My short story - The Road

The Road The road ahead was straight as far as the eye could see and deserted. Tauni has just changed the tape in the 8-track when the engine light came on. In the darkness, it glowed bright and red. "Damn" said Tauni out loud as she pulled over to the side of the road. Silence engulfed her when she turned the car off, silence except for a hissing sound and then the smell of steam. She knew what that meant, a burst radiator hose which meant she wasn't going anywhere fast anytime soon. She stepped outside in the crisp cool air and popped the hood. She could tell right away it was bad, water was gushing onto the engine block and steaming. ☺

 Tauni looked around. It was well past midnight with a full moon. It was dead calm, and silent. She had never encountered such silence outdoors before. The stars shone brightly, she might have appreciated the beauty of the Sonora Desert under different circumstances. Tauni tried to remember the last time she had seen another car but couldn't remember. She looked around but there was nothing to see but dry scrub brush. She kept looking up the road but to her dismay, there weren't any lights coming her way. Suddenly, Tauni had a feeling of dread, she remembered that fork in the road a couple of hours ago and veered left, and then she thought what if she had taken the wrong road? ☺

 Well, it was no use thinking of the worse, she knew that someone would eventually come by, after all, this looked like a relatively well maintained road. She got back inside her car, put her four ways on, reclined the seat as far as it would go and settled in for the night. The air was cool so she draped her jacket over her and 5 minutes later, the only sound in the night was Tauni snoring.☺

 Treforma Enterprises was a world renowned company specializing in development of new biomedical implants and were on the cutting edge of robotics, paralysis nerve regeneration and replacement limbs. Their research promised new hope for amputees, state of the art limbs that looked almost indistinguishable from the real limb, and fluid movement. What they were less known for was the other research that was carried on. For this reason, they had chosen a location out in the desert far from prying eyes and completely isolated. Only one road came in and after construction was completed, fell into disuse as all supplies now came in by cargo flight on their private runway. ☺

 Jinn Sooling walked into the control room housing all the feeds from the various security cameras placed around the perimeter. The cameras were also strategically placed along the main road in fake cactii, bushes and rocks. The alarm had sounded when the motion detectors had sensed Tauni's car. Jinn had a fair view of the car sitting on the side of the road, it's four way blinkers flashing away at regular intervals. He noted the hood was raised but the car was too far away to see how many people were in the car. The last car that had accidentally come this far had been a retired couple on their way back from Las Vegas and had taken a wrong turn. That was 3 months ago, and they were never heard from again. Local news had maintained a vigil looking for the elderly couple. Jinn wasn't going to take any chances, eventually someone would come looking for the car or the driver would find a way to repair it. Jinn returned to his office, giving the guards instructions to keep a close watch on the car. ☺

 Morning dawned bright, it was going to be a scorcher thought Tauni. She took stock of her supplies, meagre as they were, a half bottle of mineral water and a bag of pretzels. Not much she thought, but then she was confident that someone would drive by eventually, after all the road seemed well used so it was only a matter of time before somebody drove by. By noon, Tauni was getting worried, she hadn't seen anyone, or anything. She had gone thru her water and all that was left of the pretzels were crumbs. The sun was beating down on car and she was sure it was over 100 in the shade. ☺ 

The sun was close to setting and she could feel the air getting cooler. For a moment she thought of walking out but in her high heels, and knowing it was almost 2 hours of driving to the fork in the road, she knew she would never make it. Surely, someone would drive by she hoped as she drifted off, lips parched and her stomach mumbling loud groans of hunger. ☺

 By the third day, Tauni had all but given hope of anyone driving by. At this point, she had gone almost three days without food and water. Her lips were cracked and bleeding, her stomach was past rebelling and there was only a sharp pain everytime she moved. She kept drifting in and out of consciousness, thinking that she would surely die out here. The car battery had long since died and with it went the four way flashers. When she was conscious, which wasn't for long, she could feel her eyes rolling into the back of her head. She thought she saw a shadow across her face and for a minute became lucid again. Then she realized it was a vulture that had perched on her open door. She used the last of her energy to shoo it away, then fell back into the dark void, knowing that the end was near. Jinn Sooling looked pensively at the monitor, the car covered in a layer of dust. The guard had said there had not been any movement of the occupant for over 24 hours now. Jinn thought nobody could survive that long in the desert heat. He picked up the phone, dialed a number and spoke into the mouthpiece. Minutes later, a black Chevy Suburban with heavily tinted windows was seen on the monitors leaving the compound driving down the road. It would take another two hours to reach the broken down car. ☺

 Tauni was drifting in and out of consciousness, she was dreaming that she was being lifted and placed in an air conditioned vehicle. That was the last thing she remembered. ☺

 Tauni opened her eyes, her thoat dry, her lips cracked and bleeding, blisters on the parts of her body that had been exposed to the relentless desert sun. Everything was fuzzy and out of focus but it looked like she was in a room, white, sterile. There was an IV drip in her right arm, the clock on the wall read 9:15, morning or evening she couldn't tell as the room had no windows. She noted the surveillance camera in the corner and tried to raise her arm but she was still too weak. She drifted back to sleep. ☺

 Jinn Sooling looked at the surveillance camera where Tauni's car had been. Now, there was nothing but road. Her car had been removed and brought back to the facility, as Jinn called it. He also made sure to tell his men to thoroughly clean any, and all debris left behind. They had been meticulous, even washing the pavement where the radiator coolant had leaked, leaving nothing behind. All trace of Tauni's existence on the road had now been erased. Tauni awoke again, feeling groggy. She could barely retain consciousness, her arms and legs feeling like dead weight. She tried to raise her head but didn't have the strength to do so. Before losing consciousness again, she noted the walls around her were green and not the sterile white she had seen before. ☺

 Treforma Enterprise's facility sat in the middle of the vast Sonora desert in Western New Mexico. Only one road led in and signs were strategically placed at the entrance warning visitors away. The signs worked for the most part but occasionally, stray cars would come ambling up the road, their drivers oblivious to their surroundings. For the most part, they would turn around after an hour or so of not seeing anything but on occasion, one or two would continue onward. They were seldom seen again. Treforma was very secretive in the location of the facility and there were no signs advertising their location. Even the shareholders were not aware of it, apart from one line expertly camouflaged in the annual fiscal report for contributions. Jinn ran a tight ship, employees were sworn to secrecy and anyone divulging company operations were dealt with harshly. The last person trying to contact the media now became a permanent part of a new bridge footing, forever encased in concrete. Jinn made sure that rumour of their fellow employee's treachery made it back to his workers. ☺

 Tauni came out of consciousness, more alert than she had been in a long time. She noted a man sitting in a chair beside her bed. He was Asian, good looking she thought, and looked about 50 or so. "Where am I?" she whispered. Jinn explained in a soft, soothing voice that they had found her near dead in her car out in the desert. He continued that this was aresearch facility, dedicated to finding different uses for traditional herbs and plants. He told her that she needed her rest and that she was in capable hands. Just then, a nurse entered, asking her how she felt. Tauni had almost finished when the nurse went to her drip, inserted a needle into it and then she could feel herself drifting off again. ☺

 The next time she awoke, she saw that the room was different again. Jinn was sitting beside her again. She felt something was wrong but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She wiggled her fingers and toes and sensed movement, or did she? Something was wrong, she tried to lift her head but was still unable to. Jinn told her that her recovery was coming along good, that she would be up soon. Tauni started to get worried, she felt strange, her limbs heavy, she tried to move them but it seemed like they were dead weight. "In due time" said Jinn. He could see Jinn pat her arm but she didn't feel it. Terror ran thru her. She tried to move but her body seemed to be rebelling, refusing to move. Once again, she saw the nurse come in and administer something in her IV. She tried to ask her not to but before the words came out, she was out again. ☺

 Once again, Tauni came to but this time was different. She was sitting upright, supported in what seemed to be a custom wheelchair that supported her head. Her legs were bandaged mid thigh and both of her arms were also bandaged just below the elbow. It wasn't the bandages that worried her but the fact that when she looked at her hands, they weren't hers. She was also not alone in the room, there were about a dozen or so or people as well. What immediately caught her attention was the large scars just below the elbows and mid-thigh, like her. They also had alook of despair in their eyes. The eldest made his way over to her and introduced himself, James, he called himself. What he said next would curdle her blood, "welcome to guinea pig hell" he said. "I've been here for three years and there is no going home". Tauni saw him reach over and touch her arm but she didn't feel anything.