need to distract the guards somehow,” I said, looking back at the girl, “any ideas?”
“Do we want to go back to the plague cage? What did I miss?”
"Baraman knows where to hide in those wagons. The caravan enters the city.”
And indeed, at these words, screams were heard from the first wagon and huge lizards began to come to life.
"Wish for people to attack them,” May-e-oka shrugged.
“But then they will die ...” I swallowed.
“Yes…I wanted to say that maybe it's for the best under the circumstances, but then I remembered who you are and what you're going to do with them.”
From her words, the hair on my head began to move, and I began to ready a nasty thing to fly off my tongue. But I was late, because the girl disappeared. Looking around the crowd, I couldn't find her and stared anxiously at the moving carts.
Nearby, a shout rang out in the crowd and stones flew at the caravaneers.
“What do you mean they let them in?!” someone yelled next to me and rushed to the caravan, picking up a stone on the run. A shot rang out, and this man fell, and I instantly became the worm and picked up his energy shell that had fallen out of his body.
The lizards became agitated and some of them began to break out of the harness. But the crowd did not think to cool down, many rushed to the carts, even despite the imminent death. The fear of the descending stars was stronger. And maybe injustice and hopelessness ...
I was pulled by the worm in all directions. The dead lay down in groups from the shots of the caravaneers. Out of the corner of my mind, I felt Baraman grab me and, ducking, ran after one of the groups of attackers. They all fell under a burst from a machine gun. And for the first time I saw myself from the outside. The worm swallowed them one by one, and I watched as Baraman threw my body into the sand nearby and dragged it.
When I came to myself, I felt the crunchy sand on my teeth and began to spit. But my companion gagged me with his hand. The crowd behind us quieted down.
“Do you want more?” one of the caravaneers shouted and fired a burst at the bales behind which the people were hiding. But then shots rang out from the opposite side, and the speaker fell very close to us, burying his surprised face in the sand.
“Do you want more?” they mocked him behind the bales, and stones flew into the caravan with renewed force.
At the same moment, Baraman lunged forward and yanked me with such force that my arm almost separated from my torso. But before I could object, I found myself under the cart, and the hand of my hairy companion was already beckoning me to the mesh compartment under the hull.
“I still wonder how you can navigate so well, being blind,” I groaned, climbing into the shelter.
“Baraman has already told the Savior,” he purred sweetly, “he sees more than others. And his eyes would only get in the way.”
“You're talking some nonsense again.”
“The Savior will soon see for himself.”
But my gaze was riveted on a huge lizard that broke out from somewhere to the left and the crowd of attackers recoiled in horror.
"Move over," May-e-oka’s voice rang out below us.
“Have you decided to absolve me of responsibility?” I muttered, snuggling up to Baraman.
The girl climbed in and settled down next to me.
“I did what was necessary. While you were in doubt, the caravan would have left. You can swallow your snot as much as you want. There is no joy for anyone in this world, neither in life nor in death.”
“You know, before you plunged into this black muck, I liked you more.”
“Before that, I had hope for peace, but you took it away from me.”
The cart started, and we fell silent.
257Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKX5spElWN
Under the curses of the crowd, we entered the city. When the cart finally stopped, Baraman stirred.
"It's time," he whispered and began to climb down from the mesh compartment.
I followed him. Once on the ground, I felt that the cart was moving again. Looking back, I saw that a big lizard was approaching me, with a foot the size of my body. May-e-oka clumsily fell out of our secret hiding place right behind me. To my right, I noticed an alley where Baraman's frightened face was visible. I closed my eyes and the next moment I was next to him together with the girl.
“Thank you," May-e-oka said, getting up, “you can when you want.”
"The Savior can do things that you never dreamed of," the blind man snapped at her.
“Savior, savior,” the girl grinned, “Now we need to find the way to the port.”
“And Sha Zumm,” I sighed.
There was an explosion behind me, and fragments of stones fell into the alley. Baraman shoved us into the first door he saw, but one of the fragments hit him on the back, and the creature collapsed to the floor in the aisle.
“Eh, here, here, come on,” I said, pulling Baraman away from the door.
“What was that?” May-e-oka asked, helping me and feeling the furry skin of the blind man.
“A-a-a-a-y-y-y!” Baraman exclaimed.
“Don't twitch,” the girl hissed, fixing him on the floor, “it will be worse for you. Ribs. Two ribs were broken. It's not scary. He will live. Hold him," she said to me, then ran and tore the curtain from the window.
While she was fixing the chest of the furry creature, footsteps were heard on the street and figures of people flashed. Then a medium sized lizard followed them.
“The crowd broke into the city,” I said dumbfounded, looking out the window.
"No wonder, after such a performance," May-e-oka chuckled.
A group of guards ran after the people. Shots were heard.
"We won't meet anything good on the way," the girl sighed, lifting Baraman to his feet.
“It hurts...” he croaked, wincing.
“Take care of your right side, furry, and it's time for you, of course, to wash, you stink like cats dump.”
Baraman hissed something in response, but the girl no longer paid attention to him and looked out of the front door.
“While it's clear, I suggest we leave.”
I didn't have to be asked twice.
Chaos reigned in the narrow alleys: a group of refugees screamed at lizard blocking the way, residents blocked the passages with their bales, soldiers beat and shot those who broke through. I was periodically thrown to someone's death, but it happened surprisingly rarely, so I almost did not fall out of what was happening. And then I experienced a death that was very familiar to me. I've already seen those teeth and that creepy face. Then another one. A different jaw, but a familiar crest. Very close.
"There's a checkpoint ahead, we have to go around," May-e-oka said, peering into the flashes of fire ahead.
“Wait,” I stopped, “here, nearby, around the corner. I see a free passage.”
The girl frowned. Baraman shrank and whined.
“Don't, Savior.”
But I was already moving into the aisle.
There was an open yard behind the destroyed fence. It looked like there used to be a small restaurant here, cooked right on the spot, a stone oven stuck out to the left of the aisle, and the entire space was filled with overturned tables. In the depths behind them, pointed tails could be seen twitching.
“Captain, look,” a lizard with large puffy eyes and gray scales raised his head.
“We are discovered,” his green colleague with stripes across his muzzle looked up from the meal.
“This is not the time for panic, gentlemen,” said the Captain the largest of them with a tuft, “Attack!”
To his right, a small brown lizard jumped out and ended up on the table. The one with puffy eyes began to circle from the left. I was distracted by a couple of deaths near the checkpoint, and when I finally came to my senses, the little lizard was already flying straight at me with its mouth open. All I had time to think to do was throw a chair at him, knocking down the attacker in a jump. But on the left, I was knocked down by a gray one with a blow of his tail. My body was thrown back to the garbage heap, and I fell right into the frightened squeaking flock of the mole-rats.
May-e-oka jumped out of the alley with a needle gun in her hands and, taking aim, shot a gray lizard with puffy eyes in the head. He managed to tilte, and the needles struck him on the nose. The girl fired again and again, discharging the entire clip into the creature, until a green one with stripes across the muzzle jumped on top of her, pinning her to the ground. With a cry, the girl pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the eye.
Having driven away the mole-rats, I concentrated and lifted the green lizard off the ground and threw it at the gray one, who was trying to pull out the thick needles stuck in his leg with his teeth. Both fell, but the one who was called the Captain jumped out from behind them. I picked him up in flight and closed my eyes, mentally starting to tear him apart, and cursing myself for not having learned to wish without this need. But someone grabbed my leg. I howled and let the Captain go. He collapsed onto an overturned table, screaming in pain.
Terrified, I tried to shake off the little lizard that had grabbed me, but to no avail. Thoughts jumped in my head desperately not wanting to form into wishes. Baraman appeared on the left and cracked the lizard on the head with a stone. It wilted and fell. Baraman grimaced in pain and sat down next to me. I began to touch the trousers, darkened with blood. And as soon as I raised my head, I saw that the green lizard had grabbed May-e-oka in the mouth in the middle of the trunk and was preparing to bite through. I closed and opened my eyes, trying to concentrate and stop him, but the gray lizard jumped out at me from behind the green one. I closed my eyes this time in fear and prepared for death.
But it didn't happen. And there was a strange noise similar to the hissing of a huge snake. Opening my eyes, I saw Sha Zumm from whose arms two fiery jets were erupting. The gray lizard fell next to me, writhing in pain, and the green one spat out May-e-oka and jumped behind the table, hiding from the fire.
"Retreat," the Captain growled, and those lizards who still could, rushed after him to the other end of the courtyard, where another passage was visible.
The cyborg lowered his arms and his hands fell into place, closing the nozzles of the flamethrowers.
"So, you really are an iron man," I said, breathing heavily.
“Your amateur activity almost cost you your life, Master Bike,” Sha Zumm frowned, sinking down next to me and feeling my leg, “you should read a few books on medical regeneration, but in the meantime ...” he took a syringe out of his backpack and stuck it in my leg. For a moment it became unbearably painful, but then the pain abruptly let go, and I felt my leg as before, healthy and strong.
"We can do it without your tricks for now, but you shouldn’t lose sight of it," the Cyborg said, getting up.
May-e-oka rose behind him.
“I hope you don't need to be treated?” Sha Zumm asked, turning to the girl. She shook her head negatively, feeling her crumpled body.
“Me, I need, me," Baraman whined next to me.
“You’ll heal yourself,” the Cyborg grimaced, “it's time to move. Soon the crowd will storm the port. We need to get to the ship in time.”
Surprisingly, I could walk calmly after the injection, and, lifting Baraman to his feet, I followed Sha Zumm, who set off after the lizards to the opposite side of the yard. There turned out to be another alley, along which we went to the warehouses where the local militia and armed refugees were fighting, trying to break through to the food supplies.
“This way," May-e-oka shouted to us, lifting the manhole.
“And the girl thinks,” the Cyborg nodded.
“In all coastal cities, the main drain goes to the sea, and this is it, judging by the markings,” the girl said with difficulty, finally lifting the hatch.
Sha Zumm picked it up and threw it away like a piece of fluff. Having lowered down first May-e-oka, then me, and then Baraman, he climbed in there himself.
“What a stink,” I grimaced.
"Now your slimy and furry friend is no longer the smelliest part of our journey, now we all smell like shit," May-e-oka grinned.
Sha Zumm shoved us aside and moved forward.
After wandering through the sewers for a short time, we finally came to the place where the drain went out to sea. I will never forget the smell of rotten fish and sewage mixed in one place. A strong metal grating blocked our way. But I coped with this without a problems, and in a moment it flew away with part of the wall into the water.
"Bravo, you've come in handy again, Ogunter Lag," May-e-oka clapped her hands.
“How do you have the strength to be sarcastic?” I said wearily.
“You'll coo later, lovebirds,” Sha Zumm chuckled and stepped into the waves, “there's our ship,” he pointed his hand towards the pier, where the hull of the submarine could be seen.
“Is it deep there?” I asked, looking out.
“Yes,” the Cyborg said thoughtfully.
"I can get us all on deck."
“Same way as on the wall?” Sha Zumm raised an eyebrow.
"I'll try," I said, frowning.
“Try,” the girl who looked out from behind my back smiled.
I pushed aside my usual irritation and carefully examined the deck, on which the cannon and the Federation sailors with weapons were visible. Closing my eyes, I imagined it in front of my inner eye, and then the four of us on it. When I opened my eyes, I found myself and the others exactly where I wanted.
"I don't get tired of admiring you today," May-e-oka said, patting me on the shoulder.
"What's that?" What is it?” one of the sailors shouted, “How? Well, put your hands up! Lieutenant!”
The rest of the sailors blinked in confusion, but were already raising their guns.
"Damn it," Sha Zumm said, "I didn't think about it," and turning to me, he added, "wish them to forget about what happened."
I closed my eyes and did the first thing that came to my mind, imagined the deck as I remembered it before moving us and mentally connected those sailors that I remembered then with these. They abruptly changed their poses to the ones I imagined.
"What's that?" What is it?” The same sailor who saw us for the first time shouted.
“Okay,” Sha Zumm shrugged his shoulders, and an electric discharge escaped from his hand, from which all the sailors in front of us shook and fell on the deck.
“I... don't...”
“Nothing, it will work next time,” May-e-oka shrugged her shoulders.
“Usually it gives short-term memory loss, so I hope we don't have to...” the Cyborg began, but he was interrupted by the lieutenant who appeared from the hatch on the deck above.
“What? Oh, moons! Commander Zoom.”
The lieutenant turned white and, trying to salute, almost fell back into the hatch.
“Sabotage, Lieutenant, urgently evacuate the sailors to the hold, the enemy forces are around," Sha Zumm said sternly.
The lieutenant nodded and disappeared.
“Get inside,” the Cyborg commanded.
We climbed the stairs to the upper deck, Sha Zumm began to lower the Baraman into the hatch, and I glanced at the pier and was stunned. The refugees stormed the gates to the embankment in front of the pier, where the caravan was entering. People shouted and asked for help, cursed the soldiers and threw stones at them. The only ship in the port, besides ours, received slavers wagons. The soldiers periodically fired into the crowd and prepared for evacuation themselves.
"Power and money conquer life," May-e-oka said, "the federation saves only what will benefit it.”
“This can't be happening... I gasped.”
“Oh yes it…”
But the girl didn't have time to finish, because I closed my eyes and mentally broke the gate. Then I scattered the soldiers and threw the wagons into the water. The crowd cheered and rushed along the pier to the ship, from where machine-gun fire rang out. But I closed my eyes again, and the machine gunner and the gun flew into the sea.
“Indeed, the enemy is in the city,” said the dumbfounded lieutenant, who finally got out with the team to lift the bodies of his comrades, “hurry up,” he shushed his guys, and then shouted through the hatch, “let's move!”
With a sense of relief, I watched the refugees fill up on the ship.
“You see,” I turned to May-e-oka, “it's possible without meaningless...”
But now I didn't have time to finish the sentence, because the sky above us lit up, and first the houses in the city, and then the embankment was hit by heavenly fire. May-e-oka and I were thrown away, and almost fell off the narrow deck.
“Hurry up! Inside," the lieutenant yelled and jumped into the hatch himself.
When I came to my senses, I sat up only to see that the next blow of the heavenly fire fell directly on the ship with the refugees. The worm swallowed up about a thousand people at once. And there were only more and more deaths. I was trying to concentrate. My eyes didn't believe what was happening. I closed them and with great difficulty remembered in my head a picture of a whole ship and people running to it, but collapsed senseless.
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