The End of Everything

Nuts

Thia's POV

The sound of nails scraping against the roof of the train caused my eyes to flutter open. Glancing about I wondered if maybe Leah or Andy had decided to sit up too for some particular reason.

The sun from outside shone through the half opened train door. "Guys, did you hear that?"

Leah stirred sitting up groggily with her hair an extremely wild mess. "What?"

I was about to respond when I heard it again. Leah made a move to stand but I held a finger to my lips. It was best if we remained quiet. Leah nodded and anxiously glanced at Andy who was still asleep having been the one to take watch last out of us.

We sat there anxiously for what felt like years while the noises continued getting closer and closer all the while. At last Andy moved. He reached for his axe careful not to be too noisy. All the while my heart pounded.

A flash of movement caught my eye as something appeared in the gap that allowed the sun inside. "Now this is interesting. I thought I smelled something familiar."

Sharp white teeth grinned and eyes narrowed into near slits. The sound of figures on the roof was all I needed to know that reinforcements were here. Andy yelped and scrambled to his feet being the closest to the threat. He held his axe wearily glancing between the two of us.

"Looks like you don't have any silver. This will be fun. Talk about sweet revenge. You ever get that feeling of deja vu? I'm quite certain I've been in this situation before only last time...my dinner jumped off." A howl like laughter filled the train cart.

"Who are you?" Leah asked, her back pressed against the wall, expression guarded.

"Lycaon. See, I love these tracks. Railroads always bring up demigod dinners," Lycaon sneered, stepping inside the train and easing the door shut bathing the interior in near darkness. "Who wants to be eaten first?"

"Not happening hair ball,"Andy glowered, testing the weight of his weapon.

"You first then." It happened quickly. One moment there was a man and the next a large snarling wolf was launching itself towards Andy. I had to give him credit, he held his ground. Using the flat of his axe, he smacked at Lycoan as if he were swinging a bat.

"The door." I called but Leah was already on it. She slid it open letting strong currents of air waft inside.

"There's wolves up there?" She glanced up outside where the sound of snapping jaws met my ears.

"We don't have to go up." Moving into action I slipped onto the side of the train grasping the door handle. Perhaps years of doing that stupid lava rock wall at CHB helped but I managed to wriggle my way over to the second train car without plummeting to my death.

Leah seemed hesitant to follow but Andy practically shoved her out of the train. "I hope you have a plan, kid!"

"If you call improvising a plan, then yeah." Grunting, I nearly dodged a paw that came too close to my face for comfort. My clothes whipped about violently in the wind and my hair snapped about making it hard to see. Still, we needed to keep moving forward.

Testing the next foothold carefully, my sneaker slipped as I tried to find traction. At last I gathered myself and launched forward narrowly grabbing the handle of the locked train door. Arms burning, I managed to pull myself up to hook my feet in between the narrow space of the cart and train bed it rested in.

"Shit." The remark drew my attention and I glanced back to see that Leah was slipping in her hold feet skimming against the ground at a speed so quick a hole was wearing into her shoe. Andy grabbed her by the belt and tugged her upwards.