Exit God Out - Book One - The Unexpected Terrestrial

Exit God Out Book One: The Unexpected Terrestrial Chapter 57

Chapter 57

The Range Rover started defiantly and everyone was silent as they headed out in the early darkness. Sarah navigated for Sean while Maggie kept watch for a dog like Annok. He has relatives somewhere. Two hours of traveling arid lifeless land, they came to a large thicket.

"Park there," pointed Victor. "We're closer than I thought. Hide the Rover in the brush and we'll set out from here. Sarah, you stand out. Can you get grubbier or hide the hair?"

She pulled out a brown bandana and wrapped her hair in it. Everyone was dressed in dirty torn clothes Sarah bought at a market earlier. The brush was thin for most of the trek, and the desert smelled like old cottage cheese. Jackson came to a peak where they could see for miles. He suddenly ducked down and urged everyone to be quiet. Sean and Victor crawled up to see what Jackson had panicked about, and below were a dozen old jeeps racing along the valley floor, loaded with kids and guns.

"We'll wait for them to get far away, then head there." Victor pointed to a large mass of various color, difficult to see clearly from heat wave distortion. "That's the place Maggie needs to get to. It's not far, barely an hour, but the terrain is dangerous so everyone be careful where you plant your feet."

They made their way to the valley floor. It had a gentle green hue, with small shrub vegetation and tiny grasses desperately clinging to life. Maggie stepped around them. Victor educated everyone on the small creatures they would encounter, distinguishing which were poisonous. One more hill to climb and they would see the landfill clearly.

"Oh my," said Laura, overwhelmed by the smell and the size. "I saw it on Google maps but I had no idea. No idea...."

They covered their faces to mask the smell, but their eyes were exposed to a very grim sight. From tiny babies to fragile old bodies, people by the hundreds sifted through litter, handing their treasures to children that carried them out.

"Maggie, I don't know how long we'll be able to stay here," said Laura. I've never seen so many emaciated children in one place. How will you find this little boy?"

"He knows I'm coming. He'll be looking for me."

Laura looked at Jackson. "Don't say it," he said. Trust and flow." Laura put her scarf over her face and tied it tight.

As they moved further into the pile, people were coming up and touching them. Maggie put her hands out and connected to the small children that ran up to greet her. "The blue eyes are here," they yelled in Spanish, and everyone began to race around. A dark woman with flawless skin spotted her. She was dressed in rags, tall and slender, with a face that could stop a blind man in his tracks. She started to walk over, holding her hands in front of her face, fingers up. Maggie stopped and copied her.

"You are Magdalena. You have come for my son," and she motioned her to follow. "He will return shortly from unloading his cart." The group walked through an endless trail of trash. She was poor yet spoke fluent English and held a level of grace not typical of a landfill picker. It was apparent to the group she ended up there through unfortunate events.

She turned around to the group following her. "I am Lizbeth. We have been waiting for you."

"I hope this turns out well," said Laura quietly to Jackson. "I would hate to have come all this way to see Maggie disappointed."

"Faith," said Jackson and he held her tight.

Hundreds of children were scattering, while news of Maggie traveled fast. They kept their distance but danced and followed her. She was in her glory, walking with people her age and size, who seemed to recognize the journey she was on. They suddenly stopped and parted.