An hour of counselling with Casimir, always felt more like four. I was currently running on very little sleep, while waiting for the next bullet train out to sector nine. Caught between exhaustion and anticipation, I glanced at the sky. The previously moody pale grey had darkened, readying itself for a thunderous applause.
The humidity had thickened the air to a treacle-like consistency, along with an unnerving stillness, despite the building intensity. Reminiscent of the silence of death in the aftermath of a killing. A feeling I knew well.
Spotting the train, I stepped back, the feeling still lingering. As efficiently as always, it pulled to a soundless stop, the doors beckoning, the exhausted, the irritable, the hopeful and the indiffernt.
A few moments later, I was seated in a familiar pod, yet I couldn’t help wishing for the twenty-minute journey to extend into an hour instead. The extra time to sleep would have been appreciated.
My eyes were half-closed as I ran a hand down the back of my neck, when a flash of lightning, followed by the abrupt sound of thunder, cracked across the sky in a menacing accompaniment. My gaze narrowed at the blackening clouds, briefly streaming past as nothing but a blur of colour. The lightening splitting the deepening dreariness outside. The hair on the back of my neck rose, as the weather whipped the sides of the carriages. The energy fields protecting the train, flickering.
Standing up, I leant against the windows, partially glancing up ahead as we rounded a curve, where the sky streaming by had darkened to the point of almost reaching night-time once more. A sudden violent shake, and the sound of screeching, knocked me back against the seats. Catching myself, I just managed to avoid smashing my head against the side of the headrest.
Another shake rattled the sides of the train, as lightening lit up the sky. A blinding flash rebounded against the train’s energy field as I turned away, the light blazingly bright. Staggering, I fell back against the door, making sure to stay away from the windows, which was more luck than judgement. The swaying of the train began to thrash, as though another force was attempting to tear it from the tracks.
The jarring movements had me catching hold of the hand-holds above the door, just as the windows were hit with an ear-splitting crack. The glittering panes shattered inwards with a searing explosion. The lightning, a driving force behind the scattering shards of glass. Spinning, I dived to the floor, raising my hands to create a force-field around my head and neck. I felt it, as it clashed with the power of the explosion, wincing as a few small shards caught my upper torso, before I could stop them.
The scent of burning filled the pod as I looked up. The seats were smouldering, but thankfully there were no flames. Carefully standing, I shook off the debris, the glass crunching beneath my feet as the wind roared in through the gaping windows. The once silent pod had been ripped apart, as the train continued to speed along. The shuddering became more pronounced as I stepped up to the door once more. With little expectation, I waved my wrist before it, but nothing happened.
Typical..., first those two strangers then Casimir, and now this.
I could feel my anger stirring, always just beneath the surface, as it became a dull roar within my veins. As I glanced to the side, I caught sight of the fragmented glass and splintered metal, rising as it began to float around me.
Well, since I’m so angry..., to hell with Casimir and his fucking whale music.
After a sly look at the chaos outside, my eyes slid shut, the storm now a fitting backdrop for everything that I was feeling. The rumble of thunder still sounded, lightning flashing as it lit up the pod, even behind my closed eyelids.
Breathing deeply, I fought to keep my balance as the wind kept up its relentless battering, and I struggled to hear anything above the crushing storm. Raising my hands, I thrust them forward, before abruptly yanking them apart in a tearing motion.
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.
As I stared into the distant flames, a fiercer glow began to shroud the dying silhouettes of the trees. It rose in a steadily growing haze, as though intending to devour the remaining light. It wasn’t until then, that I noticed the blurred outlines of sector nine. The longer I stared, the sharper my pulse pounded in almost painful beats. The winds rose as if in collusion with the flames, writhing and spreading in the freedom of their anger – and then I was running. Leaving the train behind, I ran and ran. In the back of my mind, I hoped that the carriages were as empty as they had seemed.
But if they’re not, and I’m the one who left them there to die..., then so be it. I'm sure that fate or time will return the favour soon enough.
The heat seared the air the closer I came to the flames, my lungs burned as I struggled to breathe. The thunderstorm still stirred, but less ardently, as though its fury had been spent. Only the murmurings of exhausted protest were left. My throat ached in yearning for a drop of water, as the rest of my body fought for each step taken. A harsh reminder that nothing could kill and cripple another, quite as efficiently as mother nature. I stumbled, pitching forward and only just catching myself as dizziness set in.
For a moment, everything swam before my eyes. Blinking hard, I narrowed my gaze as the hissing of the flames became audible at my closeness, and the wind still stirred its will. The mote that encircled sector nine shone in shadowy reflections littered with debris. Its former glittering tides lost, no longer shining in cool ripples of welcome.
Shaking off the humidity, I hurried towards the tunnels that ran in intervals around the sector beneath the mote. The closest being the one the bullet train used. Keeping to the left, I activated my augs to guide me in the darkness, avoiding the rails of the tracks.
The screams and heat rose in intensity the closer I came to the end of the tunnel. The light from the blaze flared dramatically as I finally appeared in sector nine. The scene was devastating.
Reflective glass buildings stood shattered, yet left to burn in their skeletal frames. Older towers and office blocks stood at diminished heights, cut down by the flames. Charred black remains still a-glow scattered across the ground, the scent of their burnt flesh joining the acrid smoke.
Turning away, I took a sharp breath in through my mouth, ignoring the burning sensation. Still hearing the cries and screaming, I set off in their direction, only seeing more and more of the same along the way. Parents and children, men and women cast aside in their deaths, left alone now that devastation had passed on to its next victims. Their bodies left in twisted forms of grotesque anguish as they reached out for a saviour, for anything or anyone that would save them from their painful demise and abandoned state.
They continued to litter the streets amongst the ageing buildings and new technology still burning. The further I ran, the more I came to sense that something else was wrong. As I pressed forward, a bright flash of white light lit up the streets, followed by desperate screams. Breaking into a sprint, I passed street after street, until I came upon the old gardens and hidden ruins. One of my favourite places in sector nine, but stopped abruptly when the twisted body of a young man fell at my feet. A cavern-like hole exposed part of his ribcage and internal organs, along with burnt and smouldering flesh. Bending down, I checked for a pulse, but his wide open glassy eyes were a clear indication of his death.
A rustle of movement had me looking up, just as a little girl broke from the cover of the trees. An older woman frantically called her back as she chased after her. Before I could do anything, a soft scream sounded. I turned to see the little girl had been cut off by two figures. They held their hands aloft as white flames danced upon their palms, shading their manic eyes and cruel smiles. Their postures seemed stiff as their breathing huffed in exertion. I was moving before I had even taken my next breath, knowing that the older woman would be too late.
The two figures, having spotted me, threw their white flames writhing through the air towards me. Using telekinesis, I threw up a force-field before using it to smash them back against the density of the woodland. Just as I reached the little girl, another wave of white flames burst from their palms, even as they rose from the ground, as though I hadn’t just crushed them against the unyielding tree trunks with overwhelming force.
I had a spilt second to decide as the flames seared the air. Pushing the girl aside, I turned, allowing the flames to hit me full force. Their fire claiming my suited chest, burning it through, before it licked up towards my gashed shoulder.
The blood burned in my veins as an all-consuming scream was torn from my parched and ragged throat. I fell to the ground next to the little girl, who stared down at me with her frightened, owl-like brown eyes. The pain was fierce as I tensed, grinding my teeth as perspiration coated my skin. I felt myself becoming hotter and hotter, the unbearable, burning heat surging through me. I wanted to thrash, and yet I couldn’t bear to move.
That’s when the touch of her small hand, brushing my forehead, made me flinch.
For a moment, I thought I heard her whisper the word pretty, and would have snorted if not for the agony. I gave in momentarily, writhing in torment as another two shadows fell over me. Their voices were indistinct, but something in me responded to them all the same. Sound became muffled as the clashing of bodies, the flames and the screams dulled.
The edges of oblivion began to close in around me, as I felt one of them linger in closeness for a moment, but then there was nothing.
Thank you for reading ❤️
(Word count 2,451)