Soul Chariot

Steady beeping woke me slowly from sleep. It didn’t alarm me, nor did it annoy me. It simply beeped to a steady rhythm that had my consciousness rising. I didn’t want to wake up yet though. Eyes heavy and muscles aching, all I wanted was to roll over and get another twenty minutes.

Crisp, cool air stung my nose as I breathed in deeply and an incessant ringing started to pierce my right ear. I went to pull the covers over my head and roll over when I realized I wasn’t in bed. Cold metal met the side of my face as I groaned in protest to waking. My eyes snapped open, realizing I wasn’t safely cocooned in bed but laying on the floor of some metal compartment feeling as though I went four rounds in a fighting ring.

Heart sprinting into gear, I sat up, every muscle and bone aching in protest. Long, dark hair tickled my arms and looked quite the tangled mess. Inspecting the room, I held my panic at bay. This certainly wasn’t a bedroom, nor was it any other suitable place to sleep. The compartment, no larger than a closet, sat empty aside from a window, a door at my back, and a small control panel to my right. One solitary, red button sat in that square panel with a sticker reading, Emergency Only.

Getting to my feet painfully slow, I finally felt the gentle rocking of the floor beneath me and wondered what the hell was going on. I had no recollection of getting here. As I tried to remember, only blackness greeted me.

Palms sweating, I staggered back against the wall as my mind spun with emptiness. Complete and suffocating emptiness.

The more I tried to remember, remember anything at all, the worse the sensation became. Dizzy and confused, I searched my clothing for any identification. Made of synthetic material that felt impenetrable to liquid and flame, my pants held no identification. My ripped white t-shirt with a large spattering of blood across the front had me panicking even more. It wasn’t my blood, although there were countless scrapes and bruises covering my knuckles and arms.

Testing the door, I pressed down on the cold metal handle which felt soothing on my sore hands. The handle didn’t budge. Locked.

I turned to the window and hurried the few steps to it.

My heart dropped when I looked outside. Instead of night filling the expanse, I realized why it was so dark and why it felt like we were moving.

I was on a train in space.

I blinked.

This couldn’t be real. Steel tracks extended into the blank expanse of space without any support beneath. Stars glinted in the distance, maybe even a planet or two which I was too astounded to pay much attention to. I was on a floating train in outer space with no memory of how I got here. I didn’t even know my own name.

Body shaking, palms slick with sweat and heart racing, I didn’t know what to do.

I searched for a phone. For a radio. For anything, even a brake. There was nothing. And there was no way to stop this train hurtling through space with no end in sight.

Trying the door again, I jiggled the handle. Pounding on the door, I screamed for help. I screamed and yelled, then yanked on the handle. My pleas ended on a yelp as I flew backward, the door opening unexpectedly.

Rushing to my feet, I grabbed the metal door before it swung closed. I stepped into a narrow hallway, allowing the door to swing closed and seal shut with a magnetic pull. Rolling my eyes at myself, I took a few deep breaths to calm down. The door hadn’t been locked at all. I wasn’t a prisoner. And the blood covering me was just an accident. At least, I was going to pretend that was the case until proven otherwise.

My steps stayed silent in my sturdy boots as I crept down the long hall, my back to the wall while my eyes darted back and forth from the door at the end and the expanse of space beyond the windows. I couldn’t fathom how I ended up on this train, let alone a train in space.

Another magnetic door greeted me when I pulled it open a smidge before peeking out. Music reached me first, lilting tones of string instruments played a soothing melody. Then warmer air wafted over my face bringing with it the scent of grilled vegetables and freshly baked bread. My stomach clenched angrily, begging for food and I wondered when I last ate.

Eyeing the room, I marveled at the lavish cabin car. Sterile metal walls gave way to a wide cabin of lavish delights. Windows lined either side, their view changed to that of picturesque mountain towns and villages as the train trailed past. Ornate wood trim lined the windows, doorways and even the floor. Artfully scattered about the cabin were sitting areas with an array of burgundy and brown wingback chairs and chaise loungers wrapped with a divine green velvet.

A bar made of the shiniest mahogany wood sat against the left side in the middle of the cabin, a solitary bartender polishing a glass. The male stood about average height and build, not too large but not too small either. His face rather plain and forgettable but welcoming and cheerful at the same time. He paid me no mind as I stepped into the cabin and quietly shut the door.

Only one other person sat in the car in the very back corner with a book and a teacup. She didn’t look up from her book, only turned the page.

I walked up to the bartender, my heart a pile of frayed nerves beating erratically in my chest.

“Excuse me,” I said, my voice cracking with uncertainty.

He smiled brightly and looked up at me. “Hello, Miss. What can I get for you?”

“Um, can you tell me where I am?” I asked while questioning in my head how much I should divulge to anyone else. Did I tell them I suffered from amnesia? What would I say when they asked about all the blood? Or how I ended up on this train to begin with?

“You’re on the Soul Chariot,” he answered, his voice upbeat if not a bit monotone.

The name of the train threw me off and sent a shiver down my spine. What kind of luxury train traveling through space took on such an ominous name? “Okay, but where are we?”

“Gliding through the Swiss Alps currently, Miss. I expect we’ll be heading into Italian countryside very soon.”

My brows furrowed as I glanced back to the windows. Were they truly windows? Or perhaps they were video screens to make it appear as if they were in a different place. That would make a lot more sense than a train in the middle of space.

I walked to the nearest window and pressed my hand to the glass. It felt cool and smooth like glass, not a screen.

“Are there screens behind the windows?”

The bartender laughed. “Screens? What a silly question.” He waltzed over and slid the window open. Fresh mountain air filled the cabin while the sound of a roiling train racing over the tracks drowned out the music. The bartender stuck his arm out the window and waved it around.

“Nothing here but nature’s beauty.” He grinned without a care in the world, the wind whipping his face. He slid the window closed and returned to the bar. “What would you like to drink?”

I eyed him from my spot at the window. Something was off about all of this, him especially. The man hadn’t even glanced at my bloody clothes or asked where I came from. I guessed that not many people walked into this cabin from the front car very often, but still, the blood was a huge red flag.

Keeping my eyes on him, I walked around the bar and toward the back of the cabin to where French wooden doors stood. When my hand landed on the knob, I twisted, in a hurry to escape the creepy guy that stared unblinkingly at me.

When the door opened, the man’s smile suddenly dropped into a frown. “Where are you going? You are not allowed to leave,” he declared as he made to step out from behind the bar.

I bolted through the door and into the next car, slamming the door shut behind me. I sprinted into a room that couldn’t have been more different than the one I just left.

Hot, dry air stole the air from my lungs as I stumbled over a pile of clay colored pillows on the floor. Landing on my knees, I stared around in awe at the Moroccan themed cabin. Brilliant tile lined every inch of the floors, walls and ceilings to create magnificent designs and arches. Pillows of varying sizes scattered the floor, even ones large enough to be a bed. An earthy incense filled the air while a hypnotizing tune entranced my ears.

A man lay amid the pillows and too late I realized that he was not alone as I stared, my mouth parted in shock. A woman rose up beside the man and straddled his waist, running her hands up his naked chest. The most shocking thing of all was her clay-colored skin and a pair of leathery wings sprouting from her back. I certainly didn’t remember people having red skin or wings.

The door opened behind me. “Stop that woman!” the bartender shouted, and I jumped to my feet. The man didn’t pay me any mind, but the woman rose to her feet, her dark eyes trained on me.

I sprinted through the cabin, dodging the woman’s claws as I reached for the next door. I burst through into another cabin, not daring to stop as frosty air blasted me in the face. My arms prickled at the snowy room while my legs stayed warm in these odd pants.

There wasn’t much time to explore this room as I kept running to evade whoever chased. I passed into another cabin, this one a jungle theme. There was only time to hear the roar of some beast before I kicked my butt back into gear and sprinted through the densely packed foliage. Luckily, the next room was a simple farmhouse which I breezed right through because that bartender still hounded at my heels.

Passing through so many more cars, all different themes, I truly began to wonder where the hell I was. This was all impossible. None of it made sense. It couldn’t have been real.

When I stumbled into a club with the lights strobing endlessly, I could barely see and ended up running into someone. Rough hands grabbed me and dragged me away. Kicking and punching, I attempted to escape but their body was like iron whenever I made contact.

Shoved through a door, those hands threw me to the ground. and I crawled away from the imposing figure before me. There was a reason I couldn’t break free of its grip, and that was because no human stood before me, it was a robot.

My back hit a wall and I froze. I briefly pondered why that thought didn’t scare me. Clearly, I knew enough about robots to understand this was not a combat robot but a maintenance one. I couldn’t remember my name, but I could remember that.. totally fine.

The bartender shoved the robot out of the way quickly followed by the woman from the second room and many more. Before my eyes, they all seemed to meld into one, as if sucked into each other and formed one unit. All that remained was the bartender.

“Who are you?” he asked, his façade breaking and giving way to anger and confusion.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. I was trapped with no way out and without any idea what was going on.

“How are you traveling through the Scapes?” he demanded.

I tried to hide my confusion. “The Scapes?”

“Yes, the limbo landscapes. How are you traveling through other being’s Scapes?”

Thankful that I already crouched on the ground, I let my body go slack. “Limbo landscapes?” I repeated uncertainly. “What does that even mean?”

Frowning, his eyes narrowed on me. “The place where souls wait to be deposited into their rightful afterlife or to be reborn. They wait in their preferred landscape.”

That was it. I’d truly lost it. There was no chance this was real. I’m in a coma in some hospital, or I’m tripping out on some strong drugs because there is no way any of this is real. Squeezing my eyes shut, I searched my memory for home. I wanted to go home. I wanted all this craziness to end. But I couldn’t remember a thing.

“I won’t ask you again, who are you?” the bartender growled, and the robot stepped closer.

“I don’t know,” I answered, tears gathering in my eyes. “I just woke up in the first train car a few minutes ago. I don’t remember anything.”

“You woke in the first train car?” the bartender asked, his brows rising. “What did you see?” He crouched in front of her, curiosity making his eyes wide.

“It was just an empty car with windows on the front.”

“And outside, what was outside?” he asked eagerly.

“Space. Just endless space and train tracks.”

His face fell and he sat back on his heels. “That was disappointing.”

“What? Why?” I asked frantically.

“Nothing.” With a sigh, he stood. “Well, you better get comfortable. It seems like you’re stuck here.”

“What?” I asked again as I hurried after him and grabbed onto his arm. “I need to get off this train. I’m not dead.”

He raised a skeptical brow. “The only souls that get on this train are those that have left their mortal forms.”

“But I’m not dead!” I implored even though I couldn’t remember.

He shook his head. “Souls aren’t usually in denial, but it happens sometimes. You’ll calm down soon and you’ll settle into a Scape.” He made to leave again but I grabbed his arm once more.

“I swear to you, I am not dead. Do I feel dead to you?”

He paused at that and looked me over once more. “You are different. And you were travelling through other Scapes, which is impossible for other souls.”

“See! I’m not dead.”

Cold, blank eyes stared back at her for long seconds before he shrugged. “No matter if you are or are not dead, I cannot help you unless you have a ticket. Do you have a ticket?”

My mind whirled with hope as I searched my pockets, but my heart dropped when my hands came out empty. “How do I get a ticket?”

“If your soul is meant to reincarnate, you must wait until your next body is born. If your soul is to retire, you’ll end up on one of the afterlife planets. We cycle through the afterlife planets about once every Universal Clip. Once we reach the one you are destined for, your ticket will appear, and you’ll be on your way.

“What is a Universal Clip?”

That chipper attitude came back to his countenance as he answered, the bartender returning to his duty and giving me whiplash with his various personalities. “A Universal Clip is a unit of time in the intergalactic time measurement system.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. How long is that?” My hope quickly fled with each word that came out of his confusing mouth.

“In comparison to which galaxy’s time measurement system are you referencing?”

I threw my hands up in exasperation. “I don’t know. I told you, I don’t remember anything since I woke up. I don’t even know my own name so how am I supposed to understand the nonsense spewing from your mouth?”

“Your language of choice leads me to believe that you hail from the Milky Way Galaxy, particularly sector 14. In that case, one Universal Clip would be equivalent to 30 years.”

My jaw clenched. “I’m not waiting 30 years for a ticket because I’m not dead!”

“There is nothing else I can do. No ticket, no leaving.”

Fisting my hands at my sides, I tried to think of another way off this retched train. Perhaps I could just sneak off at the next stop. “When is the next stop then?” I asked, barely containing my anger.

He smiled widely. “The Soul Chariot never stops. We don’t even have brakes.” Maniacal laughter followed his words which sent my heart crashing into the depths of despair. There was no way off this crazy, runaway death train.

His laughter cut off suddenly, a hole appearing through his head. No blood or body parts exploded out of him, just empty space. He dropped to the floor as someone shoved the door and leaped out from behind it. The robot started to alarm but quickly fell silent after the man shot him in the head with a laser gun.

In shock, I could only stand there and watch. Even as the man raced toward me, I could only stare, my limit for the impossible reaching its zenith.

Sweat slicked and pale from blood loss from the leaking wound on his abdomen, the dark-skinned male pulled me to him in a crushing hug.

“I’m so happy you’re alright,” he exclaimed before planting a kiss on my lips. “Come on. We have to get off this thing.”

“Who are you?” I questioned as he dragged me around the bartender and robot into the previous cabin. Instead of a limbo landscape, it was just a metal cabin.

The man paused to look back at me. His eyes made mine widen. His pupil slitted like a cat’s eyes instead of round and the color glowed as vibrant a yellow-gold as any panther I’d ever seen. Not that I specifically remembered any panther in particular which was completely confusing.

“Love, what are you saying?”

My brows furrowed. “Who are you? I woke up on this train with no memory.”

“No,” he denied immediately, his face transforming into anger. “No. You are lying.” He pulled me into his arms, holding me far closer than I felt comfortable with.

“I assure you, Sir, that I am not lying. Now let me go.” I shoved him off, but he was too strong, his arms only holding me tighter. When I looked back into his eyes though, I stilled. Despair and grief poured out of him.

“My love, it can’t be true. I am your husband.”

I shook my head. There was no way I was married to this massive male with his alien eyes. “I don’t remember you. I don’t even remember my name.”

“Almira Vanthar, my wife,” he growled possessively. Something in my chest fluttered, as if my heart tried to remember him. I had to admit, he was attractive in his own way, and he certainly knew how to take care of himself.

Again, I searched the blank recesses of my mind only to flinch away from the yawning emptiness. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember.” A pained whine left his mouth before he buried his nose in my neck. I let him have a minute because I had no understanding of what he felt in that moment. “Not to be insensitive, but I’d like to get off the train now.”

He pulled back and my eyes fell to the tear in his white shirt which now stained red with his blood. We wore the same outfit, and he did seem to know who I was, not to mention he was the only other person on this train that seemed to not be delusional, so for now, I’d be sticking near him.

“What happened to you?” I glanced at the spray of blood on my shirt and assumed it came from his wound.

“We were attacked by those damn supremist assholes.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the front. We passed through the same tiny hallway and entered the space where I woke up. “We were fighting and losing. Then everything went black, and I woke up in that cabin back there.”

He looked out the window and seemed to be unfazed when he turned back around. His eyes latched on the red emergency button. “This may be our only option,” he said.

I nodded in agreement because we certainly weren’t dead, and I wasn’t waiting for a ticket of this retched train. He held his hand out to me with an open expression.

“Together,” he said, and I found myself reaching for his hand without pause. I must have trusted him once upon a time to give into him so easily.

“What’s your name?” I had to know. I had to know who my supposed husband was. I had to know the name of the man that I felt drawn to despite the craziness of our situation. All I wanted in that moment was to stare into his eyes and forget it all. Forget this psycho train and the fact I had no memory.

A grin tilted one corner of his mouth. “Jack Vanthar. Pleasure to meet you, Wife,” he teased before hitting the button.

I smiled back before darkness consumed me.