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Well, I won't keep you guys waiting!
The train rumbles steadily along the tracks, its vibrations humming in a gentle purr vastly different from the mighty roar that sounded when it first took off. Outside,the passing scenery blurs together in an array of dimming colors, gaining more and more speed as the ride persists. It's evening, but the sky seems to get darker with each passing second, and soon a cloak of black will wrap its mighty embrace around everything and anything, slinking scenery into its shadows and hiding the world from one's gaze. The train chugs along, undeterred by its reign.
These trains were introduced a few years back. They have already existed in the wealthier of places all around the region, mainly in big cities, and now that they are becoming more common, travel is becoming easier. Still, they aren't incredibly fast, and in some cases tend to break down easily. For May's sake, he hopes that won't happen to them on this ride.
"How are you feeling?" he asks the girl who sits opposite him, her curious eyes taking in the outside. She reluctantly tears her vision away from the window enough to look at him, pushing her brown hair away from her face as she does so. It's long, he finds, and seems to get in the way of her eyes.
She shrugs her shoulders. "Okay I guess." Then, an embarrassed look passes over her features, and she sheepishly begins to speak once again. "Actually...I'm starving."
He laughs, and nods a bit to himself. It makes sense. "You know," he says, "on newer trains they have an area for food. I'm not too sure if we will find that on this dingy thing, but we can try." Her eyes light up when he says this.
"Really?"
He nods. "Before we go out there though, we might need to do something about your appearance…" He motions to her ripped dress, and the stains that have set in. (Luckily they had managed to get on before the ticket master, otherwise questions would have been asked). She frowns. "Don't worry though, I think I can whip something up." He reaches in his pack for an extra shirt. It will be big on her, he knows, probably long enough for a dress, but it will have to do. He hands her the dark blue shirt, which she accepts with a smile, and then reaches for another item. When he looks back up she has already put the shirt on over her dress. It hides the remnants of what remained after her attack, which is good. The black mark no longer stares at him. It's as if it has become silenced. "Now for the last thing." He places a piece of red fabric in her small hands.
"What's this for?" she asks, a puzzled expression taking up her features. She holds it up in front of her face.
"To keep your hair back," he replies. "It's a bandana." A smile grazes her features, and she ties it around her head with a flourish. It looks good on her, and in all honesty fits her better than that silly white dress she had been wearing previously. She looks more herself. "Now I just have one last thing to say to you before we go out to the next cart."
"Okay, what's that?"
"If you feel a burning again, you have to tell me. We can't attract attention to ourselves."
Her gaze hardens. He knows that talking about the mark is a sore topic for her, but she has to know this - she has to comprehend. Everything about it is dangerous. The truth is, people don't understand what the mark is, and even if they did, they wouldn't want to believe it. In fact, there is a group of people known as the Branders who make it their sole objective to eradicate those they find infected with the mark. They are radical members of the church who believe that the marks are the sign of the devil, and they'll bran anyone they find guilty of this heresy (as they call it), and anyone helping them. If May were to have a burning fit on this train, then their members would be signified as soon as possible, and both of them would be as good as dead.
Although May doesn't quite understand, she finds herself nodding. After all, she can see the urged look of passion lying in his eyes, and knows that she mustn't question it. "Alright," she agrees. "Now let's go find some food!"
They open the sliding door of their cart, before stepping out into the aisle, and walking down its expanse. May leads the way, her head whipping from side to side in an eager attempt to find anything edible. The ground is covered in a rich colored red carpet marred with mud-covered footprints of every size. May glances down at her own feet, which are bare.
"We'll have to get you some shoes," he remarks. "I'm sure they'll have clothes for you at the institution."
"Hey, where is this institution anyway?" she asks curiously.
"Far away, I'm afraid. We will have a long train ride ahead of us."
"How do you know so much about it?"
"Well…" he trails off. He doesn't want to overwhelm her with so much information, especially when it's as complicated as it is. Still, she deserves to know, and what she has asked is not much, so he gives in."I work there." He sees her blue eyes widen.
"You do? That's - Oof!" May suddenly trips over a crease in the carpet. Her body tips forward, and before he has time to catch her, she collides with the door in front of her, her left side bearing the weight of the fall. She cringes, and a sharp cry of pain escapes her lips. She must of hit her shoulder. He curses at the sight. That can't be good. She's biting her lip to keep from crying out more, but he can tell that she won't last long. Damn it, he thinks, looking around at his surroundings. His head snaps to his right when he hears a sliding sound of one of the cart doors opening, and as fast as he can he shoves May into the door behind him, shutting it with a bang.
An older man walks out of his cart, his lips pressed into a thin line, and his grey eyebrows furrowed. There is a metallic diamond pinned onto his chest- right above his heart - and something lurches in the pit of his stomach as he sees this. That pin means he's one of them.
May grunts as her companion pushes her body into another room, causing her to land right on her knees. A sharp jab of pain prickles through her shoulder, reminding her of what had just happened. Right, she had been stupid enough to run into a wall, and on her hurt shoulder no less. That was definitely not the smartest thing she's ever done. Groaning, she begins to pick herself up off of the ground, making a mental note never to do that again.
"Um, excuse me?"
May's head shoots up to meet a pair of striking green eyes. They are an enthralling color - pale enough that it looks as if light is seeping right through them. Upon closer inspection she finds that they belong to a boy. He's about the same height as her, maybe a little taller, which means that he's probably within close proximity to her age. He has light skin, a thin build, and, surprisingly enough, green hair. She's never seen anything like it, and a more girlish part of her wonders what it would feel like to touch the feathery looking strands. The most prominent thing, however, which erases any form of attraction she may have had towards him, is the haughty smile that has graced his lips. He's sneering at her.
May stumbles backwards.
"Can I help you?" he asks, that same smirk still tugging on his lips. His eyes, which May found so intriguing, seem to give her a once over, as if measuring up her worth. Her face grows red under his intense gaze.
"I'm sorry!" she apologizes roughly, groping the wall for any signs of the door handle. Why on earth did he push me in here!? she thinks to herself frantically. The boy raises an eyebrow at her. "I didn't mean to come in here."
"Come in here? It was more like you fell in. What kind of maniac falls through a door the way you did? Are you clumsy or something?" His voice doesn't seem angry at all, even though he has every right to be. Instead he sounds almost amused. May doesn't like being laughed at, so she puffs her cheeks out in annoyance, abandoning her previous attempts at escape.
"For your information," she begins with a scowl, "I did not fall in here. I was pushed." She stresses the last word, hoping he'll get the message. Unfortunately for her, he doesn't seem to buy it.
"Really?"
"Yes!"
A low chuckle escapes his lips. "Right, okay then. Well as much of a pleasure it was to be...graced with your company-" damn his sarcasm "-this is still my cart, and I would appreciate it if you would leave."
Her cheeks burn. It's like he's accusing her of being an intruder or something (which she is, but it wasn't her fault!). She glares at him, before sticking her nose up in the air. "Gladly! Like I said before, I was pushed in here! I didn't want to come in."
He looks like he is about to retort, but before he has the chance to, a strangled cry cuts through the atmosphere, coming from another door inside. The boy's face blanches. Completely abandoning the conversation, he rushes towards the door where the sound was heard, sliding it open with all of his might. Inside lies a tanned boy with black hair burying his head into his lap.
"Ash," the green haired boy calls out worriedly.
The boy doesn't look up. Instead, another cry escapes his lips, and his body jerks forward, knocking him off of the bed he had been residing on. May can see the lump of his body clearly now. Frantically, Drew stumbles over to him, and turns his body over so his chest faces the ceiling. May's stomach somersaults as she gazes at the boy's face where two black marks sit perched against his tanned skin; he's infected, just like her.
The kid's chest heaves forward, and as if suddenly realizing where he is, he lets out a high pitched cry. "Drew!" His features contort into a look of pain.
"Okay, calm down," the green haired boy, Drew, says in an attempt to soothe him. "Just ease back, you know as well as I do that having your body on edge only makes it worse." May stands away from them still in shock. There's someone like her; and from what the green haired menace said, it seems like he knows about it too - he could just as well be infected.
On the ground, the tanned boy squirms. His forehead begins to break out in a sweat which sticks his raven hair against his skin. His breathing has become more ragged, and May forces her head away from the sight. Her own shoulder throbs.
Drew's voice brings her vision back towards them. "Okay, Ash you're going to have to listen to me," he says slowly, "you can't scream. I know it hurts, but please, try to remain calm." The dark haired boy's eyes fill with tears. May sees his nails dig themselves into his palms, and if he doesn't stop, blood is bound to surface. Suddenly his body begins to flail around rapidly as he loses all control over his actions. May hates that part, truly she does. She squeezes her eyes shut again.
Time passes in utter silence, save for a few muffled groans from the kid Ash. A wave of sadness erupts in the pit of her gut, and it's something she's sure she'll never get used to. When she finally gains enough courage to open her eyes, the paralysis has already set in.
"Don't worry," she offers, her voice shaking. Drew snaps his vision towards her, eyeing her with a glare. He seemed to have forgotten she was there. May continues, despite the thrumming of her heart over the sound of her voice. "It's almost over." Drew's glare changes into a look of curiosity. Before she can communicate that she knows what he is going through, Ash speaks.
"No," he chokes out, "it's not."
May watches in horror as his body goes through another fit, the twin scars upon his cheeks offering him a deal for two.
The old man stares at him with the biggest look of disgust he has ever seen.
"The hell is goin' on out here!?" the senior complains, the words flying out from his cracked lips along with a few droplets of spit. The pin on his chest shines from the overhead light.
May will be alright, he thinks to himself, I just have to take care of this guy.
"Terribly sorry, sir," he begins, sweating under the gaze of the senior's silver eyes. "I accidently tripped. These carpets get me every time."
"Well watch out! Yer causing a ruckus!"
"Right, it won't happen again."
The old man's lips curl into a snarl. "You'd be best to go back to yer cart. I just received word about two children on this train who may be infected." His words hold malice as he says this.
The younger man's eyes go wide. That is not good. "Two?" he asks.
"Aye, two of the little buggers. Don't worry though-" he pats his leg where hidden beneath the fabric of his clothes lies what appears to be a gun, "-I've been ordered to take care of 'em."
A bead of sweat rolls down the side of his face as he gazes at the senior's weapon. Not good. Not good at all.
Right as the old man begins to retreat back into the depths of his cart, a scream is heard. To the younger man's horror it seems to be coming from the door right behind him - the one he shoved May in.
"Wait, ye hear that?" the old man asks, a scowl enveloping his features, twisting the wrinkles around his face in a way that obscures his eyes. His head turns towards the door. "Move."
"Wh-what?"
"Ye heard me, I told ye to move."
He shuts his eyes - not good. As soon as the senior makes a move towards the door, he blocks his path.
"Hey! What are ye doing!?" cries the old one. "I told ye to move!"
Inwardly cursing, he racks his brain for some kind of response, an excuse - anything. "I can't let someone like you go in there! If it's one of them you'll get harmed!"
"Who the hell do ye think ye're!? I'm goin' te report ye!"
The old man shoves him aside before sliding the cart door open with all of his might. There is a loud creaking sound that emits from the door (that or his bones), and there is nothing he can do to stop it. The door slides open, and he rears his head over to where he is sure May lies.
What they find is, admittedly, a surprise for both of them. There is a young boy with green hair holding in his arms what appears to be a girl(and to the younger man's relief it's May). The two stand in the middle of the room, and the boy has tilted her face dangerously close to his own, almost as if her we're going to kiss her. In fact, if they had come in any later, the deed may have been done.
The old man's face erupts in color. "M-my," he stutters, backing up until he runs into the younger man. "I'm serry fer intruding."
They stumble apart, and the green haired boy lets out a disgruntled sound from the back of his throat. "Really?" he asks, sounding all in all annoyed. The younger man flicks his eyes towards May, whose back is rigid. She refuses make eye contact with him.
"I'm serry," the senior repeats, turning so his front is towards the entrance, as if that's the only way he can provide them with privacy. " I heard a scream."
"Oh that? No need to worry, my girlfriend just thought she saw a rat." A smirk graces his features. "You know how these trains are...filthy…"
Girlfriend? Now the younger man knows the boy is lying. He just wonders how he knew to do so.
The old man, however, seems to have bought the story, and begins to back up towards the door. "Well, serry fer intruding. If ye see any funny business though, ye better tell me!"
"Will do," the boy replies, clearly eager to have him leave. The senior retires back to whence he came, and the younger man follows him, making eye contact with the green haired boy as he exits. He doesn't know what went on in the room, but May seems unharmed, so he lets his body relax.
As soon as the door shuts behind them, May explodes. She backs away from Drew as far as the room's expanse allows, and begins rubbing her cheeks to get rid of the hotness. A blush has found itself into her cheeks, and she knows that it won't be going down anytime soon. She can't believe he...he...almost kissed her like that.
She thinks back to the events that occurred, cringing at her past self:
The raven haired boy had let out a rapid stream of curses as his body underwent a second burn. It was clearly putting too much strain on his body, and unfortunately for everyone in the room, he screamed. It was an agonizing sound that hurt May's ears, and she had to shut her eyes as tightly as she could possibly manage to try to zone it out.
Drew on the other hand, began to freak out.
"Ash" he yelled in an exasperated voice, "please, you have to calm down. If anyone finds us we'll be dead!" Seeing that Ash was in no condition to listen, he grabbed the tanned boy's shoulders, and pulled him back onto the bed he had been on before his condition began.
"Be careful with him!" May admonished. She didn't want Ash to feel more pain.
Drew had spoke through clenched teeth. "There's nothing I can do about it! You wouldn't understand!" His green hair seemed to brush against his eyelashes when he turned his head towards May, so he flicked it with his hand to get it out of his eyes. It was a gesture that could have been used in many ways, she thought.
She clenched her fists. "But I do know!"
Before more arguing could commence, the sound of someone trying to open the sliding door was heard. May's heart skipped a beat.
"Shit," Drew cursed. In a panicked motion he tossed Ash's body onto the bed (luckily his mark was on his face and not on his body, or that would have hurt). "Sorry Ash, but we can't afford to get caught." With that, he forced the door shut tightly behind him. "Please be quiet," he pleaded. His work was still not done though, and because of this he chose to gaze at May with a half smirk - half grimace glued to his features.
"What?" she asked, still confused to why he was freaking out.
"I'm sorry, but we need a distraction." Then he had promptly gathered her into his arms, and began to lean his head down until his lips hovered dangerously close to his own.
That was when she heard the sound of the door sliding open.
May has never felt so mortified.
"You're welcome for saving your life," Drew mumbles, frowning at the sight of her. He can't believe she's being so ungrateful. It's not like he actually kissed her or anything.
"S-saving my life!? What are you talking about!?"
"Those men out there might have been Branders. I had to get rid of them, for Ash's sake and mine. If you're one of us, like you seem to claim you are, then It did you a whole lot of good too."
May flops herself back down on one of the seats, hopelessly lost. "I don't understand. What is a Brander, why would you need to get rid of them, and what does any of it have to do with the mark!?"
"Oh my god," Drew groans, "you don't know anything do you?"
Before May gets the urge to slap him, Ash peaks his head out from his hiding place. "Is is safe to come out?" he asks, oblivious to the tension in the room. Drew observes him for a moment, and after seeing his condition, nods. The boy makes his way over to them with a smile on his face, clearly pleased to be out of that prison. To May's surprise he plops himself right down beside her.
"Ash, this girl has much to learn," Drew says to him, as if she wasn't sitting right there. May scoffs.
"Don't worry, I still don't get half the things he tells me," Ash assures her. She smiles at the boy, and sticks her tongue out at Drew. "The name's Ash, by the way."
"May," she replies, and holds her hand out.
The man begins to knock on the door that the old man had previously barged into (the one May was in). It took a while to get rid of the senior, mostly because he kept going on and on about how youngsters these days didn't know how to control themselves, and that these trains needed to invest in some rat traps that could also trap the infected. It was a long enduring conversation, and he had half a mind to lie and say he was infected, just to get the man to stop talking for at least five seconds. Still, it's not as if it matters anymore - what matters is helping May.
There is a muffled sound of foot prints coming from the other side of the door, before the green haired boy's head peaks out. His green eyes go wide as he sees him, but only for a second before they ease back into their confident state.
"Oh," he begins in his drawling voice, "it's you again. Is there a problem?"
"Look, I'll make this quick," the man replies, knowing that if he doesn't hurry up the old man may return. Drew raises his eyebrows, but doesn't interrupt. "May's in there, and I need to talk to you.
-we have much to discuss."