To Be A Warrior

Chapter 45: Train To New Oban Part 2

"Your carriage rolled, but it's upright again now," He says. "Doors are open. You need get out quickly. There are fires starting all over the train, but the prototype train is waiting about one kilometer away."

With how badly I'm hurting, the thought of running sounds about as appetizing as playing in the goat pen, but I can't just sit here and die. I stumble towards the doors along with the others. It's a bit of a jump since the train isn't on the tracks. Andreas slightly pushes Halima in front of him.

"Five, help her down," He says, and I take her hand in my hand, ready to catch her if she stumbles when hitting the ground. She doesn't. Ellie and Andreas hop down after her, and we start stumbling along. None of us are look majorly injured, but Ellie's got a bruise on the left side of her jaw, and Andreas keeps rubbing his left shoulder.

We need to keep moving.

"Ah, crap."

I tense at Sam's tone.

"Crap!"

Even more so with that.

"A lot of infected people are also crawling out of the train." His voice goes soft, just above a whisper. "They're jerking. Their bones are broken, a-and their faces are torn, but they're still coming."

I don't have to look back, even as Halima and Ellie and Andreas do. My heart breaks at the fear on their faces, at the horror in Sam's voice. It hurts to know that this is just the beginning.

"That's so horrible!" His voice cracks. "Look, you've gotta move. Five, grab Halima. Just-just run for the train, please! Run! Now!"

I reach back and grab Halima's hand, pulling her along as I run, my body still screaming in pain from the crash. I push through it. My heart feels like it might burst through my chest, and I can see the terrified looks on everyone's faces. There's so much fear, confusion. I wish I could tell them that it will all be alright, that things will get better, that we will find a cure...

But even in present time, we have more threats, more confusion and fear and pain. We're still searching for a way out, a way to bring back some normalcy to the world.

I don't even know if these people are alive in present time. I know Ellie is, but Halima? Andreas? I know Halima was alive while I was at Mullins-well, no actually. I received her letter while at Mullins, but that doesn't guarantee she's still alive. It's been probably six years since she wrote that letter. A lot can happen in that time.

"You guys have run seven kilometers and you're still going," Sam says after a few minutes. "And the-the infected are still after you."

I cringe, but my attention is taken away from the moans and growls behind me and to Andreas' gasping laughter as he points ahead of him.

"There's the train. You beauty!"

It looks a lot like the NewOban Express, but I guess it would since this is supposed to be the prototype. I'm assume it's here maybe for show? Or possibly they were going to let people ride it to New Oban afterwards as a sort of less luxurious treat later on. Either way, it's here, and it will be what keeps us alive.

"I have never been happier to see a train in my life," Ellie sighs, but then her brows furrow, "even though it's-it's only got a few working carriages and... Andreas, the rest is exposed to the elements."

When we reach the doors, they open, and Andreas nearly pushes me inside. "Quickly! Up into the train. Quickly! Quickly!"

I can hear the zombies behind us, moaning, growling. I hop and pull Halima with me, then Ellie. Andreas climbs inside the carriage and presses a button that shuts the doors. Once they're secure, his shoulders slump.