Moonflower: Chapter Fourteen

The Tracks

09/07/24

Freedom

   “Jacob!”

   He could hardly see, his frantic eyes finding terrifying shapes of imaginary men outlined in the tapestry of forest leaves flying past.

   “Jacob, stop!”

   Her words didn't register. Time, that's what they needed. To put as much time and space between them and the creature as possible. The cold wind stung against the tears on his skin and his feet fell harder and faster as they fled further away from the empty city.

   “Jacob—”

   Suddenly his hand was tugged downwards. Before he could blink, he was tumbling head over heels to the forest floor. The moss was cool with dew from the rain as he lifted his head, the air in his lungs finally catching up to his mind and clearing his blind rush of terror.

   “Diana!”

   Jacob found her lying in the grass just behind him and still holding on. Their fingers were practically glued together, knuckles both white from adrenaline. He frantically crawled over to the side of her crumpled form.

   “Diana?”

   He lifted her face in his trembling hand.

   “Are-are you…”

   “I'm okay, I'm okay,” she gasped breathlessly, unharmed but exhausted from the mad dash to safety.

   He released a shaking sigh of relief and dropped back into the moss. For quite some time they laid there, panting and holding each other, the panic slowly draining while their hands anchored them together under the fading daylight. The storm had passed and taken the gray clouds with it, the only evidence of its cleansing force a few dripping leaves of the trees leaning over them. It was very quiet out there.

   “I… I'm sorry,” he finally managed, his voice coming out high and hoarse like a child's. “I'm sorry for everythin’.”

   The grass shifted as she turned to look at him but his eyes stayed fixed on the faint star in the gold and blue sky above. He had feared he might never see one again.

   “You came back for me.” Her voice was almost a whisper as she tried to comfort him. “You came back.”

   “It's my fault you were in there.” Jacob was wincing now, all the painful emotions of the past four years of his life devouring him alive. They submerged him in their incredible weight, rushing through his mind like a tidal wave of failures, his broken spirit caught in the chaos of the undercurrent. “If it weren't for me, you would've been long gone from this place—you could've even found out what happened t’your family by now. I'm so sorry, Diana, I… I've just been a dead weight to you. I always have been. I am dead weight. I'm nothin’, I'm…”

   Silence.

   He thought she must be stunned by the dark realization. The idea that he had indeed been an entirely worthless effort—an imposter, the perpetrator of her suffering, a villain crying victim only to turn around and victimize her again. Did she think she was only a mad grab for a chance at security to him? Or worse, maybe she saw him as he was. A disgustingly helpless child, unable to even protect himself in a world of monsters of earth and space, completely disposable in every possible way. Nothing.

   Images of every conceivable scenario were flowing past his hooded eyes to choke him in their utter darkness until the moment he felt the softness of her skin press to his.

   She had drawn him close, their linked hands resting on his still heaving chest as she touched her forehead to his shoulder. He stared at her calmness and felt the tension in his body slowly ebb away. He didn't know the how or the why—how she could give a single shit about an outcast like him, why she would give him another opportunity, even one more ounce of her effort or time.

   “Second chances…” Diana spoke delicately, as if she could hear his malicious inner thoughts stinging in her own head. “They so rarely come around, huh? Before or after the end of the world.”

   The low yellow sun and the pale outline of the moon were watching from the clear sky above them as she continued, barely above a whisper now.

   “I wish I could've had another shot. Maybe if I had just been faster, if I had kept looking forward, if I didn't waste the extra second it took to sigh in our huddle-up I would be with them now. And you, if you had been born into a different life, if you had finished your sentence before those meteors hit…” He looked over, catching her vulnerable exhale. “I had no idea who you were until I was right next to you on that street. I almost walked away when I realized it, but you just looked so scared trapped there, and I… I was scared, too. I couldn't just leave you. Your life isn't over—you're not dead weight, Jacob. Nobody is. You do matter… to me.”

   A long silence lingered over them. He wanted to speak, but his throat wouldn't let him. It tightened to prevent a sob, and all he could do was nuzzle her close as they lay silent in the damp green grass.

   It was a strangely intimate moment, a type of acceptance he had never thought was possible washing over him with the cool evening air. He breathed out shakily and they watched the earth turn. After an eternity of gentle quiet, a shiver trickled down his spine, the fast-approaching autumn chill making itself known. Diana was feeling it too, studying the swaying branches above them before slowly rising to her sore feet with a wince. An open hand reached back down for him to hold.

   “C'mon, there's one more stop we have to make.”

   They walked for a little less than an hour without speaking. Jacob's glossy blue eyes stayed locked downwards, observing how the long grass parted as he stepped through the damp blades, resting in the freeing feeling that she had given him. He hadn't felt the touch of grass in years. It was nice.

   He had no idea what came next. In their panic to escape he hadn't grabbed the packed bag he had stashed with the rifle, so they were left with no food, no water, and no supplies—nothing but the clothes on their backs and the shoes on their feet as they wove through the thick forest—but that didn't matter anymore. The only thing that they could focus on was the train tracks below their steps, following the parallel lines like a guiding path, their unknown beginning here at the end emerging anew from the forest trees.

   Diana came to an abrupt halt and he followed her eyeline down. There, nestled just at the foot of the hill sat a quaint train stop. The small building stood stark against the forest roads, its large derelict sign displaying overgrowth from years of neglect, the white painted bricks chipped and mossy with patterns of ivy climbing up to its rusted roof to see the sun. Jacob struggled to keep up as she rushed down the grassy incline and straight through the front entrance.

   The crunch of debris under their feet and occasional splash of a puddle sounded through the building.

   “Careful,” he couldn't help but warn as he cautiously followed her steps.

   The light streaming through the patches of caved-in roof was growing more and more golden as the sun inched closer to the horizon, birds chirping in the trees above them and geese honking in the far distance. Moss and overgrown plants clung to the walls inside, and a fluffy wild rabbit hopped past them and out the front door. Jacob was struck by how peaceful it felt outside of the Ring, but Diana remained unwavering in her purpose there, hurrying a little faster at every turn, still searching for her expected sign. The rural station was smaller than King’s Street, making it much easier to scour. Jacob was getting worried that they hadn't found anything in their first search of the place.

   “Diana?”

   She didn't respond, poking her head outside and glancing around.

   “Diana—”

   “Keep looking.”

   He should know by now that Diana Koh was not one for giving up. Jacob nodded steadily and double-checked the waiting room as she dipped outside.

   “Hey, over here!”

   She came pounding back in and nearly slipped on the green puddle as she slid up to him. The station had a set of lockers for the workers in the back room, patches of rust now decorating their dull blue metal. Bold words in familiar red spray paint had turned maroon from the layers of time that had passed over them. Jacob watched as she jumped to brush the wild vines away.

   It revealed the name Diana and an arrow crudely drawn underneath it. Curiously, the keyhole to that locker was a touch red as well.

   “Look for a key of some kind.”

   Jacob did as she asked, rummaging through faded schedule papers on the desk beside it as she yanked open drawer after drawer.

   “Here!”

   Immediately, Diana had grabbed the small key from his palm and was slipping it into the locker and twisting the handle. Jacob held his breath as the door swung open with a rusty creak. There, sitting lonely and dry inside the sealed cabinet, was a cellphone in a light blue and yellow phone case.

   “It's Lilly's,” she confirmed, smiling anxiously as she hurriedly lifted it out and pressed its edge for the power button. Seconds ticked into a minute as she tried to get it to turn back on. Jacob swallowed nervously.

   “Diana…”

   “No… It's not, it won't—”

   “It's been four years, Diana.”

   Her eyes rose from the screen at what he said, the desperation in her gaze revealing the most fragile hope. His voice was gentle but he could see his words cut through to her heart.

   “It's out of charge.”

   “Doesn't your watch have a battery?”

   Jacob shook his head regretfully. “It's automatic.”

   They stood together in the setting sun. The dappled lighting from the trees above reflected on the dead screen clutched in her shivering fingers. The information was right there—she was holding it in her very hands, but still it was just out of her reach. Jacob expected her to cry, but she just stared, searching the dark display, her mouth opening and closing again when a shock came over her face in an instant.

   “Wait!”

   She rifled through her pocket for a moment before producing the tiny solar panel key fob, the one thing Goliath had ignored in favor of the folded knife when he had searched her not twenty-four hours ago. Fumbling with the edge, the lost daughter finally clicked it into the port, the screen displaying a dim wheel turning as the percentage sat at zero.

   The wait felt neverending. With the sun painting the tips of the mountains, long shadows stretched over hills of green fading to brown, their little haven inside the station darkening to a shady blue light. Jacob was just pulling his coat over his shoulders in the cold when a white glow burst from the phone.

   Diana was on it in a millisecond. Life was breathed back into them both, the sight of something that was so entwined in daily routine years prior now a heartwarming comfort to behold. The faint tap of her thumb filled the silence as she navigated the home screen instinctively. It startled them when the bright red notification from the government popped up to cover the colorful floral wallpaper, warning all citizens to take shelter from the unknown threat and wait for further instruction. She closed it in a flash and went straight for the phone app.

   The keypad lit up as she entered a number. Pressing call, they both watched it ring, a cheerful photo of a middle-aged white woman with warm brunette hair and a kind smile in her gray eyes taking up half the screen.

   Her mother.

   There was no answer. Undaunted, Diana tapped end and tried another number, this photo of a gentle looking man whose almond eyes were a shade darker than his daughter's, but their smiles astonishingly similar. There was no answer there, either.

   “I think the satellites would be down by now.”

   Jacob's suggestion was logical, but disappointing. He watched as the wheels turned in Diana's head. She closed the tab, opening up messages instead, a second of her sister's grinning face and matching brown eyes flashing on screen before she went to the chat labeled Diana with a little mirrorball typed in after the name. The girl on that cellphone number he recognized, despite the difference of her grown-out bangs in the present and her neatly trimmed ones in the past. She looked very different then. Not just by her age, but the life in her face… vivid and naive, like she had the world at her fingertips. Things were different years later.

   There was a string of frantic texts from the older sister Lilly to her younger sister Diana.

   Where are you??

   Are you okay?

   What happened? Please answer

   Diana?

   We're at the station, we're waiting for you at the platform. Are you getting closer?

   But there was one that was distinct from the others. It was a voice message, sent but not received. A wash of sympathy softened his concern when he noticed that her finger was shaking above play. After taking a strengthening breath, he laid a hand on her arm to offer his support.

   “Y’want me to do it?”

   Diana glanced up. The nervous gratefulness could be clearly seen on her face. “Y-yes, thank you.”

   He hesitated a moment more before softly pressing the button and standing back behind her as the phone chimed to life. There was a pause, then excited voices emanated from the speaker in perfect clarity. It was like they were standing right in front of them now.

   “Hello, hello?”

   Jacob watched Diana clasp her hands to her mouth.

   “Hey, Diana? Sweetie, this is Mom speaking.”

   “Dad is here too, kiddo!”

   “And Lilly!”

   The three voices were as warm as sunlight.

   “We're worried, we're not getting through with texts or calls so far but we'll keep trying. Check your phone please, dear!”

   Their words were hopeful, a light in the utter darkness of the dangerous world all around them. Despite his doubts, Jacob could feel his hardened heart melting as he watched Diana scoot closer to the screen in an effort to be nearer to the family she loved so much.

   “The military has been taking people on the train out of here to the base. We've been waiting, but this is the last one and…” Her mother's voice was wavering. Jacob could tell her cadence was a little different than before—slower, almost like she was guilty and regretful. “W-well, we've decided to take it. We'll be waiting for you at the end of the line.”

   The other, higher female voice entered the message again with a peppy enthusiasm to encourage her sister. “We know you can make it!”

   “You can do it, Diana!”

   “We'll see you soon, kiddo.” That quiet strength must be her father. “We love you. So, so, so much… We love you.”

   “Follow the tracks and call us as soon as you can!” her mother instructed hopefully. “Those… things are everywhere, try to avoid the roads if you can. Please stay safe, Diana. Please, sweetie.”

   “And remember which way to turn the coin slots if you come across a payphone!”

   Diana laughed with them, the family separated by four years united in this place for one fleeting moment.

   “We love you, Diana! We'll… we'll see you soon, okay?”

   “We love you so much, stay safe, Pumpkin!” 

   “We love you!”

   “Love you too,” she whispered under her breath. The message had reached its end, the cold glow of the screen coloring her face in white for a lingering moment before she clicked it off, bringing darkness back to their world. Her hands held the phone closely to her chest in the dim light of the station.

   “So they did get out.” Diana's eyes were wide as she muttered it over to herself, dazed from the relief of the revelation.

   Jacob nodded hesitantly. “Well… at least they made it this far, huh?”

   “Maybe even farther,” she countered softly. “Maybe even farther.”

   The old message was beautiful, but in the end, that's all it was. Old. To Jacob, these heartfelt sentiments could not change the reality of time, not in this empty earth. It was a cruel and bittersweet taste, but how could he tell her now? Even if he did, Jacob knew she wouldn't listen. Diana was so stubborn and so sure. And after all, her family had made it farther than he had anticipated they would, only reinforcing her devoted delusion. No, he would let her have this moment, her heading locked to a convincing facade of a horizon line that she would follow faithfully until she tipped over its tragic end.

   There was no use bringing her down with him. Jacob masked the pity he felt in his gut and instead raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “I have t’ask… what's up with the payphone thing?”

   Diana closed her eyes, stifling a laugh. It raised his spirits to see her radiant again.

   “I never wanted to tell this stupid freaking story…”

   He nudged her playfully. “Well now you have to tell me.”

   “Fine.” With her fingers tracing the rusty metal, she recounted it in high spirits, smiling from ear to ear as she cast her mind back. “Have you ever been to Disneyland, Jacob?”

   He shrugged. “Nope.”

   “Lilly and I begged to go for our family vacation for literal years. I think it finally happened when I was eleven, twelve years old? And see, the first day we got there, there was actually this one ride I was too afraid to get on so I stayed behind and—”

   “Diana? Afraid?”

   She shoved him with feigned anger. “That cars ride goes very fast, for your information! And need I remind you that I was eleven at the time?”

   Rolling her eyes as he snickered, she brushed away the long bangs framing her rosy cheeks and dipped back into the past. 

   “Anyway. Everyone else got in line for it,  but I was too scared, so I waited outside between the payphones and the gift shop. I waited and I waited and I waited until it started to get scary. I was kind of freaking out, I thought they must have left me or something, so I got change from the people at the shop and tried to call my dad. But see, I'd never used a payphone before, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to get it to take the coins.” She snorted a giggle, covering her mouth from the embarrassing noise. “I didn't have a cellphone at that age so all I could do was keep turning that stupid dial. I was so scared but I told myself I'd be a big girl and that I would not cry, then the second they turned that corner I just burst into tears, right there on top of those darn payphones and literally all the shop employees.”

   “Aw—”

   “No aw! Oh my gosh, it was so embarrassing…”

   “You were a kid!” He laughed to comfort her, and she was smiling genuinely again.

   “I know. And they did come back for me, didn't they? I mean, it took them an entire hour waiting in line but I just had to stay where I was for them to come find me.”

   The quippy atmosphere faded to melancholy again.

   “Four years is a bit more than an hour, huh?”

   Jacob nodded, his jaw tightening. His voice was breathy as he noted her tucking the cellphone into her pocket. “So… what now?”

   “Do like they said in the voice message,” she reasoned aloud, the patented Diana determination returning. “Follow the tracks.”

   They scavenged the building in silence before heading out, Jacob rifling through the desk one final time as Diana searched the spent vending machines. Among all the official documents and tourism bulletins there was a detailed map tucked into a corner, marked roads and railways printed across its spread. He lifted it from the drawer to show it to his companion.

   “Ya think you can read this?”

   Her brow furrowed thoughtfully. “Let's look at it in the light.”

   The climb back up the hill was a lot slower going, but somehow the hunger in his stomach seemed less painful now. Maybe the near-death experience of their escape had finally centered his frightened mind—or maybe it was simply the fact that he was beside Diana again. He sat in that strange feeling as they reached the top.

   She wiped her brow and lifted the map to the pink and tangerine sky. At the peak of the hill they could see for miles, low clouds of thin evening fog dotting the distant forests and veiling the last of the suburban homes not yet absorbed by nature's consuming reach. Beams of gold illuminated the page like a watercolor and the line of the tracks printed in the color blue, heading straight away from the tiny station and towards the mountain ranges. Jacob could spot the railway from their high vantage point and leaned in to point it out through the bright sunset glare.

   “There's your tracks, Diana.”

   She craned her neck, the resolution growing in her face when her gaze settled on it—the path home. A shaky exhale left her lungs as she lowered the map calmly. She looked up into Jacob's pale blue eyes, the brown in hers glowing a rich amber in the last light of the setting summer sun. 

   “And where will you go?”

   He turned to her and tilted his head.

   “Well, with you.” His voice was so faint he wondered if she had heard him, nervously going on when he felt the pink flush rise in his cheeks at her pause. “I-I mean, if you'll let me.”

   The sound of her laughter warmed him more than the sun ever could. She nodded her head, nudging his good leg with a twinkle in her eye and countering back by teasing him with a smile.

   “I dunno… you think you can keep up, cowboy?”

   “Well,” he shrugged playfully, “we'll see about that.”

   Jacob shaded his eyes as they leaned over the map together, but he wasn't paying any attention as Diana read street names aloud in the last of the summer air. His mind swam with a sweet excitement he had never experienced before. Stealing a glance at her expression, he could tell she was feeling it too, her words holding happy notes despite the incredibly daunting road laid out before them.

   The world was much darker than it had been four years ago, but now? Somehow it felt that much lighter standing next to her. Jacob had no idea where they would go from here, but with Diana, he might just be able to do it.

   “Where to next?”