The Endangered

The train walls just kept rattling. My head leaned against the train window, my eyes flickering from tree to passing tree. My slowing breath fogging up the window with each shaky exhale. I could hear my pulse thrumming rapidly in my ears. With my best efforts I pull a bored face hoping beyond all measure that I pull it off.

This train was my only chance at finding at least someone who would know who I am, who I truly am and of course…I blew it. I had fallen asleep thinking this was the right train and had woken up to find that I was sorely mistaken. Different train, different place, wrong person. He didn’t catch a good glimpse of me but his poor lackey, or “used to be” poor lackey did.

I tuck my hands into my sweater pocket to hide both the blood and shakiness. The door to the train cart slams open and I flinch. Everyone else in the train car does too so I believe I am safe in that regard. I’m just hoping no one notices that I was the last in the car.

“Where is she?” Says a gruff and deep voice. It grates my heart with a cold chill. To my relief no one answers or, to my best knowledge, even looks my direction. He receives a few odd or bored glances but that’s all the excitement he receives.

I look at him with odd interest to throw him off. I have played this game before but never has he gotten this close. He still has never caught a good glimpse of me either in the two years he has been hunting me. Today I’m counting my lucky stars that it still rings true to this day.

Now that I can catch a glimpse of him and can see his features in full clarity. I take in as much detail as I can. He is tall, not too tall, but intimidatingly so. His skin is tanned darkly as if the man had never heard of the word sunscreen before. He is fit but not overly so, he is also thin. His eyes are as dark as an oak trees bark. And his greasy brown hair is slicked back, minus the unruly strand that hangs upon his brow.

His gaze, full of anger and hate, looms around the car. It stops for a moment at my gaze and I can’t feel my lungs. He continues to look around and relief washes over my prickled skin. He clears his throat, “one of you in this car has a quarry with me,” he says in a cool and threatening tone, “and until I catch that….thing.” He spits out onto the floor like even the taste of that sentence was foul. He turns and slams the door shut. He then locks the door and breaks the key. “All of you will have to go through me.” He once again looks around. Everyone in the room shifts in one way or another.

They look to one another seeing who they can possibly rat out. A pale, thin, dark haired boy squints at me from across the isle. I narrow my eyes back at him in a challenge. He inhales and opens his mouth as if he is about to say something but before he does a shrill and older voice pipes out. “I saw a young lady walk in here about 5 minutes ago.”

His attention immediately snaps to the older woman. Faster than anyone should possibly move he stations himself in front of her and looms over her. A bit taken aback and green eyes now filled with newfound dread she shrinks back in her seat. “Where is it?” He says evenly. She looks my direction and points towards me as well. My heart stops and I feel faint. His eyes snap to mine and there is something in them I cannot place. “There,” she says in a near whimper, “the one with the hat.” My mind reels and screeches to a stop. I’m not wearing a hat. His gaze switches over to something past my shoulder. I too turn around and find a couple seated in the booth behind me. The woman has her dark auburn hair tucked neatly under a emerald sun hat that matches her emerald dress with dark green velvet gloves. Her brown eyes are wide with shock and I can just barely hear a whispered “me?” Come from her red lips.

Again, faster than imaginable, the hunter is right next to her. The man seated beside her stands up and holds his arm out in front of her. “Not my Clara! Why she couldn’t hurt a fly even if she wanted to! You must be mistaken surely!”

I am racing against time to come up with a plan. He is so close I can smell him. He smells like pine and metal. It’s familiar yet daunting and I don’t know what to feel other than dread.

The hunter looks taken aback at being addressed like this and he shifts back on his heels a bit. Soon enough though he smiles a wicked smile and reaches out his arm. He gently flicks the man’s forearm with his finger and a sickening crack rings around the car followed by the man’s shriek of pain as his radius is broken.

Before the hunter can reach out to grab the woman another voice pipes up. It’s the boy from across the isle. “She was not the last to come into the car sir.” He says bravely and with an even stare to boot. The hunter looks toward him, I can tell his patience is running thin.

By this point I have taken in my escape routes. The door on the other end of the train car, an open window, and even the vent on the roof looks promising. My attention comes back to the present just as the boy points towards me. It’s show time I suppose.

The hunter looks at me, maybe I can still play my cards here. With an odd amount of gentleness he slides in the booth besides me. “Well I guess this makes a good amount of sense.” He states matter of factly. He reaches up an arm to brush my dirty blonde hair back and out of my face. “What does?” I say inputting a sense of confusion and disgust into my tone.

He pauses a bit, he might be buying it.

“What’s a…pretty…” he says pretty and looks like he’s about to vomit whilst doing so. “Little thing like you, sitting allllll alone in a train like this?” He says glaring into my blue eyes. Screw it, I’m not good at this kind of altercation.

My bones quickly shift and my flesh is seemingly drawn tight, my skin prickles as the feathers quickly appear. The world becomes a lot bigger and slower the faster I shrink. Chirping I quickly flash my wings and take to the air. I narrowly avoid his quick grasp and take to the open window.

Just as I make it out the window a hand grabs my tiny body. I shrill loudly and it quickly turns into a hiss as my feathers are replaced with scales and my legs disappear into my flesh. I lengthen and my tail rattles. My beak is turned into two powerful and extendable fangs. I twist around and bite the hand, releasing my venom into the pliable flesh. The hand quivers and there is a gasp of pain but the grip only hardens.

I am pulled back into the train. The hunter smacks me against the wall causing my vision to blur. I am weak from the two morphs but I have one last trick up my sleeve. A final attempt at a fatal end. My arms reappear and my muscles grow strong. My body grows much larger and my scales loosen up and become orange and black fur. My fangs grow larger and my vision is no longer in heat signatures. My whiskers tickle my face and I become too large for his grip. The hunter takes a quick step back and ducks under my strike as my claws swipe the air. I growl loudly at him and bare my teeth.

I’m confused as he just stands there and tuts loudly. I stop baring my teeth for a split second as we stare each other down. “There’s the monster.” He whispers. Quicker than light he shoots something at me. I feel nothing but I instantly become nauseous and dizzy. I feel myself morph back but not to my own accord. I stumble on all fours as I become weaker. My vision slowly blurs then eventually fades.

I come to lying on the floor of a large metal crate. I can’t tell if the ground is moving from the train that I might still possibly be on or from the drugs that still flow through my system. I am incredibly weak and can hardly even move a muscle. A low whistle sounds beside me. I turn my head painfully to see the hunter crouched beside the bars. “You do cause quite the bite there monster.” He states, “unfortunately for you your venom doesn’t quite do the trick on me.” He reveals the bite only for me to see the wound is barely there anymore. In fact, it’s already nearly scabbed over and not swollen at all. “Who are you?” I gasp out, I didn’t realize how much effort talking was when you are weak.

The hunter merely scoffs and stands. He walks over to the window of the empty room, which I realized is actually still a train car to my relief. “You know, I am actually not that surprised that you don’t remember me. After all I was never that important to you was I? I must admit too that your morph disguise is pretty good, I hardly recognized you at all.” My brain is still foggy from the drugs and I can’t even begin to try to remember things so I try again. “Who….are….you?” I wheeze out the last word as strong as I can.

He turns and glares at me. He is at the bars again before I can comprehend it. He opens the side door of the cage and shows me his closed palm. Slowly, he opens his fingers revealing his palm. Etched into his palm is the same symbol I have etched into mine. A sparrow with two crisscross spears shot through it. I feel sick to my stomach. This can’t be possible, it just can’t be. He bares his stained teeth. “Why don’t you tell me monster, or should I dare say my wife?”

End (for now)