Episode 17: Conclusion

As with so many other things regarding the train, what happened next I recall in a confused blur.

The men returned in force, about six of them this time, trotting down the corridor, the silence broken. A pair stood by each of our cells, and we were pulled out one at a time. I had a growing pit in my stomach that told me we had made a huge mistake, that we were now in serious trouble. I struggled a little bit, and was shoved gruffly from behind in response. As I turned to face my aggressors, I heard a commotion from behind as John punched one of his own between the legs. His elbow raced up to meet the nose of the other one, and his other hand reached for the rifle that the other one had dropped. It all happened in one motion--I wondered how he could do that at all. It was like an action movie unfolding right before my eyes.

The guards by my sides hesitated, turning towards him. I wasn't sure what effect the rifle would have in this sort of limbo--I mean, we were already dead--but I was also sure I didn't want to find out. Adrenaline took over. I felt it course through my veins like mercury. Everything seemed to slow down around me. I pushed the head of the man on my right into the wall, and he fell to the floor. Before the next one could react, I was already driving my knee into his leg, and as he went down I delivered a set of knuckles to his teeth. He grunted as he slumped against the cinder block wall. I turned, my breath heavy.

Sarah's own guards were cast aside as well. I saw John dusting off his hands on his pants, kneeling over one of them. The other had a set of red marks on his face, presumably from Sarah's nails. She had a wild look in her eyes, as if she couldn't believe what she had just done. I almost smiled for a second. Amateur.

The smile dissolved though as another door opened somewhere in the distance. Naturally we had caused a ruckus, and I had a feeling that time was of the essence. It always was in the movies, wasn't it? We turned wordlessly down the hall, and ran forward, each of us with a rifle in hand. I had no idea how to use the bloody thing, but it was comforting to have some kind of defense against those who would not take kindly to our early departure.

We burst through the door at the other end of the hall, the one on the far side that we hadn't been through yet. It was dark on the other side, but a flickering fluorescence in the distance to our left gave us hope. Our feet padded quietly but urgently against the concrete. John, who was ahead of me and Sarah, came to a stop at the corner. He peered around, checking to make sure the coast was clear, and then took off full-force down the hall. We followed along him for several hundred paces toward another staircase at the end of the hallway. We passed by several doors, most of which had darkened windows. The ones that were illuminated made me nervous, but there was no sign of anyone else as we reached the bottom step.We took them two at a time. My heart pounded in my ears.

We burst through a cold steel door at the top of the staircase and into daylight. Sunshine beat against my face. I was so surprised, I almost lost my footing. We had done it. We had escaped. Of course I couldn't say with finality, but I had an overwhelming sense of euphoria. Something within me just told me that everything was okay. I slowed to a walk, smiling to myself as Sarah and John kept sprinting. We were in a field now, with rolling hills and waving grass. The sky was dark, as if a thunderstorm was approaching, but I was so happy to be safe. I cast my face upward, my eyes closed, my arms outstretched.

I heard the door slam open from behind us. Shouting. I frowned, and turned toward the sound. There was no reason to be shouting in a place like this. I could see guards. Rifles. There was no reason for rifles in a place like this. I took a step forward, my hand outstretched, my own rifle forgotten in the grass behind me. A woman screamed behind me.There was no reason to be screaming in a place like this.

Before me there was a series of flashes, and I heard what sounded like the world's best fireworks, and looked up again to find them. They had knocked me off my feet, and I lay in the grass, wondering where they were, how they could sound so close and yet be invisible to me. The smile returned to my face, spreading slowly with the warmth across my chest.

Then came the pain. My face contorted as I lurched onto my side. It felt like there were a dozens sharp knives lodged in my torso. I felt a tear roll off my face, and looked to see the flower it had fallen onto start to shrivel and wither away. I drew my knees to my chest. What remained of the flower turned red, as did the grass around it. Then everything slowly dissipated. The earth beneath me had been replaced with a scorched, cracked substitute. I rolled onto my knees. The pain persisted. The boots thudded towards me as I looked one last time at John and Sarah. They weren't looking back, though. They were racing away, as fast as they could. I didn't blame them.

A hot wind whipped past my face, blowing dry dirt into my eyes. When they cleared, the last of the field dissolved, along with my fellow escapees. I didn't feel anything, anymore. The tears left ashen streams on my face. I only felt the wounds in my chest. The boots weren't thudding anymore. I looked around to see a burning world, hot and black and a mess. The sky was the same angry, agitated colour. The only light around me came from cracks in the ground which bore lava. Occasionally one would burst, shooting up into the air. The terrain was mountainous, boiling and hostile. The pain in my chest intensified.

I was alone.