A Step to Nowhere Read online

  “Okay Sam, stop talking nonsense. You have no choice.”

  What if I waited on the roof? They wouldn’t come here, would they?

  “Go! Now!”

  I drew my lungs full of air and took the first step. I thought the bridge would start to rock under my weight, but it was steady and I started to move to the other side. Without hurry. Maybe I had taken a wrong step by giving in to my emotions, giving up my life to somebody else, but now I had grabbed the responsibility for my life in my own hands. Now I was taking deliberate steps.

  The next house was about ten feet away, but in spite of this short distance, my hands were shaking on the railings and my heart pumped like crazy. I tried not to look down but I couldn’t make my feet move any faster. In one moment they started to shake so hard that I had to stop and make myself calm down. My gaze dropped between the metal rods and my heart nearly burst from my chest, taking a fly into the chasm along with my gaze. I saw about a dozen black cars and there were even more men in black uniforms.

  They came for me. They really came for me. I was surrounded. The battue was for me. I was a fugitive in this world, a lawbreaker. I hadn’t done anything. I was just in love and received an absolute punishment. I could be killed for my love. Oh, how beautiful it was, and how romantic. Somebody could write a book or make a legend. Should I jump from the roof to make a legend more truthful?

  Screw you! It’s not going to happen. I didn’t choose this road and I won’t allow anyone to run my life. I am in charge of it.

  Anger and hatred filled me with energy, brought me to my senses. It probably wasn’t a great emotional basis for some people to perform heroic acts with, but it worked for me. My legs became steady, I saw a clear picture. I knew what to do and ran over the abyss to the other side.

  Stepping on the next roof, I stopped in the middle to catch my breath. I was suffocating from emotions, not tiredness. What if the hunters saw me? They had weapons; they could kill me before I realized what was going on. It didn’t matter though. All or nothing.

  I darted to the opposite edge and to the next roof. This time I didn’t look down and my legs didn’t shake. The fear of heights that I wasn’t aware of before getting to the twenty-fourth floor, was shoved back by black uniforms.

  It was the third building and I was supposed to go down here to get to the garage. Expecting the door to be resistant again, I pulled it with all my might, but this time it opened easily and I fell on my butt. I gasped from the pain, but there was no time for cursing and feeling sorry for myself, so I jumped up and ran down the stairs to the gloomy attic or whatever it was, and then to another flight of stairs.

  While I ran, I thought these colorless, shapeless uniforms had their benefits. They were as comfortable to run in as sport suits; nothing restrained the movements.

  I negotiated down two more flights of stairs and stopped by the elevator, pushing the call button. The door opened after a few seconds and an elderly man walked out. He leaned on a cane, his back was bent, and his head was shaking.

  He looked at me, first frowning, then his eyes and his mouth opened wide, he stopped shaking in an instant.

  “It’s you!” he gasped.

  I almost fell, taking off from the place and rushing back to the stairs. The man yelled something I couldn’t understand, and didn’t stand around to try. He recognized me. They had probably shown my picture on TV. If I managed to get to the car, they could stop me on the road.

  No, no, no. That’s not going to happen. I’ll get where I need to be with no problems. I am going home and no one is stopping me.

  I squeezed the little cube in my hand. What if the hunters were here? Right in front of the exit of the building? What if they were going to come up here?

  Collect yourself, Sam. If they didn’t look at your face, you’d be just another citizen of Planet One. Just go, don’t panic, don’t look around. All you need is a brown car with the license number VAD 2005.

  I repeated this prayer a few times in my mind, adjusted the wig, put the sunglasses on, and opened the door. One of the hunters was on the stairs right in front of me, his back to me. Hello, so glad to see you! Without hesitating a second, I passed him and went down the stairs.

  “Lady?”

  That probably was for me. I stretched my mouth in the widest smile I could produce, and turned to him. They shouldn’t have my smiling picture. Well, at least not this smiley.

  Then I saw him.

  Make the best of a bad situation, people say. I did my best. The muscles on my face turned to stone and froze on their own. My condition reminded me of frozen boiled noodles.

  In front of me was Jason. The man I had betrayed while succumbing to the provocation of a silly dream. A web designer in my world—law enforcement in this one. A lover there, a stranger here. A hunter. An enemy.

  He glanced at me, at the picture, at me, at the picture. My mouth was stretched like I was sitting in a dentist chair, my facial muscles getting numb. He could ask me to take off my glasses and then my wig. It wasn’t my Jason. Not a man who loved me. It was a man who looked like him, but who existed in a parallel universe.

  He looked at me intensely for what seemed like hours, but of course it was only seconds, and then he nodded. Just nodded. I nodded back, keeping the corners of my lips up, then I turned away from him and went to the left as Velma had said. I walked slowly, like I was in no kind of rush. My knees trembled, but it wasn’t noticeable in the wide pants, I hoped. He didn’t recognize me. Or maybe … What if it wasn’t me on the picture? It should be me. I was an irnaner. What an ugly word. They were hunting for me, so I had to be on that picture, he just didn’t recognize me. Good job, Sam and Velma! Now, keep going.

  So, Jason was my enemy in this world. What an irony. Maybe it was karma. I really had betrayed him and didn’t even think twice. I should be honest with myself. What right did I have to judge Ray? He also gave way to impulse, passion, and desire. He wanted to capture the moment, just as I did. It was my fault as much as it was his.

  Here. Garage. Great. So far everything was going according to the plan. A two-story building the size of the airport, opened in front so all the cars were visible from afar. Velma said her car was on the first floor, the first aisle. Teachers had some kind of privilege and she had gotten a convenient spot.

  I walked under the roof, into semi-darkness and stuffiness. As everywhere else, it was clean here. Not a cigarette butt or a beer can. Velma told me that most people were at work, so many parking places would be empty, but I still saw too many cars to find the one I needed easily. All the cars looked the same, but at least there were black and gray cars, narrowing the search.

  I went along the line, looking for the right number, and started when a shadow fell on the car in front of me.

  Don’t stop; don’t show that you noticed it.

  I prepared the cube, squeezing it between my thumb and index finger. My palm became moist. I felt somebody watching me.

  “Lady! Excuse me, lady!”

  A man’s voice. Calling for me. Such polite people on this planet. Lady. Screw you and your lady. My breathing became rapid, I felt sweat running down my back, felt thin uniform fabric sticking to my skin.

  I turned to the man, putting the same smile on my face that had helped me before, clutching the cube in my hand. Warm metal cut into my palm. Interesting, did Jason really not recognize me? It might be that. There was no reason for him to let me go. What about this one?

  It wasn’t Jason; it was another policeman or hunter without any picture in his hand. He was bigger than Jason and his facial expression was mean, like that of a dog that had stayed in the sun the whole day. It appeared that he didn’t want to be here, he wanted to go home. Sit on a couch in front of the TV with a sandwich or some green crap they had on this planet and a bottle of beer. If they drank beer or watched TV.

  “Miss, I need to check your identification code.”

  What you need is a kick in the head.

  I nodded
and continued moving along the row, sticking my hand in the pocket with the guide. Could I hit his head with this thing and take him out for a few seconds, just enough time to find the car? Right. How much did this thing weigh? An ounce?

  Where is this frigging VAD 2005?

  Steps moved in my direction.

  “Lady, I need to check your identification code.”

  Check your fat ass!

  “Your code! I demand it! It’s the order from above!”

  VAD 2005!

  I sprinted to the car, prepared the cube, but dropped it to the ground. Of course! Like in a bad movie!

  “Reinforcement!” the man bellowed over my head when I dived for the key cube. “Irnaner! Irnaner is here!”

  I rose up slowly, watching the policeman or whoever he was. He was standing with his legs wide apart and with his gun in both hands, extended in my direction. His hands were shaking no less than mine, his eyes were almost falling out of their sockets, and his lower lip was trembling.

  He knew I was from another dimension and he was scared of me more than I was of him! He had no idea what I was or what I was capab0le of. He was a coward!

  “Define your location!” the voice from the radio barked. The radio was attached to the left side of the cop’s uniform. Did they call their policemen cops?

  “Be quiet,” I said. I said it slowly and threateningly, trying to pull the best of my acting abilities. “I have laser eyes. I’ll burn you in a second; you won’t have time to fart.” At this time I found a small button on the cube and pressed it. The policeman didn’t move. Only his hands rocked up and down and his tongue licked his lips. The man was quiet, but his eyes screamed with fear. “I am from Planet Two. I am a special agent with a special assignment. There will be only a heap of ashes if you try to stop me. Step aside, little man from Planet One! Step aside!”

  The cop didn’t move.

  “What’s going on?” the radio roared.

  “Step aside!” I reached for the glasses and the policeman who was so brave and aggressive in the beginning, jumped away like a scared rabbit. He had a gun that he could use to make a strainer out of me in a second, but he didn’t even think of it. He held the gun tightly though, I could see his fingers turning pale. He believed in my laser eyes! It was hilarious. Well. It could be hilarious in different circumstances.

  I’d almost gotten inside the car when I realized that I could use that gun myself. I’d never shoot, but details like that didn’t matter.

  “Drop the gun at my feet, you little man!” I ordered, so loudly my throat hurt, but I had fun. Little man!

  The man stared at me; the gun was shaking in his hands.

  “Now! One! Two!”

  He almost hit me in my forehead; I barely avoided it. The gun fell on the hood of the car. I grabbed it and lunged into the car. Thank heavens for cowards and fools.

  I dropped the gun onto the passenger seat and pulled the card/guide out of my pocket, watching the cop’s lips moving. He was talking with his colleagues, which meant I had little—if any—time.

  I could drive, but I had no problems with giving up a leadership position this time. I stuck the card into the middle of the steering wheel that looked pretty much like ours, and an automated voice immediately started talking to me.

  “Would you like to follow the entered direction, Park Street Twelve?”

  “Yes.”

  “Would you like to start now?”

  “Yes!” I yelled. I was afraid to say anything more and start a discussion with the machine. It could win!

  “Thank you.”

  I heard the motor roar without any help from me and the car moved slowly.

  “Faster!” I barked.

  “The speed limit in the garage is—ten kilometers per hour.”

  Like I had known how fast that was! For me it was way too slow.

  I saw two policemen and one hunter running inside and the cowardly cop shook his finger in my direction. What would they tell him about my laser eyes?

  “Lock the doors!” I yelled. I heard the car say yes and a click simultaneously. Good girl.

  The men ran in my direction; the car kept moving out of the garage with a speed of ten kilometers per hour and that meant slower than the men. They approached the car, yelling something, pointing their weapons at me, and the car stopped. Just stopped. It was crazy, I should tell you that, ladies and gentlemen.

  “Dangerous situation,” it said.

  “Open the door!” I heard the muffled order.

  I looked down at the floor and to my right side. The pedal and the shift looked a little different, but they were all in the right places.

  “Manual!” I yelled.

  “Yes,” the car said. Something clicked at the same moment the hunter took hold of the car’s door handle. I looked into his brown eyes, pulled the shift to Go position, and pushed the pedal to the floor.

  I didn’t hit anyone or anything, but the cops had just split seconds to jump aside and save their lives. It was good they had done it. I didn’t want to continue my wonderful adventure on Planet One with double cops’ murder.

  The car flew out of the garage and I looked in the rearview mirror. The policemen ran after me; one fired. Then I saw more hunters gathering and turned my attention to the road. Running into a tree wouldn’t be a good idea.

  The guide talked, ordering hastily to turn left or right, but I didn’t listen to it. I zipped along the yards, knocked down a trash can and almost did the same to a woman. I barely avoided hitting a tree, another car, and two hunters. I was lucky there weren’t many people inside the buildings’ yards, unlike the street where I had found myself right after leaving the corporation. Actually, I didn’t see any people besides that fortunate woman and the hunters, and I didn’t think that fact had anything to do with my luck.

  I checked the mirror again and didn’t see hunters behind me, so I stopped to listen to what the guide was telling me. The thing insisted that I should turn left, drive eight meters then turn left again to enter the Central Street.

  I followed the directions and when I drove into the traffic, I heard the howl of sirens behind me. Of course they started to chase me, what else had I expected? Would they go to the bar to discuss a theory of laser eyes? I didn’t look in the mirror, just tried to follow the route.

  I was a good driver. I’d started when I was sixteen and had never been in an accident. Because I drove carefully, yes I did. Not because I was such a good girl, but because I had gotten into an accident with my friend, who had just started to drive and wanted to show off. We survived and weren’t even injured, but I had some sort of post traumatic syndrome that prevented me from speeding. I’d always followed the rules, never cut other cars off, and waited at a stop sign for a full three seconds. Any person sitting in the car with me felt comfortable.

  I remembered Jason making jokes about my caution. Well, he didn’t joke for too long. One walk home from the restaurant—and he lost his sense of humor.

  Now I was doing something that I usually kept myself away from. I was speeding, I was cutting off, and I was signaling (the pedal for the left foot made that trick). I discovered that I loved it. Adrenaline splashed into my blood like paste squeezed out of a tube, kicking away any fear and caution. I didn’t just try to get away from the chase (Jesus, they were chasing me!), I was Angelina Jolie in “Wanted”. I was a cool chick, as they say in the movies. Instead of a shapeless uniform I was dressed in leather pants and tight top, I had boots with high heels on my feet. I was queen of the road; fearless warrior. Everybody was scared of me and amazed by me.

  Who would think that thoughts like that could get into my head? Especially when I was practically on a different planet and hunters were on my tail. They were on my tail for sure. The wail of the sirens kept getting louder, but all my attention was concentrated on the robot voice that sometimes was too late for my maneuvers and screamed with double force left, left, when I did something against its instructions. I was surprised by
my driving ability and the fact that I hadn’t hit anyone yet. It was a miracle. Car horns blared from all directions and I didn’t stop for the red traffic light (or green), but I felt fire spreading inside my veins. I was a bird, diving into free fly. I was an antelope, running from a predator. No one and nothing could hold me.

  That was what I enjoyed thinking. It was, until I heard a bang and then an explosion behind my back. I checked the rearview mirror and saw a column of smoke and fire; I saw a person flying through the air as if propelled by a slingshot. Somebody was even more unlucky than I had been, that was for sure. I’d seen people flying in the air, but only in a circus. I hoped he would live.

  “Fifty meters to your destination,” the electronic voice said.

  “I don’t understand the metric system!” I yelled.

  “Repeat your request.”

  “Manual,” I said, just to shut up the damn thing. Fifty meters shouldn’t be far. It’s supposed to be about one hundred and something feet. Great. Please, no explosions and no flying people.

  I wanted to drive even faster, but a police car whizzed in front of me, like a wizard out of a box. It crossed the road to block me. I turned the wheel to the left, but this time luck wasn’t on my side. I didn’t get into the gap between the cars and didn’t see them dash aside to stay away from a crazy driver, instead I rammed into the side of a car in another lane. Only my car hadn’t stopped as I’d expected and the airbag hadn’t burst out, jamming into my face. The belt pushed me to the seat, cut into my ribs, and the car was thrown into the same lane I had just moved from. Not just in that lane, but into the trunk of the police car that crossed my path, turning it into an accordion. This time also, there was no airbag, only the cruel, safety belt choking me in its embrace like a lover who had lost his mind. I couldn’t breathe.