Remember Me (ONC2020) ✔

Chapter 8

Messita had once told him Upper-Caldozzans were chauffeured in climate-controlled hover-cars with more luxuries than either of them had ever owned like endless drinking vessels, food that changed flavour to match their desires, and stones capable of eradicating sicknesses that killed thousands of Lower-Caldozzans every year.

"Could you even imagine?" she'd asked with bright eyes.

He'd dismissed her dream. It was impossible for Lower-Caldozzans to set foot on the craggy peaks of Upper-Caldozza without an explicit contract initiated by the Uppers. Those with strong aspirations who'd honed the art of climbing were shot as they reached the ledge of the upper plateau. Their splattered remains, having fallen from hundreds of feet above, were a reminder to Lower-Caldozzans to stay where they belonged.

In Solara's small garage, she and Ernesito stood beside motorbikes. His had shiny paint and polished chrome, while hers was a few generations older. They were success symbols Lower-Caldozzans were allowed: relics no longer desired by the Upper-Caldozzans. Runan's parents had owned one, but he and Messita had sold it not too long after their death to pay the bills.

Solara smiled warmly at him, "Want to drive? Relive some old memories?"

As soon as his parents had given him permission to take the motorbike once a week, Solara had been his main passenger. His life had never gotten more glamorous than his teen years, but he'd expected hers to improve and their history together to dull. Her sparkling eyes showed otherwise.

He scratched at the hairs on the back of his neck. "It's been years since I drove one of these."

"I trust you."

The way she met his gaze made his breaths heavier than before. Didn't she guard her safety better than that, or was Runan another poor decision like her ex?

Ernesito strapped on his helmet. "You're welcome to ride with me, Lara,"

Solara pulled two more off the shelf and handed one to Runan. "I'll go with Runan after I make sure our path is clear." She sneaked out a side door, missing her ex's scowl and narrowed eyed look. A few seconds later, the garage door opened.

Runan started up the bike and eased it out onto the street so Solara could hop on. As her warm body pressed against his, he was fifteen again, his skin hot and clammy, his tongue unable to voice what he wanted to tell her. Except now she had a successful career and dated techies, while he was in debt and about to lose his livelihood.

Ernesito cleared his throat. "We're waiting for you, Runan. Every minute is another item missing."

Runan increased the throttle, and they sped through the streets, drawing the eyes of teens still out at this late hour, their working parents too exhausted to reel them back. After five minutes, the road narrowed, and the city thinned out into single-storey dwellings near the river. More fields appeared in the beams of their bright headlights.

Solara snuggled closer into his back. His mind played tricks on him as he could have sworn the words "I missed you, Ru," reached his ears as the motor rumbled.

They turned off the major road onto a dirt one between the crops of wheat and soybeans. The beans grew shorter than they should this time of year, but the rainy weather coming should help. Runan steered the bike toward a mid-sized wooden house with a few grain bins and a large supply shed. There were no lights on inside or other vehicles in the area. He parked the bike near the house, and he and Solara disembarked. Ernesito roared up behind them a moment later. Runan ducked into the shed to load a shotgun from his locked cabinet and get a flashlight. After ensuring the safety was on, he slung the gun over his shoulder.

When he returned, Solara and Ernesito had their phone flashlights out to inspect the old windows and doors. None appeared broken or forced open, not even the ones leading to Messita's room, not that a desperate scavenger would know their home well-enough to discern where she lived. The thief was probably looking for items to loot for quick cash.

Runan checked under the rock in the vegetable garden to find the spare key was still in its place, although it sat a few inches from its regular spot. Had someone they knew come to steal from them? Who would stoop so low? He wandered back to the house, scanning the soil for footprints, but it was hard to distinguish them on this grim night.

"We should go inside soon. If the police find Ju'rah's body, who knows where else they'll want to investigate," Ernesito said.

"Don't take or move anything," Runan warned.

"I can't imagine there's much to take," Ernesito said to Solara, still loud enough for Runan to overhear.

Solara cursed him out and walked beside Runan. The front door was locked. Inside, the shoe mat looked a little disturbed, but he could have done that himself earlier in the day, frustrated at the situation with the vulture and Messita's memories. He'd taken out his feelings on a lot of the doors, cupboards and furniture since her death.

Ernesito flipped a light switch, but nothing happened. "Someone cut your lights."

"I did. I can't afford to run the farm and power the house without Ita."

Solara's fingers entwined with his, and she gave his hand a gentle squeeze until Ernesito came closer. "We'll figure this out. Should we split up?" she asked.

"No, you'll stay with me," the words were out of Runan's mouth before he'd considered them. In the residual light from their phone, he caught a slight smile on her lips.

The kitchen was in a similar messy state to when he'd left: discarded plates and glasses from the past few days. The papers from Messita's contracts he'd been reviewing for a way out of this mess were still on the table. Around the corner and down the hall, Messita's door was open, unlike how he'd left it this afternoon. After he drew in a deep breath, his palms sweated as he traded his flashlight for the shotgun. He held it up and clicked off the safety.

"Stay behind me," he instructed Solara.

As she shone a light around the room, nothing moved, but an object lay on the bed that wasn't there earlier. A long golden chain led to a fist-sized purple crystal that no Lower-Caldozzan would ever have the means to gain.

"That's a royal healing amulet," Ernesito muttered. "How the hell did you get this?"

Runan's eyes widened. "I've never seen it before."

Solara stepped closer as a gentle humming grew louder in the distance. "Something's not right. We need to leave before—"

Bright lights pierced through the curtains, and the humming of a quiet engine echoed outside the window. "Put your weapons down, and come out with your hands up."