Eli's Project

The shadows of a building are helpful when you are trying to hide, and tonight, the moving shadow of the young woman was very concerned about sticking to the darkness. Sarha slunk along, carefully avoiding the large circles of light underneath the parking lot poles. Moving as fast as she dared through the damp puddles, with the outer wall of the building at her back, her golden eyes were darting to and fro, scanning in front, behind, and all around her. Where WAS he?? She HAD to get off this Dock and away from the Port. She had to find the Greyhound station to get her to Vegas. But she had no idea where she was concerning the gate, entrance, or any other way out. She should never have come here. She should have just saved up the extra money and flown into Vegas Airport like any other normal person. But she had thought it might be fun to travel a bit. To see Los Angeles before going north to Nevada. LOTS of college-age people, all over the world, backpack, hike, travel by bus, or hitchhike. And when she found out that passage on the ship was ½ the price of airfare, well, it made the decision very simple. But, "Hindsight is 20/20" and all that. Stupid, stupid, stupid. That was a Fomorian at the Ship. She knew it. As soon as they made eye contact, she SAW him and she was certain that he SAW her. He had screwed up everything. But why and how could a Fomorian be in this place, escorting the passengers off the ship, in the transport van? This was supposed to be a secure place of safe passage. What was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime had just become way too adventurous.

Dipping in and out between the buildings, the machinery, and the shipping containers, she needed to find somewhere to hide for a minute. She needed to catch her breath, make her phone call and plan her next move. She was in over her head, and her head needed to think. The Doc needed to know what going on, that her system had been compromised, and hopefully, help her get out of this situation. Sarha finally found an empty container, with the door slightly open. She pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket and turned on the flashlight. The container was empty except for a few empty wooden pallets and straps from the boxes that had once been stacked on them. This container had just recently been unloaded and had yet to be picked up. It probably wouldn't be cleaned up until morning when the regular crew of dock workers started their shift. Perfect. It would serve her purposes for the next few minutes at least, so she ducked inside, pulled the heavy metal door shut behind her, and took off her backpack.

She had to dig around in her pack to find her wallet, and then find the small scrap of paper with the phone number scribbled on it. The agent who had spoken to her in Ireland about the Doc and this entire set-up had given her the number with strict instructions that it was “For Emergencies Only”. Like, if you end up in jail or the hospital. She had no idea who the “Doc” was, or who this number was going to connect her to, but she was certain this qualified as an 'emergency'. It had all been set up anonymously, and $1500 was all it had cost to be given her new papers and passage on the Ship. According to her Passport, her name was Sarha Riverbraid, and she was here on a Student Visa because she was enrolled at UNLV. Two months ago, she had boarded the ship in Dublin and was told that they would dock at the Port in Oakland. A transport van would take them into downtown L.A. and drop them off. From there, they were to travel north to Las Vegas, check into the Circus Circus Hotel, and await further instructions. That was all she knew. Some of the others who had been on the Ship with her had money to fly out of LAX, or rent a car at the airport, some were like her and were going to get a Greyhound bus ticket, and some were going to hitchhike. However they chose to get there, they had two weeks to arrive at the hotel. Like any other tourist, visiting the Vegas Strip from out of town. From there, they would be offered security and protection, a safe starting point, until each would decide where they wanted to go and what they wanted to do here in America. It was a chance at a fresh start, a brand new world, a new life. But NONE of that was going to happen until she made it off this dock alive. Her hands were shaking and she clumsily typed in the numbers. A woman answered.

“Hello. Who is this?”

“Sarha Riverbraid. I just landed at Oakland Port from the ship Mercurius. I have an emergency.”

“Understood. Hold a moment.”

Whoever the woman was, she had just put her on Hold. ON HOLD!! Didn't she just say it was an EMERGENCY!? She heard a click and Sarha pulled the phone away from her ear to make sure she was still connected. Yes, according to the screen, she was still on the call. Suddenly she heard another female voice, this one with a British accent, saying “Hello? Hello??” Sarha almost dropped the phone as she quickly clutched it to her ear.

“Hello. Yes. Sorry. I'm here. I have an emergency and I need help.”

“OK, Sarha. I'll try to help you. Tell me what's going on. Where are you and what's happened?” said the British lady.

“I'm somewhere on the docks at the Port of Oakland. I don't know exactly where I am in reference to any kind of exit or escape route. I just disembarked from the ship 'Mercurius'. I had made it down the gangway with everyone else and I was in line to climb in the transport van. Then I saw the man sitting up front, in the passenger seat. We made eye contact and he recognized me as Tuatha. He was Fomorian. I'm 100% sure of it. We recognized each other and I dipped out of line, saying I forgot something. I ducked behind some crates there on the dock. Then I heard the door of the van open and close. I peeked out and saw him coming towards me. He was following me, looking for me. I managed to hide in the shadows and get away from him momentarily, but now I'm stuck in an empty shipping container and I don't know what to do next. Please help me”

“Alright, it's ok. I'll get you through this. What powers do you possess? Can they help you in any way? Have you tried to use them?”

“Well, I'm not sure how much you know and understand, but our powers have been diluted through the centuries, you know. Divinity mixed with humanity if you get my meaning. Of course, I can heal myself if I'm wounded. But against an adult Fomorian? He probably has powers of his own and I'm not immortal. I'm from the Cernunnos family, and he was basically the God of beasts and wild places. My main “power”, if you want to call it that, is I can communicate with animals. Not really talk to them, I'm not Dr. Doolittle, ya know. I guess "control” them is a better term. I can walk into a tiger's cage and pet it, that kind of thing. And I happen to be skilled at mediation. Conflict resolution. A peacemaker, ya know. But neither of those things is going to serve me well, not here and now, in this situation.”

“I think you underestimate yourself. We can use that. Just let me think for a moment.”

“I don't see how. Again, I have a Fomorian after me. He's not going to be interested in 'resolving' this conflict. This is not a fight I can break up. If he finds me, he will kill me. I won't have time to talk my way out of it. Also, I'm on the docks. Nothing around me but concrete and metal. There are no animals here. Maybe there are fish in the water, but what are they going to do?? How does that help??”

Ok. Here's my suggestion. I feel like he is trying to trap you between himself and the water. To get to the Main Gate, you have to run back past him and he will either see you or sense you as you come near. He has blocked off your only means of escape and he assumes when you get to the water, you'll stop and he can catch you. If you were to jump in the water, what do you think about getting around the Port altogether? He'll not be expecting you to enter the water to get away from him. The Mercurius was supposed to have docked at the Oakland International Container Terminal. So, I'm pretty sure that's where you are. If you face the direction of the water, make your way to the right and keep the water always on your left. Eventually, you will come to Middle Harbor Shoreline Park. It's a Wildlife Habitat. I'm sure you could find friends there to help you, like some sea lions. Maybe dolphins if you're lucky. And on the other side of that is the Harbor Channel and Alameda. Try to come ashore there. If this works, by the time he figures out that you are no longer on the dock, that you've left the Port complex altogether, you'll be long gone.”

“OK. That makes sense I guess. I didn't have plans to go swimming tonight, but desperate times call for desperate measures. So what am I supposed to do once I get to Alameda? I still don't know where I am. I don't know anything about California. Which way am I supposed to go? Just sleep on the beach?”

“Do what you have to, find the nearest road and flag down a passing car if you can. You might have to walk to town. Once you get to, you know, some kind of civilization, call me back. I'll pay for a couple of nights in whatever motel you can find so you can rest and recuperate. Lay low and make sure you aren't followed. And because you had to go through all of this because of a breach in MY security, I'll pay for a ticket to Vegas from Oakland International Airport, so you can get here faster and easier. Once you get here, you will be safe. That I can guarantee. Can you do it? Can you get to the water from where you are?”

“Um, at the moment, I'm hiding in an empty shipping container. I can't see the water, but I should be able to easily figure out which direction to go once I'm back outside. Okay... um... I'm going to go. I need to conserve battery on the phone because I won't be able to charge it until I get to town. I'll call you back as soon as I can.”

“Good luck, Sarha. May Danu watch over you. I'll be waiting for your call.”

And with that, she was gone. Sarha felt very alone again and slightly frightened. While she had been listening to the lady, she had eaten one of her protein bars and drank some of her water, so she was feeling a bit refreshed. She carefully repacked her backpack, making sure her paperwork, phone and laptop were securely sealed inside their ziplock bags to keep them waterproof. Her pack wasn't entirely waterproof, so she supposed some of her clothes were going to get wet, but once she got to a town, she could find a Laundromat to wash and dry them. As long as everything electronic stayed dry, she'd be fine. She did feel better now that she had a plan, but it was going to be a tricky thing to get to the wildlife area. Once she got there, she would be home free. Sarha put her pack on, secured it with the cross straps, and opened the container door.

Only a couple of inches at first, just so she could peek out. She didn't see anything, only darkness. She listened hard and tried to sense if anything was around her. Everything was quiet and still. A thin, low fog had started to roll in from the water which made everything slightly hazy. Perfect for her situation because the mist would make it harder to see into the shadows. She opened the door a little more, wide enough for her to slide through. As she moved the door, the metal on the huge hinges gave a mighty creak and groan. And because the container was empty, it echoed. Loudly. Damn!, she winced. If he was near, she was smart enough to know that there was no way he didn't hear that. It was loud enough and the sound carries. Now she had to run, no more hesitation. She had to hurry. She didn't want to be here if he came to investigate the noise, and she didn't want to be seen running away. She made it out of the container without moving the door again. She ducked down and ran back to the nearest warehouse, maybe 50 ft away. She stood in a corner, with her back to the wall, and tried to get her bearings. The edge of the pier was to her left, she could tell because that was where the ships were. There were at least 3 large ships she could see. Gently listing in the water, she could hear the giant mooring lines stretching and screeching as they held the giant boats in place. She didn't want to venture too close to the boats. The edge of each pier was brightly lit and even from where she was, she could barely make out a few bodies of workers and sailors milling about. She didn't want to be seen by them either. They might not be a threat that would try to kill her, but they would certainly raise an alarm and probably call the Police. Or worse, Border Patrol. There would be too many questions that she didn't have the time, ability, or inclination to answer. She couldn't afford to have her fake papers scrutinized by some low-level immigration agent. They would put her on the next transport back to Ireland. That wouldn't serve her well.

She started moving straight ahead, keeping the water on her left, just as the British lady had said. Ducking in and out, between the huge stacks of shipping containers, 18-wheel trucks, and forklifts. Running from one obstacle to the next, staying in the shadows. Picking her way along, taking care to keep looking over her shoulder, trying to be vigilant and keep one eye out for her pursuer. So far, so good. She had no idea what time it was, but this part of the Port was fairly empty and seemed closed. The next thing in front of her was a cluster of buildings, 4 or 5, all dark and blacked out. She decided, by their appearance, these must be shipping offices because they were smaller than the warehouses she had just left, and these buildings all had glass windows and doors on the front. She assumed the offices probably wouldn't open until morning, so she didn't fear being seen here. She just had to get around them, to the other side of them. She lurched forward, sprinted the 100 ft to the wall of the closest building, and put her back against the wall. She scanned back the way she had just come, through the maze of containers. Stillness. Everything was quiet and still. She didn't see anything moving or hear any sounds, like footsteps or even shifting shadows. She didn't realize she had been holding her breath until it all came out in a heavy sigh. She traveled along the wall, hugging the building, just as she had along the warehouses. When she got to the back corner of the building, she glanced behind her one last time and turned left to go around. And ran into a wall, a human wall. She bounced off him and stumbled backward half a step. Faster than she could blink, two meaty hands, both the size of a Catcher's Mitt, spun her around and picked her up. One hand went over her mouth and the other arm went around her waist. Her back was held firmly against his chest. Sarha attempted to struggle, to at least put up a fight. She kicked her legs and her hands pulled at the arm covering her mouth. She knew it was futile. She was plucked off the ground as easily as if she were a fallen feather. Sarha couldn't see her captor or his face, but she knew it was the Fomorian and she knew she was dead.