Argathripe - Book 2 ~ (The Dead City Series)

⭒❃.✮:▹ Chapter 4 ◃:✮.❃⭒

     I looked out the window basically the whole time. All three of us got our own seats, because of how little people were riding the train at midnight. The stars weren't able to be seen because of how cloudy it was. Lucky for us, the fog hadn't gotten to where other people were able to see them. Apparently the plan was to get the prophets as soon as possible, hopefully as soon as two weeks. If it took longer than two weeks, the fog would be visible by other people. People who didn't know magic and monsters existed. Then we would have a lot of explaining to do to the humans, and the creatures who now ruled the world.

     "Hey, Scarlet," It was Katrina.

     "Yeah?" I asked, tiredly.

     She pulled out three books. "Read these. They're history books. They can get you caught up on everything that's happened around you. I also have one that will help with your fire powers, if you'd want that one too."

     I blinked at her. They were large books, but nothing I couldn't handle.

     "Yes. Yes please. That would help me understand quite a bit, I feel," I eagerly took them from her.

     I looked back up at her. Her eyes seemed to be laughing. She was smiling, but also seemed sad. She also looked like she wanted to say something else.

     "Can I ask a favor?" She said, keeping her gaze level.

     "Sure..?" I put the books on my lap.

     "Can you watch for our stop? I... kind of wanna fall asleep," She looked ashamed that she was asking me.

    "Yeah. Theo gonna fall asleep too?"

     "With him, I'm not sure. It would be better if he fell asleep since the darkness got to him."

     "What exactly is 'the darkness?'"

     "Read the books."

     I looked at her with an unimpressed look. She just turned and went back to her seat.

     "Wait, where are we stopping?" I shouted back to her.

     "Xenonoth."

     I couldn't remember where that was and which monsters/people lived there at the moment. So I cracked open a book and started reading, while watching out for a sign saying we'd be stopping at Xenonoth soon.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

     I soon realized after I finished the second book, that the world had been going on without Humans even realizing it. They had originally been called 'Monsters', but they thought that it sounded kind of rude after a while. So they called themselves people. I thought I might as well call them regular people too. As I finished up the second book, I decided to skip the third one. 'The White Demon'. What kind of name was that? Nothing important, I'm sure. I looked out the window. We were in a forest. I read that Shapeshifters lived in Xenonoth. Xenonoth was apparently the biggest jungle on the planet, and had a couple thousand visitors every year. I kept an eye out on the little sign that said when and where the next stop would be over the door leading to other train cars. I looked behind me and saw Katrina fast asleep, as well as Theo. Who was actually in the same aisle as Katrina, and her head was on his shoulder. They are quite close as cousins. It's comforting, for some reason.

     "The next stop will be Xenonoth. The train will be there in two minutes," The loud speaker reported.

     I stood up and went over to the cousins. I shook Theo's shoulder slightly. He stirred and opened up his beautiful magenta eyes. I never noticed how beautiful both their eyes were. I assumed Katrina's covered up eye was different, but I didn't think too much about it.

     "We're almost there," I said calmly.

     "Mmf," He grunted back in response.

     I assumed that meant he knew what I was talking about. He started to wake up Katrina, and I went to my seat to make sure everything was ready to get off the train.

     "We have arrived at Xenonoth. Please get off of the train now unless you are waiting for a later stop," The loud speaker said in its loud computerized voice.

     I grabbed my suitcase and looked back to see how Katrina and Theo were doing. Katrina was now awake, but she didn't look like she wanted to be, but also had the faintest of black spots like Theo. Except Theo's were getting darker. In the first book I had read, it said there was a tree that gave fruit that can heal any wound or sickness. I figured it could also heal this strange 'darkness,' but I couldn't find anything about it in the two books I read. Maybe it's in 'The White Demon.' I thought. I'll check later. Katrina got her suitcase and headed for the door. Theo was moving slower than he was before. It was obvious he was getting worse. I went back and grabbed his suitcase.

     "C'mon," I said, trying to help make him go faster.

     "It... hurts to breathe..." He said, his voice was hoarse.

     We needed to hurry.