The Space Spoon novel Chapter 93

The rotting smell arrived before the view. Tejeda had been the unlucky recipient of several deadly scents in his lengthy life, but none was quite like this.

As he emerged out of the woodland at the edge of a cliff, his field of vision expanded. Standing on top of a large boulder, Tejeda scanned the surroundings. An open-world graveyard for anything organic that the non-organic beings on RK10 considered trash.

A river of lava coursed around the cesspool, meandering between the piles of junk. The burned land around the ford showed that it flooded from time to time, which was how most of the trash got obliterated faster.

The molten lava oozed slowly across the landscape. Dark red streams flowed from the ground, filling the cracks between the rocks before draining back into them.

A swirling, blue sea perforated the beach up to the nearest channel of the lava river on the far left. Each time a fresh wave crashed into the searing stream, the water evaporated instantly, resulting in an inverted waterfall. What a stunning, one-of-a-kind vista, right next to the most annoying dump Tejeda had ever seen.

He turned to the right and saw the lava flow from the opposite direction. It formed a bridge that connected the two sides of the island. A narrow path led from the shore to the other side.

In short, Rurar was a beautiful moon, and yet the landfill or, better even, the garbage dump of any residual organic waste. A befitting spot for the final resting place of one or two Nubilae.

From Tejeda's vantage point, what were most likely people approaching the wasteland seemed more like ants. He could observe them searching among the rubbish as he descended to the ground level.

On the way down, he took note of the landmarks. The road stretching from the coastline to the other side of the island was made of crushed stone, making it impossible to walk on without suitable footwear. He smirked as he came prepared with his best boots.

The heat made him sweat, and the smell stung his nostrils.

Tejeda looked around for a while, hoping to find someone who knew something useful. The first person he saw was a young man carrying a basket full of firewood.

“Hey! Can I ask you a question?” Tejeda waved, coming closer to the young man.

The youth stopped and looked at him with a confused expression. "Who are you?"

"I'm a friend of Rahul," Tejeda said, pointing at himself.

The young man blinked several times. His eyes grew wide, and he quickly lowered his gaze.

Behind the man, other tall, bulky men stood menacingly. There were five of them, three humans and two valerians, each wearing a kind of leafy armor and carrying wooden weapons. They were not as tall as valerians usually were, but their presence was still intimidating.

"You’re new here." The tallest of the men stepped forward, pointing toward Tejeda. "The resources are scarce, so either help us or go to another territory."

“I’ll take my leave as soon as you answer a question. Do any of you know where Rahul is?”

The men exchanged glances. The young one with the basket looked at Tejeda in the eyes.

“We’re calling him God. He’s the one ordering the skies to open only for him.”

Tejeda decided to believe him. After all, the anxiety of living in a world like this could easily lead to blind faith.

“Thank you.” Tejeda patted the young man on his back as he passed by him. “You’ve been of great help.”

“Stranger, may I ask you something in return?”

The whisper coming from the hunkered down young man took Tejeda by surprise. But he stopped and waited for the question.

“Why do you have that empty stare? My momma had one just like that before she died.”

Tejeda stared down at his feet without turning around. "Then don't be upset over her death. This is the look of someone who accepted and welcomed his destiny, even his death."

The Nubilae walked away without looking back.

For whatever reason, this moon reminded Tejeda of Nubilonia. His memories with the other Nubilae served as a backrest for his heart to rely on when his mind drifted. Killing Rahul was not going to be simple for him.

Most people hide their lingering pain and desires behind a strong front. Tejeda was going through life putting on a mask of madness and humor.

But no matter how hard he tried to hide his sadness, it always showed up in his eyes. It was the same thing with his anger—it seemed to seep out of his pores whenever his mind let its guard down.

He touched the spoon hanging at his neck. “Oh, Carmen. My memories of you guide me through a future I can’t see. Maybe that future ends today.”