by E. Mendell
~ Four ~
It felt like they would be walking forever. Hiro was thankful he was a machine. His body wasn’t exhausted nor did he feel pain in his legs or arms. Soul was fast asleep on his back, breathing deep with her arms limp over his shoulders and her head beside his neck. Hiro was wondering how he would respond if they were attacked in that moment. He couldn’t drop Soul. Maybe he could fall to the ground and set her aside, but that required gentleness, and in an attack he had no time for that.
A rumbling from behind made Hiro stop and look down the tracks behind him. He saw a distant light. It was another train!
“Soul, wake up,” said Hiro hastily. “We’ve got a new ride!”
Soul muttered sleepy nonsense as she lifted her head and looked around. “There’s no dark,” she said in a drowsy daze.
Hiro pointed down the tracks. “That train coming is our ride,” he said. “I’m going to throw you on it.”
“Wait, what?” Soul jerked awake, staring at the swiftly approaching train. “You’re joking!”
“No, I’m not,” said Hiro, moving off the tracks and standing on the thick gravel that followed the tracks. “I’m a good throw. I won’t miss.”
“But what about me?” Soul demanded in terror. “I’m fragile!”
“You’ll be fine,” replied Hiro. The train was rounding the bend and almost upon them.
“Don’t throw me!” Soul cried in terror. The train was racing faster than she had initially thought. If Hiro missed she would be sent flying in the wind coming off the train.
“Just don’t panic and catch the first thing you hit,” said Hiro. “Just in case.” He dropped her off his back and wrapped his arm around her waist.
“You’re going to kill me!” Soul shouted as she clung to Hiro’s arm and stared at the train. The ground was rumbling as it rushed towards them. The light at the front was blinding.
“Ready,” said Hiro, his grip tightening on Soul who was in tears. The train flew by. Soul flinched, and suddenly she felt herself launched forward. She screamed as she flew through the air, cutting through a hard breeze, and then hit something hard. She flung out her hand and caught the shaky floor. As she lifted her head she found she was inside a train car that had been left open.
Soul slid to her knees and looked around. The car was completely dark, but Soul saw there was straw in the back corners. She got to her feet, the rocking of the train making her wobble. She went to the door, clutching the side and sticking her head out. Her blond hair whirled around her face and she tried to brush it back. She could see trees and fields racing by, but there was no sign of Hiro. Soul stepped back, worrying. Would Hiro make it on the train? Had he managed to get on also? Soul nervously back away from the open door and went to the back of the car. If Hiro were coming he would catch up to her soon. Soul had seen enough of Hiro’s abilities to know a speeding train wouldn’t better him.
The train hit a bump and Soul cringed, but the sound of something clinking on the floor made her look around.
In the dim light of night spilling in through the open door was something shiny. It caught the light and Soul blinked. She moved forward and knelt beside the item. It looked like a silver key that was spiraled at the top and jagged at the base. Soul picked it up, examining it carefully. There was a thread of white through the center.
Soul tapped the key on the ground, wondering if it really was a key. It could have been a piece of the train come loose, but it looked too shiny for that.
A knocking on the roof made Soul stick the key in her pocket and look up. She saw a window slide open and a familiar face looked down at her.
“Hiro,” said Soul in relief.
Hiro dropped through the opening into the car. “Are you okay?” He asked, walking up to her and taking her by her shoulders. He examined her face and Soul stared at him. There was a large bruise forming in front of his ear.
“What happened to you?” Soul gasped, placing her hand behind the bruise. She stared at the deep purple color mingling with dark green. “That looks terrible.”
“I had trouble getting on,” replied Hiro. He cleared his throat and turned his head away from Soul’s hand. “I had to chase down the train and jump on, but when I jumped the train jerked and I hit the railing.”
Soul tilted her head, still looking at the bruise. Hiro looked oddly discomforted. Something wasn’t right. “Are you okay, Hiro?” Soul asked, giving him a concerned look.
“Yes.” Hiro moved away from her, standing in the open doorway. He kept his back to her and Soul stared at him. What was going on?
The ride was silent after that. Soul lay on the pile of straw, falling asleep, while Hiro stood guard in the doorway of the car. The wind was cold and whipped through Hiro’s black hair. The silver streaks glowed in the dim light of night. He narrowed his eyes and placed a hand over his chest. It was obvious that Soul was wondering what was wrong with him. In truth Hiro wasn’t sure. At first he had passed off the problem as exhaustion or his thoughts getting carried away, but the more he thought about it the more he came to terms with the troubling truth.
He was gaining emotions. He could feel surprise now, and anger. Hiro didn’t want it to keep going. The new emotions were frightening him. He had lived his life without them and now that they were coming back he had no idea how to deal with them. Inside he knew he was nothing more than a machine, a weapon of mass destruction. He shouldn’t have had emotions at all. Why were they coming to him now?
Soul stirring made Hiro look back. She had fallen asleep and was hugging an armful of straw like a pillow. Hiro placed his hand on the wall of the train, watching Soul in silence. The rattle of the train cars and clack of the tracks died away as Hiro examined her sleeping face and golden hair.
Was it possible she was the cause of his new problem? Could fate have brought them together just to bring him new emotions he could live without? Shock. Anger? Great. Why not happiness?
Hiro shook his head and turned away, leaning his arm on the wall above his head. He couldn’t blame Soul. It wasn’t her fault. At least Hiro didn’t think she was. He glanced at her once more, but her sleeping form held no answers to his questions. Hiro leaned his head out the doorway, blinking in the heavy wind and looked ahead.
On the dark horizon shown a glitter of city lights. Tall buildings stretched across the skyline. The train sped towards them and Hiro sighed inwardly. Shadows beneath his feet and the train were shifting. There was danger ahead. All Hiro hoped was that the danger had not found his duffle bag or his laptop.
