Gardens of Destruction
CHAPTER 42

As dawn crept over the horizon, Jana’s eyes fluttered open, a primal instinct driving her to seek out Valentina. The empty space beside her in the sleeping bag sent a jolt of panic through her. She leaped to her feet, the confines of the tent feeling suddenly suffocating. Mark was also nowhere to be seen within the fabric walls. Hastily, she unzipped the entrance, poking her head out into the crisp morning air.

“Good morning!” Mark’s voice rang out cheerily, breaking the stillness of dawn.

“I hope it is!” Jana replied, her tone steadying as she caught sight of the pair sitting by the rekindled fire, their hands busy preparing the morning’s tea and coffee. They sat in a contemplative silence, each lost in their own thoughts by the flickering flames. Jana’s curiosity about her daughter’s inner world was piqued, yet a part of her hesitated, fearing what truths might be unveiled.

“Val, why don’t you help your mother out of that tent? Enough lounging around!” Mark joked, his voice carrying lightly across the camp.

To his surprise, Valentina took the task to heart, approaching Jana to gently coax her out.

“Up you get!”

Laughter filled the air, a rare light moment that even coaxed a smile onto Valentina’s face for the first time since her return. The day was off to a promising start.

Gathering around the fire, they quickly finished their modest but vital breakfast.

“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” Jana ventured, breaking the comfortable silence.

Mark spread his arms wide, as if embracing the world. “Our mission remains unchanged - to put as much distance between us and that asteroid as possible.”

“But surely we need a more definitive goal than just aimless wandering?”

“We’ll find refuge,” Mark assured her, his tone confident yet vague.

Jana’s unease wasn’t fully assuaged by his words. While she trusted Davidson, an underlying anxiety about the future gnawed at her. The overwhelming uncertainty felt like a monolith lodged in her heart, not easily dislodged.

As they ventured back onto the road, chaos reigned in the towns they passed. It was a world out of order: homes ablaze, people in flight, armed bands roaming. One word could sum up the scene: anarchy.

“We need supplies,” Mark broached the subject, his voice laced with caution.

“Absolutely not! Look around; it’s far too dangerous. I won’t have us take such risks!” Jana stood firm, her resolve unshakeable.

“It’s unavoidable. What do you propose we eat? I’m not about to turn hunter,” Mark countered, his practicality clashing with her fears.

“Can’t we at least try the next town?” Jana pleaded, seeking a compromise.

“Agreed. We’ll try the next one,” Mark conceded, swayed by her pleading look.

The next settlement proved no different from the last, the same sense of lawlessness pervading. Recognizing the futility of stopping, Mark accelerated past the town center, deciding against any stops.

“Looks like we’re not stopping today,” Mark concluded, his statement more an acceptance of their grim reality than a question.

“See?” Jana pointed out a gas station they almost missed at the town’s edge.

“Let’s give it a shot,” Mark agreed, acknowledging their need to refuel.

Pulling into the deserted station, a clearing fought back from the dense forest, they felt an eerie calm.

“It’s deserted,” Jana observed, her heart sinking at the sight.

“We’ll fuel up and leave,” Mark tried to reassure her, his voice steady but his eyes scanning the surroundings.

As he began to fill the tank, his vigilance never waned. Suddenly, a group of armed men emerged, their intentions clear.

“Filling up, huh?” one slurred, his words tinged with aggression and the stench of alcohol. “Thieves, all of you!”

“Calm down, buddy,” Mark responded with feigned ease. “We planned to pay. Just fueling up, settling the bill, and we’ll be on our way. We’d appreciate it if you could spare some food as well.”

“Lies, all lies!” the man persisted, his stance unyielding. “I know your type. You never intended to pay. Do you have any idea how many like you have come by?”

At that moment, Jana emerged from the car, to Mark’s silent curse. This was the last thing they needed.

“Look what you’ve got here!” the drunken men noticed Jana’s attractive presence immediately.

“Please, we don’t want trouble. We’re just fueling up, paying, and leaving. Please, think of the child!” Jana tried to defuse the situation.

“You’ll pay alright!” one sneered, not with money, which had lost all value. “Grab her, take her inside!” he barked.

“And if he moves,” pointing at Mark, “shoot him.”

But the soldier was quicker, his training evident as he drew his pistol and fired two shots before the men could react, hitting their leader in the leg and arm.

“You’re lucky the child is in the car! Otherwise, you’d all be dead!” Mark stated coldly.

Just then, another figure appeared from the building, rifle aimed at Mark.

“Drop the gun, boy!” the newcomer shouted.

Mark stood his ground, his response icy. “Move, and one of them dies!”

“Think you can scare me? Go ahead, shoot. I couldn’t care less about these scum!”

Mark’s heart raced, but his face remained stoic. The men edged closer to Jana, one reaching out to grab her when suddenly, from the back seat, the spiky creature, Fury, leaped through the window. In an instant, it ballooned in size, like a puffer-fish. Its form became a monstrous maw that bit off the man’s hand, its spikes piercing his flesh.

Unnoticed, a gray shadow darted from the woods, lunging at the man with the rifle, its jaws clamping on his throat. Mark recognized it as a wolf, followed by more beasts. Only then did Mark notice the anomaly – these were not mere animals but transfigured beings, their bodies an eerie fusion of organic and metallic components.

Keeping his pistol trained, Mark glanced at Valentina. She nodded calmly, and with that silent affirmation, he hurried Jana into the car and sped off, the echoes of screams lingering long after they were gone.

“What just happened?” Jana asked, bewildered, turning to look back.

Valentina grasped her hand firmly, her grip conveying a silent command.

“No, Mom, you shouldn’t see this.”

Silence enveloped the car as they drove on, none wishing to discuss the recent events. Only Valentina seemed unfazed, her gaze fixed curiously out the window.

Breaking the oppressive silence, Jana thanked Mark. “It was foolish of me to step out. I’m sorry.”

“Yes, it was,” Mark agreed bluntly. “I hesitated, which I shouldn’t have. The only reason I didn’t shoot immediately was because of Val.”

“Mark, how can you so readily take a life?” Jana asked, her voice laced with alarm.

“I’m a soldier, Jana. You do what you must to survive, which often means someone else doesn’t.”

“Despite everything, we’re not animals. We must retain our humanity. That’s how I was raised, Mark!”

“Everything’s over, Jana. Haven’t you realized yet? The values we were raised with are gone. The life we knew is gone. From here on out, everything will be different.”

Jana had no reply, lost in thoughts of an uncertain future. She knew Mark was right, but accepting this new reality was still a struggle, the tears of helplessness threatening to spill.

“Stop!” she suddenly demanded.

Without protest, Mark pulled over to the roadside. Jana stepped out, presumably to cry freely in the woods, or so Mark thought. They sat in silence, Valentina’s gaze meeting the soldier’s.

“After the battle in the forest, those creatures didn’t leave, did they?” he asked her.

Valentina nodded, confirming his suspicion.

“They follow you, and you are their... what? Master? Queen? Goddess?”

She nodded again, her silence leaving his question only partially answered.

“You prefer us to camp in the woods, right? We’re safe with them, aren’t we?” Mark probed further.

“Yes!” she whispered, then turned away, signaling the end of their conversation.

As evening drew near, they sought out a place to rest, a spot where they could stretch the fabric of their tent under the canopy of the forest that seemed oblivious to the turmoil of the world. The trees stood tall and unyielding in the cool twilight, their branches swaying proudly over the trio of fugitives.

Mark, keeping his conversation with Valentina to himself, didn’t want to stir unnecessary worry in Jana. He knew that the knowledge of the creatures lurking nearby would only heighten her anxiety.

With a hint of concern creeping into his voice, Mark announced, “This is our last meal. Tomorrow, we must forage for supplies. We can’t go on like this much longer.”

“Yes, it’s inevitable,” Jana replied, her voice tinged with melancholy, her spirits not yet lifted from the day’s events.

“We’ll manage, don’t worry. We’ll find food,” Mark reassured her, his voice a soothing balm.

Jana, her lips pressed tightly together, was lost in thought about the day’s events, still not daring to ask what had transpired at the gas station. As the night deepened and the campfire crackled, she mustered the courage to voice the question that had been gnawing at her.

“Will someone please tell me what happened today?” she implored.

Silence was the only response she received, fueling her frustration.

“It seems you both know quite well. No one looks surprised,” she said, her annoyance palpable.

Mark and Valentina exchanged a knowing glance but remained silent.

“You did it, didn’t you?” Jana asked Valentina softly. “You somehow called them to save us.”

“Yes,” Valentina replied evenly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound angry,” Jana said, tears welling in her eyes as she embraced her daughter. “I’m a terrible mother, aren’t I? You’ll never forgive me for what I’ve put you through.”

Valentina didn’t respond to Jana’s self-reproach, deepening her sorrow.

“I’m awful, and it’s all because of me. No one was there to take care of you when you needed it most.”

After a brief silence, Valentina shared, “No, Mom, the Sh’ur took good care of me.”

Jana blinked in disbelief, turning to Mark, whose face was a portrait of curiosity.

“Really, my dear? Could you tell me who these Sh’ur are?” Jana tried to pronounce the word correctly, discreetly pulling out her notebook to jot down notes.

Valentina hesitated, seemingly searching for the right words.

“They are... they seemed kind.”

“People?” Mark asked deliberately, seeking clarity.

“They’re not people!” Valentina corrected him sharply. “They live there,” she gestured toward the asteroid, “and they’re very unhappy.”

“Why do you think they’re unhappy?” Jana inquired.

“The Sh’ur say the Gardeners forced them to leave their home and go with them.”

The fire continued to cast warmth on their conversation, Valentina becoming more comfortable sharing her story. Mark felt a sense of relief hearing her open up. For the first time in a long while, he decided to defy orders, choosing not to lead them to the designated coordinates. With the world crumbling around them, survival was uncertain, but he was determined to protect Valentina at all costs. This final mission of his life had to succeed.

Jana gazed thoughtfully into the fire, its flickering light casting shadows on her face filled with a mix of curiosity and concern.

“Val, how did you find these friends of yours?” Captain Mark ventured, breaking the silence that had settled between them.

The child’s face clouded over with a hint of sadness, but she responded, “At first, we were all in that massive hall with the terrifying machines. The screams of people were incessant...”

Mark swallowed hard, understanding all too well what Valentina was referring to—the Hall of Horrors, as it had been dubbed. A place where humans were morphed into hybrids, their humanity twisted and reshaped.

“It hurt the others, and it hurt me too. I was so very sad! I felt something stirring inside me, but I resisted, Mom. I thought of you, and it couldn’t harm me,” Valentina confessed, her voice a whisper of defiance.

Tears welled up in Jana’s eyes as she absorbed her daughter’s words, the emotional weight of the tale causing her heart to ache as if it were being squeezed.

“Don’t cry, Mom!” Valentina implored. “Then the Sh’ur came and took me to a different place. It was warm and nice there. They promised to take care of me.”

Mark struggled to visualize the scene, his mind racing to piece together the fragments of Valentina’s story. “How did you understand them, Val? Did they speak English?”

Valentina smiled faintly at the absurdity of the question. “Of course not, don’t be silly! They can’t speak at all.”

“Then how did you understand them?” Mark probed further.

“It was like they could talk through everything!” Valentina tapped her forehead, indicating the method of their silent communication.

“The same way you communicate with the transformed beings?” Mark pressed.

“Yes, it’s the same!” Valentina exclaimed, a spark of excitement in her voice.

Jana, intrigued, asked, “Can we do it too?”

Valentina clarified, “It’s not really talking. It’s more like pictures in my mind, and they understand.”

“And when they show you something, can you always make sense of it?” Jana inquired gently.

“Sometimes I can’t,” Valentina admitted. “There were times when the Sh’ur showed me things I couldn’t comprehend.”

“What did you see?”

“They’re very old. They said what they showed me was their home, far from here, where they lived before the Gardeners took them away. But I didn’t understand the images. Everything was so... different. Nothing like here,” she gestured towards the surrounding forest.

A brief silence fell upon the group as Mark and Jana digested the enormity of Valentina’s revelations. Mark then raised his head, curiosity piqued.

“You said something out loud to everyone during the battle? That grating metallic sound?”

“That’s different. That’s how the Gardeners speak!” as if it were common knowledge.

“Do you understand their language? If the Gardeners speak, will you understand them?” Mark asked, the excitement in his voice betraying the realization of how invaluable Valentina could be—the only person who might communicate with the invaders.

“Yes, it’s hard, but I understand... quite a bit. The Sh’ur say I’ll get better over time.”

“How did the Gardeners allow your friends to take you?”

“They... wake up last from the journey. In the meantime, their... servants prepare things.”

Jana’s recent theory about hibernation seemed more plausible now.

“Val, did they make you what you are now?” Jana asked tentatively, having composed herself.

“Will you still love me, Mom?” Valentina asked, her voice laced with apprehension.

“Of course, my little treasure. Mom will always love you, no matter what they’ve done to you. I’ll always be by your side!” Jana’s voice cracked with emotion as she fought back tears.

Valentina looked at her and finally shared, “The Sh’ur debated whether to do it and how exactly. I didn’t understand then. In the end, those who wanted to transform me won. They said it would give me a better chance, but I don’t know for what. They gave me a shiny beautiful cube to swallow, and I felt everything started changing inside me. I was still me, but I became different.”

Mark pondered for a moment, trying to grasp the significance of Valentina’s words.

“What have they prepared you to become?”

“A warrior! Like you!” Valentina proudly shared. “They said I could change if I wanted, to become stronger and faster. And when I don’t want to be that way, I’ll still be me. The Sh’ur think only I can teach humans how to defeat the Gardeners.”

“Did it hurt during the transformation?” Jana’s maternal instincts kicked in.

“Only a little,” Valentina confessed. “Just at the beginning.”

From the dark forest, a mournful cry echoed. The bushes parted, and instead of an enemy, a wounded deer slowly approached Val. The creature was severely injured. The child moved closer to the deer and placed her hand upon its head. From Val’s scepter, strange living threads began to crawl, penetrating the skin of the animal. They moved as if in chaos, yet gradually sealed the wound, leaving behind a shimmering metallic web-like structure. The deer carefully rose from the ground and vanished deep into the forest, moving away from the house. The two stood, astounded.

“That was magic, Val!” the captain whispered, his eyes filled with awe.

Jana silently pondered the miracle they had just witnessed.

“Can you tell me something else?” Mark asked thoughtfully. “Did the Sh’ur tell you what to say to the transformed humans and animals to subjugate them?”

“No, but it seems like I’ve always known.”

“And what exactly do you tell them?”

Valentine paused, trying to translate the ancient message to herself before speaking it aloud.

“Open your minds and bow down, for I am the bearer of both pain and salvation!”

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