A New Age, of old strength and allies (ONC 2023)

4. The burn of discovery

I heard the groan and the grinding of metal, as I tensed in concentration at the immense release of power. My feelings of frustration slipped away, as my surging pulse sent my heart pounding in a cathartic rhythm.

Another rush of cool air punched through the door, and I lowered my hands as I opened my eyes. A large hole, raggedly torn through the centre of the door, extended into a pod opposite, the both roughly ripped apart in a satisfying sight.

Bending down, I began to pass through the wreckage, but the train jerked hard to the left. Unable to do anything to stop it, I braced, as my shoulder hit the jagged metal above, slicing deeply as I fell through, before careening into the opposite wall.

Fuck!

The sudden screeching of metal on metal rose to an unbearable pitch, as the whole train began to twist.

I ran a few strides towards another pod door, slamming my wrist against its frame as I waited. Before the door had a chance to fully open, I slipped through, still using the wall to brace myself as the carriage tilted. Clawing my way forward, I heard the door shut as I sat down, before strapping myself in.

The gash across my shoulder stung with every movement, the blood slick upon my skin as I gripped the sides of the seat. A wave of nausea rolled over me as everything began to slide.

Concentrating, I tensed as best as I could, raising a force-field around me. It would fend off any fatal injuries, but at the cost of being unable to stop myself from falling or bracing. The train carriage finally overturned, sliding and rolling without direction into the darkness of the storm. The lightning struck in flashes, illuminating everything around as if in slow motion.

I was thrown back again and again in my seat as the carriage overturned, my vision blurring. The taste of blood flooded my senses as I inadvertently bit my tongue. The sharp pain dulling the pain of the gash, my blood still running in thin rivulets along my arm. Tucking my head down, I pushed back into the plush seating, trying to avoid any more bruising. The cacophony of thunder and tearing metal, left me deaf to almost anything else. Another sharp jerk and the carriage rolled to a final stop, but not before slamming my head into the wall one last time.

The moment of stillness had the threatening nausea rise for a moment, as though the constant battering was the distraction that had kept it at bay. Breathing sharply and shallowly, I released the straps and fell to the side, as I landed on the door. The carriage having finally come to a halt on its side.

My body ached, and my vision felt hazy as I looked to the window above, still showing a darkened sky as the thunderstorm continued to rage. Climbing to my feet, it was only then that I realised the window had been blown out.

At least that’s one less problem.

Subtly flexing my shoulders to relieve the stiffness of the mix of dry and still moist blood, I ignored the pain. Using the wall and seats, I climbed up to and out through the window.

The harsh winds whipped my face, the thunder and lightning still a looming presence over all. I stood on top of the carriage gazing down upon the wreckage, the flash of the lightning reflecting in the silvery white siding of the train. A reminder that the storm was far from over. Walking to the edge, I jumped down. The hard ground making for an uncomfortable landing. Clouds of dust swirled in unsettling spirals, whisked and stirred in restlessness. An aching tension ran through me, the soreness of bruising beginning to set in.

As I looked out into the distance, the familiar sight of the remnants of an old burnt forest stood gloomily. The darkness of the thunderstorm giving it a look of haunting beauty. A moment later, a second roar of thunder rumbled as the lightning struck one of the nearby trees, not quite dead, yet bearly alive.