Chapter 45: The Crater of Memories

An hour later, after passing beyond the border of the city ruins, the train entered a tunnel that seemed to have been carved directly through a mountain. The surroundings instantly plunged into darkness, illuminated only by yellow spotlights attached along the tunnel walls.

Clyde sat comfortably, noting that his three siblings appeared equally calm: Casca was leaning back in her seat beside him, while Corie rested her head on Craig’s shoulder as he sat with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

Suddenly, Clyde turned toward the window, feeling as though he was being watched, and his eyes widened instantly. Behind the tunnel wall, he caught sight of a massive eye, like that of a giant monster, staring directly at him, as if a colossal beast lay asleep just beyond the stone surface. He glanced around the carriage; Craig, Casca, and Corie remained perfectly still with no reaction, as did the three passengers sharing the carriage with them.

Clyde looked back at the giant eye staring at him without blinking. The massive eye moved along with the speed of the train, fixed on him as though tracking his movements and discerning his true nature. Clyde shrank back slightly, trying to avoid its gaze. Swoosh. He drew the curtain over the window. Once the glass was covered, sigh, Clyde turned to see Craig, Casca, and Corie letting out a collective breath of relief.

"What’s wrong with you guys?" Clyde asked, curious.

"Did you see that huge eye, Brother?" Casca asked beside him.

"Oh... so you saw it too?" Clyde asked, startled.

"I tried so hard to ignore it, that’s why I closed my eyes and tried not to look," Craig answered.

"Same... I clung to Brother Craig just to hide so it wouldn’t see me," Corie added.

"We noticed that eye too, Brother. I was holding my breath for dear life hoping it wouldn’t spot us," Casca said, holding Clyde’s hand.

"Phew... why were you all keeping quiet? I thought I was the only one who saw it and that it was following the train, staring right at me," Clyde said with a sigh of relief.

"Was... was that eye from a giant monster like the one before? How many monsters that size are there in this world?" Casca asked.

"It was definitely huge, and we only saw one eye. Even if we couldn’t see its head, there’s clearly a monster like the last one living inside this tunnel," Craig answered.

"Ugh... I hope we get out of this tunnel soon. I hate being stuck in a place like this... I can’t imagine if we weren’t on a train and had to walk through this tunnel... eek... terrifying," Corie said, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Hang in there. It looks like once we exit this tunnel, we’ll reach Utopia," Clyde said.

"Yeah... don’t worry, you’ve got me here, right?" Craig said with a smile, putting his arm around Corie, who was hiding beside him.

"Right, right... with Brother Clyde and Brother Craig here... we’re safe," Casca said.

For safety, the four moved to the left side of the carriage, abandoning the right side where they had spotted the giant monster’s eye in the tunnel wall. The tense atmosphere gradually dissipated, even as they remained inside the tunnel. After fifteen minutes in the dark, the train burst out into the sunlight. Everything brightened, but the landscape around them looked like a completely different world: two high hills flanked the railroad tracks, topped with dense forest. Clyde pulled back the curtain again, looking out at the hills and the canopy above.

His eyes narrowed as he studied the hills and trees outside, and a memory surfaced in his mind, a memory of the time he had escaped alongside Craig, Casca, and Corie. Studying the forest landscape and the slope of the hills, his previously calm expression turned deadly serious.

"This forest... I know this forest outside," Clyde said.

"Me too, Brother. I recognize it too," Craig replied from across Clyde, also studying the woods outside.

As the train rattled onward, the hills flanking the tracks gradually grew smaller, eventually giving way entirely to the forest. Clyde and Craig’s memories grew increasingly distinct; they were certain the forest outside the window was the very same one they had fled through as children. Suddenly, Clyde and Craig stood up at the exact same moment, knocking their heads together before slumping back into their seats.

"Ow... why did you stand up at the same time as me?" Clyde asked, rubbing his forehead.

"Why did you stand up, Brother?" Craig countered, rubbing his own forehead.

"I recognize this forest... this is the forest from when we ran away... I remember," Casca said, staring out the window.

"Yeah, that’s right... I remember too," Corie added, looking outside.

"That’s what I was just about to say. We need to get off here," Clyde said, holding his forehead.

Craig, Casca, and Corie turned to look at Clyde as if he had grown two heads.

"Why? We have to find our orphanage, right?" Clyde said.

"Yeah, you’re right... I agree, Brother. Let’s head back up to the roof, but this time, let’s bring our gear," Craig said.

"Um... and once we’re up top, then what?" Corie asked.

"We jump over there," Clyde answered, pointing out the window.

"Huh... isn’t this train moving pretty fast?" Casca asked.

"Hey... don’t worry, you’ll be jumping with me," Craig said, patting his chest.

"Ugh... I don’t think this is a good idea," Casca muttered.

"Come on... hurry up, we have to go," Clyde replied, standing back up.

The four of them stood up and grabbed their backpacks from the overhead rack. They then quietly slipped toward the rear door and opened it once more. Climbing the ladder again, they stood atop the high-speed train. Corie and Casca looked at the fast-moving forest ahead, then took a step back,

"I’m telling you, this isn’t a good idea, Brother!" Corie shouted, covering her face as the wind whipped against her.

"Yeah, Brother, there has to be another way!" Casca added.

Without replying, Clyde grabbed Casca by the waist while Craig scooped up Corie by hers. Hop. They leaped straight toward the forest. "Whoaaaaaaah!" the two girls yelled at the top of their lungs, their faces turning pale in an instant as the forest rushed toward them while still in motion from the momentum of the moving train.

Rustle!

All four tumbled into the woods and slid forward into the underbrush. "Waaaaaaa!" Casca and Corie screamed loudly in Clyde’s and Craig’s arms. When they finally skidded to a halt, Casca and Corie looked down to see Clyde and Craig lying beneath them with broad grins, even exchanging a high five.

"Aaah... I told you this wasn’t a good idea! You carried me and jumped without even giving a warning, what is wrong with you?!" Corie yelled, pounding on Craig’s chest.

"Yeah... give us a heads-up next time! My heart almost stopped just now, you guys are terrible!" Casca yelled, pounding on Clyde’s chest.

"Sorry... sorry... but you two were hesitating and weren’t going to jump, so we had to take the initiative, right, Brother Clyde?" Craig asked, turning to Clyde.

"Right... anyway, let me up. Let’s walk deeper into the forest. I’m sure our destination is up ahead," Clyde said.

"Ugh... you two are so annoying!" Corie snapped in frustration.

"Agreed... let go of me," Casca replied, squirming.

Clyde and Craig let go of Casca and Corie, who immediately stood up and helped Clyde and Craig to their feet. Afterward, the four pushed forward into the dense jungle. They kept walking and walking until they finally reached the edge of the woods and stepped out into the open. The eyes of Clyde, Casca, Craig, and Corie instantly widened as they emerged.

Before them stretched a massive, sweeping crater, resembling a giant meteor impact site set in the middle of a mountain, fully blanketed in lush vegetation and dense forest. The four stood spellbound; looking at the crater, their memories flooded back to their recent dream, where they had exploded inside a giant robot right in the center of a crater. Clyde and Casca also recalled the final photo slideshow they had seen during their training at the Neo Ark rehab center.

"There’s no mistake... this is... the crater from our dream," Clyde muttered.

"Brother... look!"

Clyde turned to look in the direction Craig pointed, as did Casca and Corie. Craig was pointing toward a ruined structure on the opposite side of the crater. The building appeared to be the remains of an old medical facility with an L-shaped layout, only partially intact. Given its position perched right over the edge, half of the building had likely been pulverized into the crater, as the jagged break lined up directly over the drop-off. Beside it, they spotted the remains of a small, shattered glass dome poking slightly out from the overgrowth.

"Na... na... na..."

As they stood transfixed, all four suddenly heard the faint, familiar melody echoing from the area around the crater and the ruined facility up ahead. The melody was undeniably real, sounding as though it were being broadcast on a specific frequency that only they could hear, yet definitely external rather than inside their minds. Clyde, Craig, Casca, and Corie stared toward the building, then turned to look at one another,

"Let’s head over to that building," Clyde said.

"Yeah," Craig, Casca, and Corie answered in unison.

With that, they began making their way around the perimeter of the crater, heading toward the ruined facility perched along the rim.