Station, стр. 7
Finally, under the serene face of the eccentricmoon, Hadder arrived at what he prayed was a city. He stood in aweof the high wall before him, reminded of those that surroundedgreat cities of antiquity. Its earthen quality matched that of thedesert floor, blending in with the barren landscape. It appeared tobe more than two hundred feet in height, with a surface that wouldgive no purchase for foot or hand.
Hadder placed his left hand on the wall, leaving itthere as he walked its length, much as he did back at the caveportal. It gently turned in a massive circle large enough toencompass several of America's great amusement parks, and Hadderwondered about the rides awaiting him.
Thousands of steps later, Hadder's hand, still heldfast to the wall face, ran over an almost unnoticeable seam in theearthen material. Like finding the end of a roll of tape, it waseasier to feel the seam than see it. A slight difference in rockcolor was all that distinguished one slab from the other. Somethingelse, however, clearly marked this area as something special,something necessary.
Two feet above Hadder's head, painted in a redscrawl, rested the words for which he had risked what was left ofhis diminished life, seemingly traversing worlds and wanderingaimlessly. In a slight double arch, much like a grandmother'swooden welcome sign over the front door, laid what he needed toread to believe.
Welcome to Station.
CHAPTER 3
Marlin Hadder's eyes followed the faint outline of thedoor but were unable to locate keyhole, handle, or knocker. Seeingno alternative, he simply pressed both palms against the slab'scold surface. Almost immediately, Hadder felt a strange vibrationflow through his arms as the barrier warmed to an uncomfortablelevel. Just before having to remove his hands from the nowblistering wall, something invisible clicked, and the door swung insilently. If there were hinges present, they were entirely hiddenand immaculately greased, leaving Hadder to believe that somethingmore than sophisticated engineering was at play here.
Slowly adjusting to the new shadow created by theopen doorway, Hadder stood for a moment, still unable to wrap hishead around where he was and how he had gotten here. A commonmantra - this is fucking crazy – played incessantly in hishead. As his pupils dilated once more, he began to make outanother, deeper shadow in the darkness. Two golden eyes appeared asthe shadow grew, moving closer at a measured pace. One hand washeld up in an affectation of peace.
"Greetings, greetings," came a calming voice likethe bubbling creek behind Hadder's childhood home. The sound, stillemanating from a golden-eyed shadow, continued. "Welcome to yournew home. I know you've been through some real trials to find us.We all share in your suffering."
Words stuck in Hadder's throat like a key as the manstepped out into the strange moonlight. He was a slight black manjust shy of middle age, wearing trendy, well-fitting casualclothing that made him immediately appear engaging and credible.Smallish in stature, he barely reached Hadder's chin. What reallystood out, however, were those golden eyes of his, two beacons thatseemed to penetrate meat and bone to peer into one's soul. Hadderhad yet to speak a word by the time the man was upon him. He heldout his hand. And this time, Hadder took it.
"Welcome to Station, my new friend. I'm sure you'refeeling a mix of confusion and fear and curiosity and a millionother emotions. I wish I could assuage all your concerns at once,here and now, but things don't get any more normal from this pointon."
Hadder heard the man's words but found himselffailing to comprehend them all, so transfixed he was by the goldenorbs that swam in the night air.
The man noticed and cleared his throat. "I apologizefor how my eyes must appear to you. One of the little perks of ourfair community. Trust me, these will be the least of things tocatch your eye by this time tomorrow."
Hadder shook off the stupid look he was sure to bewearing. "Sorry for staring. My name's Marlin. Marlin Hadder."
"No need for sorries. I'm sure you're quiteflummoxed right now. Who wouldn't be, with that nastiness with thekey and that musty cave and that trackless desert and this KingKong wall? It's almost enough to make a black man white and a whiteman honest." He smiled. "That was what we call a joke around here.Don't worry, you'll loosen up soon enough. My name's Miles, andI've been granted the pleasure of showing you around. We're all sovery intrigued. You're the first new resident in quite a long time,and there will be real chatter about what that means. So pleasecome in, there's a world for you to explore. Make sure to keep anopen mind, lest you lose yours."
With that, Miles turned and walked back into shadow.After a brief moment to collect his thoughts before realizing hehad none, Hadder followed, completing the journey from one worldinto another.
There really was a city behind that wall of earth.If one found the term city to be a bit strong, none could arguethat it was, at the very least, a large town. Squat buildings, nomore than three or four stories, sprouted up to Hadder's left andright. He turned around to glimpse one final view of the outsidedesert, only to find that the door had moved ninja-quiet back inplace, leaving only the barest impression that it even existed.
A monster moved to stand before the sealed entrance,and Hadder quickly came to understand Miles's veiled words.
"Jesus Christ," he shouted, shuffling backward sofast that he tripped over his own feet to land hard on his ass. Theman or thing that stood over Hadder was around eight feet tall andswathed in a thick layer of muscle not seen outside of film specialeffects.
The monstrosity's skin was the