2085 by Alejandro Volnié Read Free Book Online Page A

end of the main street. He reached this point in a few minutes, and then he went on with a walk that would last all night long.
    At the beginning he had to resort to a flashlight, but as soon as the moon appeared he no longer needed it. He turned it off to move with more discretion.
    Dawn found him walking yet, still having a short length to go before arriving at his first stop; an old barn that long ago had been used for grain storage. Right then he was expecting to see it at any moment.
    Under the twilight he approached the stream next to this long ago abandoned path. He got on his knees and sank his hands in the icy water for a drink. Memories of his early youth rushed through his mind; he used to spend weekends hunting, fishing and camping with his father in the countryside.
    His face broke into a smile arisen by pleasant yesteryear memories. The chilling contact with water, now wetting his face, made his memories fade away just as they had come.
    The thick forest echoed with birds’ warbling. A light mist lay everywhere, and the sky’s reddishness was quickly fading as the sun rose over the horizon.
    As he resumed the walk, his boots rubbing the tall grass restarted the rhythmic soundtrack that had accompanied his way during the last two hours.
    The feeling of having been set free that had filled him since the beginning of his journey, was only overshadowed by the uncertainty of events to come; however, fatigue was helping him to keep calm.
    F ifteen minutes later, the place where he intended to make his first stop became within sight. He unconsciously sped up his pace. He urgently needed to rest.
    The sudden loud sound of flapping gave him a fright when crossing the barn’s door. A flock of birds flew through the opening in the wall which had once been a window, kicking up dust and leaving behind a small cloud of feathers that swayed in the air to reach the ground. He planned to spend the day in this place and continue his journey at dusk.
    He found a corner safe from peeping glances and lay down wrapped in his sleeping bag. His whole body was aching, so he had some trouble to relax; however, as he did he fell in a deep sleep.
    He had to get recovered before the evening from the former night’s exercise, as it was essential to resume his path at dusk. His uncertain program forced him to increase by every possible minute his lead on his pursuers.
    He had slept ten straight hours when sunset light passing through the cracks in the ceiling hurt his eyes, forcing him to wake up with a grin. He had been dreaming on Lucy and their most recent vacation trip. It took him a while to become aware of the situation he was in.
    He stood up heavily. Previous hours’ fatigue had become now a general feeling of stiffness, which was making it hard to move. He had to make a great effort to start a calisthenics routine, stretching arms first and then legs, until the only discomfort left was the pricking feeling on his foot soles.
    It took him t hree more days to get to the small chapel. During this time his path did not cross with that of any human being. A feeling of loneliness filled him now, taking the place of that of freedom of the first hours of his journey.
    This morning he had woken up with a less aching body. While he was taking breakfast, in his mind he had finally understood why humans are so prone to sacrifice their personal calmness in exchange for company. He was feeling an urgency to meet with others of his kind. In the recent days he had only talked to himself. Now he was in the need of someone else to share the experiences he was living.
    Fortunately, so far , he had managed to precisely follow the plan. He was on the edge of a territory inhabited by a large community of the reaction bloc. He just had ahead one more day to go, in which he should travel along the canyon that lied right in front of him. At its opposite end he expected to make contact with other human beings.
    He suddenly changed his mind and decided to