Chapter 8: The Cereal Seas Car
"Remind me why we're out here again."
"I told you, Simon, Lucy said she found a passenger alone in this car. We're here to bring him to the Apex."
Simon and I were in a dark forest themed car. There was a creepy fog in the air, some wolves howling in the distance, and a full moon lighting up the area. We were walking through a clearing to where Lucy said she found the passenger.
"Yeah, you keep saying that. But I don't get why either of us need to go do it. Can't she bring this kid back on her own?"
"She's been trying, but she says he's too freaked out to listen."
"Oh, well, in that case, why do I need to come? You're the people person, Grace. I was in the middle of something, too."
"Right, your army playset thing?"
"It's not a play set, Grace, it's a diorama. A diorama of the battle of-"
"Alright, alright, relax. I get it. They're not dolls, they're action figures. How about this then? If you stop complaining, in the next raid I'll help you look for stuff for your, Di-o-ra-ma?"
"…Fine." Simon said with a sigh.
"Great, now try to put your friendly face on. Cause I think this is it."
We had arrived at the base of a cliff past the trees. There was a small entrance in the stone, just big enough for a person to fit through. Just barely though. I crouched down and made my way in with Simon following. The little tunnel got bigger after a bit, and soon we were standing in a cave about as big as a living room. There were only two things in this cave. A pile of burnt sticks clumped together making a failed attempt at a fire, and a teenage boy a few years younger than us shivering against the back wall. This boy had a torn up black, white, and purple sports jacket, a tank top, jeans, sneakers, a blond buzzed haircut, and a cracked white mask with a face on it, kinda like the gold one I wear during raids. The boy noticed us the moment we entered the cave. He quickly got to his feet and started to yell.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Easy, kid," Said Simon. "We're with the Apex."
"Hello, my name is Grace, and I'm the leader of the Apex. This is Simon. We just want to talk to you."
"We is a strong word, Grace." Simon muttered behind me.
"Well I don't want to talk. Get out! This is my cave!"
"Heh, well, nice cave you got. If you like cold dingy holes, that is. Come on kid, just make this easy and come with us. You aren't gonna last a week out here. I mean, hell, you can't even make a fire on your own."
"Shut up! Get out right now or I'll knock your teeth in."
"Ooooh, a tough guy." Simon said sarcastically before walking forward.
"Simon…" I warned.
"Relax, Grace." He said, leaning forward to get right in the boy's face. "This kid doesn't scare-"
Before he could finish, the boy suddenly leaned back and punched Simon in the face as hard as he could. Simon reeled back next to me, clutching onto his face.
"Agh! You little brat! That's it! I'm gonna-"
Before Simon had time to pound this kid into the dirt, I quickly stopped him.
"Simon, hang on."
"Hang on!? Are you kidding, Grace? I think my freaking nose is bleeding now!"
"I know, but just let me handle this."
"Like hell I will. This kid needs a serious-"
"Simon, let me handle this."
Simon and I glared at each other for a moment. We were both determined to do this in our own way, but my gaze was more powerful than his. Simon sighed, annoyed, before turning around and walking back through the tunnel behind us.
"Whatever. Do what you want. I'll be waiting outside."
With that out of the way, I was free to handle this a bit more peacefully. I walked forward some, making the boy stand his ground, before kneeling down to his level.
"Hey, sorry about him. Simon's just eager to get back is all. How are you doing here?"
"I'm doing fine on my own. Like I told that other girl, I don't need your Apex's help."
"And I'm not saying you do. I can tell you're a very strong boy and you don't need anybody… but aren't you cold in this place?"
The boy went silent. He just looked away as I continued.
"All I'm offering is warm food, a roof over your head, and a place to belong on this crazy train."
"…Why? What would you possibly get out of that?"
"For one, a strong new member to the Apex who wouldn't let anything get in his way." The boy's stance loosened. He didn't quite trust me, but at least he'd hear me out. "What's your name?"
The boy looked at me again, but he didn't say immediately. After a moment, he lifted his hand up to his mask and took it off. When I got a look at his face, I could see just how afraid he was. His eyes were damp and filled with fear. He didn't know what this place was, and he had no one to go to.
"My… my name is…"
"And be sure to take it easy now, you hear?"
"Yeah, I hear. Thanks." I said as I walked out onto the brick street.
It was the day after the ghom attack, and I was just released from the clinic. The person waving me out the door was a girl wearing black pants, an oversized nurse's top that looked like a dress on her, and a stethoscope hanging from her neck. I know the Apex mainly had kids in it, but this girl looked a few years younger than me and apparently she was the Apex's head doctor. Now I'm not sure how qualified this twelve or thirteen-year-old girl is, but if it's enough for the Apex to patch them up, then who am I to question it? Though I did make a mental note not to get any serious injuries while I'm here.
That girl aside, I've been pretty anxious about getting out of there. Everyone's been doing their own thing while I've just been stuck in bed. Emily couldn't visit forever cause she had to work on something over at her workshop, and Hazel… Well, I actually hadn't seen Hazel since she ran off the other day. It kinda worried me. I looked down at my number. Ever since talking with Hazel, it's lowered to 177, showing me that forgiving her was the right thing to do. But now that I have, I couldn't help thinking about what she's going through. Although, Hazel can take care of herself for the time being. Plus, I'm sure I'd run into her later. After I was on the streets, I made my way toward Emily's workshop. On the way, I noticed something odd.
All the Apex members, they were acting exactly as they were yesterday. Just running around doing their own thing without a care in the world. You'd think at least a few people would be stressed out or even talking about it, but nope. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the attack didn't even happen. I guess Emily wasn't kidding when she said it happens a lot.
After some time of walking, and getting directions from the more nice members of the Apex, eventually I was standing outside Emily's workshop. Now that I wasn't in a life-threatening situation, I got the chance to actually look at the stone building. It was bigger than most normal structures here, but it wasn't the biggest by a long shot. The three biggest, from largest to smallest, are Mono's Temple, the training building, and the clinic. You can really tell what the Apex's priorities are based off that. Anyway, Emily's workshop, like most buildings here, is made from green stone bricks and had a few glass windows, but unlike everything else, the workshop was fitted with tons of metal objects. There was a reinforced door, several dishes, poles, and wires strung up all over, and what looked like a few solar panels chilling on the roof. This place just screams Emily. In fact, back home somewhere, there's a picture Emily drew when she was ten that looks almost exactly like this building. I'm honestly embarrassed by how long it took me to find it.
When I walked up to the entrance, a familiar someone walked out. It was Hazel, and she looked in a hurry. I thought she didn't even recognize me when I tried talking with her.
"Excuse me." She said, speed walking right past me with an angered look.
"Hazel?"
"Not now, Meg. I'm busy."
Now that really annoyed me. I know I was a jerk to her the past couple of days, but I thought we made up already.
"Hey! The hell's your problem, Hazel? I've literally done nothing to you since yesterday. What gives?"
Hazel then stopped. After just a moment, she turned with a regretful look.
"I… Sorry, Meg. I'm just… I'm just in a hurry, I guess."
"Well, slow down a sec. You weren't this angry yesterday. What the heck happened?"
Hazel stared at me for a moment before she sighed.
"I… I found out what happened to Grace."
"Really?" I asked, surprised. "What happened?"
Hazel turned away some before continuing.
"I… I really don't want to talk about it."
"Hazel…"
"It's okay. I'm alright." She said with an unconvincing smile. "Nevermind me, go spend time with Emily. I need to figure things out."
"I… Okay."
Hazel turned away, I saw the smile on her face disappear as she did, and walked off. I didn't like this. Whatever happened to Grace must have been horrible if it's got Hazel acting like this. I wanted to know; I wanted to help if I could, but if she didn't want it, there wasn't much I could do. Before entering Emily's workshop, I looked at Hazel again. I could tell what she learned was eating away at her, and I wasn't ready to let this go. After everything Hazel's done for me so far, helping her too is the least I could do.
After what happened yesterday, I wholeheartedly welcomed the sound of a new car being placed near us. I rarely enjoy scouting missions, but this could be a pleasant distraction from the ghom attacks and being reminded of our psychotic former leader. Of all things Hazel could've asked me about, why did it have to be Simon? But I digress.
It was early in the morning, and I was making my way through the green halls of the temple until I found the door to Mono's room. It was a black wooden door with a large red A painted over it. I gave it a few knocks, getting the man's attention.
"Mono? It's Shay. You in there?" I asked.
"Come in."
As commanded, I opened the door and entered the room. Once inside, I saw Mono with his back to me. He didn't have his torn cloak on, so I could actually see the back of his blond-haired head. Something that few people could claim to see. Mono was currently retrieving his cloak from a cabinet, and after he had tied it around his neck and pulled the hood up, he turned to me.
"Good morning, Mono." I said.
"Hmph." He responded, "I can assume you heard the new car roll in last night."
"Yessir. What kind of car do you think it is? Maybe it's a beautiful beach or something. I've been thinking the Apex could use a good vacation spot."
"Or it'll be another stupid car with a vague puzzle with even vaguer denizens. Either way, you'll find out soon enough. Take a team in and report back."
"Actually, I think I'm gonna explore this one alone."
I kind of wanted to get away from the Apex for a bit, and work through what's happened so far in my head. In response, Mono turned, confused.
"Alone? You realize some of these cars could kill you, right? Remember that poison car a while back?"
"C'mon Mono, I'm the most skilled person in the Apex. I think I can handle a new car on my own."
"Most skilled? Right, the girl who shot her eye out with a harpoon pack is the most skilled? Why did we even find that healing crap for you? Honestly, you were far less arrogant without depth perception. "
"You were probably jealous of how much cooler I looked than you."
"Whatever. Just don't come crying to me if you actually lose your eye this time."
"You got it. See you in a while. I'll tell you what I find."
"Hold on a second, Shay." I was almost out the door before Mono stopped me. "Have you discovered anything about our guests, namely… Hazel?"
I felt a little uneasy there. The first thing that came to mind was Hazel's number… and those scales, but I still wasn't sure if telling him was the best idea yet. If it wasn't for the scales on her arm, it would probably be the same deal as Meg. Just figuring out her number. I mean, I know she defended the Apex and all, but I'm not sure what would happen if Mono saw the scales. Maybe just telling him about the number would be enough… for now.
"Well, it turns out her number is different."
"How so? Like the brat's?"
"No, not exactly. Her number isn't blue, it doesn't even glow. Hers is just dark, blacked out almost. I'm not sure what it means, but maybe we could have Emily look into hers as well?"
"Hmm… Anything else?"
I didn't want to tell him about the scales until I knew more about Hazel, so I told him about what happened yesterday.
"…After the ghom attack, Hazel came to ask me some questions. Questions about… Grace."
"Ha!" Mono laughed. "So she really is the same Hazel. And I was just trying to piss him off."
"Sorry?" I asked, confused.
"Nevermind. What did you tell her?"
Simon killed Grace.
I could still hear Shay's words repeating through my head. Out of all the names she could've said, Simon's was the one I dreaded hearing the most. HIs disregard for the train and its denizens was obvious from the moment I met him. I always hated Simon for how he treated cars, puzzles… Tuba. Lately though, I'd been hoping it's just because he didn't know that even though they were created on the train, the denizens are just as important as any passenger. I hoped that… I don't know. Maybe he could be redeemed. But killing not just a fellow passenger, but his best friend, It was unforgivable.
I wanted to know exactly what happened to Simon, but learning that wasn't as easy. No matter what I asked, or how I asked, Shay wouldn't give me a straight answer. I guess I don't have a choice then. If she doesn't want to tell me, then I'll just find out for myself.
I was looking up at the temple entrance from the path below. I saw Shay walk out and start talking with two guards out front, before she made her way down the stairs, then south of the car. Her being away from the temple made my job a lot easier. After a moment of making sure no one was looking, I started going up to the temple.
After me and Hazel's brief talk earlier, I tried to take my mind off of it. I couldn't do anything for her if she wasn't here, so I needed to distract myself from it in the meantime. Luckily, I had just the thing. I was sitting on a stool in Emily's workshop, drawing in my sketchbook as she worked on some belt thing. Occasionally I would glance up at Emily for a moment before looking back down to add to my drawing. It took a while, but pencil stroke after pencil stroke, I had about finished. Unfortunately, I glanced at her a bit too often, because Emily noticed by the end.
"Uh… Do I have something on my face, Meg?" Emily asked with bright pink cheeks.
"Oh!" I exclaimed. "No! No, you don't. I just… Sorry… I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I swear I wasn't staring."
"Heh. Don't worry about it, Meg." she stuttered. " You're fine. I was just worried something was wrong… or something."
Just like that, the atmosphere went from chill to tense in no time at all. That feeling would stick around for a bit before it somewhat returned to normal.
"Sorry that I'm taking so long with this, by the way." Emily continued. "Mono want's this done ASAP, and this car isn't exactly the best place to find parts for my tech."
"That's okay, Emily. I'm fine just hanging out with you and drawing."
"Y'know, It's been a while since I saw you sketch like that. What are you drawing, anyway?"
That question got me a little flustered.
"I, uh… Well, it's nothing crazy, just y'know… random stuff." Not wanting her to see what I've been working on, I shut my book and changed the subject. "Hey, what kind of denizens do you think lived in this car, anyway?"
"I don't think it really matters what they were, but if I were to guess from the car, probably cannibal tribe members or something."
"What do you mean, it doesn't matter?"
"Well, I mean, they're just Nulls. Who cares what kind they are? They're all the same anyway, right?"
"Emily, I know you had a bad experience with one, but not all denizens are bad."
"Really?" she asked, "So… stuff like ghoms and body snatchers aren't bad?"
"Well, yeah, there's a few that-"
"And what about the stuff you went through? Mad goblin scientists and bloodthirsty party koalas sound just as bad, the way you talked about them."
"Okay, sure, there are a few bad ones."
"A lot of bad ones." Emily corrected.
"But that doesn't mean they're all that way."
"Sorry, Meg, but from what I've heard from the Apex, I find that hard to believe."
It really upset me that she believed that, but I understood why. That one experience with that blob thingy and the Apex's biased opinion would probably make her not trust denizens, either. It was only because denizens like Lincoln, the deer, and Hazel that I could see they're just like us. But because of how things work in this car, Emily might never trust denizens. That's when I remembered the thing shaking the car overhead just last night. It'd be a risk if they were good or not, but a risk I was willing to try.
"Hey Emily, what if I said when you're done, I could show you some good denizens?"
Getting to the new car took no time at all. It ended up two cars behind the Apex's, and since they seem to go on raids all the time, those two cars were practically empty, so all we really dealt with was the trek through the jungle again. Emily and I were now in between cars on the metal bridge connecting them. I was about to open the door to the new car before Emily stopped me. She was now wearing her jean jacket over her overalls.
"Meg, I really don't think this is a good idea." She said nervously, "There's a reason the Apex sends in scouts before a raid."
"It'll be fine. Trust me."
"I trust you just fine, but some of these cars can be seriously dangerous."
"Emily, I promise, if things get too crazy in there, we'll leave, but at least give it a chance, please?"
Emily paused. In silence, she looked up at the towering train car ahead of us and just stared. After a moment, she looked back at me with a soft smile.
"Okay."
I smiled in return before turning back to the door and opening it up. The moment I saw inside, I knew this car was different from anything I've seen yet. Emily and I were now walking into a port town with cobblestone roads, colorful wooden houses with thatched roofs, and a dock resting on a pure white seascape stretching out into the horizon as far as the eye can see. A sweet-salty scent hung in the air as we continued on.
The denizens here were just as vibrant as the buildings. Each came in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Any of them looked like they could be a mascot for something. One even looked like a giant rainbow toucan. Though it didn't matter how colorful these denizens were, Emily wasn't trusting them one bit. She walked right at my back as she held her hands on my shoulder and glared at denizens with a distrustful look as they walked by. This went on for our entire walk through town. Eventually, we stopped nearby the docks in a sort of rounded open area with a few businesses lined outside the circled stone road.
"Uh… Emily, you know these random towns people aren't gonna do anything, right?"
"I'm not taking any chances, Meg."
"Okay, but seriously, they're not gonna hurt us."
"You don't know that. They could be planning to kidnap and sell us to the highest bidder or something."
"You watch too many movies, Emily."
"I'm serious, Meg! I mean, just look at this."
Emily walked over to a board sitting between two buildings. There were several posters hung up with both a photo and title on each of them. None of the people in the pictures looked at all the same. There were posters with people like Captain Cinnabar Boast; a man dressed in a colorful yet super dusty outfit, Captain Charles Eerio; dressed in golden looking clothes designed with little tan loops, and Apple n Jack; two red and green apple headed twin pirates with a few cuts and bruises all over them. Above the posters was the word "WANTED" in big, bold letters.
"These nulls are wanted criminals. How do you know everyone else here isn't the same?"
"Well, they did put up a wanted board."
Emily just shook her head. She turned to the board and pulled off a poster. This one had a man labeled as Captain Anthony Chilled; The Cereal Killer. He was a skinny man with bleach white skin, glowing blue eyes, a long white beard, and he was wearing black pants, boots, and a tattered captain's coat and hat made from the skin of a tiger.
"This board just proves my point. If nulls like this Chilled guy exist, who's to say there aren't way more? And even if these nulls walking around aren't that bad, they're probably all still super selfish." Emily turned away and looked at the ground with a sigh. "I bet even a navy here would be bad."
I was about to comfort her, but I heard a thud down on the docks. There were a couple of men in blue uniforms moving crates into a large blue and yellow naval ship with white sails and a blue flag with a yellow capital M on it. One of the navy men dropped a box and was now getting it back up. I smiled a bit before turning back to Emily.
"I'll take you up on that bet."
After a bit of convincing, I got Emily to agree to my idea. We hid together in this large barrel without the crew noticing and let them carry us aboard. A few of the bumps and sudden turns from the crew mates carrying us did put us in a couple of awkward positions, but we shrugged it off and waited. When the sounds of voices stopped around us and we could feel the ship move, we climbed out of the barrel.
"Is it just me, or was it really warm in that thing?" I asked, a little flustered.
"No. It's not just you." Emily replied with red cheeks.
We soon made our way past the cargo near us and snuck towards some stairs with a door at the top. We opened it by only a crack and peaked through. On the other side was the upper deck, and we watched the navy men going back and forth, making sure everything was right as rain on this ship. I was interested in watching the crew work, but Emily was still nervous.
"Meg, this is a really bad idea."
"Relax, Emily, we'll just hang out here until they make port again. Watch, these denizens won't be bad."
"What if we run into pirates or something?"
"Come on, it's a big ocean. What're the chances of that?"
Just then, someone came into view on deck. He was a man with white hair and mustache, a traditional looking blue and gold captain's top, black pants, cuffed black boots, and a large blue captain's hat with the same capital M from their flag on it. He spoke with an old and grizzled voice as he walked up to one of the crew.
"Any issues to report, first mate?"
"No issues, sir! Everything is ship shape as always."
"Grand. It'd be rather unfortunate to turn back this early into our journey."
"So can we change the flag now, Captain?"
The captain turned to look past the back of the ship before answering.
"Aye, I think we be far enough from Port Kellogg."
"Aye, aye, Captain!" The first mate said excitedly before addressing some of the crew. "Hoist our true colors, lads."
In just a moment, the atmosphere of the entire ship had changed. Before the crew gave off a serious and hardworking feel as they went off to their stations, but now they started acting more laid back. They seemed relieved and were almost celebrating what the captain ordered, like they were waiting for it this whole time. And that's when I saw the reason. Someone a bit smaller than the rest of the crew ran by carrying a flag. I dreaded seeing it, because the flag he was carrying wasn't just any flag. It was a black flag with a white skull and crossbones, the symbol for all piracy on the seven seas. It was the jolly roger. These men, they weren't navy men at all. They were pirates.
I didn't want to turn to look. I could almost feel Emily's glare piercing straight through me as she looked at me with an annoyed expression. Our fun little adventure had gone so bad so quickly, but I had to keep a level head. Maybe I could still salvage this somehow.
"Well… as long as they don't see us, we should be safe. We can watch the pirates for a while, then go back to the Apex."
I turned to see her response, but she said nothing. Emily just held the bridge of her nose as she sighed. She then nodded after putting on a forced smile. I felt bad for putting us in this situation, but I still had to show Emily denizens aren't as bad as she thinks. Admittedly, though, it'd be a hell of a lot harder now. When it felt like Emily wasn't glaring anymore, I listened back into the captain's conversation.
"Are the rumors true then, Captain?" the first mate asked eagerly.
"Aye. The lost treasure of Captain Clover. It be real, and this map will lead us right to it." He said as he held up a rolled-up piece of old paper.
"Captain Clover… Just a handful of his hoard would make a man rich several times over."
"Once we find the treasure, we'll all have more money than we know what to do with, but honestly, I be hoping he stole some fine art before he vanished. The back wall of my quarters is rather barren."
This talk of a lost treasure got me interested, not just because pirates and treasure are really cool to me, but also a pirate treasure hunt might actually show Emily denizens aren't just here to take advantage of passengers. I leaned closer to the door, trying to hear a bit more.
"Meg, can we please just wait back in the cargo hold?"
"But doesn't a pirate adventure sound fun? Come on, remember those times we played pirate in the second grade? You love pirates."
"Maybe movie pirates, but this is real life!" Emily sighed once more. "Meg, I get what you're trying to do, but there is no way these nulls can be good at heart."
"You don't know that, Emily."
"These are bloodthirsty pirates, Meg! If they found us right now, I guarantee they wouldn't hesitate to-"
Before Emily could finish, however, the door in front of us suddenly swung open with a large bald man with a full grey beard standing in the doorway.
"I thought I heard chattering over here. Oi, Captain! There be stowaways aboard." Emily and I tried to run back into the cargo hold, but the large man grabbed us before we could get far. "I don't think so. You two aren't going anywhere."
The large man then dragged us out onto the deck by my hood and by one strap of Emily's overalls. She was struggling to get out of the man's grip, to no avail, but I was cooperating more than anything. I was still holding out hoping these guys wouldn't hurt us. It might've been wishful thinking, but Hazel and the others couldn't have been the only ones. Soon Emily and I were face to face with the captain.
"Good work, Quartermaster. Now…" As he spoke, the captain leaned forward to get a better look at us. I could smell a sugary scent on his breath. "What business do two young lasses have hiding aboard my ship?"
"Sorry, Captain, uh… I just wanted to show my friend that denizens can be good."
"Is that all? Well, you've snuck aboard the wrong ship then. We be pirates, and we be as selfish as they come. And we don't like stowaways. Especially ones who know what true flag we sail under."
"What're we gonna do with em, Captain?" asked the first mate with a sinister smile.
The crew began murmuring to themselves, trying to guess what fate the captain would have for us. I glanced over at Emily, and she was sweating. The worst possible outcome in her head was probably coming true. I was starting to get nervous myself. If I didn't think up something soon, we could end up a shark's breakfast. My mind was racing, trying to figure a way out of this. That's when I got an idea.
"Wait, Captain! Before you decide, you said you were having trouble with your wall, right? You were looking for something to decorate it?"
The captain raised an eyebrow.
"Aye?"
"I could make something for you. I've been told I'm a great artist."
Both the captain and Emily were looking at me confused. I gave Emily a quick jab in the arm with my shoulder.
"Wha… Oh! Yes!" Emily exclaimed. "She's really good, Captain. She can totally make something for you. You know, if you.. don't hurt us, and all."
"Hmm…" The captain just looked at us with a doubtful expression before snapping his fingers. "Lookout."
Before I knew it, that smaller crew mate who changed the flag was now rummaging through my backpack, before pulling out my sketchbook and running it over to the captain.
"Hey!"
With my book in hand, the captain flips through my sketches.
"Well, these are drawn well, but I don't think…" When the captain got to my latest page, he stopped and looked at it in awe. "Blimey…"
He began looking between the sketch in the book and Emily, looking impressed.
"You drew this?" he asked as he turned the book around and showed us the drawing I was working on earlier today. "It looks just like her."
The page he was talking about had a very realistic colored sketch of a girl sitting on a stool working on something. This girl had black overalls, a white shirt, Light brown skin, black and blue hair, and mint green eyes. My face now felt warm as I started blushing like crazy. I really didn't want Emily to see this sketch. I turned and saw her expression. Emily's face was just as red as mine. The moment she glanced over at me, my eyes darted back to the captain.
"So, uh… What do you think, Captain?"
"Aye! You are talented, lass. Very well, if you can make me a portrait worthy of the great Captain Jean Munch, I'll let you off the hook."
"Worthy of who now?" Emily asked, shaking off the embarrassment.
"Why, me. I be Captain Jean Munch."
"If you're so great, how come you weren't on that board at port?"
"The best pirates are the ones who don't get caught pirating, savvy?"
Mono's temple wasn't as hard to get into as I first thought. The layout was pretty straightforward, and the few guards stationed here were too busy goofing off to notice me sneaking around. Unfortunately, my mission wasn't proving easy. Every room I looked through had nothing that helped me. Almost all of them just had stolen stuff from other cars in unorganized piles with everything just thrown any which way. In one room, I saw a section with a bunch of hunting stuff. There was a blue pelt with a large red stain and a dripping can of paint just above it.
I was getting nowhere, and I was so frustrated I was ready to give up. The last room I checked was a large throne room. There were two stone staircases leading up to a large throne on a tall pillar. The other exit to the car was directly behind the throne. The only other thing of note was some scrape marks I saw on the floor. Finding absolutely nothing so far made me pretty anxious, and I think I was losing it a bit. I checked about every inch of this room. I examined every step, I felt for pressure plates, and I pushed almost every brick to see if there was any kind of secret. Honestly, I had no idea what I was doing anymore. I sat on the throne at the top with an arm propped against my head. I glanced over the room a final time, only to see the same thing I've seen since getting here. Nothing.
"How have I not found anything yet? I've searched every single room in this damn temple and I've found nothing telling me what happened to him. I even got a look in Mono's room! And yet, nothing!" I said as I raised my arms up, annoyed. I let out a sigh when lowering them back onto the armrests. "What am I even doing? Like the leader of a group of children would keep something th-"
Before I could finish that thought, I felt something with the tip of my finger. There was something on the side of the right armrest. I got up from the throne, squatted down next to it, and looked. There was a little square stone button right where my hand was resting.
"What the? What is…"
I could feel my hand drift toward the button out of curiosity until the button suddenly pulled back into the armrest by itself. The ground shook and I could hear grinding stone as the pillar I was standing on rose toward the ceiling. I put a hand on the throne to steady myself until the pillar stopped. I was now about ten feet higher than before. Confused, I looked around the room once more, until I noticed someone just below me. Walking out from somewhere under the pillar was the leader of the Apex himself. Mono casually stepped out and pressed a button down by him, causing the pillar to lower again. I moved back and hid behind the throne. Once the pillar was back where it was, Mono continued out of the room. After a minute, I left my hiding spot and investigated the bottom of the pillar.
The pillar itself had the Apex's logo on it and it rested on a two feet tall stone slab. Upon further inspection, the scrape marks traveled straight from the entrance right under this slab. At first I thought these marks were from prisoners being dragged in to be judged or something, but these marks actually led somewhere.
I went back to the throne and pressed the button, making the pillar rise once more. I was back at the bottom when the pillar stopped, and was surprised to see what was waiting for me. There was a hidden entrance right under Mono's throne. Inside, there was a staircase leading far downward that was being lit by torches all the way down. There were spiderwebs on the corners of the stairs, and no sign of spray paint anywhere. Wherever this led, it was untouched by the rest of the Apex.
"There has to be something down there."
I didn't know what I'd find, but I knew I'd get answers. I looked around for a moment, before stepping down on the first step.
If I'm gonna be honest with myself, I did not think Meg's art plan was gonna work at first. I thought the moment the null captain got what he wanted, he'd just make us walk the plank right after. But I was surprised. The captain loved the portrait Meg made of him so much that not only he didn't have us walk the plank; he asked us if we'd like to join him on his quest as honorary crewmates.
Now, I was already done with this car but Meg accepted his offer before I could even get a no out. So we were part of the crew now. We were free to walk about the ship as we sailed to the island with the supposed treasure. I just wished I could've appreciated it. After all, Meg was right about me loving pirates, but only when they're in movies and actually have good morals. Being around these greedy nulls had me on edge. Although, after a while, I forgot about them being nulls and really enjoyed the novelty of being on a pirate ship. Meg even wrapped a pirate bandana around her head and started speaking in a pirate accent… until Munch asked her to stop since it was kinda offensive to them. I humored Meg by putting on an eye patch for a bit, but I took it off after I was getting too used to the lack of depth perception.
A few hours of pirate shenanigans later, and we had arrived at the island. It was an enormous landmass comprising a single tall mountain in the middle of the ocean. The cliffs narrowed into points facing the sky and the very top had a thin layer of snow, it was so tall. The mountain had a large cave entrance, just big enough for a small ship to sail through. Munch's ship was too big, so me, Meg, Munch, and a couple of other crewmates had to use rowboats to get past.
I have to admit, what I saw inside the cavern was pretty cool. Near the end of the cave, there was a bit of shore with a lone ship sitting on the sand. The ship looked really old, but it still had a fancy green and gold detailing that made up for it. The white sails were in tatters and the green flag had burn marks around the edges. Most of the ship was decorated with images of four-leaf clovers on it. It was a lot smaller than Munch's, so I think it was a sloop.
"Well, if that's not Captain Clover's ship, I swear." said Meg.
"That be his, lass." Munch replied. "And the legends don't do her justice."
Once we reached the shore, getting on the ship was no trouble at all. The crew brought along these ropes with hooks on the ends that we used to climb aboard, and from the deck we walked over to the captain's quarters. Each step we took filled the silence with the squeaks and creaks that came from the old planks. When we got to the door, it was met with a swift kick from Munch. Makes sense.
The captain's quarters were just as decorated as the entire ship. There was a fancy green wallpaper, green and gold detailed curtains on the back windows, a large desk and chair ingrained with clovers, a tattered jolly roger flag hanging on the wall, and finally, Captain Clover in the flesh. Well… figuratively speaking, that is.
In the captain's chair sat an old and withered skeleton adorn in a green and gold captain's coat, pirate's hat, black pants, and black boots. The skeleton had a gold tooth and his hat had a clover embossed on the front. There was a flintlock pistol in his hand as the dead pirate pointed it at the door.
"Is that…?" I asked.
"Aye. Captain Clover. He defended his riches to his last breath. A true pirate."
Captain Munch took off his hat and placed it on his chest in a sign of respect, which really surprised me. I know they were both pirates, but I figured Munch would be more interested in the treasure than anything else, but he and his crew actually paid respects to this old captain. Of course, that moment was soon over, as the pirates walked around the deceased man's desk.
Sitting behind Clover sat the reason for this whole adventure. A large ornate chest with golden framing and pirate carvings that was almost as big as two washing machines side by side.
"This is what we've been waiting for, lads!" Captain Munch said, as he approached the chest and prepared to open it. "The lost treasure of Captain Clover."
I could feel the excitement of the crew all around me. Whatever was inside must be incredibly valuable. Honestly, I was feeling excited myself. Just the thought of what kind of gold and jewels might be in there made me want him to open it up quicker. I looked over and just from Meg's expression, I could tell she felt the same. With a single motion, Munch swung the lid up, almost ripping it off the hinges. Looking inside the chest, I could see… cereal? A giant box filled to the brim with tan cereal bits and little colored marshmallows. The entire crew erupted in cheers. Their journey was fulfilled, and they got exactly what they wanted. Me and Meg on the other hand, we were incredibly underwhelmed. We just looked into the box with blank expressions, before I muttered the obvious.
"This is so stupid."
After finding the treasure, Captain Munch and the other pirates were celebrating the entire way back to the ship, and when arrived with the chest in hand, the rest of the crew followed suit. Despite what Emily and I thought about it, the crew seemed overjoyed by this reward. I guess it made sense, though. For a moment there, I forgot this place was based on cereal. Should've really clued me in when Munch said there'd be charms in the box. Though, even if it wasn't what I thought it was, I really had fun here. It was still a regular pirate adventure. One that Emily had to love, too. Or so I thought.
We were back on the open milky sea, and there was a fog in the air. Not as bad as that fog car, but it still made it harder to see faraway things. Munch and most of his crew were divvying up their spoils and all drinking tankards of a golden drink. They said it was honey, but I wasn't even gonna acknowledge it. I did not want a repeat of the party car.
I noticed Emily wasn't with the crew. She was standing at the side of the ship by herself, staring out into the horizon with an indifferent look as she leaned against the railing. She glanced at me for a moment as I walked up before looking back at the ocean.
"Hey, Emily."
"Hey, Meg." She replied, blankly.
"You doing alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just learning what denizens actually are... It's kinda unsatisfying, I guess."
I had high hopes hearing that, but that feeling wouldn't last.
"Really?" I asked, surprised. "You don't think they're evil anymore?"
"No, I don't."
"That's great! Maybe now we can-"
"They're just robots." Emily continued.
"…What?"
"Robots, AI, whichever you prefer. Denizens are just following their programing from the train. Some are programmed to suck out people's life, some take over bodies, and some go on adventures for cereal. It's all they know. I can't believe I got so worked up over these things. They're not even real."
A new vision had popped up, and I could now see myself standing in the Box Car with an annoyed look.
"I'm not wasting any more time with this dog. He's not even real."
What Emily was thinking right now, it's exactly how I felt about denizens before I actually started paying attention. Lincoln, Hazel, the Deer, even now with Captain Munch and his crew, denizens aren't just a bunch of ones and zeros. They are people just like us. The vision faded, making Emily my focus again.
"Emily, denizens… they're so much more than that."
"It's okay, Meg. I get it, it's not their fault. They just can't help it."
I didn't like it, but I knew nothing I could say would change her mind. The only reason I learned is because I saw it firsthand. But I guess this was better than nothing, and we've had enough adventure today as it is. I dropped it for now, but I wasn't gonna let this go.
"Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. Once we go home, we'll be leaving all this train stuff behind, anyway."
Emily looked at me in surprise before slowly turning back to the milk.
"Right… going home." she let out a sigh. "Meg. Listen, I…"
Suddenly, there was a boom in the distance and the ship was shaken by a large splash off the starboard side. It threw me off balance, but Emily quickly grabbed me by the shoulder before I fell. I looked over the rail and saw a giant chunk of frozen milk floating right next to the ship. The merry atmosphere was now replaced with a quiet uncertainty as everyone on the ship tried to figure out what just happened. Munch rushed over next to us to investigate.
"What in the hell was that?" he yelled out.
"Captain!" said the lookout. "Sail ho!"
Out past the fog, an enormous ship was sailing into view. The large Man O' War was made from a bleach-white wood that had bits and pieces constantly flaking off. The dark blue sails were so torn up only a few strands of cloth were visible, though they seemed to catch the wind just fine. Even from here, I could see the rows of cannons sticking out of the many portholes on the sides.
"Chilled…" said Munch in a hushed tone, before yelling to his crew. "Battle stations, men!"
"What's going on, Munch?" I exclaimed.
"It be the most feared pirate in the Cereal Seas, Captain Anthony Chilled. The Cereal Killer. Bastard must've known we were after Clover's treasure, and now he wants it for himself."
Another cannonball shot from the incoming ship, but this time, it hit. The moment the cannonball made contact, another chunk of ice formed on the hull of the ship, slowing it.
"Fire the cannons!" Munch commanded.
A volley of cannonballs shot from the right of the ship, flying right into Captain Chilled's. Unfortunately, the attacks didn't seem to faze them at all. All they did was add a few more holes in the ship as it sailed onward. We weren't having such luck on our end. They bombarded our ship with countless freezing cannon balls, icing over were ever they struck. By the time Chilled's ship caught up, Munch's was frozen in place in the middle of the open milk.
When the ship was close, several hooks shot out and burst through the hull of Munch's ship, connecting the two. Soon after, many figures started swinging over by ropes. Once they were aboard, I could see exactly what kind of crew Chilled had. Each pirate was almost unique in their own way. Different clothes, body sizes, and swords. Not one looked similar to each other. However, there was one thing that they all shared in common. Every single one was a skeleton made of pure white sugar.
All of Munch's crew were now on deck brandishing swords as they defended against the hoard of skeletons. I was about to grab Emily and run back to the cargo hold, but I was surprised when Munch stopped us with two extra swords in his hands.
"You best defend yourselves." He said as he handed both of us a blade. "There be nowhere to hide from Chilled's crew."
"Are you sure, Captain?" I asked. "This might be too much for-"
"Okay." Emily cut in, taking the blade with a casual look.
"Wh… Emily, are you sure?"
"Yeah. It doesn't matter, remember? Besides…" Just then, a skeleton climbed up to the railing from the milk, but before it could do anything, Emily spun around and sliced the skeleton's head off, causing the entirety of it to turn into a pile of sugar. "I've had a bit of Apex training, too."
On one hand, seeing Emily do something that cool had me feeling incredibly flustered, but I was more so worried what her mentality would be in this fight. Though I didn't have time to go back and forth with her, I'd have to go along with it and hope to god she'll be alright.
"O… Okay, if you're sure."
Emily gave me a nod before we ran into battle. This fight lasted for a while. Me and Emily were fighting side by side, Munch was fighting multiple skeletons alongside the first mate near the ship's wheel, the Quarter Master ripped a few in half with his bare hands, and the Lookout was running all around shooting dual flintlocks. Munch's crew was tougher than the skeletons, and even though they all could be destroyed easily, there were still so many of them. Eventually, the skeletons had corralled us all in a circle on the main deck, leaving us surrounded.
"Damn it! They're all around us, Captain." The First Mate exclaimed.
"What should we do?" Asked the Lookout.
The captain said nothing. I looked over and saw his angered expression. He was thinking about what to do in this hopeless situation. After a moment, he let out a long breath through his nose, before yelling out.
"Parley!"
The fighting immediately stopped. All the skeletons stood up straight and held their swords to their sides. A few of them on the other ship grabbed a long board and placed it in between Munch's and their ship. A moment later, amongst the silence, I could hear footsteps as a man walked aboard. It was a tall man with pale white skin, eyes glowing with a frosty mist, a long white beard, and a skinny enough body that I could almost see his ribcage through his shirt. He wore dusty black boots, black pants, a dark blue worn vest, white shirt, and a torn up captain's jacket and hat both made from the pelt of a tiger. Captain Anthony Chilled walked toward us while holding an odd staff made of sugary bones and a red jewel. The whole thing was shaped like a giant spoon. With one wave of the staff, he commanded his skeleton crew to move aside.
"Well, well. This is certainly a surprise." Chilled spoke with an almost hollowed, ghostly voice. "Many have begged me for their lives in the past, but I did not expect the illusive Captain Jean Munch to surrender."
"I not be surrendering, Chilled. I want to make a deal."
"A deal, you say? Pray tell, what might that be?"
"Clover's treasure. Take it… and let me and my crew sail away. No one needs to die today."
Both Emily and Chilled seemed put off by that.
"What? You'd actually-" Emily said before getting cut off by Chilled.
"Really? The treasure us pirates have searched for since the moment Clover disappeared. You'd just hand it away like a pair of worn boots? For what? A crew of milk drooling ingrates and a couple of children. And here I thought you were a real pirate, Munch."
"Believe me, Chilled, handing away this treasure may be the hardest thing in me life, but some things are worth more than a box of charms."
Emily looked at Munch in amazement, but Chilled simply laughed it away.
"Ye be much softer than I thought, Munch. Fine."
With another wave of his staff, Chilled commanded four of his skeletons towards Munch's quarters. When he did, I noticed something odd. His skeletons only moved whenever he used his staff. That would not only mean he can't command them without it, but the skeletons themselves aren't actually sentient. If that was the case, then if Chilled didn't notice something, then maybe the skeletons right in front of me wouldn't either. Soon the skeletons returned with Clover's chest, but I kept that idea in my head in the meantime.
Chilled had them place the chest in the middle of the deck right between us and him, before stepping forward and looking inside. I took that moment of distraction to move backward, and just like I thought, the skeletons didn't react in the slightest. Munch and Emily watched in confusion as I slowly backed away from the group. I placed a finger over my lips to show I had a plan.
"Shh…"
I had faded into the crowd of dead pirates when Chilled had finished observing his spoils.
"It truly be everything the legends say, and more."
"Aye," said Munch, "Ye got what you wanted. Now get off my ship."
"Not just yet. There be one last piece of business."
"And that be?"
Chilled looked at Munch with an unsettling smirk under his beard.
"Your men fought very well, but they took out a good portion of my crew. I think it be only fair if I… replenished my ranks."
Chilled held his staff higher and banged it on the wood below it, making the skeletons brandish their weapons and step forward.
"No!" Munch exclaimed, "You honorless bilge rat!"
"I be known as the Cereal Killer for a reason, Captain." He said as he raised his staff, "Now, you d-"
Before he could command it, I ran up from behind Chilled and grabbed his staff right out of his hand. Chilled looked back at me, both confused and enraged, but I spoke before he could react. The gem still glowed with ghastly energy as I changed the command.
"Ew… this thing is creepy. Uh, skeletons! Destroy each other now!"
Almost instantly after the words left my mouth, Chilled's skeleton crew turned on one another and began destroying themselves. I couldn't stop smiling from seeing it, but I now had the Captain himself to deal with.
"You dare plunder my ancient staff!?"
"Hey, you should've held onto it better."
"You sniveling cur! I be the legendary Captain Anthony Chilled, and I will not be made a fool by a child!"
"Legendary? You can't be that legendary if you let a kid take your staff. Heck, I'm probably a better pirate than you at this point. Y'know, somebody told me the best pirates are the ones who don't get caught pirating, savvy?"
Chilled was now furious. He pulled a sword out from under his cloak and lunged toward me. Fortunately, a couple of fighting skeletons got in his way and even started attacking him, but they wouldn't keep him for long. I ran away from the chaos as he sliced the skeletons to pieces. The skeletons didn't just attack Chilled either. Besides fighting their own numbers, the skeletons were also fighting anyone around them, Including Munch's crew. It made things a lot easier for them now that they weren't the main focus anymore, but they'd still need to keep on their toes.
I looked for Emily in the gigantic battle before I saw her being defended by the quartermaster. I ran up to her, showing off what I had just taken.
"I got it! I got his staff!"
"That was your idea?" Emily asked, annoyed. "Take his staff and get his crew to kill everybody?"
"Better than just letting them kill us."
"Whatever, just get them to stop or something."
"You got it." I lifted the staff upward before commanding. "Alright skeletons, stop!"
Unlike before, nothing actually happened. I waved it a bit in the air, but that changed nothing. I noticed that the red gem didn't have that glow in it like earlier, and that's when I realised…
"I… I don't actually know how to use this thing."
"What? Then how did you-"
"Get back here, you interloper!" Chilled screamed, pushing through his own forces.
"Nevermind, just run!" Emily said as she pushed me forward.
Figuring out how to stop Chilled's skeletons was important, but keeping his staff away from him was probably more so. I was about to run to the upper deck, but just like the entire ship, it was littered with fighting skeletons. Instead, I made a B Line for the ropes leading high towards the crow's nest, and climbed up the shrouds. When I got to the top, I found it pretty hard standing on the yard I was on. After an attempt of balancing on it, I played it safe and crawled on the beam. I knew Chilled would follow me up here, so whatever I was gonna do, I'd need to do it quick. I raised the staff once more before trying to activate it by swinging it around like a wand and shouting out made up spells.
"Uh… Expecto… Skella-stoppo! Come on! Turn on!" Whatever was needed to use this thing, this was not it. This staff needed some special thing to make it work, and I was not gonna find it randomly, so I needed to do something different. That's when I got an idea. "Well, if I can't work it…" I said before raising the staff in my hands across the wooden beam. "Then I'll break it."
Chilled's staff is what controlled his crew, not him. So if I destroyed it, the skeletons should go with it, right? Even if it didn't, Chilled still wouldn't be able to get them back on his side. It'd still be a win in my book. Granted we all survive this huge fight after, that is. I took a breath, then forced it downward. I expected to snap it in half on the beam, but someone interrupted me before I could. Just as the staff was about to make contact, a hand grabbed my wrist and wrenched the staff from me.
"Not so fast, little girl." Spoke Chilled behind me.
"No!"
I tried rushing him for the staff back, but Chilled kicked me away, nearly knocking me completely off the beam. But I still fell to the side of it. I held myself up with my arms as my legs dangled high above the ship's deck. Chilled walked in front of me with a smirk on his face.
"I admit, ye gave me a scare for a moment, but now is the end. You'll all be a part of my crew of undead pirates, and I have a special job for you and your little friend in mind. Two new cabin girls to weight on me hand and foot. But first…" He said, kicking one of my arms off the beam. "Ye need to perish first."
Chilled held his staff, filling it with that red glow, and raised it high above his head. I looked below and saw the skeletons cornering Munch's crew once again. Now I really had no idea what to do. With the skeletons focused on them, the crew wouldn't be able to hold out for long. But I had other things to worry about at the moment. Chilled took a step forward and placed his boot over my arm.
"You know, ye may have actually made a fine pirate if ye hadn't sided with Captain Munch. He crossed me the moment he went after the treasure that be owed to me, and crossing me is a fatal mistake. One that no man, woman, or child has ever made twice. I suppose it not be your fault, though. Captains like him are never strong enough to take what they want." Chilled pressed more of his weight down on my arm. It was now painful. "Regardless, you shall pay the price… Goodbye, young lass."
Chilled raised his boot up, preparing to kick me off, but then we both heard something odd. It sounded like… crunching? I looked up and saw a brown figure in the crow's nest with its head tilted down toward us. It was the deer again, and he was chewing on Chilled's staff.
"What… What is-"
But before Chilled could question it, the deer had chomped down on the staff, getting a mouth full of sugar and leaving a chunk missing. From the bite mark, large cracks traveled across the staff, splitting off more and growing bigger until eventually, the entire thing disintegrated into a pile of sugar in Chilled's hands. As I watched the sugar falling below, I noticed that all his skeletons were doing the same, leaving only piles of dust and the clothes they wore.
"N… NO! My power!" Chilled yelled as the blue glow disappeared from his eyes. He then glared up at the dear in rage, who was simply licking Chilled's sugar covered hand. "How dare you! You mindless-"
Chilled held his sword up at the deer, but before he could do anything with it, I grabbed Chilled's ankle and pulled. I couldn't just rip him off of it, but I got him unbalanced enough to get him to fall. As he fell, Chilled grabbed my leg last minute, and attempted to use me to climb back up. After a few kicks to the arm and face, though, Chilled fell onto the deck. I quickly climbed back up on the beam and looked down. Chilled had landed on a big pile of his skeleton's sugar that saved him from the fall. He was unconscious, but he was defeated.
I could then hear large creaks coming from Chilled's ship. Parts of it splintered and tore as it slowly sunk into the ocean. I guess his staff controlled more than just his crew.
I let out a sigh of relief as I watched the last of his ship sink underneath the milk. With Chilled out cold and his crew in tiny pieces, Emily and I'd be free to get back to the Apex. And it wouldn't've been possible if the deer hadn't… I looked up, but just like last time, the deer was nowhere to be seen. I shook my head and sighed again. At this point, I had accepted the disappearing act, and didn't bother questioning it. Wherever the deer went this time, I knew he'd be alright. Besides, I had a feeling I'd see him again, eventually.
Some time later, Emily Munch and I were walking from the ship onto the docks of Port Kellogg. The crew were further ahead, leading the swearing and screaming Chilled to the nearest prison. Not only did Munch and his crew have Clover's treasure to share between them, but now they'd get the incredibly high bounty on Chilled's head. As the former most legendary pirate was being dragged away, we were now saying our goodbyes to Munch.
"It be a shame to see you lasses leave us so soon." Munch said, holding back a tear. "Ye will always be welcome among my crew."
"Thanks, Captain." I said. "And honestly, thanks for not killing us when we first met."
"Kill y- Oh! No, no, no." He let out a laugh. "We weren't gonna kill ye. We were just gonna give ye a scare so you wouldn't go around telling folks about us."
"Really? Heh, I knew you guys were alright. Right Emily?" I asked.
Emily didn't respond. I was worried for a moment, but Munch continued before I could look at her.
"Aye. I truly am sad to see ye go, but I wish you both well."
"Thanks, Captain. We wish you all the same."
"Farewell, you two."
With that, Munch left to join his crewmates, and Emily and I walked back the way we first came. This little adventure took a few turns, but I think it turned out well. Sure, there was a denizen who was trying to kill us… again, but it was also thanks to denizens that we got out of that, so… progress? Maybe? We were almost at the exit when I spoke up.
"It might've been crazy a couple times, but I had fun. Being a pirate was really cool, huh?"
Emily said nothing, so I just continued.
"I was worried for a while, but denizen or not, you gotta admit Munch is a pretty stand-up guy for a pirate."
"Yeah..." Emily said blankly.
I hadn't noticed until now, but Emily has said nothing since we defeated Chilled. I looked over at her, concerned, and saw her expression. She was frowning, and her eyes were filled with distress. She held onto her arms as we walked. Did something else happen back on the ship?
"Emily… are you…"
Emily then stopped. She looked forward with a regretful look as she spoke.
"Uh oh…"
I was confused, but when I followed her line of sight, I could see what the problem was. Standing right in front of the exit was a woman with short brown hair, a red leather jacket, and a red line over her nose.
"Having fun, are we?" Shay asked sternly.
We're in trouble.
Mono's secret staircase traveled pretty far down. I just walked down further and further with nothing but the sounds of my footsteps. If I were to guess, I'd say I had gone down ten stories before I ran into something. There was a wooden door with a metal lock on it at the bottom of the stairs, and I was now trying to use my claws to lock pick it open.
"Come on, you damn lock." I whispered.
I think I sat there fidgeting with the lock a little longer than I needed, because my eagerness was just making it harder for me, but I think it was understandable. I had no clue how often Mono comes down here, so I needed to hurry. Plus, the answers I've been looking for all day could be behind this door, so I wanted to hurry. Regardless of need or want, though, I eventually heard the clicking sounds of it unlocking.
"Yes! Finally…" I said, opening the door. "Now maybe I'll get some…"
I paused. When I saw what was on the other side, I just paused. I walked into a long, dungeon-like corridor made from the same green stone as everything else. It had torches placed on both walls about every twenty feet, but the most shocking part? The part that left me utterly speechless? Were the cells. On the sides of the hall were two long rows of prison cells leading all the way to the back. And each one had only one specific thing in them.
Denizens.
"Oh my god…"
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Every cell I passed had at least one unique denizen inside. One had a family of purple or blue-ish skinned people with white hair trying to camouflage with their cell out of fear as I passed. Another had a group that mostly looked like props for a musical, including living lights, a torn pamphlet person, and two halves of a face, one being for comedy and one for tragedy. The more cells I passed, the more denizens I saw.
One cell I walked up to had a group of red people with black markings in clothes made mostly from foliage and hides. Unlike everyone else, these guys weren't scared. Instead, they became hostile the moment they saw me. They began screaming in an odd language I didn't understand as they tried hitting or grabbing me through the bars, only for them to not be able to reach. However, at some point, they noticed my belt and the pin on my bag strap, the ones of One, and they stopped. They then backed away from the cell and knelt down with a bow. Judging from their instant hatred of humans, or people who look like humans, and their respect for the conductor, I could tell these were the denizens of this very car. I knew this couldn't be all of them, because this cell could only hold a handful of people, not a car full.
I knew the Apex respected nothing on the train but themselves, but this… this was horrible. Raiding denizen's homes and locking them up forever. I almost couldn't believe the cruelty. But then I remembered who must've ran this place after Grace.
Suddenly, I felt a chill wash over me. It wasn't from the imprisoned denizens. This feeling of unease, it was coming from something else. I turned to look down the corridor. Right at the end, there was a metal door with many locks on it. Looking at the door was making me feel so anxious that I didn't notice the denizens going quiet. I had no clue why I was feeling this way, and I wasn't gonna find out just yet, because right as I took a step forward, I felt something hitting me on the back of the head. Hard.
I fell to the ground, now feeling woozy. I tried to get up, but a kick to the side immediately knocked me over onto my back. Looking up, I could see the silhouette of a man wearing a cloak. Before long, the man grabbed me by the front of my shirt and yanked me up to my feet, right in front of his mask.
"Snoop around my temple, will you?" Mono said with an irritated tone. "I knew you'd be more trouble than you're worth."
"Do you have any idea how reckless that was?" Shay asked as we walked. "You're both lucky to get out of there without a scratch."
"We were fine, and we certainly didn't need a babysitter."
After we ran into Shay in the cereal car, she walked Emily and me back to the Apex herself. Me and Shay just argued as we walked through the jungle toward the Apex.
"I was surveying the car for threats, Meg. Making sure it's safe to go in for a raid. I was supposed to be there. All you were doing was putting yourself and Emily in danger."
"I was showing Emily what denizens actually are! It's your guys' fault she thinks they're nothing."
"Because they are nothing! The null's only purpose is to make sure us passengers fall in line with the train and One-one's rule. It doesn't matter how they act or what they do. They are not our friends, and they are not people." Shay looked forward and then spoke with a whisper, almost to herself. "They're not people."
I could keep arguing all day. In fact, I was prepared to, but as we walked through the entrance into the stone city, I noticed something. The streets were empty. They're usually filled with dozens of passengers running around and goofing off, but there was no one to be seen. Shay noticed too. She looked around, just as confused as I was.
"Where…" Emily asked. "Where is everyone?"
Listening closer, we could hear faint murmurings in the distance. The sounds of voices were coming from further in the Apex. We all started walking towards Mono's Temple, looking for everyone. The further we walked, the louder the voices became, and soon we found the source. In the middle fountain area, standing around the bottom steps of Mono's temple, were hundreds of passengers watching something. Standing right at the stairs in front of everyone was Mono himself, and he was holding up Hazel by the throat.
"Hazel!" I yelled, pushing my way through the crowd as Emily and Shay followed. Once we were in the middle, I yelled up at Mono. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Mono didn't answer. He simply turned to look at me with, I assume, a glare. Shay then put a hand on my shoulder to calm me down and stepped forward with a calmer mindset.
"Mono, what's going on?"
"I'm setting an example for the rest of the Apex." Mono said, before speaking to everybody. "I found this woman, a woman working for the cold ruler of this train, sneaking around my temple and poking her nose where it does not belong. It's obvious that our way of life, our freedom, is something One-one doesn't want us to have. Without a doubt, he and his lackey are now making moves on the Apex… To take our freedom from us!"
"That's not true!" I screamed. "Hazel has done nothing but help all of you people. When we met, she protected me time and time again, and when she got here, she didn't hesitate to defend you all from the ghoms. She doesn't want to hurt anyone. She just wants to know what happened to her friend."
The passengers around me spoke amongst themselves, but Mono just let out a laugh.
"Her friend? Stupid girl, this thing doesn't care about any of us."
"W… what?"
"Long ago, before my time as leader, there were two individuals who looked after the Apex and sheltered us from the unforgiving train. Grace, the true leader of the Apex, and Simon, her right-hand man."
Hazel was now staring wide eyed at Mono as he spoke, and I started seeing various visions of people who stood to the sides of Mono. The first were Grace and Simon talking to each other in a friendly manner.
"They were the founders of the Apex and they kept us all safe under their watch. They gave us a place to be safe, to be ourselves, and a place to belong. But then one day, they met her…"
The vision had changed. It now showed the duo speaking with a young Hazel and that gorilla with the tubas on her back.
"Hazel met the two far away from the Apex, and soon, she drove a wedge between our leaders, making Grace lose sight of what was important and even care for the train and its nulls more than us."
The next vision had Grace embracing the crying and scared Hazel now in her turtle form, before switching to Simon, waiting impatiently by himself.
"Simon felt betrayed, so, in turn, he truly betrayed Grace. He took control of the Apex for himself and dubbed Grace a failure as a leader… before murdering her."
This next vision changed the surrounding environment, showing the metal bridge between cars, with Simon and Grace standing opposite from each other.
"Simon, I know you're hurt, but I had to keep Hazel safe!" said Grace. "I've made a lot of mistakes, but that wasn't one of them. We've been doing it all wrong. The denizens, they aren't just nothing, we don't have to hurt them to survive. We can still change."
"I see…" Simon thought about this for a moment before looking up with an angered glare. "You're even worse than a void, Grace. You're a full-blown traitor now!"
"Simon…"
"Enough talk. You'll be wheeled, one way or another."
Simon then took off an old red navy man's coat and chucked it at Grace's face. His number could now be seen covering both arms and creeping up his neck. They started fighting right there on the bridge. Punching, kicking, dodging, and blocking, these two practically knew every move the other would make. They traded blows, and even got dangerously close to the railings, until, with a series of kicks, Simon's metal boots knocked the rails down. Grace stayed balanced, but Simon's remaining momentum made him fall forward. That would've been the end of Simon, but right at the last minute, Grace got down and grabbed Simon by the boot through the rails, saving his life. A group of Apex children sat in an open exit and erupted in cheers from seeing what she did. They didn't look as unified or as many as what the Apex has now, but they still had the same red line on their faces. Among them was a blond kid and a girl with an eyepatch.
When Simon was pulled up, he and Grace just lied on the bridge and caught their breaths. Simon stared up at the clouded sky in disbelief over Grace's actions.
"Why did you…"
"I… I don't know."
After a moment, Simon's surprised look became more angry. He suddenly spun on his back and with both legs, kicked Grace off of the train. Both me and the Apex kids gasped in horror and they began questioning how he could do such a thing, as he soon changed. From that one action, the action of knowingly murdering someone, Simon's number immediately rose higher than any number I have ever seen, so much so that it now covered his entire body. Lightning crackled in the sky as Simon was switching between laughing maniacally and crying uncontrollably. He stood there giggling to himself as the tears flowed from his face for a good minute… until he suddenly stopped.
Simon stood up straight, wiped the tears from his eyes, and turned around as his number continued to grow. He stared at the traumatized children with a stern look, and a twitchy eye.
"This is what happens when you turn your backs on the Apex." Simon walked forward. "None of you better forget this,"
The vision ended when he and the Apex kids entered the car, putting me right back in this situation with Mono.
"I never understood what happened between them." Mono continued, "What could drive him to do something so evil, and what could change Grace to that degree so fast. But after all these years… I think I finally understand."
Mono paused for a moment to let what he just said sink in before continuing.
"Simon spoke little of Hazel to any of us, but when he did, he would describe her as a fake. That she filled Grace's head with lies of the train, simply by getting close to her, because she herself… was a lie."
"Oh, no…" I said.
"At first, I didn't think much of it. Simon was clearly insane, and nothing he said made sense! But now I understand. One-one will do anything to control us all. It's what he's always done with his nulls, convincing us they have… feelings. That they have their own lives. That they are as real as we are! But it's a lie. The nulls are nothing but extensions of his will, pretending that they're alive. And what's worse, he's taken it a step further… Now they're trying to pass themselves off as one of us. This woman…"
Mono lifted Hazel up higher, causing her to grab the hand around her neck, before Mono grabbed Hazel's right hand and ripped off her glove. He then lifted her arm up to show everyone her blacked out number.
"She is one of them! A liar, a pretender, a fake. She is… a null!" Mono then threw Hazel down to the ground as hard as he could. I ran up and knelt down to check on her as he continued. "This! This is how far One-one will go to take away our freedom!"
"That…" Emily started. "That can't be true."
"Yeah, Mono." Said David somewhere in the crowd. "Hazel might be terrifying and all, but… she saved a lot of our lives. A null wouldn't do that… right?"
"Doubts?" Mono asked. "Fine. I'll show you."
Mono then reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a black remote with a red button, a couple dials, and a little dish and antenna. Emily recognised it instantly.
"My… ghom repeller?"
"This device was used to expel the ghoms in our car yesterday. Its sole purpose is to let out a noise that only ghoms can hear, and destabilize their forms." Mono said, holding the remote in both hands. "But I've been told, if set to the right frequency, it'll affect almost all nulls."
Mono then pushed the button. I tried helping Hazel up, but the moment we heard that piercing noise, we were both on our knees clutching onto our heads.
"Meg!" Emily yelled, running up to me. "Stop it! You're hurting her."
"Then that means they're one and the same. You clearly can't see it yet, but you will."
Mono cranked up the power of the remote, making the noise even worse. I couldn't handle it anymore and started screaming in pain. I noticed Hazel's shadow, and it was getting bigger. When I glanced at Hazel, I could see that she was changing. She grew almost twice as big when her turtle form came to the surface. I was so distracted by Hazel and my own pain that I didn't even notice what was happening to me, or that Emily was now backing away from me. After a long time, Mono finally turned off the remote.
"So, she is one too," He said to himself before addressing the Apex. "You see now? You see what they truly are? They pretend to care about us, they pretend to be our friends, and they pretend to be one of us."
I looked up at the crowd behind me, and each and everyone of them wore a look of surprise as they stared at Hazel. Even Emily. Just then, Mono walked up, then he grabbed my chin and turned my head to face him.
"I must admit," Mono said, "I am really surprised, but I guess it makes sense this is what you are. I gotta say, though, it's really disappointing that this is the reason your number is blue."
I lifted my right arm back, getting ready to punch Mono, until I noticed my hand. I turned my head and just stared at my open palm. My hand… It was now chrome. My number was still there. In fact, the metallic skin made it kinda hard to look as the blue light shined off of it.
Minus my clothes, my entire body was now completely chrome. Just like Mom on the train. I stared down at my hands in shock as Mono talked.
"Even before hearing your backtalk, there was something I hated about you two the minute I saw you, but now I know what it is. You're just nulls. You're nothing, and we've all had enough of your kind."
That's when I realised something. I looked back at the Apex members, and saw that they weren't just looking at Hazel, they were staring at me too. David, his friends, Shay… and Emily too. She stared at me with wide eyes as she covered her mouth with both hands. What was she thinking right now? Does she hate me? Does she think I lied to her? These things were going through my mind as Hazel shook off the numbness from the pain and started turning back to her human form.
"We are not nothing, Mono!" she yelled. "Everyone, you need to listen! Mono's been lying to you all. He's been keeping innocent denizens underneath his temple, holding them all prisoner."
"Aha! So the null's true agenda comes out. The nulls she speaks of are dangerous beings who would like nothing more than to take our home. To them, the cars don't belong to us, and these two nulls wish to free them. They don't care about us. They only get close to us so they may reach their goal."
"That's not true! The denizens are made to-"
Before Hazel could continue, Mono turned on the remote again, making us double over in pain, though it didn't last as long as before.
"Just shut up, Null." Mono said before leaning over to Hazel to whisper to her. "If you knew who was down there with them, maybe you wouldn't be so eager to argue with my methods."
Mono then turned the remote up to the max and pushed the button once more. Hazel and I fell to the floor and screamed in agony. The pain was so bad that I was losing consciousness. I looked back toward Emily, but her face disappearing in the crowd as she backed away was the last thing I could see before blacking out.
Author's Notes
Well, it's certainly been a bit since I last updated this story, and I am sorry for that. Honestly, after the sudden stop for Infinity Train, after its fourth season I think I've lost a lot of passion for this storyline. Don't get me wrong though, I do want to finish this story, and I will make sure to finish the next chapter far sooner than this one.
I would also like to thank the people who helped me get through this writing funk. To the people including OmegusXIII, as well as others, thank you all for helping me when I needed it, and thank all you readers for being so patient with me. Next chapter will be out sooner than this one, I promise.