STRANGE DAYS

Chapter 253

See first chapter for disclaimers.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to Storyseeker for beta-reading this. As usual, if you have any comments or preferences, please don't be shy. RandR.

Harry Potter & Worm (Shadow Stalker)

And now…

Infinity Train And…?

Hello, New Passenger

He had exited the pod as soon as he was able, not trusting it, then he watched the video from a distance without a word. None of it made any sense to him. What was this place, and why was he here? The strange little ball on the screen spoke of his problems. This was a place that he was meant to solve them. He considered the words carefully.

He was meant to figure out his problems? He knew what his problems were and how to solve them. It wasn't something he could do aboard a train, though, not unless a certain person was also on board. Snarling in irritation, he shattered the screen and went to find a way out. The train, if that's what it was, served as a prison of some sort. That was clear. Moving through what appeared to be a forest, he searched for any sign of people.

The forest seemed devoid of animal life. There were fruit trees intermixed with other varieties, so he took the chance to gather some provisions. No telling when he would find food again. Discovering that the forest ended in a wall painted as a continuation of the scene, he followed it till he found a door leading out.

It is a train. The boy stared out over the wasteland that was visible to each side of the platform outside the door of the massive car. He had never seen anything quite like it. Deciding to get a better view, he quickly scaled the side of the car and stood on the roof. What he saw, however, was not encouraging. The air was hot and dry, and the barren land looked as if it had never seen rain.

He concentrated, channeling his energies to his eyes and taking in as many details as he could. There were no signs of civilization as far as the horizon. He could see what looked like mountains in the distance, but wasn't sure if it was worth it to investigate.

Bleakness in all directions. So, where did the train come from? There had to be a station. He could see that he was nowhere near the beginning or end of the train, so that left out some possible avenues of investigation for the moment. He could also see that the train's course had a slight curve to it. That could mean a number of things, so he noted it and dismissed it as being irrelevant for the moment. The train's engine seemed the most reasonable destination, so he started for the front of the train.

Traveling on the outside of the train might be quicker, but he realized that he also needed to find someone who knew more about the situation on board. The recording had indicated that there were people on the train to 'help' him, but he had to doubt the likelihood of the train's inhabitants being useful.

Another passenger? That seemed the best option. Heading into the next car, he looked around at what seemed to be the lobby of a fancy hotel. There was a front desk with a… What the hell?

The person at the desk, the bellhop, and the other staff he could see, all lacked faces. No eyes, nose, or mouth, but that didn't seem to hinder them as they went about their work. He wasn't sure what to make of that, but he decided to move on.

The next car looked like a carnival with a wide variety of creatures serving both as attendants and customers enjoying the attractions. He had no real interest in games or thrill rides, so he looked for anyone who might be a passenger. There were none present.

Moving on to the next car, he found what looked to be a lake or sea with no signs of land beyond the small platform at the door with a rowboat moored to it. He sighed in frustration. "This is going to get tiresome."

Crossing the sea that contained no hint of land, let alone other people, got him to another platform with a door. There, he found a problem. The door wouldn't open. Carefully examining his surroundings, he realized that there was another door below the platform he had moored the boat to.

With a grunt of irritation, he dove in and tried the door. It, too, was locked, and he admitted after a moment, that opening the door while it was underwater likely wouldn't be a good idea. Channeling his energies to his eyes, he looked around. The floor of the sea was unnaturally smooth, a fact that came as no real surprise. Any irregularity stood out. There was a sunken rowboat, an anchor, and what appeared to be an old chest. He ignored these, and focused on what looked like a plug for a bathtub drain.

Briefly returning to the surface for air, he swam to a point above the plug and dove to the sea floor. The plug came free far too easily, he noted, but dismissed the matter as unimportant. The water also drained at an impossible rate, the movement of the water against him no worse than a stiff breeze. It was just one more thing about the train that made no sense.

He was left facing the door below the platform, which opened easily. If all the puzzles he would have to contend with were so simple, he thought, moving through the train wouldn't take long, but it would be extremely annoying. His thoughts strayed to his annoying blond rival back home and scowled.

The dobe would probably enjoy this. Shoving that thought aside, he moved on.

Eventually, after passing through several irritating cars that either took up space or had ludicrously simple puzzles to solve, he found other passengers.

A small group of people were traveling along the tops of the cars, using odd devices involving strong lines with powerful magnets on the end of them to move from car to car. Although curious, he decided the devices weren't really important, except to indicate that they were likely civilians. He certainly didn't need one to travel along the rooftops.

Approaching them, carefully, he introduced himself. Their leader, a dark-skinned teenage girl named Grace, proved quite welcoming and willing to answer his questions. They called themselves Apex, and while they provided a wealth of information, it turned out that they weren't all that helpful.

Grace led him a few cars forward, to one that contained what looked like a ruined shopping center. The place looked like it had been through several riots, and the Apex were clearly proud of their handiwork. All those he saw were children or teenagers at best. There were no adults and no sign of industry or efforts to produce food. That suggested he was dealing with thieves and scavengers. He kept his own council, though, and heard them out.

"So, you want to stay here?" He asked for clarification after hearing the girl's explanation of the train's nature and her rant about the little white ball that had apparently usurped the train's real conductor. A person whose symbol they apparently drew on themselves, for some reason. All that mattered to him was the steps to follow to get home.

"Why wouldn't we?" Grace asked. "It's great here! No one tells us what to do. We're free." She proudly displayed a green glowing number that was so large it wrapped around her wrist. "This is what you want. This is strength. Don't listen to that stupid white ball. Since it took over, it's been lying to everyone who comes aboard, trying to trick us off our train. You're welcome to join us. We'll help you get your number up."

"You want to stay here. I don't." He said, shaking his head and rising from the rickety table they had been sitting at. "If getting the number to zero gets me home so I can really start working on my 'problems,' then that's what I'll do." Or perhaps I'll find the little ball and force him to let me off.

"If you've got problems at home," Grace rose to try to intercept him, "that's all the more reason to stay. We don't pry here, but don't let that little null con you." She put a hand on his shoulder, apparently trying to either reassure or restrain him. He didn't really care which. It was unwelcome.

He rounded on her and she took a step back, seeing the way his eyes had changed. "You live like rats, hiding on this train, scavenging for what you need to survive. If that life suits you, fine. It doesn't suit me. I don't have any problems at home that can't be solved by killing a certain someone."

"K-killing?" Grace took another step back. His suddenly red eyes and oddly shaped pupil were unlike anything she'd seen before.

"Don't get in my way." He turned and made for the exit, grunting in irritation as the, already four-digit, number on his hand went up by 12. This is going to take a while.