Victernus - Chapter 4
Namara felt Hector's hands trying to
shake him awake. Sitting up, he yawned and saw that they had stopped. It was
midday, and they were sitting in the truck outside of a train station. One of
the pressure trains was docked, waiting to shoot through the long glass tube
that went on for countless miles. Beige concrete supports surrounded it in
certain sections, holding the massive structure up in the air.
Hector held up a ticket, "I got a
ticket for the train already. I'm assuming you're going to be coming on, but
invisible?"
He nodded.
"Alright, come on out my door. I
don't want anyone to see you, but make sure you stay right beside me."
Nodding again, Namara cloaked himself and followed
when Hector stepped out. He yelped when he jumped down, running to the sidewalk
because the hot asphalt was burning his paws. When he was sure he was fine, he
waited for Hector and made sure to stay by him.
Treading up the steps to the station with his ticket
and bag in hand, Hector glanced around in a nervous manner. He gave his ticket
and his keys to the robotic teller in one of the booths beside the train, who
proceeded to scan the ticket and mark it as used. He looked back at his truck
while adjusting his hat.
Namara sat beside him. He's probably uncomfortable because he can't see me...
The robot handed the ticket back to
Hector and dropped the keys in a hole, sending them to one of the valets.
Hector paused to take a breath and
then walked towards the silver train. The wind that held it up poured into the
station from the tube that it was in. He held his hat and his bag tightly while
crossing the threshold and stepping in.
Namara was reluctant to follow. The
wind strained his eyes and pushed him against him a great deal, making it difficult
for him to advance. But, he had no choice. Stepping back, he prepared to pounce
through the wall of wind in front of him. A warning signal blared from above,
and the doors began to close. He took one more breath and then charged through,
avoiding the doors. His wind-blown body landed beside Hector's feet.
Standing up on all fours again, he
scanned the room for a place to sit. There were many tables, cushioned seats,
and television screens positioned neatly throughout the cabin. It was
surprisingly empty. A richly-dressed black woman who seemed to be in her
forties fumbled with an electronic tablet device at one end while a couple of
white men in suits sitting on the other side discussed a business venture that
they were going into together. Wait... I
can hear them! Ah... He smiled at the notion of having superior hearing.
Hector sat on the woman's side of
the cabin, but closer to the center than to her. He rested his bag down on the
floor beside him and sat back, relaxing. He whispered, "You know, it's been a
while since I've ever been on one of these. They're quite nice."
Namara jumped onto one of the seats.
Feeling that the cabin was safe, he uncloaked himself. He nodded, but because
he wasn't able to speak, he ended up staring down at the floor beneath the
table that separated the two.
Hector sighed and pulled out his
cell phone to check on some things. He dialed a number and held the phone to
his ear. But, he was met with an answering machine a few seconds later. He
sighed again and put the phone down. Looking across, he saw that Namara was
still deep in thought. Resting his face in his hands, he decided to gaze out of
the window to watch the many trees and fields they were passing. He hadn't even
felt the train take off.
Unable to keep focused and still
feeling groggy from the nap, Namara lied across the two chairs and decided to
rest a while. Hector's legs were visible under the table, and he could see the
two businessmen arguing over something. Another thought entered his mind at the
sight. I wonder how long this will last...
this philosophy of materialism... capitalism. I thought it would have died many
years ago, but something seems to keep pushing it. Someone or something is
making it tick. Perhaps that is what I will chase after... If there's anything I
hate more than people like Lynn, it's that thing that they hold so dear to
themselves that makes them be that way.
After a few minutes, when Namara had
begun to fall asleep, he heard a voice sound over him. His ears raised and he
looked up to see the black woman standing beside their seats. She seemed so
excited; Namara could hear her heartbeat rise as she spoke.
"Your dog is beautiful! What kind of
breed is it?"
He heard Hector respond tiredly,
"Uh... I'm not quite sure exactly. I think he's a mix between a German shepherd
and something else, but I've never gone to get his DNA analyzed. I've never
felt it necessary."
Namara felt a sudden exhilaration
course through him as the woman bent down and rubbed him, petting his back and
scratching behind his ears. He couldn't help but smile.
"Well, he seems pretty strong to me!
He's big too! What's his name?"
Hector struggled again. "Well... The
kids back at home call him 'Bowie,' so we just go with that."
Namara stared into her eyes while
she continued to pet him. You don't
seriously believe that, do you?
She softened her gaze on him,
"Bowie... That's a nice name."
Oh,
what the hell... He closed his eyes to enjoy the last of her pleasant touch.
The lady ruffled the fur on his head
and stood up. "Well, I have to go now. I get off at the next stop, and it's
coming up soon. See ya!"
Hector smiled and waved, letting her
leave for the door.
Namara lifted himself up a bit and
then peeked over the top of the table, narrowing his eyes at Hector. Bowie?
Raising his hands in defense, Hector
countered, "What?"
He shook his head, rolled his eyes
and then lowered himself again. But, his friend's voice still boomed over him.
"Why don't you sit on my side, next
to the window, Bowie? Some new people are probably going to be coming on, and
we don't know them yet."
Namara's back was still tingling
from his encounter. He sighed at first but ultimately decided to follow his
friend's advice. Jumping down from the seat, he switched to the other side and
hid himself with his wristband again.