Ice-Age 7

[Guest guest]

ICE-AGE

by Andy Savage

http://www.andysav.free-online.co.uk/webzine.htm

 

 

 

Chapter 7

 

It was a bright, blue, cloudless, early Monday morning. Five days had now

passed since Simon's abduction. Dave's injuries, although not healed yet,

were no longer troubling him. That is, he had got used to the discomfort.

Dave's threshold for pain had always been quite high. His broken tooth was

especially sensitive, but there was still no way he was going to let Device

pull it out. At least the headaches had passed.

He had been able to have a much needed wash, and had also got his appetite

back. In fact, he had been on his feet and considering himself as good as

recovered, for the past two days. He was now getting edgy. Device had been

trying to persuade him to rest just a few days more, but Dave was determined

the time had come to go after his son.

" Are you sure you feel up to this? " asked Device, sitting on the floor,

tying up his long, rough, black, leather boots, which were trimmed with

white fur.

Dave was already fully dressed, and was standing by the door, peering out

through the flap. Device had helped him repair the rips and tears his

clothes had suffered during the ambush, and he was wearing the sunglasses

Device had given him. " You've been a great help to me, Device, " he replied,

" I owe you for sure. But I'll understand if you want to go your separate way

now. I can find Simon on my own. "

Device looked doubtful, " So you don't want my help, then? I thought we had

a deal? Or are you trying to get rid of me? " he said.

" No, of course not. Don't get me wrong. I just don't want you to feel..... "

" You're a brave man. But you won't find Simon on your own, " insisted

Device. He stood up, pulled on his thick, lined denim coat, and said, " Come

on then, Dave, let's get packed up. The sooner we set off the better. "

Dave, in his eagerness to go, had not thought about having to pack the tent

up, " Oh, right, yes, " he said, " What do you want me to do? "

Device pointed to his own sleeping bag and said, " What's your favourite

weapon, baseball bat or baseball bat? "

" I don't need.... " began Dave, but Device had already shoved a solid,

lethal lump of wood into his hands.

Dave took it tepidly, " Oh, Ta, " he said.

" Believe me, " Device said sternly, " You'll need it. "

Dave held his breath and gripped the handle with both hands. He clutched

the bat like a base ball player about to take strike. He had never held a

deadly weapon before. It was much heavier than he had expected. It looked

longer and thicker than the ones used against him by the kidnappers. It gave

him a sense of power, and a thirst for revenge. He felt a pang of guilt.

" It's a good one, that. It can take a man's head off with one swing, "

Device crowed proudly.

Dave shuddered. He didn't dare ask if it was the one Device had used on the

wounded bandit he had bragged about killing, " But I've got nowhere to keep

it, " he heard himself respond.

" Just shove it on the sled outside, " said Device, picking up his rucksack,

" Now lets get this tent and stuff packed and on the sled as well. "

 

Outside was a motionless expanse of unspoiled whiteness. There was no

breeze, and the temperature was five of six degrees above zero, so it

promised good travelling conditions and felt quite pleasant. There was a

small sled next to the tent. Dave didn't think that they would fit

everything onto it, especially since it already looked fully loaded with

several days' supply of food and water, not to mention all manner of bulging

bags full of traps, tools and utensils. But the canvas easily folded up into

a small sack, the poles and pegs were pushed into another and the sleeping

bags into another. Dave huffed as he helped Device shove it all on, " Just

how much stuff have you got in this sled? " he said, noting at least five

base ball bats buried beneath the bags, not to mention the two huge knives

that were more like swords.

" It's food and water mainly, " answered Device, as he fastened a strap over

the top to hold everything in place. His rucksack, however, he insisted he

had to carry himself on his back.

" What time is it? " asked Dave.

Device checked his watch, " I make it 8 a.m. " he said, " And it's time to

go. "

Dave looked around, making sure of his bearings, " So which way? " he asked.

Device pointed straight ahead, " North, " he said, tugging on the ten foot

rope tied to the sled, and slowly starting to haul it along behind him,

" Those sleigh tracks will be covered now. But if we keep north we won't got

far wrong. "

The two of them headed towards the northern horizon, " How long do you think

it'll take us to find Simon? " asked Dave.

Device strained, " Hard to say. It depends if my hunch is right. It could

be a few days, or it could be weeks. "

" Weeks? That long? And what if your hunch is wrong? "

" You're in for a shock, Dave. We'll do well to make eight miles a day.

It'll be hard going, especially in your condition. "

" I'm OK, really. Give me the sled to pull anytime you need a rest. How come

you don't have a dog, anyhow? "

" I had three. But times got hard. So I ate them. "

" Now why doesn't that surprise me? "

Device glanced sideways at Dave, and just for a second Dave saw a trace of

fear on his lips. He was human after all, thought Dave, who was becoming

more and more convinced that Device knew a lot more than he was letting on.

 

The day proved uneventful and dragged on slowly. Dave could see no signs of

any life or any track. Fresh snow had fallen since the attack. The landscape

was devoid of feature. It was just like being inside a planet sized, empty

refrigerator that had never been defrosted. Device, however, claimed he

could see tell tale indications where the sleighs had been, and made

constant assurances that they were heading the right way. Dave wasn't happy

about it, but he had no other real option but to trust his guide. Device

didn't relax for a second. He was constantly looking over his shoulder, and

urging Dave to do the same. It gave Dave the jitters, and he later took over

pulling the sled for a short time, just to give him something else to

concentrate on.

They made camp late in the afternoon, and lit a small fire a few yards from

the tent, an hour before twilight. Once under the canvas, they took their

smelly coats and boots off, ate beans and drank coffee. " I'm not going to

have any difficulty sleeping tonight, " Dave yawned, climbing into his bag.

Device was standing with his back to Dave, staring at the setting sun out

of the window, " Don't sleep too heavily, " he warned.

Device's words were nothing short of creepy and succeeded in keeping Dave

awake. Dave wanted so much to trust Device, he needed to trust Device, but

infecting the back of his mind was the septic idea that his saviour was

somehow involved with the gang who had snatched Simon.

Dave was still unsleeping with the time approaching midnight. There was no

moon in the sky so it was about as dark as it ever got. The quietude was

suddenly cracked by a tread in the snow outside, " Dave, Dave, " whispered

Device, urgently shaking Dave's shoulder. Then came a terrifying hiss and

something fast and sharp ripped through one side of the tent and out of the

other. Device darted away, the door flap opened and cold air rushed in.

Dave scrambled out of his sleeping bag, his eyes animated by adrenaline,

and fumbled for his bat, which he'd placed beside himself on the floor,

" Device, where've you gone? "

There was a jumble of noises coming from just outside the tent, like

someone being grabbed and punched. " Dave, quick! " came a desperate voice. It

was Device.

Dave dashed out in his bare feet, psyched up to take a swing at whoever or

whatever was there. He saw two fighting figures wrestling on the ground, a

good ten metres beyond the dying fire. There was a bow and some arrows

strewn across the ground next to them.

" Dave! " Came the delirious call again. Device was flat on his back, his

arms pinned down underneath the knees of a loose hooded assassin dressed in

white furs, who seemed as big as a bear, and who was about to club him on

the head with a truncheon.

" Let him go, " growled Dave, holding his bat in the air, " Right now, or I'll

use your head for a golf ball! "

Device was spitting obscenities and kicking his legs furiously, but he

couldn't dislodge his fearsome opponent, who could so easily have smashed

open his skull there and then, yet who instead hesitated, and, hood dropping

down, turned to face Dave. It became one of those peculiar instants, when

time slows down, and you get that feeling that you've seen this one moment

before, and you can remember it in every single detail, almost like it had

already happened just seconds before it actually did.

Dave stared in disbelief, " Oh my god, " he gasped.

A devilish grin flickered across the assailant's impish face, " You're not

so very hot at golf, are you? "

" Use the bat, Dave, for god's sake, what are you waiting for! " pleaded

Device, but his words were ignored.

Dave's body was ablaze with emotions. He threw the weapon into the snow,

let out a laugh, and then choked up with tears, " Linda! " he exclaimed.