The Undesirables

Chapter 1

It was like waking up from a bad night’s sleep. Sienna’s whole body ached, and nausea washed over her in waves. She squinted against the intense light that was all around her. Then there were hands everywhere, grabbing at her.

“It’s okay! You’re safe!” Came a deep voice above her when she tried to fight them off. Still squinting, she looked up. A man, middle-aged with a light accent Sienna couldn’t place was looking down at her.

“There’s a survivor!” Came another voice from a distance.

She began to panic again but the man gestured with his hands, making sure to keep his distance to not frighten her again. “Please calm down,” He said. “You’re safe now.” He was trying to sound as gentle as he could. He towered over her but nothing about him was immediately threatening. Sienna felt herself relax a little. Through teary eyes, she began to see him more clearly. He had a dark complexion, and wrinkles around his dark eyes. Though he looked young, he had spots of gray in his thick beard and hair. He was dressed smartly, in a blue collared shirt, tight against his large frame. He wore tan pants, which were soiled, something dark smeared on them. “Are you okay?” He asked after Sienna didn’t answer. “It’s alright,” He said again, realizing what he looked like. “Please, we’re here to help. Are you hurt?”

Sienna blinked twice, confused. Then she looked around. She had been laying in an aisle between two rows of booth-like seats. Bodies lay sprawled in every which way on the floor in front of her. Some legs poked out from between the rows, resting slack and as unmoving as those on the floor. Other rows had the upper half.

Screams and chaos. People trampled over each other for the door, but it was closed. No one could get it open. “Sienna!” A shrill shriek.

The memory came and went quickly, leaving her head throbbing viciously. She raised her hand to her head to where she felt the pain the most and when she pulled it back, there was blood.

She turned around to find the source of it, but she was suddenly forced down to the ground. Feet, bodies, hands, everywhere, all falling on top of her…

The room around her spun and became unfocused. She leaned over and she vomited. Again, hands, the deep-voiced man’s hands, grabbed her as her head fell back. Everything went black.

When Sienna woke up again, she was laid out across two leather seats. A thin sheet had been placed on top of her. A chill ran through her body. She shivered. She felt too weak to pull up the sheet at that moment, though she doubted it would’ve done much. Beneath her, the ground rumbled. The sound of screeching of metal against mental came and went softly reminding her she was on a train but she remembered nothing else. A shiver took over her again. It was unusually cold. Her body still ached all over, and her head was still pounding but not as much as before. After a moment she was able to at least pick herself up halfway, barely managing to rest both her elbows on the narrow seat. She was immediately met with the gaze of an older woman and a young woman who sat in the seats across from her, both watching her warily. The way they were dressed suggested they were women who lived comfortably.

“Oh honey, are you okay?” The older woman asked, almost relieved, but her grey eyes still watched her attentively. The other woman also had light eyes and Sienna noticed their features that hinted at their relation. However, where the older woman had dark hair, pulled back in a loose but elegant bun, the younger woman’s hair was light brown that fell in messy light curls past her shoulders. She reminded Sienna of one of her sisters’ friends. Her sister …

Sienna turned around, her eyes searching for Linnea, but she was overcome by the crowd heading towards the corridor connection, whose door had suddenly slammed shut, trapping them all.

Sienna had come up to a full sitting position now, an onslaught of nausea coming over her as she did. She moaned.

The younger woman suddenly rose halfway out of her seat, looking around with an unknown urgency. “Over here! She’s awake!” She beckoned to whoever she had been looking for and within moments that person was in front of Sienna, blocking the view of the older woman and the younger woman who still watched as if they go seeing right through. Sienna could feel them watching intently.

The person that stood in front of Sienna was just as elegant as the two women who sat across from her. Her glowing dark skin was beautifully complimented by her olive-green hijab. She was dressed like the man who woke her, in business casual attire, wearing a sleek silk blouse and loose white slacks. She said she was a doctor.

“I’m happy you’re awake.” The doctor said catching her breath and she really was. Her voice was cheery despite the atmosphere. Sienna squinted as the doctor flashed a bright light in her eyes. “My name is Garnett. What’s yours?”

“Sienna.”

“Good, Sienna,” Garnett said, nodding. “You were in an accident, and you had a concussion. I think you hit your head pretty hard.” At that moment Sienna realized that the doctor was not looking at her but almost above her. “I’m going to examine you to make sure you’re okay, is that alright?” Sienna nodded.

“Good,” Garnett leaned over again. She smelled like spring. “Watch my finger,” Garnett moved a finger back and forth in front of Sienna’s eyes, watching her intently, her eyes still occasionally going to Sienna’s forehead. Sienna felt her forehead furrow. Why was she doing that?

“Are you feeling any pain?” She asked suddenly, alarmed by her expression. Sienna felt herself nod. “Can you rate your pain on a scale from one to ten, Sienna, with ten being the worst?”

“Four.”

Garnett nodded but she seemed lost in thought for a moment as she pulled out a small notepad from the pockets of her pants. She spelled out her name allowed as she wrote down Sienna’s name in her notepad, looking up at Sienna to make sure she spelled it right. “Last name?” She looked back up expectantly.

“Mazarin.” Sienna spelled it out for her. Garnett chuckled. “Like that photographer?” Sienna nodded avoiding her gaze. Garnett continued writing in her notepad, not picking on Sienna’s sudden uneasiness. Okay, Sienna,” Garnett said when she was done. “So, the guys that brought you here said you were a little disoriented when they found you. Do you mind telling me where you think you are?”

“On an Out-train.”

“Right. Do you remember where this Out-train is going?”

Sienna hesitated.

Sienna grabbed Linnea’s hand, Hunter following quickly behind. After hopping on the third train, she stopped counting. They just had to lose the man and get back before they end up in the Outside …

“Sienna,” Garnett said after a moment passed and she didn’t answer. Sienna opened her mouth and closed it again. “I don’t know.” Sienna finally answered.

“What else can’t you remember?” Garnett asked, keeping her composure, but her forehead wrinkled slightly. “Can you remember what happened to you?”

Sienna blinked as another wave of nausea hit her. “My sister …” she began. “… and my brother …” She started to get up slowly but Garnett sat her back down with a soft touch on her shoulder.

“Some volunteers went to go check through the train with trained officers,” Garnett said. “They’ll find your siblings. Right now, I have to make sure you’re okay – ”

Sienna shook her head. “I need to find them. I think they got hurt –”

“Sienna, please. I have no idea how hurt you are. I cannot let you go anywhere.” Her voice was firm. “I know it’s hard right now but you have to trust the officers do their job and let me do mine. Right now, if you can, tell me everything you can remember.”

Screaming. Hands, bodies, feet … all coming down on top of her.

Sienna hesitated. Her head began throbbing intensely again. She didn’t want to remember anymore. Garnett’s face changed as if she had read her mind. “You don’t have to do it right now.” She said, her voice becoming soft again. “My priority is just to make sure you are okay.”

“But my brother …” Sienna’s voice trailed as she began to realize there was nothing she could do. Garnett took the seat next to her. She placed a hand on her back and began to rub gently in soft circles. It relaxed her a bit but did nothing for the growing ache in her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes. Garnett took Sienna’s hands in hers. “Take deep breaths. Slowly … yes, just like that …”

“We were being followed,” Sienna said. Then it all came rushing out.

His eyes were blank, dark, and lifeless, like falling into a darkness where she would never hit the ground. They stared straight into Sienna’s. She felt like they were holding her there. It’s as if he appeared out of nowhere. No matter what they did, where they went, he was there, not far behind. Everything about him felt wrong. Even the way he moved, slow and methodical, each step closing the gap between her and him. Hunter was suddenly between them. “Get away from -” With a movement as if swatting away a fly, Hunter was thrown sideways, hitting the side of the car, and falling on top of a man and a woman. The man with the lifeless eyes barely touched him! Behind her, Linnea’s screams were drowned by others. The man’s lifeless eyes never left Sienna, and he never stopped walking. Sienna could not make herself move. “Hey! What are you doing?” someone yelled behind her. “Hunter!” Linnea’s cries came again. “Sienna!” Linnea’s cries became hopeless. That seemed to snap Sienna out of whatever trance he had her in because suddenly Sienna was climbing over the row of seats toward Hunter. Through the corner of her eye, she saw the man outreached an arm as if to grab her but someone had crashed into him with a force that should have knocked him down but all it did was sent him tumbling back a few steps. Just as Sienna reached Hunter, she heard a loud “BANG!” followed by the sharp crack of glass splitting. The window breaking on an Out-train?! An alarm went off just as the screams began. Hunter was in the arms of the woman he had fallen on top of, blood all over his face and the woman’s shirt, his body twitching horribly as she held him helplessly in her arms. “He broke the glass!” Shouted The man that had been sitting next to the woman. “Oh my god, he broke the glass!” Around her, she heard the chaos, Linnea still screaming for them. As she reached for Hunter, something caught her arm. The man with lifeless eyes was staring down at her. His face was void of expression except for those eyes, eyes that were now wide as if he had just won a prize. That’s when another woman appeared. Or at least what Sienna thought was a woman. She seemed to materialize from the shadows -

Garnett squeezed her hand. “That’s enough.” She said in a hushed whisper. She was sitting stiffly, her face hard and serious. “Listen to me,” She started slowly, keeping her voice low but trying hard to keep her voice assuring and light. “I believe you. But you can’t tell anyone else that story. Not even the officers.” She squeezed Sienna’s hand again when she started. “If anyone even hints for a moment that they think Undesirables –” Sienna gasped. “ – got on this train ….” Garnett let it trail but Sienna could feel her fear. Another chill coursed through her that had nothing to do with the chill of the train. An Undesirable. The existence of Undesirables was one of the main reasons why people did whatever they could to escape the Outside, despite having the Zones. Everyone had a different story of their origins but everyone agrees they were suddenly everywhere after the Domes were built as if they had always existed. This was referred to as the Second Wave after they realized they were born that way because at least one parent was a carrier. It was a time before Sienna was born. A time when every woman lived in fear of becoming pregnant. There was no way to tell yet if a child would become that way until the mother was dead upon delivery and the child took its first to breathe after being still for a little too long … Sienna swallowed hard.

“Right now, people think it’s Anti-Dome radical,” Garnett said, pulling Sienna out of her thoughts. “They’ve been causing a lot of trouble lately.” No one hated the Domes and anything associated with them as much as those who proclaimed themselves Anti-Dome. They blamed everything on the creation of the Domes. From the growingly erratic weather of the Outside that made it unlivable, to even the existence of the Undesirables! Yes, they were obnoxious on a good day, loitering outside Out-stations in the Zones, and their recent stunt trying to break into the Domes for goodness knows what was a disastrous and sad attempt but to attack an Out-train? Could anyone believe that?

“Everyone is on edge, especially since we passed three Out-Stations without stopping. Transport is on its way and I need you to stay here until then. Do you understand?” Garnett waited for Sienna to nod. “I say this because you might put yourself in a position you don’t need to be in. But I know an officer who can help. He’s out with the volunteers looking for any survivors. It was a mess already when they were trying to get the doors unlocked. I have to finish examining you. Is that alright? I’ll go get you some water but, in the meantime, keep to yourself until the transport comes.”

Sienna nodded. She had no other choice. She gave Garnett the full names of her siblings, an eyebrow slightly twitching when the last names were different than hers but she did not push it and for that Sienna was glad. Garnett gave her a few reassuring words before speaking briefly to the mother and her daughter who trying their best to occupy themselves with anything else that wouldn’t make it seem like they were trying to eavesdrop. They nodded, smiling, and then Garnett was gone, rushing off to tend to others. Sienna was supposed to when she felt her absence and frowned. Still, Sienna was feeling better by the moment. She was even able to rise in her seat enough to take in the whole car. People were in their seats as if it were a normal ride, but there was a tense feeling in the air. An anticipation of something unknown. Everyone was on edge, that was easy to tell. People talked in hushed, harsh whispers, most likely exchanging similar worries. Garnett seemed to be right about everyone believing it was an Anti-Dome attack because who would even dream of an Undesirable coming out of the Domes? She suddenly got the feeling she was being watched and sure enough, she was met with apprehensive eyes. That’s when Sienna remembered her shirt. Everyone seemed to be dressed like the women who sat across from her, simple, elegant, and expensive. Then she noticed the train car. It was a parlor car. An expensive one. though Sienna was not new to parlor cars, she could never get used to them. She felt suddenly out of place. She sat back down in her sit, withdrawing. Still, Sienna kept an open ear as she looked out the blur that was the view of the Out-train, catching words like “radicals” and “attack”. Guilt and sorrow washed over her. The only ones who remained to themselves were the officers who were easy to spot even though were not in uniform. Their eyes seemed to be everywhere and nowhere, alert, and ready for anything at a moment’s notice.

“They’re gonna be okay,” Sienna looked up to see it was the older woman from the row across from her again. “You’re siblings,” she said when she took Sienna’s silence as confusion. “I couldn’t help but overhear you cry for them.” She truly looked sorry. Suddenly, the woman reached into her handbag and pulled out a water bottle. She came over and put it directly in Sienna’s hands. “Here, take it.” She watched and waited until Sienna took a sip. “How old are they?” The woman seemed unbothered by the awkwardness.

“My sister is sixteen and my brother,” her voice seemed to have caught in her throat as she tried not to remember it. “He’s fourteen.” She finished in low voice.

Silence fell again. “They probably ran off, scared.” The woman said. “That’s what I would have done at that age. I would’ve hidden until I knew it was safe to come out.” She sighed. “They’re saying a lot of people got hurt – “she stopped herself. Her cheeks flushed, abashed. “I am so sorry; I don’t even know what happened to you.” The look on her face told Sienna this was the real reason she came over.

“I don’t know either,” Sienna said looking away.

“Oh, you poor thing.” She said and Sienna could tell she didn’t fully believe her. “People are saying all crazy things.” She said quickly. “That radicals snuck in and set off a bomb. A bomb!” She shook her head. “In an Out-train! As if those radicals would dare!” Sienna shifted uncomfortably, looking anywhere but at the women. Behind her, the younger woman was busy on her phone, occasionally looking over at them. The older woman followed her gaze. “She’s still trying to get a connection. The connection has been down since the emergency system had all the doors locked. And it’s freezing … all sorts of things are happening that shouldn’t …” Her voice trailed and she had a distant look for a second. She shook her head, seeming to snap her out of it.

“Anyways, that’s my daughter,” She nodded over to the other woman focused on her phone. “Melanie,” at the sound of her name, Melanie finally looked up from her phone as if snapping out of a trance. Now that Sienna could get a clear look at her, she saw that Melanie was not much older than she was. “I’m Clarissa.” Said the older woman.

“Sienna.” Clarissa seemed nice, the type that could speak to anyone but Sienna, however, always had trouble keeping speaking to those she did not know. It was Linnea who was the best with people. There was a spirit about her that seemed to soothe everyone around her, no matter the situation.

“Well, Sienna, you’re siblings will come back just fine. This Out-train seems to have the best officers and doctors in the Northern Cities onboard for some reason. Lucky us though,” She chuckled awkwardly.

A thought suddenly came to Sienna. “Where is this train going?”

Clarissa lifted an eyebrow. “Right now? Goodness knows. They’re saying something went wrong when the alarms went off. They can’t get it to stop at any of the Out-Stations. We’re just flying through the Outside it seems,” she chuckled but she caught the look on Sienna’s face. “It’s probably going to stop where it was supposed to go.”

Sienna hesitated. “And where was that?”

Clarissa eyed her. “You don’t know where the train you got on is going?” Suddenly Sienna regretted asking. Something flashed briefly in Clarissa’s eyes; however, it was gone as quickly as it came. “Oh, you poor thing. I almost forgot they said you hit your head. You know,” she said, getting lost in thought. “I once met a man who knocked his head so hard he couldn’t remember his brother from Adam. He -”

“Mom!” Both Sienna and Clarissa turned to Melanie who was watching the end of the train car.

A group of people had emerged through the corridor connection, along with a few others who looked uncomfortable with the attention that came with them. It was obvious they were officers even though none of them were in uniform. Their eyes seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time - alert, and ready for anything at a moment’s notice.

They stopped just a few feet from the corridor connection and with that, silence came. One man stood just ahead of everyone else, muscular but lean, square-jawed, and with a hard expression. He cleared his throat and waited until the train car completely quieted.

“Alright, everyone,” His voice was steady and calm, seeming to carry throughout the entire train. “We successfully surveyed the entire train and unfortunately we found no more survivors.” The train erupted in hushed murmurs and Sienna went still. In the corner of her eyes, Sienna caught Clarissa glance over at her. She tried not to look at her. She was looking at Garnett who had appeared behind the group. Garnett caught her gaze, face full of sorrow as she looked away. For a moment, she thought the officer looked at her too.

“We have determined that it was radicals” Sienna heard the officer say but she was no longer present. Around her, voices were throwing questions at the officer all at once.

“We will do our best to answer all your questions,” the officer continued, “Everyone here is safe. The Transport will be arriving …” the rest seemed to trail away as Sienna felt sick again. Her mind went blank. Her nausea had gone, and her head no longer throbbed but now her chest was growing tighter by the second. She felt sick. The fear and guilt she had been trying so hard to fight back took over in a second and it felt like everything had flipped upside down. Sienna didn’t know when but Garnett was sitting next to her again, saying something but Sienna ignored her.

“Sienna,” Garnett pushed on, calling to her, over and over. Why did she come back? Sienna wanted to be alone. She needed to think. They probably thought her siblings were gone but Sienna knew that was wrong. They are alive and somewhere hiding on this train, as Clarissa said. Sienna just knew it. It couldn’t be. The officers didn’t look well enough and that made her increasingly upset. Garnett was a stranger. How dare she believe them?

Sienna could tell there were other people crowded around them but she didn’t care. They were all strangers.

The woman kept shouting at Hunter as he convulsed horribly in her arms, his eyes rolling back … the look on the woman’s face when she looked up at Sienna …

Sienna shook her head. All strangers who knew nothing. Sienna felt a moan escape her.

“Okay,” She heard Garnett say.” She felt Garnett wrap her arms around her, trying to lift her. “How about we go somewhere private.” Sienna finally looked up at Garnett. Yes, Sienna thought, she will find a way to leave and look. Sienna nodded and let Garnett raise her from her seat.

Sienna was seated in the last row opposite where the officers stood and she was glad. In a moment, silence surrounded them. Sienna hung her head the whole time as they walked, Sienna still in Garnett’s embrace, letting her pull her through different corridors. Sienna was thinking hard. She did not care where they were going until Sienna realized some time had passed and they were still walking. Sienna finally looked up just as they slowed. It was an observatory car. Wide floor-to-ceiling windows lined the car, revealing the barren desert that was the Outside. Garnett let her go.

“Sienna,” Garnett said carefully.

Sienna looked up at Garnett like she was seeing her for the first time. Garnett’s expression changed and it was angry. She looked past Sienna; through the way they came, looking firm. “I think this should wait.” She said speaking to someone behind her. Sienna turned around and felt herself step back when harsh dark eyes met hers. It was the officer from before. Sienna didn’t know he had been following them. Noticing her falter, Garnett gave her soft touch on her shoulder

“It’s okay,” Garnett said. “He’s going to help.” Sienna suddenly looked at her. They knew what she was planning.

“Sienna,” He spoke cautiously but he was still calm and firm. Though he was still stern, there was a note of determined softness to it that surprised Sienna. “My name is Arnold. I know this is a difficult time for you,” He began, “but, according to the doctor, you said you and were siblings were being followed.” It wasn’t a question. Sienna realized that Garnett must have told him what happened. Why else would he be here with them?

“Yes, she said it was an Undesirable.” Sienna heard herself say before she could stop herself but no one reacted. Arnold nodded curtly and another chill coursed through her body. There was no doubt in it.

“How old you, Sienna?”

“I turn eighteen this year.”

“Good. You’re old enough to make important decisions for yourself, Sienna. I need you to understand that what I’m about to ask you to do will be extremely difficult and I understand if you object but for the safety of everyone on board, I will need you to see if you can identify the person you said was following you amongst the dead.”

It took a moment for Sienna to realize what he was saying. She looked away from him.

“It’s okay to say no, Sienna,” Garnett whispered but Sienna looked at Garnett and she knew she was thinking. Sienna could also identify her siblings as well and as if confirming it, Garnett squeezed her shoulder.

There was a moment of silence as they waited for Sienna. It was heavy. But eventually, Sienna agreed.

The car where it all happened was just at the end of the observatory car. It was the only corridor connection that had its door still closed, Sienna realized. Sienna felt her feet drag as they made their way towards the corridor door. Time seemed to stretch as her heart raced. Each moment, her heart felt like it was being pulled further and further down into her stomach. By the time they finally reached the door, Sienna was shaking. Garnett embraced her one more time before Arnold raised an ID card and with a beep that sounded too loud, the door slid open.

The smell hit her first. Even Garnett’s mouth tightened. From the corner of her eyes, she could even see Arnold make a face. Garnett let out a cough through her nose.

It was the fact that it was a lot fewer people than Sienna thought that made it so that Sienna to take it all in as long as she did. Bodies lay sprawled, fixed in strange positions, their faces stuck in the horror of their last moments … Sienna closed her eyes afraid she might catch something familiar. She trembled.

“You can still turn back, Sienna,” Garnett said but Sienna shook her head.

Slowly, Sienna opened her eyes to take in the scene again, preparing herself for the moment she found Linnea or worst, Hunter. The image of his body twitching made her stomach turn. She slipped away from Garnett and walked slowly to where she had dragged Hunter but he was not there. She sharply looked away when she recognized the man and woman he fell on, however, still in the same spot she left them. Confused, she kept looking until she had worked her way to the opposite side of the car. Arnold and Garnett followed closely behind. She wasn’t even bothered by the handgun that suddenly appeared in Arnold’s raised hands.

Something like relief washed over Sienna. There weren’t here.

Sienna suddenly tensed. Even from beyond the grave, the eyes of the Undesirable stayed fixated on her. She barely locked eyes with it before she recognized it. Then she looked again. His eyes were all that was recognizable. He was in the worst shape of all. With one arm, without looking, she pointed. “There.” She said. “That’s him.”

Arnold was already in front of Sienna, squatting down and using his gun to poke at the Undesirable. He nodded. “Yeah,” he said as if agreeing with someone who wasn’t there. “That’s an Undesirable.” He shook his head. Though Sienna couldn’t see his face, she knew he was in disbelief. Undesirables were not common in the Domes, and they were even rarer on Out-trains. They usually lived in the Outside, as they were the only ones who could handle the extreme and erratic temperatures with little to no assistance. Arnold suddenly stood up, turning to Sienna and Garnett, the corners of his mouth twisted in disgust. He looked at Garnett and she nodded as if answering a silent question. Arnold took out his radio and stepped out the way as Garnett stepped in front of Sienna, squatting down. She took out something that Sienna couldn’t see. Something that beeped.

“Class 5.” She said and Arnold cursed.

Arnold took out a radio and began speaking to someone, speaking in jargon Sienna couldn’t decipher. Garnett stood up and looked at Sienna. “They’re not here, are they?”

Sienna shook her head. Garnett nodded solemnly.

“I think they’re hiding,” Sienna said, and she felt like she was confessing. Garnett looked at her for a moment but her expression didn’t change.

“Repeat that?” The alarm in Arnold’s made them both look. Through the receiver, Sienna heard that jargon again and both Arnold and Garnett tensed. Arnold’s full sternness returned. “We have to go back.” He nearly barked. “Now!” Sienna flinched. Garnett grabbed Sienna’s hand and began pulling her out of the car, Sienna barely keeping up behind. Arnold was close behind them still talking to his radio. Sienna had no urge to linger in that car any longer and Garnett drag her out. However, the moment they were through the corridor connection, Sienna asked her what was going on.

“Bandits,” she said without looking at Sienna but she seemed to be looking everywhere all at once. “They hijacked the Transport that was coming for us.”

“Wait – what does that mean?” She tugged Sienna ahead of her.

“Undesirables, Sienna!” For the first time since meeting her, Garnett looked terrified. “There are more coming!”