Game Of Saviors - ONC 2021

Chapter 3 - The Grounds

"So Norae, how are we gonna get past our assailants over there?" Mikayla asks, her bright hazel eyes flashing from Norae back to the door.

"Ehhh..." Investigating the platform, it doesn't take long for Norae to find them an option. "How about we take the high road?"

Now noticing the ladder next to them as well, Mikayla smiles. "I like your thinking."

But they soon find it's easier said than done. Both slippery and ice cold to the touch, the ladder's steel steps are far from inviting. Fighting to hold on as she climbs, Norae looks anxiously out over the top of train car. Patches of snow mixed with frost coated metal, the path ahead of them is a challenge if she ever saw one.

Once she's on the roof, Norae struggles to find her footing as she raises her arms in defense against the snowstorm. Mikayla follows close behind as Norae ventures her first few steps. The wind pushes her back with all its might, ripping through her clothes as the chill cuts into her skin. But still they soldier on.

Nearing the front of the car, Norae looks down over the edge as her eyes meet with the barrel of a gun. "Watch out!" She warns Mikayla as they tumble backwards, narrowly avoiding a bullet.

"Damn it! How are we supposed to fight them?" Mikayla shouts, unnerved as she crawls towards the edge. They can hear more shots being fired, but they don't seem to be aimed at them. As Mikayla and Norae exchange glances, they wait until the shooting dies down. Then they carefully take a peek again.

Three men dressed as conductors lie motionless on floor below them. Confused, Norae climbs down with caution, landing on the walkway connecting the two train cars. Kneeling down, she reaches out towards the nearest conductor. She's only half surprised when her hand goes straight through him. "They're nothing but holograms."

"Holograms that someone took out." Mikayla concludes as she climbs down as well. "But who?"

"Let's not hang around to figure it out." Norae decides, opening the door to the second car. "We gotta keep moving."

Finally able to take shelter from the cold, the girls pause for a moment to catch their breath and look around. They appear to be standing in an old fashioned dining car. Jazz music is playing on a phonograph in the corner. "It's like we've gone back in time." Norae muses, in awe of it all.

"Yeah, and if we weren't being shot at constantly maybe I could enjoy it..." Mikayla retorts. Moving past the shiny rounded bar and the red velvet booths, Mikayla reaches for the next door without hesitation.

And if only Norae had seen it a second sooner, maybe she could have saved her. But Mikayla's fingers are already wrapped around the handle when Norae calls out. "Wait stop!"

Triggered by a wafer-thin tripwire, a small pack of C4 is detonated, blowing up the surrounding area and Mikayla with it. Norae can just barely escape the blast by diving behind the rounded bar. Pieces of glass and wood splinters are propelled onto the floor around her.

Eyes wide, she slowly pulls herself off the ground, looking back at the door. But there's nothing but a gaping hole where the door used to be. And Mikayla is gone.

Swallowing heavily as she presses on, she steps out onto the flatbed car as she spots the front of the train directly ahead. Almost there...

But just in time to intercept her, two more conductors appear from the front car, opening fire as Norae ducks behind a crate. Oh my god, what do I do now?

Taken aback by a loud thump as boots hit the floor behind her, Norae veers around, certain that this is the end for her as well. But it isn't another conductor, it's the boy with the big brown eyes.

Having jumped from the roof of the dining car, he takes cover behind a crate on Norae's left. Gun at the ready, he observes the two conductors who are now advancing. "Don't worry, princesa. I got this."

His movements lightning fast, he alternates between shooting and taking cover like a natural. Has he done this before?

After a few more shots, Norae watches him stand straight as he confidently moves forward. Coming out from behind the crate as well, she identifies the two conductors, lying 'dead' on the floor.

The boy turns to face her, donning a satisfied grin. "Told you I got this."

She almost returns the smile, if it wasn't for the flash of a silhouette behind him. "Watch out!"

But she's too late again. A single shot, straight through the boy's skull, and she watches him drop to the floor and dissolve into a million specks of data.

Gasping at the sight, Norae jerks back and leaps behind the crate. From the corner of her eye, she spots a gun lying a few feet away. One of the conductors must have dropped it. She needs to make her move now, or she'll be the next to go.

Taking a deep breath, she counts to 3 in her head. And then she lunges forward, her fingers hastily gripping the gun as she scuttles back to her cover. Bullets fly around her, she can hear them only inches away.

As she holds the gun tightly with both hands, her index finger carefully reaches for the trigger. She's never done this before. She's never even held a gun before. No time like the present.

Attempting to imitate the boy's swift movements, she raises herself just far enough over the platform to take aim. She has no time to hesitate, no room for doubt. So she says a quick prayer and pulls the trigger.

By the time she dares to open her eyes, the conductor has already fallen to the floor. Releasing a breath of relief, she can hardly believe she pulled it off.

The gun still at her side, she enters the front car with her guard up. But drops it again when she finds, much to her surprise, the fifth initiate calmly waiting for her. As he leans against the control panel, he looks up at her casually. "About time. Are you gonna stop this train or should I?"

"How...?" Puzzled, she continues to stare at him as she steps forward, reaching for the handle he's gesturing to. And with a firm pull, she hears the brakes engage.

Finally, it's over.

But it's not really over.

This was only the beginning...