I watched the train rush past me close enough to touch and looked ahead wearing an expression of grim acceptance. The hulking piece of metal roared noisily as it flew past, leaving a wall of dust for me to choke on in its wake. The skies were fading quickly to a soft orange, the clouds lazily reflecting the last rays of light the day had to offer. I watched as the last railroad car disappeared from sight over the hill, praying my plan would work. She’d reach her destination by nightfall and by the time morning came, assuming all went to plan, Clem would be long gone.
In the far distance another scene entirely could just be seen above the treetops, in the opposite direction the train was heading. Turning, I squinted through the dust, coughing as the tiny particles invaded my body. A dark, unnatural cloud hung above the secluded town miles away, the only proof that anything was awry. It was the only home I’d ever known, and I looked upon it for the first time in my life with complete indifference.
As the sun melted slowly behind the hill for the night I began to think of how I had ended up here. If someone had told me a month ago that I’d end up doing what I’ve done I’d have likely laughed in their face. People like me just didn’t do things like this. I thought of home, of Clem, and told myself, not for the first time, that things had to be this way. They’d have taken her if she’d stayed. They’d have killed me if I had tried to stop them. We had to leave. And now I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again. This was the only way. I sighed.
I walked to the top of the hill and stared at the immense expanse of land before me and looked to where the railroad tracks disappeared into a tiny speck on the horizon. I stood and waited on the hill as the sun gradually dipped lower and lower in the sky, until suddenly, it simply wasn’t there. Its absence became as depressing as Clem’s, both lights of my life stolen from me.
I turned my head in the direction of the small town and waited in silence. The hovering cloud above the town was nearly hidden by the cover of darkness. It didn’t take long for the tall figure to push himself through brush and into the clearing, backpack full of necessities on his shoulders. He looked around, eyes adjusting to the lack of light, and caught sight of me on the hill. I went to him.
We began the lengthy trek quickly, eager to be gone as soon as possible. We’d hike to the peak of the river and board the ship before midnight came, as was the plan. The stars in the lightless sky shone brightly now, as though they knew they carried all of my dreams of tomorrow on their sparkling surfaces.
“Tomorrow,” I whispered into the night. Speaking the word aloud made it sound like a promise.
It was.
