After Fate Fell

11 • ELLA

1 year, 3 months, and 12 days after it all
•ELLA•

The forest is dense even from the beginning. I'm glad I bought this flashlight, because without it, I wouldn't have been able to get anywhere at night. The trees block out any moonlight that would help light the way.

I know which direction I have to go, but I do have to admit I don't fully know what I'm doing. I just hope that as long as I keep moving the right direction, I'll stumble upon the remains of the Sanctuary or maybe once I get near it I'll be able to find my way by memory.

So I just start moving in the right direction, keeping the light on the ground so I can find the right footing without tripping over branches or rocks. There's no type of path here, this forest looks completely untouched despite the fact that I just came here off of a side road, and the fact that somewhere near here, a full out battle took place between two alien races. The fact that this part of the forest is so untouched tells me that I can't be very close. I'm just hoping I'll eventually recognize where I am, but the forest is so different in the dark than in the light, and all the trees look the same. It's all just darkness and trees to me, so I can't really see myself recognizing anything but the rubble of the Sanctuary itself.

I start to hear a noise to the right of me. A mechanical, rattling noise. I crouch down and turn off my flashlight. The noise starts to get louder. Then I see it. A train. I didn't even know there were train tracks in this forest. There isn't much forest cleared for the tracks, just enough so that trains can get through. Interesting.

The train is about a quarter mile from me, and by the looks of it, it's carrying a huge load. Car after car just keep going past. So I make a decision. It's going in the same direction that I am, why not just hitch a ride on it?

The front engine car is out of sight, so nobody will see me. I turn on my flashlight and start to run toward the train, slowly, because I don't want to run into or trip over anything. The end of the train is nowhere in sight so I should make it.

I reach the train and I look up and down the tracks to check for anybody. Nope. The train is going slow, but not slow enough that I could just hop on with ease. So I put my flashlight into my backpack and strap it on tight, and get ready to jump. I look down the tracks at the oncoming cars and I see one with an opening. I get ready, and when it comes close, I take a few steps back and get a running start, jumping inside the open door of the train car.

I land pretty hard on my hands and kneecaps, and I roll onto my back and pull my knees into my chest in pain. After a few seconds, I get up into a sitting position and take a look around, there are crates stacked all around me, so that there's only about a few square feet of empty space for me to sit. I'm just relieved nobody saw me. I feel so much better that I'm moving faster now. Even though the train is moving slow, it's still a lot faster than I was moving on foot in the dark.

I'm not exactly sure how long I should stay on the train, because first off I'm not sure of the exact location of the Sanctuary. Whenever I went there before, I went on a ship. So I don't know things very well. I know that it's definitely away from the city a bit, and I estimated around 25-45 miles in from the city. But that's a lot of space for error, and also the direction could be off a bit. I don't know why I didn't plan things out better.

The train goes around a sharp curve and I'm thrown off balance and against some crates. I'm curious of what's in these, but I don't want to mess with anything so I just sit back down. The ride is pretty smooth for a while, so I try to relax a bit, leaning against some of the crates. The train seems like it's sped up a bit.

I get my backpack out and grab a granola bar, taking a bite. Then I grab one of the bottles of water and chug it down. I think I'm dehydrated honestly. So I open another one and drink some more.

I rest for a bit, but I know I won't fall asleep. After a while, I decide to take a peek outside the train car. So I peek half of my head outside the car, and look both ways. I don't see much because it's so dark. Then I look straight ahead. Trees, more trees, and darkness. I realize that I should probably check the other side too. There's a small space with no crates near the door on the other side of the car.

The door on the other side is locked, but I can slide it enough so I can peek through. I put my right eye up to the opening. Same as the other side. Trees and darkness go on forever.

Just as I'm about to pull back from the door, something catches my eye. Something small, but very recognizable. A blue glow emulates from the forest, probably about a mile in. There's no doubt in my mind. That's the Sanctuary.