The Nibiru Effect

Memory 13

The train is coming. I can't see it, but I can hear it. So can both of my companions.

"We should go," says Barbie.

Salt 'n' Pepper doesn't bother responding. He starts walking, dragging me along. Barbie hurries after us. Before long, we're all walking at the same pace. We progress quickly enough, but my ankle slows us down. So does the third rail. The fact that the train is barreling toward us doesn't help either.

My entire body shakes as I hurry along. Barbie and her father do their best to help, but I'm slowing them down. I know it, and so do they. A hero would urge them to leave, to save themselves, but I'm no hero. I don't want to die.

"You're not going to die," says Barbie, and I realize I said that last part aloud.

"We would move faster if we left him behind," says Salt 'n' Pepper.

I wait for someone to laugh. No one does.

"He's kidding, right?" I ask Barbie.

"Of course he is," she says, but the glare she shoots her father contradicts her statement.

I gulp, and we keep moving, glancing over our shoulders every so often. At first, all I see is a dark tunnel, but then lights appear. The next time I look, I can see it.

The train.

It's still far away, but it's getting closer.

"We won't make it," says Salt 'n' Pepper as he turns to his daughter. "Go on without us."

"No. I'm not leaving you."

The grey-haired soldier doesn't look happy, but he says nothing.

Time stretches on. Every second seems to last an eternity as the train barrels toward us. The driver must have spotted us because the squealing of brakes fills the air. I glance back and see sparks light up the underside of the train.

If we can keep moving at this pace, we should make it.

We don't.

I trip on something, and we all go down. I barely have time to notice it's Salt 'n' Pepper's bracelet before I'm pulled to my feet. We race forward, but it's useless. The train is almost upon us, its beams bearing down on us like angels of death.

I try to put some weight on my busted ankle. It hurts, but it allows us to put a little distance between us and the train. I just bought us a few more seconds. But will it be enough?

I'm afraid to look back. I focus all of my attention on what lies ahead. The rails. The rocks. The wooden crossbeams. Our shadows. They speed along the ground, growing longer with each passing second, which means the train is growing closer. It's only a matter of time before it crushes us.

I resist the urge to look back for as long as I can, but it eventually overwhelms me. I realize my mistake as soon as my head begins to pivot. Not only do I now have proof the train is almost upon us, but the repositioning of my head distracts me. I put too much weight on my injured ankle and pain once again overpowers me.

I collapse, dragging my companions down with me.

There's no way we can outrun the train. We don't even try. We just sit there, waiting for the end. I glance at my ring and think of my mother. I wonder what she's like. Will she ever find out what happened to me, or will she spend the rest of her life wondering why I didn't show up to our meeting?

"What the drowned!" barks Salt 'n' Pepper, putting an end to my fatalist musings. "Why didn't you tell us you have a ring?"

I don't understand why it's such a big deal. Tons of people wear rings. Why would I mention it? But Salt 'n' Pepper doesn't seem to care that. Nor does Barbie. She beams like a kid in a candy store.

"Use it," she says. "Save us."

I don't understand what that means. I'm about to say so when Salt 'n' Pepper yanks the ring from my finger. Before I can protest, he places it upon his hand—his fingers are far more massive than mine, yet the ring easily slides into place—and twists both triangles in turn. Their tips merge, forming an all-too-familiar symbol.

An hourglass.

I watch, amazed, as the air before us starts shimmering. Moments later, electricity lights up the tracks. Within seconds, a portal has appeared. Salt 'n' Pepper doesn't hesitate. He leaps to his feet and jumps into the floating gateway. Barbie follows less than a second later.

A passage from my mother'sletter comes back to me. "Keep the ringwith you at all times. It may well save your life." I don't know how sheknew, but she did. With one final glance at the nearing train, I step throughthe portal, avoiding death by less than a hair.