To those who read the prologue before 28th of August, I've uhh.... changed it... [th_104_.gif]
NOTE: No, I didn't finish volume 2 yet. Chapter Alpha is a special series of chapters that are quite detached from the main timeline yet significantly related to the story in a way. They'll probably make little sense at first, but you should be able to understand as the story progresses.
Oh, and this upload is just to inform you that I'm not dead. [th_057_.gif]
Year 21xx, Earth
A white snake-like object crawled over the weathered buildings with surprising speed. If the style of movement was taken as a reference, it would be more appropriate to call it a centipede instead of a slithering snake. Upon careful observation, the body of the strange creature was actually reflecting the white sunlight off its chromed surface.
In fact, it was not even a creature. It was a vehicle, a train to be exact. Its name was The Styx.
It was built from a highly bendable and durable alloy, granting it a great degree of flexibility to avoid unclimbable terrains. Its multi-purposed design allowed it to forego the need of travelling on rail-tracks. It could switch from traditional wheels to powerful electromagnetic levitation aided by gyro stabilisers or even battery-powered turbines when underwater. To put it simply, the train was a state of the art transportation vehicle created for optimum functionality and comfort.
At this moment, it was advancing without any difficulty in the midst of what was once a metropolis. The highways that used to be crammed like sardine cans were now silent and cracked like dry earth. Historical buildings that used to mean something had lost their significance as their younger brethren quickly joined their ranks. A slight breeze could drift through the streets without touching the living, except for the most resilient of vermin.
The Styx was on its way back from Shelter no. 49, where it picked the last few passengers for the trip. Despite having over 200 coaches measuring 25 metres each in length, not even a hundredth of its plentiful space was occupied. The total number of passengers this time was barely over three hundred.
A particular man was one of the passengers, and he sat within one of the train coaches. The impression he gave off could be compared to a roadside pebble. If he was given a role in a film, he would be one of the extras in the background. If he was placed in a classroom, he would be one of the faces that never came to mind unless called by the teacher. To deliver the final blow, even his name was unsurprisingly common, so common that it could be found topping the charts of popular baby names.
But all of that was no longer significant. He had decided to abandon the entirety of his life up until now. His current state was similar to a blank slate. So he sat, and pondered as the train continued on its designated course.
Dreams.
When was the last time he had one?
Few passengers were in the train compartment. The luminescent crystal paint bathed every inch of the room with its soothing glow. It was pure white, whiter than a dove, nothing but white. He felt like he was floating in the midst of nothingness, even though he could feel the hard metal bench pressing against his bottom.
The train was silent like a shadow, except for the rhythmic taps of his slipper on the floor. Despite the lack of people around, the sound did not echo across the glittery walls. It was relieving. Otherwise, the picture of a wooden boy swallowed by a whale comes to mind. No hopes of the train sneezing here.
There was another sound earlier, a gentle female voice that announced the start of the train’s journey. But were they really moving? There had been no vibrations. It was undeniably comfortable, but also unnerving at the same time.
This technology wasn't a familiar one. It was… different. The Styx was different.
He knew what the name referred to. It belonged to the river in Greek Mythology which served as a boundary between Earth and the Underworld, the river Styx. It was a thing found in old myths of powerful deities and wondrous beasts, dusty stories that were rarely told. Perhaps the faith in those ancient Gods had waned, or humans had grown less naïve.
There were no windows on the train. Had the sun risen? Or was the moon still hanging in the sky?
He swept his eyes over the fellows sharing the compartment with him. How long had they been in here? There's no watch or timepiece, but his growling stomach informed him that it was already long past dinner. That much time had passed, and no one spoke a word. It was like they were dead.
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No, they were dead.
Yes, they can no longer be considered alive. They’ve left the Shelter behind, they’ve got no rights to act like the living anymore. The white robes resembling surgical gowns that they wore? It looked like something donned by a ghost that died on the operating table.
The reason the windows were absent from the train design was probably due to the unavailability of any transparent materials that could handle extreme pressure and heat. He didn’t explore the entirety of the train, but it looked like the whole thing was built from the same special alloy.
That was the more logical theory that he came up with, but he preferred to amuse himself with a less plausible one. Maybe the train was reminding the dead to remain dead, and informing them that there was no need to cast their sights upon the living world. They were now cut-off from their previous life, and they should only move forward without looking back. His lips curved into a sardonic smile, thinking about himself.
He rubbed his hands together and cupped them against his eyelids. It was a charm of sorts, one that always calmed him down with the help of relaxing warmth. Most people would scoff at it as mere superstition, but he didn’t care because it bore the results that he wanted.
His tense shoulders trembled for a split second. He gave them an offended look, as though the shoulders had misbehaved. He was brave enough to board the train, but that didn’t mean he was devoid of fear. They cornered him like a rat, and the train was his only option. It was the only thread of hope he could cling on. So he grabbed it.
He did not even say his goodbyes to the people that mattered to him, and that sank his stomach.
“We have arrived at our destination. All passengers, please do not forget to bring along your keycards as you disembark” Without any warning, a familiar female voice returned to announce their arrival.
It sounded calm and cool, with a faint trace of gentleness as if it was uttered by a machine bestowed with human heart.
Like magic words, the female voice unsealed the walls of the compartment. No motions nor hissing puffs of white steam was detected, but the walls faded and vanished into thin air. How curious, he thought. He shook his head and recovered. Whatever the rules behind it, he was sure that he wasn’t qualified to understand.
The scene before him was no longer decorated with systematically lined artificial trees that he had become so familiar with. The entire land as far as his eyes could see was flattened and shaded in the same colour as the sleekly chromed train. What he saw could pass for a futuristic vision in the late 20th century.
His fellow passengers hopped off The Styx and shuffled towards the glinting horizon. This was not their destination, and neither was it his.
It was time to leave.
Not to the other side of the boundary where the Underworld was, but to an uncharted spot where one could leisurely dream.
He gingerly took the first step out of the compartment and onto the ground. Only after the soles of his slippers made contact with the hard, shining surface did he realise an unavoidable truth.
There was no turning back.
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Regarding Chapter Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon:
This is quite hard to explain if you've never seen this type of format before... think of it as an alternative to sudden flashbacks in the middle of the main storyline. So basically, there's going to be a few chapter Alpha spread in the first volume and then Chapter Beta for the second volume, Gamma for third and so on...
The events in this special series of chapters might be flashbacks, or they might be happening at the same time as the main storyline, or maybe it hasn't even happened yet!
MORE NOTES:
It is regrettable to say that over a hundred hours of my work had gone down the drain thanks to my motherboard breaking down. Hence, I went into a few weeks of depression :perche::perche::perche: before getting back to work on the story.
Sadly, my meticulously typed notes are no longer here... but on the bright side I still remember a good portion of them. But as for the already written chapters.... :criesBo:
I'll probably just upload the chapters after I'm done with volume 1 due to this setback...
see ya.. [th_111_.gif]