"Shh," Sar raises her finger to her lips, staring into the dark tunnel; her pupils dilate, grasping for light. "Vibrations...someone's coming." "Mutants?" whispers Onai. Sar shakes her head, trying to focus on the sound. Onai picks up his bolt-action rifle from the table and gently loads a stripper clip into it until a satisfying click noise is heard. After checking his sights, he points the barrel of the rifle straight down the tunnel. "Ready?" he asks. Sar nods her head. A moment passes before she finally speaks, "Left side of the track, at least 6ft tall." Onai adjusts his aim and fires blindly into the dark; the crack from the gun sounds like a cannon reverberating through the tunnels. Sar relaxes her posture, and Onai picks up his shell casing from the floor.
Onai grabs a lantern from the table, and they both move cautiously towards the tunnel entrance. "He's a Pre-War; must have been 5 or 10 years old when the bombs dropped," says Onai. Sar gestures towards him and grabs the rifle. Onai places the lantern close to the stranger's body. The stranger is wearing a dirty grey-toned blue robe with markings of a caduceus inscribed on it. "He's a follower of The Church of Medicine," Onai pauses. "We could get into a lot of trouble for shooting a cleric." As he leans down, the doctor grabs Onai's arm, and a searing hot pain flashes across his body, burning him alive while the doctor's bullet hole begins to cauterize. Visions flash into Onai's head—images of a world bright enough to blind you, with a ball of fire on the ceiling, and the warmth that's felt with it. The feeling of loving parents, then feelings of suffering, overtaken by guilt. Reacting swiftly, Sar swings the butt of the rifle into the doctor's face, knocking him unconscious, and both Onai and the doctor collapse onto the gravel floor.
Sar calls for help, and a few militia soldiers arrive; they carry the men back to the station. A small book falls out of the stranger's robes, and Sar picks it up, opening it. It's written in a language she doesn't recognize; the book is made out of leather, a rarity in Densha, no bigger than her palm. When they arrive at the hospital, Sar runs off to her room to hide the stranger's book. She lays in bed, humming an unrecognizable lullaby to herself as she slowly falls asleep, hoping to visit Onai when she wakes up.
"Ah, you're finally awake," Onai fights to open his eyes in a dimly lit room constructed from salvaged wood and scrap metal. There are 4 or 5 other beds in the room, surrounded by privacy curtains, and a doctor is standing over him. "Do you know where you are?" says the doctor. "I'm back at Station Charlie, in the hospital." Onai looks around and sees the man he shot lying in a bed across the room. He can see the stranger's chest gently raising and falling as he sleeps; he can't find his bullet wound either. "Don't worry about him; he's just resting. You, on the other hand, aren't as lucky," says the doctor. Sar enters the room, her eyes start to water. Onai's whole body is hidden behind layers of loosely wrapped cloth. It's hard to tell where the tubes and wires are coming from, and the room is full of various beeping sounds. Holding Onai's rifle, she's gritting her teeth at the sight of the man who did this to him.
The door closes behind the doctor and Sar, who was sitting beside Onai, begins to doze off every now and then. The stranger then speaks in a hoarse voice, "Good shot..." Sar and Onai look over in confusion. "I was blessed by the gods, and you still managed to shoot me in that dark tunnel. I see now why..." He gestures towards Sar. "You must have heard me coming." He chuckles; Sar continues to ignore him. With sincerity in his eyes, the man looks over at Onai, "I apologize for what happened; however, you did shoot me first."
Onai, gasping between words, asks, "What is your name?" The man smiles and replies, "Denton." "You're a follower of The Church? I want you to teach me how to be a Cleric," Onai demands. Before Denton can reply, Sar turns quickly and speaks to Onai, but he dismisses her. She can see in his eyes that he's full of bloodlust, rage, and ambition. "Why?" Denton replies. Onai, without breaking his intense eye contact, says, "I want to go outside." Denton smirks a childish grin, "Okay, I'll take you with me, and maybe I'll be able to visit my parents again." Denton laughs, but Sar and Onai can't help but feel sadness hidden behind his laughter.
"Pack your bags; we're leaving. I don't want to stay here any longer than I have to," Onai exclaims. Sar is silently packing what little she has, sifting through the childhood items she's kept all this time: a postcard with a blimp that reads "Adventure" and a soft packet of cigarettes. A knock on the door interrupts them. "It's Denton; time to go," as they open the door, Denton has already started walking away. They reach the checkpoint of Station Charlie, and the militia greets Onai and Sar, wishing them well on their journey. Then, Sar gestures for everyone to keep quiet; an ominous hum is coming from the tunnels. The sound is getting louder, and the militia is struggling to stay focused. As the noise becomes deafening, it causes some people to drop to the floor. Then silence, bliss, as three people from The Church of Medicine emerge from the dark tunnel. One of the members speaks with a sinister, forbidding tone, "Ahh, Denton, there you are. And here we thought something bad must have happened to you, or worse," he smiles through his teeth.
"Whatever you are doing with these capitals is to end immediately; the priest would like to speak with you." Onai and Sar can sense Denton's nervousness. The air is thick with tension, and Sar starts to feel as though her throat is closing, struggling to breathe. She drops to one knee, "Sar!" yells Onai. Denton steps forward, raising his palm, and you can feel the heat beginning to radiate from his body. Onai recognizes this feeling; it's the same warmth he felt in his shared visions, a warmth so gentle and so destructive at the same time. "MUTANTS! They're attacking from the other side of the station; we must hurry." The militia takes arms and runs towards the mutant attack. Meanwhile, Sar, still in a weakened state, tries to stand. Before Onai can decide on what to do, Denton attacks The Church members and makes a run for the tunnels. "C'mon, Onai; you have to run." Onai grabs his rifle and follows closely behind Denton; pulling Sar with him, she snaps her arm away from him, with tears in her eyes. Sar grabs a pistol from the militia soldiers and turns around, choosing to defend the station over leaving with Onai and Denton.
