Forever Young

Chapter twenty-nine. Engelsbay.

The choice was obvious; they headed down the central corridor in the direction of the sign-posted "Records"  

Many of the doors along the corridor were ajar, revealing ransacked offices and examination rooms. It was obvious that Janik was in unfamiliar territory. He was unable to identify the instruments scattered all over the floor and was completely mystified by the metal contraption situated at the end of each padded table. Erika preferred to leave him in ignorance.  

The corridor led to a large rectangular room normally illuminated by bright sunlight streaming through a glass dome on the rooftop. Unfortunately, smoke had blackened the glass. Examination of the crumbly ashes lying in the centre of the room, revealed charred fragments of books and various documents. Nothing legible had survived. Filing cabinets, that might once have contained invaluable information, lay shattered and empty. Non translatable Myrian graffiti covered the walls. 

"I don't think we're going to find anything here," said Leitus. "Let's take the stairs and check out the lower level." 

The despoilers seemed to have vented most of their spleen in the upper reaches because the lower floor had survived relatively unscathed. The central delivery room, that Erika recognised, had been stripped of all equipment, but the neighbouring wards, apart from their obvious signs of mould, dust and decay looked ready to receive patients.  

Leaving Leitus and Janik to explore elsewhere, Erika ventured into a nursing station conveniently placed for access to each ward. A putrid smell filled the air. She traced it to a nearby storage room where she found the usual buckets, mops and brooms, and a laundry basket half-full of soiled aprons. The bloodstained aprons were the source of the offensive odour. As Erika gingerly pulled one out between her thumb and forefinger, it tore away and crumbled back into the basket. A piece of paper, brown with age, fell from a pocket. It was a worksheet. Dated 14.06.1515D, it contained the following list 

Mother                                                      Residence                                         Sex of Child 

Alicia Sertonov                                        Engelsbay                                               Male 

Julia Merchant                                        Engelsbay                                                Male (X) 

Dinah Galgov                                          Wyland                                                     Male 

Margaret Porter                                       Engelsbay                                               Female

The document seemed to indicate that one hundred and seventy five years had passed since the sack of Engelsbay, and that another Darsian settlement, Wyland, may be located in the vicinity. 

As soon as they arrived back at the camp, Erika left the three men to discuss the possible location of Wyland, and to ponder on the possible significance of the perturbing (X). She was going to luxuriate in the hot shower that Lars had ingeniously renovated. 

Large conifers hid the open air shower, from the view of the main cabin, but Erika took no chances. If she stood upright in the shower, the saloon style door designed for a woman of lesser stature would have concealed little. She crouched as she disrobed and surreptitiously placed her clothing on the outside hooks. Standing in this slightly hunched position was a little uncomfortable but the stream of solar heated water more than compensated. Erika luxuriated as the foaming shampoo cleansed her matted hair, and the silky soap restored the natural sheen of her skin. Little did she realize that her every languorous move was being carefully watched. 

Selfishly Erika ran the shower until it cooled. Thoroughly refreshed she looped her right arm over the cubicle frame and groped for her towel. It was gone. So was all her clothing. 

"Okay Janik, enough's enough," she shouted. "Come on please bring my things back. I'm starting to chill off here. Janik! Janik!" There was no response. "Janik. I know you're out there. Come on a joke's a joke. Please." 

The only sounds she could hear were the rustling of the evening breeze in the trees, and the distant call of some bird on the lake. Cautiously she peered over the top of the shower stall. The path they had cut towards the main cabin was deserted. The bushes that had invaded the space under the towering silver birches and pines were motionless, but could quite possibly conceal a curious voyeur. 

Erika decided to make the best of a bad situation. She would give Janik an eyeful. Only he could have played such a juvenile prank. She was going to walk out of the shower as brazenly as possible and stride undaunted to the refuge of her cabin. Revenge could wait. 

Within seconds of her embarrassing exit, a camouflaged figure fell upon her from an overhanging branch, forcing her to the ground. Simultaneously three other figures sprang from the undergrowth and within seconds had her gagged, bound, and hung by wrists and ankles from a wooden pole. Two of her attackers lifted the pole on their shoulders and carried her wildly swinging body down to the water's edge, where they had cleverly concealed a large canoe.  

***** 

"Wasn't Galgov the name of that person from Timus, the one who asked Professor Hertz to carry out the ore analysis?"  

"I think your right, Janik. Let me just check." 

Leitus' notes were on a small table beside the window overlooking the lake. As he searched for the required information, he glanced up and gasped. He could clearly see the naked white form of Erika, hanging like a slaughtered deer from a pole suspended along the length of a boat. Her struggling was causing the boat to pitch wildly, but this didn't seem to perturb her captors as they paddled at high speed in the direction of the setting sun.