Five hours were too much for Maya, though. She felt herself getting drowsier and drowsier as the night passed into the next day, the stars shifting and moon blinking out. Soon, she would fall asleep again, and she really did not want to. She wanted to be awake when the others would.

A mechanical creak from the train’s break disturbed the silence though, and all of them woke up in a snap.

Folke grabbed for the pocket watch in his waistcoat. “It’s four in the morning,” he said. “We slept for so long. I don’t think this is our stop.”

Maya looked out the window. A small town stood before her with quaint little houses and plenty of electrical wires hanging about, all veiled in a deep blue from the chill of the morning. Maya felt a little cold as well, and it was probably because summer was already ending.

Rei stood up from the seat and left her sword leaned on the table. She rubbed her eyes as she said, “Lavatory,” in the groggiest of voices. Without another word, she left the room.

The three of them left in the room did nothing but wait. Folke tried to look around for a newsletter but none was present inside their room, and Zachary was barely trying to wake himself up. He blinked in a daze most of the time.

As Maya stared blankly at the city outside, her eyes caught sight of dread— black, red, and gold, and it was a multitude of them.

She jolted upright. “Mister Folke,” she called.

At the same time, Rei barged into the room. “Sir Folke!” It seemed like she saw the same thing.

Folke stayed calm though, his eyes focused onto the file of soldiers entering the train from the first car. “Sit down, Rei,” he said. “We have no reason to act suspiciously. They could just be on a ride to the Capital too.”

“Or the lockdown has started early,” said Zachary, finally awake after Rei’s banging of the door. “It’s possible, don’t you think? Now we’re stuck here.” “You don’t mean that,” said Maya, her face slowly grimacing, “There’s no reason for them to start the lockdown, do they?”

Zachary did not reply, only to show that he really did mean it. His silence had caused the whole group to shut their mouths too, and the air grew heavier with the spreading panic.

Maya could feel the temperature inside rising—it was getting too hot. Folke looked like he was thinking, Zachary was anticipating, and Rei grabbed for her sword to sheath it back to her hip. Maya needed air, or to be more specific, an escape route from the train. She didn’t want to get executed just yet.

And like a wish come true, their window suddenly broke into a million shards of glass that went flying everywhere.

Maya would have screamed, but she had enough sense to cover her face instead. Despite her quick reflexes though, a tiny piece of glass still gashed her on the cheek. She cursed but could not hear herself. The sound of guns and shouts outside overwhelmed her single voice, and also the familiar sound of an explosion.

“It’s an attack,” said Zachary, standing up and getting the two satchels from the overhead shelves. “We have to go!”

“An attack?” Maya asked as she clutched her bleeding cheek. Rei helped her get up to the door.

“We’re not the only rebels out there,” he said. “Super unlucky that we got ourselves mixed up in a stray rebel attack. This train must be a Military carrier.”

Zachary opened the door, and when soldiers ran by towards the first car, he slammed it close again.

“This way,” said Folke from behind them, pointing to the broken window. He began to step out of it, slowly grinding the excess glass off with his boots.

Zachary went next when Folke successfully left the train. “Maya, come on!” he shouted as he held out his hand for Maya.

Maya had not realized until then that she was too scared to jump off. It was not that the height was too high, but that she might be pushing herself to worse danger. Outside the trains were possibly both soldiers and rebels alike, and by the way Zachary had said it, she didn’t think that the rebels would help them in any way.

She looked out first, and paled when there were multiple dead bodies on the train platform, both civilians and Military men alike. Most were soldiers.

“Maya, you have to get off,” said Rei, urging her to jump.

She nodded, putting up a brave front as she grabbed Zachary’s hand and jumped off the window. The moment her feet touched the cement ground, her ribs started to hurt again, but she sucked it in and followed the two men.

Rei caught up, her eyes scanning around the dark train station. The electric lamps were turned on to combat the early morn, and everything drowned in wispy orange. “Why is… no one around?” she asked.

She was right, and Maya had not noticed. The whole train station was deserted besides them and the dead bodies behind. There were noises coming from inside of the train, though no one was coming out nor evacuating. Somebody must have been blocking the exits.

“It was a planned attack,” said Folke, gesturing for them to move quicker as they ran beside the railways. “This city must be one of the few left that support the rebellion. They purposely emptied the train station for this event.”

“The lockdown news must have spooked them,” said Zachary. “Idiots.”

“But there are other people in there!” said Maya.

He shrugged. “I doubt they’ll hurt anyone but the soldiers, but it’s not something I can guarantee.”

Another bomb exploded from the back of the train. This time, it was followed by gunshots.

The sound distracted all of them from the person who appeared in front of them so suddenly from one of car windows. He had brown hair, though the rest of his face was hidden behind a handkerchief tied around his mouth.

A tall man such as himself would not have proved a threat to the group if not for the pistol in his hand.

He raised it at them. “Drop that sword,” he said, voice low and serious, his dark eyes twinkling danger.

Everyone looked at Rei who apparently already had her sword drawn. She was fast, but not fast enough to have secured the group from the man’s orders. She lowered her gaze and put Amberstone to the ground.

Out of sheer panic, Maya asked, “Are you a rebel? Because we’re certainly not your enemies!”

The man’s expression did not change. “Who are you people? So eager to escape?”

Folke took a step in front all others. “Well, we aren’t so eager to die as well,” he said. “We are from the Youngblood Resistance. We didn’t want to stay in the train that is now full of high-alert soldiers. We are trying to escape the lockdown.”

“Youngblood?” the man asked, his eyes finally widening. “Well, why didn’t you say so?”

Just when Maya finally could relax, the man took one step closer, his arm straightening and his grip on the pistol tightening. “Just kidding,” he said. “Youngblood rebels aren’t welcome here.”

Zachary tensed, a scowl appearing.

“Wait!” Maya said, raising her hands up. “W…Why are you doing this? We’re rebels all the same, right? We should be working together!”

His eyes squinted at her as if trying to figure out the emotions and intentions that lay beneath. “The Youngblood Resistance is just a second Military,” he spat. “Osreon does not need you.”

His statement caught Maya off guard so much that she had no time to prepare herself for the blow of the trigger. She heard a gunshot, but could not see anything as her face was already laying on the ground. She wondered at first if she was dead, but it was near impossible as she could not feel any wound on herself besides the broken ribs.

She looked up to see Rei struggling to keep herself upright as she gave the man multiple blow of her swords, though most of them missed. Blood oozed out of her leg.

The man was obviously shocked by Rei’s efforts despite the gunshot in her thigh. He dodged one blow after the other though it was only a matter of time before Rei would send a deadly slash.

He screamed out loud for the train, and all at once, four other people with handkerchiefs over their faces came running out. They surrounded the group and two of them brandished swords while the other two pointed more pistols.

Maya stayed on the ground, looking up to the pistol pointed to her face. She gulped.

Rei stopped attacking, knowing that she with an injury could not battle against two gun wielders at point blank.

Zachary and Folke had their hands raised in the air.

Maya had to wonder if she would still be breathing by tomorrow.