The Never Ending Train

7 Delusion or

A week easily slides by. The black mist hasn't appeared again and a lot of changes have come. Those that are still under the influence are called Influencers, so original. They protest against what the rest of us do a lot but don't go any further. They can't seem to snap out of it for some reason no matter what we try.

Dr. Silas is unanimously nominated as leader. Him and the heads created two new groups of people: the Conductors and the Blue Collars. The conductors are a small group of people that are like actual train conductors, they keep order on the train and direct people in times of crisis or other events. The Blue Collars do all the labor work that is required for the survival of everyone on this train. They fix things, organize supplies, go on the rooftops to watch for other ships or signs of where we are, and they also act as police. Both roles are, of course, all volunteer based.

The Influencers are more numerous than we first thought, making about twenty percent of the thousand people on this train. They united their own leader and took up the last three cars of this fifteen car train. They call the rest of us Unicorns because they think we're delusional, like how unicorns don't exist, and acting like children.

Back to my group. Kai is still the head of car three. Nora and Dominic both have a spot in the Blue Collar. I, on the other hand, am just a passenger. Dr. Silas tried one more time to convince me, telling me that I'm smart for noticing the thing about the ocean first before anyone else had and taking action, but it feels so different. So not me.

I feel like I'll be a nuisance to others. Besides, I never wanted to be a hero. I just wanted a normal life, I want to be nobody. Tears sting my eyes at the thought of leaving my old life behind. The mundaneness of it all. I miss the little things, washing my children's clothes, making dinner for my husband, going out with friends.

But even through all these thoughts, something deeper within me keeps replaying Nora's scream of joy. The water splashing on my face. Chatting with my new found friends with the cool breeze of the ocean on my back. I had hung out with my friends before, been to the beach before, but it felt different. It felt...better. I didn't feel like a nobody with a nothing, boring life, yet I liked it. I haven't seen either of the three since that day, after Dominic all but begged me to reconsider and Nora and Kai turned away with sad expressions on their faces. They've been loaded with tasks to get the train in order.

And I'm sitting here again, looking out the window. I have no desire to talk to anyone else, my mind comes back too often to those three. I miss them already. Denny once told me I do get attached to people really easily.

The bright blue of the water, no matter how magnificent initially, becomes boring when it becomes all you see for a week. Before, it was blue and green, now it's blue and blue and more blue. I sigh in boredom.

What did I used to do back then? What were my hobbies? I cooked a lot. Other than that, I went to work, hung out with friends, and took care of my kids. And when I had time... what did I do? I can't remember.

A ding shocks me out of the haze. It's a sound I haven't heard in over a week. Or more probably, I don't know. But I would know it anywhere. It's the notification for a text message on messages. My eyes widen with the realization.

I quickly flip out my already forgotten phone from my pocket and open it, though I swore I lost it during that attack a week ago. My jaw hinges open and I fumble around with the almost dead phone while trying to open it. Denny!! It's a message from Denny.

I open up the app.

Denny: Almost home, what's for dinner?

I blink. I've been gone a week and this is what he sends me? Confusion settles in my brain and the inner doubt that something is wrong, but the excitement of talking to Denny again quickly pushes all that to the side.

Me: I need help Denny! I'm stuck on this train and I don't know where I am or where it's going! You need to help me, I missed you so much.

I hastily send my message, my pulse thundering in my ears.

Denny: Scarlet...Not this again.

I blink, rubbing my eyes to make sure I read that correctly.

Denny: That train is what I've been working on these past 6 years! You make me sad when you say that...

I blink again. Denny was working on this train? He..built it? I don't have any recollection of that at all. Denny never mentioned any trains, he didn't know the first thing about trains! He keeps going.

Denny: Why can't you just trust me?! I can't keep going like this. I love you so much, I love you. I love you. Always rEmemBeR that.

I shut my eyes as a fresh and instant wave of pain rides through my head. I clench my teeth to keep from screaming. The throbbing gets more and more intense for a few seconds and a whimper slips through my mouth before it starts to subside.

"What's wrong?" A worried voice sounds above me. No please, I can't deal with strangers right now. But when I lift my head it's Nora. Her image flashes before my mind, glitching into someone else for a second before switching back to her. Her copper skin, her long black hair, her. I gasp.

"Scarlet?" She asks. Also her voice. "What are you...looking at?" Her eyes are glued to my phone. I try to turn my phone off so she won't see the crazy things Denny was texting me but when I look at my phone, it's not a phone. I gasp again and drop the little piece of wood.

What's happening? Too many things are going on for me to process. But...did I imagine Denny texting me? What happened with Nora? The headache. Why am I...

I faint for the third time.

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Cosmic here,

Scarlet needs help.