Warmth: A Snowpiercer Fanfiction

Hugs Not Drugs

CHAPTER SONG: WHITE RABBIT, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE

In true Edgar fashion, he had slapped Nam around a few times to try and wake him up, but it was useless. He looked to be either dead or in a coma.

"Hey, kronole head." Edgar said, slapping him again. But, he didn't even flinch. Curtis had taken a few lumps of the kronole out of his pocket and examined them.

"So this is kronole? I hear it's pretty big in the front section." Tanya said, taking a piece and sniffing it. I quickly took it away from her, we couldn't afford any of our people doping out.

"Careful, that's how these guys hallucinate." I said, handing the piece back to Curtis.

"It's industrial waste, and it's highly flammable." Gilliam muttered from behind us.

It'd make a pretty decent bomb. I thought jokingly. What would we ever need a bomb for?

Curtis waved a lump of the drug underneath Nam's nose, hoping to wake him up that way. After a few moments, Nam jerked awake and slowly sat up. He gradually turned around and faced all of us, his eyes glazed over and spaced out.

"Are you Nam Koong Min Soo? Security specialist?" Curtis asked. There was a pregnant pause, it was so awkward that I actually felt bad that Curtis had to deal with the druggie. "Did you design all the door locks and security systems on the train?" Curtis clarified, but Nam still didn't answer. Edgar just sighed in annoyance and leaned against the drawer handle.

"Look at him man, he's gone. Look at his eyes. He's fried his brain with that fuckin' shite." Edgar rambled, getting more and more irritated. When Nam continued to stare blankly at us, Edgar shouted at him.

"Are. You. Nam!?" The man finally blinked and came back to reality. Nam pointed to the wall behind Edgar, it held about a dozen little machines with flashing lights and wires. They were some kind of translation device. Edgar fetched one for Curtis and gave another to Nam.

"Nam, are you listening?" Curtis spoke into the device, it translated Curtis' words into a different language. Korean I think it was. Nam spoke into the device as well, but his words were harsher than Curtis'.

"Yes, I'm listening, fuck." The device spoke, it was almost funny how the voice sounded almost childlike. Nam spoke some more, but the device couldn't catch it fast enough. "Unknown words found, please try again with correct vocabulary." I rolled my eyes at the stupid little machine, it was going to take all day.

"We need your help." Curtis said, getting straight to business.

"For what?" Nam's device said.

"We're going to the front. And we need you to open up the gates." If Nam didn't help us, we would've had to turn back and face the wrath of Wilford's guards.

"What if I say no?" Nam asked, he was really making it difficult for us. I held up the piece of kronole I had taken off of Tanya, Nam's eyes followed it like a dog's eyes would follow a treat.

"Uncut, straight from the barrel. Every door you open, you get one lump of kronole." Curtis explained. I chucked the piece of waste at Nam, but he made no move to catch it. It just fell to the metal floor with a soft thunk. Instead, Nam reached down to his shoe and pulled out a small silver case out of his sock. Everyone leaned in a little to see what he had. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it with an old matchbook. We were all in shock, me more than most. The last time I saw a cigarette was just after my dad was taken.

"Jesus, Marlboro Light?" Tanya said aghast.

"I can't believe it, cigarettes have been extinct for more than ten years now." Painter said in the same exact tone as Tanya.