Chapter 152
Clementine:
Ian told us to go to sleep and said he would stay awake. We didn’t have a clock or an alarm, so there was a chance we wouldn’t wake up. I could tell Ian didn’t even want to think about that. He was stubborn and stern once he made up his mind, more like someone very determined. So while the rest of us slept, he stayed awake waiting for morning, then he began waking us up. Each of us got up whispering to grab a few things, a bag with the notebooks and a bottle of water, since we didn’t know how long we would be at the station.
It was around 3 a.m., so we could be staying until about 8, because at 9 they would wake us up for breakfast. By then, if anyone saw us, we could just lie and say we were running around. There was a lot on our minds, but spying on the train was the first thing we needed to do. We grabbed some water and even some snacks so we could sit and chill instead of stressing too much. It felt like the easiest quest after everything we had been through.
Once we were ready, we looked at Haiden and grunted. “Haiden!” I hissed at him, trying to wake him up again. While we planned everything, he had showered, freshened up, and then gone back to sleep.
“Are you guys ready?” he muttered sleepily. Why did he even take a shower if he was going to sleep again? But I digress.
“Yes, let’s go,” I told him, and he finally dragged his body out of bed. Now we were all headed toward the station. There was silence. Someone yawned. Someone stretched. Ian walked ahead of us, completely focused. Troy had his hands stuffed in his pockets, and I could only imagine how freezing it was for him in a sleeveless shirt and jacket. Usually it was Haiden up north who skipped a long-sleeved jacket, but I guess Troy managed fine either way.
“Do you remember when you turned 14 and we celebrated your birthday?” Troy slowed down on purpose so he was walking beside me.
I nodded as I recalled the distant memory. “You had prepared an abandoned road with lights, candles, and balloons. Funny thing is, I remember the wind blew out all the candles and the balloons didn’t stick around either,” I said, laughing a little.
He had picked me up from my home, covered my eyes, and drove me to that road for a surprise. The minute the blindfold came off, I saw everything was a mess. I remembered how annoyed and confused he was, thinking he had planned it perfectly.
“Yeah, it was just like this night, wasn’t it?” he asked, looking around as the wind blew against our faces.
I looked up at the stars still shining in the sky. “And then morning will come and they’ll be gone,” I said.
I noticed Yorick turning around a few times, trying to catch what we were talking about. They were eavesdropping. Apart from Ian, who just kept walking ahead, determined as ever.
Finally, after an hour’s walk, we arrived at the station. We knew it well by now, but this time it was empty. Usually when we got here, the train would already be waiting.
“Okay, so we’re going to wait,” Ian said, gesturing for us to hide behind the wall. There was a chance the lurkers might come around, so we had to be careful.
We had only been sitting for five minutes when we heard the train arrive. I don’t know about the others, but my heart was jumping up and down. I took a deep breath and waited for it to stop. As soon as it did, the doors opened right away.
Ian didn’t even wait to check for lurkers or anyone else. He just jumped out from behind the wall and went straight to the first cab, the one where the driver should be. But we couldn’t see past the black windows.
“Do you think someone’s behind it?” I asked, watching Ian press his hands to the glass, lowering his head and covering his eyes to block the light so he could peek inside. He shrugged.
“I can’t see anything,” he muttered, moving along to the next carriage.
At that point, we had just stepped out, trying to catch a glimpse inside. But it was empty.
“What if there are cameras inside?” I wondered, noticing Haiden and Yorick already inspecting for one.
I saw Troy step into one of the carriages, and I guess he started it first, because soon after, the others jumped into different ones too. I stayed outside, looking around, worried. What if we got caught? What would the punishment be?
“Guys, look!” Ian shouted, and Troy, Yorick, and Haiden came running out of their carriages toward him. I rushed in to see what he was pointing at.
He showed us a tiny hole in the ceiling. It was blinking red. We all stood under it, staring up, before realizing it could be a fucking camera, watching us spy on the train.
“What do we do?” Yorick asked, frozen in place, probably thinking if we didn’t move, nobody would know we had come in and broken a rule.
But just when I thought our biggest problem was getting caught, something worse happened. The doors slammed shut.
“What the fuck?” Troy spun around, slamming the button to open them, but at the same time, the other doors closed too, trapping us inside. That’s when we knew what was coming next. The fucking train started moving north.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Troy grunted, looking around. Even Ian was stunned. I had never seen him panic before. It wasn’t exaggerated, but from his face I could tell he was in utter disbelief.
And then there was me. Goosebumps covered my skin.
“What does it mean? Are we going to land in the north? And when will the train come back?” I asked, realizing the train usually didn’t leave for the north like this. It only came back at certain times. I started to lose my mind at the thought of being stuck there. What if there were monsters at the station?
But the train ride was longer than usual. Five minutes passed, then ten. After twenty, we began to wonder where we were headed.
When the train finally stopped, it wasn’t the northern station. It was a station in the middle of a beautiful town, with colorful houses, grass, and flowers all around the tracks.