Torment

Windows

After everyone had calmed down a bit, Nam and his daughter took a position on the floor by the closed gate that was holding us back from the next carriage. Nam had lifted one of the floor panels revealing a circuit board, with many different coloured cables. By using a knife, the man cut a few of the wires and began striking them together, causing sparks and sort of jump-starting the gates. Apart from a mechanical noise, nothing much was happening. As usual, I stood beside Curtis, looking at Nam as he worked his magic. I had one of my arms wrapped around my waist, hugging myself, whilst my other was held up by my face, I was chewing my nails nervously. As nothing continued to happen, Curtis scratched his hat covered head before looking to me. He nudged my side, causing me to drop my hand from my mouth, he brushed his fingers against mine, as I continued to look at the gates. Nam tried again, looking to the gates expectantly as the passengers around us re-positioned the weapons in their hands. I looked to Edgar who still had blood running from his nose. I sighed, pulling the rucksack and baton from my back, and opened the bag up. I grabbed a bandage and tore a small section off before passing it to him and shrugging towards his face. Edgar lifted his fingers to his nose, feeling the sticky substance he rolled his eyes and took the bandage appreciatively before using it like a cloth. I smiled as I placed the bag back on my back, keeping the baton I had kept tucked in there in my grasp.

"Nobody there," Yona suddenly said, looking to the locked gates, her hood covering her facial expression. Curtis and I followed her gaze. "Kronole?" She begged, holding her hand to me in an expectant way from her seated position on the floor. I looked to Curtis as he handed two pieces to the girl. Yona grabbed the drugs greedily and held the two pieces between her index, middle, and ring finger, inhaling the hallucinogenic. The girl held the drugs out to her father who was still struggling with the gate. Nam took a deep inhale of the Kronole as he sparked two wires once more causing the gates before us to open. I took a deep breath as I tightened my grip around my weapon, staying behind Curtis as we looked forward. As Curtis rushed forward through the crowd of passengers in front of us, we were pleasantly surprised to find that Yona was right, no guards were on the other side of the gate. And, it was now certain that Nam could open the gates, the plan that seemed like pure hope was becoming more of a reality. I lessened my grip on my knife as I looked around. The carriage was clean, light, and well kept. Okay, I'm sure it wasn't up to the front section standards, but the bunk beds built into the walls, actual mattresses, and clean surfaces made the train car seem like the Five Star Hotel. "Look at all these beds. Where is everybody?" I asked voicing my thoughts. I turned to Edgar who was looking at a recently vacated bunk. "It looks like they left in a hurry." He said holding up an item of clothing.

I looked back to Nam and Yona, the pair was hunched in a corner on the floor, rubbing the two blocks of Kronole together, and getting higher by the minute. I shook my head. "There's food on the table." I heard one person call, I whipped my head around, the thought of proper food motivating me. But before I could look for myself, I watched as Painter walked towards the opposite wall from the bunk beds. "This can't be a window can it?" He questioned as I too stared at the glossy material. At the moment the carriage was only lit by man-made lights, darkness was coming from all four walls. But seconds after Painter made his statement a striking, blinding light hit us. We all stumbled back, our eye's adjusting to the new luminosity. I staggered forward, I couldn't believe it, they were windows. I continued to shield my eyes as I looked beyond the glass. "Still cold," Gilliam stated as he was wheeled in front of the window by Grey. I continued to stare as I lapped up the apocalyptic frozen scene before me. The train seemed to be traveling past a city. Snow and ice had reached miles up skyscrapers and every building and object appeared frostbitten. Tears began to roll down my cheeks. Regardless of the awful sight, I hadn't seen the outside world in 17 years, the tail section had no windows, no natural light, it was just another thing we'd been deprived of. "Dead, all dead," I whispered, as we all continued to look at the barren landscape before us. I felt someone come behind me and knew instantly it was Curtis by the way he laid his hand on my lower back. "Alright, let's go, everyone. Stay focused. We didn't come here for this." Curtis ordered pulling our attention away from the window. I turned to him wiping my tears with the cuff of my coat as he clapped for everyone's attention. "You heard the man, let's go. Move." Edgar added, pulling passengers away from the window. "Hazel," I looked to Curtis as he called my name, taking my hand in his. "This is only the beginning, it's gonna get harder before it gets better." I nodded, but what was going to be the cost?