The Midnight Train [DISCONTINUED]

An Unwelcoming Welcome

CHAPTER 4

An Unwelcoming Welcome

Carrie

The arrow shone brightly in the grey sky, gradually growing lighter by the hour.

“Hurry up! We only have about an hour left to find whatever we need to find! Do you even know where we’re meant to go?”

“Do I look like I frickin’ know?” he angrily snapped from behind me. His head was bowed as he shuffled forward, kicking at the lumpy dirt and trampled grass. He. Walked. So. Slow.

“Okay, okay. Calm yo’ farm,” I said, raising my palms up in defence. It was like he had multiple personality disorder. One minute, he was smug and cocky, the next, he was cold and the distant, then, he was frustrated and angry. What did I ever do wrong? It was like he blamed me for everything that has happened so far or like he had a grudge on me for something that had happened in the past. This guy was so hard to understand. He’s definitely not Trent.

I sighed. I wasn’t used to this much walking. We’ve walked for at least an hour since the train left us deserted in the middle of an unknown forest in a place called ‘Zealum’. The last time I checked, even if I wasn’t a geography expert, I was pretty sure that Zealum wasn’t actually a location on Earth. And then, there was Magnus’ card. The train wasn’t called The Tal Oz Lem and not even The Portal. It was called The Portal To Zealum and if I took the title into literal sense, the train must’ve acted as some sort of portal. But at what point did the train enter the barrier of ‘Zealum’ and how did I not notice?

I grunted as my toe banged against an unnoticed stone. I think I had a few blisters and my duffel bag made my stance uneven as it weighed down on my right shoulder. There weren’t that much things inside but all this walking in the near-darkness was making everything a little harder for me. Aaron’s letter was tucked neatly in my left-side shirt pocket and all my guilt made it grow warm in my pocket and weigh as if it was made of a sheet of lead.

When I humiliatingly tripped over my own two feet in the train, trying to escape the already present embarrassment of me almost blurting out my secret nickname for Aaron, I managed to also knock over his stack of old books. Whilst hastily trying to neaten up the stack, a crinkled piece of paper had been sticking out of one of the pages of Wuthering Heights. I wasn’t the nosy type of person but I was definitely curious when it came to the mysterious boy on the train. I instantly recognised the piece of paper as the letter that Aaron was reading.

And when I tucked the piece of paper under my cloak-like blanket, I didn’t even know what I was thinking. I still haven’t read from it, yet I haven’t returned it.

They sky is grey now, and I hope wherever we’re meant to be going was not that far away. Firstly, because soon, I won’t be able to see the stars that currently guided us and secondly, I was drop dead tired. I haven’t slept since yesterday morning, which wouldn’t usually be a problem since it’s like pulling an all-nighter, but after all the aimless walking I’ve been doing – I think I might just fall dead on the spot.

“Oh, sh –,” I exclaimed, holding in a curse. My hand instantly flew up to my forward to check for the damage. I checked to see what had whacked my face. I narrowed my eyes as I realised Aaron was standing right next me, leaning again a nearby tree trunk. I narrowed my eyes at his bland expression.

“You’re really stupid.”

“Excuse me?” I demanded.

He sighed and shook his head. He pointed to a low tree branch that was hanging off the tree with rough bark encasing it.