"Thanks for the water, Ms. Grace."
"No problem! And just call me Grace."
Grace Monroe felt something on the palm of her right hand. She looked. Her number had gone down, and was now at 137. To any normal passenger, this would still be bad—and she was a normal passenger now, so it should have felt bad—but it felt invigorating. Giving out a fresh bottle of water to a sickly kid made her feel like she still had a place here.
About "here" . . . ah yes, the Mall Car. The former base of operations of the Apex, a group that Grace had been trying in vain to purge from her memories. She had personally disbanded it 6 months ago, and almost all of its former members were off the train by now—but she had to spend these 6 months living with the weight of her actions. She had to admit, One-One had done a bang-up job at restoring the car, but most of the escalators were still nonfunctional and almost all of the shops had been abandoned out of fear. All that remained was a simple thrift store, the Greasy Rag, where she figured she might as well spend the last of her loose change.
There was barely much in this store, either, Some broken radios and VHS tapes for 50 cents, some extra-small T-shirts for $1.50, and hair—literal strands of human hair—for $2.25. There was a cool rag for—oh, whoops, no, that was just the owner. The Greasy Rag—now she got it.
But what really caught Grace's eye, much more than all of this cool junk, was the one single thing dumped in the corner labeled "FREE". It was a book. A book that brought about all of those memories she had been trying so, so hard to repress.
The cover read: The Esmoroth Trilogy: Book One: The Rise of the True King, by Simon Laurent.
Simon Laurent. Grace's best friend for 8 years, much more relatable than anyone she thought she'd ever meet in the real world, and her second-in-command in the Apex. That kid who'd always laugh at her jokes and be right beside her when she needed it the most, just as she'd be by his. But she had to draw a line somewhere, and she drew it when he wheeled the denizen Tuba against her orders and instituted a downright totalitarian regime within the Apex. She personally scattered his ashes in the Wasteland because they both knew she made him end up this way. She had convinced him to reject all forms of conscience and never swallow his pride, and unlike herself, he never grew past that.
Even so, he had been working on that book for 6 years. She had considered it an afterthought for all that time. She just had to read it.
The rag slithered up to her. "Oh, we've read that. It's bad. So bad. Whoever wrote it is clearly not OK. We're not even charging people for it—we will honest to God give you money for the purchase."
"I'm good, thanks."
She took the book and walked to a quiet corner—right under an escalator, where she really hoped no one would notice. With a loud gulp, she opened to the first page.
****
Several centuries ago, there was nothing. Only wind howled here, there was no life at all. But amongst this quiet void, the three gods used their power and wisdom to form the illustrious land of Esmoroth, they used their caring and life-giving powers to create the people on it. The people were all greatful, very greatful, to the Gods for giving them this privilege of life, they all gave each other the privilege as well, but it's mostly the gods who gave it.
But out of all the people on Esmoroth, noone was more greatful than the young and handsome knight Symeon. Symeon has luscious white hair, beaming blue eyes and cheekbones that could cut solid diamond, one time they actually did cut a solid diamond. Everyone loved him, and he loved everybody, except the evil men created by the Dark Force. The Dark Force was an evil unleashed upon Esmoroth and has terrorized the land ever since, but no one, not even Symeon knows who unleahsed it. People have tried to destroy it, to no avail.
Symeon was, as usual, killing the evil men heroically. When he got a message from the benevolent Queen Graziella to report to the castle immediately. He arrived and the Queen looked down and spoke in her soothing, and elegant voice. "Symeon, I have a request for you." She explained.
"What is it? I haven't got all day." Said Symeon impatiently. "It's the Dark Force." She elaborated wistfully. "No one knows how to stop it. It's terrorizing the land and the people who live in it. That's why I want you, Symeon, to travel across Esmoroth land to kill and destroy it for good." Symeon blushed, his face is more red than a rose. "Really? You want me to do it?" He asks. "Definitely, after all, you're the strongest, smartest and most handsome knight I've ever seen." She agrees. "Thanks for the offer! I won't let you down!" He yells excitedly, and he sets off for his quest.
As he leaves the castle and set out for the Dark Force so he could bring it to its demise, he hears the crying of a little girl neat the side of the road. "Hello, what's your name?" He asks empathetically. "Hazel," The girl replied sadly, "And I'm trying to find my mama, she's lost." The good natured Symeon simply could not allow this. "Come with me to defeat the Dark Force, maybe we'll meet her along the way." He offered. "Yay! Thank you, Symeon, you're the best!" Hazel cheered, and gave him a hug. He pushed her away, "No hugs, please".
The two wander off past fields of green, killing many Dark Force soldiers along the way doing what's right for Esmoroth. When suddenly, they hear a rope snap, and look below them, and see that they are standing on top of a leaf trap! They fell in screaming, and reached the bottom, where they heard a snarling. "WHO DARES MESS WITH MY DAUGHTER? OOK OOK?" Growled a giant hairy ape the size of two pickup trucks. "Mama!" Yelled Hazel cheerfully. "OH MY DARLING." Continued the Ape. "I WILL NEVER EVER LEAVE YOU AGAIN. NOW YOU, ON THE OTHER HAND, MUST DIE, OOK!" "Bring it." Symeon challenged, and took out his electric gun. Pulling the trigger, a blinding electric shock was unleashed at the ape, it pulsates through the ape's veins and fries its flesh and bones until it's a bloody mess on the floor. Its heart was still beating, so Symeon stepped on it. "Wasn't that your mother, Hazel?" He wondered. "It's okay, my mama was a big meanie anyway." She replied, and the two left the cave.
The two arrived at an enscripture, a peculiar one that read THOSE WHO SEEK THE DARK FORCE MUST GO TO ACHILLES' ISLAND. BUT NONE WHO HAVE GONE TO THAT ISLAND HAVE EVER RETURNED TO TELL THE TALE. BE WARNED. "Well?" Asked Symeon. "Let's go to Achilles' Island!" "But," Interrupted Hazel. "How are we going to get there without a boat?" She asked. "I can swim. You can probably get a boat from those lepers." The lepers Hazel noticed could not use the boat because their legs kept falling off, they lent Hazel their boat while Symeon swam all the way to Achilles' Island killing any evil sharks that got in his path. They got there and the Dark Force was standing besides a mysterious cloaked figure. "Who are you? Show yourself!" Demanded Symeon. The cloaked figure turned around. She said "Oh how naive you are, knight." She uncloaked, revealing that she was...
Queen Graziella! "Impossible!" Gasped Symeon. "You were the one who unleahsed the Dark Force?" "Correct! It was I!" The Queen gloated, "But why? Why did you do it?" Symeon demanded angrily. "It's simple! I rule this land as its God! I should have every right to plow it into ruin and make everyone suffer under my hand! And most of all, I hate YOU! Why can't you just change for once?" Symeon really gasps at this. How could she hate him, if he's always right, why would he ever want to change? "How could you hate me?" He yells disturbedly. "IfWhy would I ever want to change if I'm always right?" "No, you've been wrong about plenty of things!" Yelled the Queen back, "Oh really? Just name one!" Symeon lashed back too. "Well-" But before Graziella could finish, the Dark Force suddenly killed and ate her whole, leaving nothing left. It focused its ginormous eye on Symeon, who was not afraid, and then sent out a shock wave that killed every single plant and animal life in all of Esmoroth. But the heroes were still not afraid.
"Hey! He's my friend!" Called Hazel, who jumped up with all her strength, pushed her mighty leg out, and kicked the Dark Force right into its ginormous eye. Apparently that's its weakness. It shrivels, groans in pain, and then explodes, this explosion sends another shock wave that restored all life in all the land-including Graziella. "Symeon, I am very sorry for the things I have done. You made me see the light and the error of my ways, so please have this." Confessed the Queen Graziella with much regret and sorrow. She held out her famous crown and gave it to Symeon. "Tis yours for all time, for you are truly the True King." But as Symeon accepted the gift, he sprouted wings like an angel and ascended into the heavens. "I'm sorry, everyone." He said sorrowfully. "But my time has come." Hazel, Graziella, and everyone else cried in mourning. "No, Simon, don't leave us! You're the True King!" "Yes, I am." Symeon admits. "But I will live on inside all of you. Goodbye!" He takes his rightful place in the heavens as the God of all Esmoroth and all humanity, and he is still missed to this day be everyone, who will tell tales of his heroic deeds.
The End.
****
That was really it. The rest of the pages, which constituted about 3/4 of the notebook, were blank. Grace closed the book and . . . took a moment to stomach whatever it was she had just read. She had no words at all to describe this thing. She felt like she wanted to vomit, but alas, the Toilet Car wasn't anywhere nearby. This had taken Simon 6 years to write, 6 years, so there was no excuse for it to turn out this unapologetically awful. (And no, living most of his early life on an outdated mode of transportation was no excuse for the terrible grammar.)
She had done this, she thought. She had made Simon who he is, she had killed Tuba, she had made Hazel a broken soul for the rest of her long life, she had led the train into ruin, and she had exposed young and impressionable minds of the Apex to whatever this was. The same exact thoughts that came up every time she thought about herself, of Simon, of all of this. She was suddenly thankful she had taken it before anyone else had, so she knew what she needed to do—dispose of it. Throwing it in the Wasteland wouldn't even be enough. What would be the perfect way to forever be rid of this dumpster fire?
The Dumpster Fire Car, maybe. She swore she had seen it a few cars back.
Car after car she skimmed through, rolling her eyes as she redid each challenge. They were much easier the second time, fortunately. When she at last reached a giant car-sized garbage bin engulfed in flame, she threw the book in without hesitation. Incidentally, throwing something in the bin was enough to make the door open, but Grace just felt content right now to watch the last remainder of Simon's existence burn to the tiniest of crisps, and to ask herself some more questions.
For one, what the hell would Book Two have been about?