Phase 5

Through the haze of sleep there came a sharp rap at the window behind Berynne's head and he awoke with a start, barely knowing where he was. Immediately he sat bolt upright, wheeling around to see flickering yellow light through the window and very briefly assuming the sun was dawning. Almost instantly, he realised his mistake as to his horror he saw a face peering through at him.

His heart skipped a few beats and he reached beneath the blanket to pull the revolver from his belt. He pointed it at the face, which rapidly backed away, revealing the thin body of a woman whose arms were holding the lantern producing the waxy yellow light that sickly illuminated the car's interior.

Berynne realised that he was in a tight spot, but fortunately the woman was now disappearing from view. He shuffled backwards as quickly as he could and reached behind him with his free hand, finding no handle and instantly realising why - the vehicle was a sports car whose doors were at the front.

He could no longer see the female who had abruptly woken him, and decided that, although not out of danger by any means, it was probably safe enough to make a move. He clambered over the seats again, and pushed the handle down. The door wouldn't open; he remembered the Tekki lock that had been on the passenger door, and felt for that, too. Pulling this off carefully, he tried again.

The door swung open two inches and stopped dead, clanging noisily against the metal barrier at the centre of the road. Cursing audibly, the memories from the day before came back, and he considered desperately what to do next. The female would be in the direction of the passenger door, and if she had a firearm, he'd be an easy target egressing from that side.

Aside from the sunroof, which Berynne ruled out quickly as foolish, and the passenger side door, there was no other exit from the vehicle. He lunged across the car, knocking the door from its resting place across the road with a loud scraping noise. Seeing the lantern light jump slightly, as quickly and noiselessly as possible he followed the door through the dark. Once his feet hit the road, he skidded to the right, hopped backwards along the front bumper of the vehicle until he felt the central reservation barrier behind him. He turned, vaulted it as best he could, and leaned back hard against the cold steel, breathing heavily.

Taking the gun into both hands, Berynne took off the safety catch and wheeled whilst getting to his feet. Instantly he pointed it at the light source now standing a few feet from the verge. In spite of the dark, he could still make out her face. As his eyes readjusted to the lantern light, he realised it was one of terror.

He could see her much more clearly now. She was young, much younger than his meagre 23 years, and wearing a very simply and rough hand-made brown dress, with a large frontal pocket like 20th Century aprons. She had on her feet a pair of old running shoes, and her dark hair was tied back tightly behind her head. Practical, he thought. She's probably Follower.

Slowly, the girl put the lantern on the ground and raised her hands above her head in the time-honoured gesture of surrender. Her whole body shook in fear; plainly she'd never been in this kind of situation before.

If Berynne was to be honest, neither had he. He'd listened to tales of the Followers in the Tekki mess halls, but had never actually encountered one. Tekkis in general had a deep mistrust for them and their Metaphilosophy, but there were many similarities in the aims of the two gangs and personally Berynne had no quarrel with them. Especially now. If this Follower girl was here, there'd be a Follower enclave somewhere near by. Besides, on her own she was barely a threat.

"Hey," he shouted in English as he replaced the gun in his belt, clicking the safety back on. "Look - I'm putting the gun away. I'm going to come over - don't move."

Slowly, he climbed over the barrier and walked towards her, both hands at head level. The girl looked calmer, but still as though she was about to bolt. Berynnne had to admit that he had quite a few questions as to why suh a meek and fearful Follower had strayed from the enclave before dawn, but he thought it best not to worry for the moment. After all, he was in dire need of her help.

With the width of a highway lane between them, he stopped. She flinched and took a step backwards, shivering slightly. "Don't worry," he called to her, softly. "I'm not here to hurt you. I need your help."

To this, the girl looked puzzled. Berynne wasn't surprised. By all accounts, the general mistrust of Tekkis for Followers was fairly mutual. She made no response, and he began to worry if she really understood him. "Parlez-vous Français? Habla Usted Español? Do you speak English? Catalan? Listen; I need your help."

She shook her head vigorously by response, indicating frantically down the highway. He took another few steps forward with his hands at eye level, and she stepped backwards again, right to the bushes in the verge, to which her back was now pressed firmly. Berynne sighed, exasperated, and picked up the lantern that was now by his feet, not hers. "Look." Now his voice was flat and tired. "Here's your lantern. Take me to your enclave." He repeated the sentence in rough Spanish, and proffered one hand forward to offer her the lantern, indicating with the other down the highway in the same direction as she had indicated.

She flinched again, but after a moment's pause she grabbed the lantern suspiciously, stared at him for a few seconds before making off towards where she had pointed at full speed. He followed her, confused but pleased he had gotten the message across.

His injuries from the day before moaned in complaint, and he was desperately tired. For the season, it was surprisingly chilly in the pre-dawn air, and he was afraid that those looking for him might be coming back. Berynne looked incredulously at the girl striding a few paces in front of him, and almost prayed that the walk would not be long.