Chapter 14

With all the repairs done, Hakade and his crew left Matawara. They headed south before turning southeast toward their next stop, Wananera. It was once a massive city bustling with activity. Hakade watched with bated breath as the city came into view. As beautiful, and as eerie, as when he last saw it.

“... We're home,” Laurel said.

The locomotive fell silent. Only the sound of the diesel could be heard. Their home, the place where they used to live, where they used to spend their childhood. Hakade held his breath. He didn’t feel these emotions often. The city remained in ruins ever since the war, and Hakade rarely returned.

The ruined landscape grew larger. Tall, broken skyscrapers filled the city center. Sunken ships poked from the water in the harbor. Wreckage and abandoned vehicles fill the streets. Most striking of all was the massive crater near the city center, where the first missile landed. Nothing remained of that area. Everything on top of it was gone.

Hakade knew that the city that they used to call home was no longer there. Only the name remained.

“Route all green,” Laurel said with hesitation. He knew she didn’t want to say a thing.

“... Do you want to take a visit?”

“...” Laurel paused, then shook her head. “There's no need-”

“I want to take a look.”

“What was the question for, then?” she asked, forcing a lighter tone.

“... If you don't want to, can you take care of the train for me?”

“... Sure.”

The train pulled into the city's main station. Many parts of the station had been ruined. Holes in the walls, parts of platforms that had disappeared, water leaking from the roofs.

… Water?

It had begun raining once they stopped. Hakade moved the train forward so that the passenger cars received cover from what remained of the roof. He remembered frequenting this very station, the closest to a large mall he and his friend used to visit. Neither of them still exists.

He stepped onto the platform, then took a look around. He still remembered the station’s shape, the many trains that frequented this station. The loud voices of the crowd, the chatter of students enjoying their time after school.

Sometimes, he wondered what life would have been like had that war never happened.

“... I changed my mind.”

Hakade turned to Laurel. She got off the locomotive, her palms shaking.

“I want to go as well.”

Hakade nodded. “Let's invite the others.”

Laurel headed toward the crew car. Hakade looked to the skies. The rain clouds blocked his view, so he couldn't find what he was looking for. Still, the thought of that being up there, stalking their every move, was unsettling.

… But… why?

He didn’t understand. He tried thinking about it ever since he received the intel, but no answer came up.

“Hakade?” Laurel called.

“Coming!”

•••

Scorpion ran through the empty streets, cutting through the intense downpour. Mia sat next to Hakade, pushing some of the wreckage off the main road. At moments like this, Hakade felt grateful that he had Scorpion. A regular tank would struggle in this environment.

Hakade wished he could slow down and take in the view. The once-familiar streets felt alien to him, and rushing around felt disrespectful to all the ones who lost their lives here, but he couldn’t spend a long time away. Everyone had gotten off the train, only Laurel watching it through the cameras installed onboard. He had all the doors locked, even put in some heavy blocks in front of the wheel, but that wouldn't prevent theft. At most, it would slow them down.

Inside Scorpion, no one said a thing. They could only hear the sound of its large machine legs moving, stomping above the ground, with a bit of raindrops falling from the sky. The place they would visit had a lot of memories for all of them.

The trip from the station took about thirty minutes. It should be quicker on the way back, since they cleared a path. Still, every second felt like an eternity. Hakade knew he would find nothing when he returned, yet a slight hope held on in his heart. Hope that he would wake up from this dream, that he would find his family just fine. That none of this ever happened.

Still…

Every time he thought about it, he remembered Laurel, Ana, and Mia. What would happen to them? Would everything truly be alright?

No, I can’t dwell in the past.

The past wouldn’t return. This is not a dream. He lived this life, his current one. He must live without regret. Surely they wanted him to do that.

They arrived at the outskirts. In front of them stood several ruined buildings. These used to be houses, Hakade knew, because he used to walk on these very streets to school. The narrow streets forced Hakade to be careful. He watched his left and right, trying his best not to get stuck on anything.

Finally, it came into view. The building, or at least the remains of it, where he spent his childhood. Hakade pulled Scorpion to a stop.

“Let's go.”

One by one, the girls got off Scorpion. Ana and Mia shared an umbrella, while Laurel had her own. There was one umbrella left.

“... You don't want to get off?”

Ann had woken up earlier. She had remained silent throughout the entire trip, maybe not wanting to ruin the mood.

“Sorry.”

She got off. Hakade took the umbrella and locked Scorpion’s door. She opened the umbrella and protected Ann, who stood in the rain.

“You don’t have to-”

“It’s alright. It’s the least I can do.”

The gate to his house had been destroyed, leaving rubble in the way. Ana and Mia already crossed that line of rubble, Laurel and Ann following behind them. They couldn’t see much beyond that. Most of the structure had collapsed, leaving nothing but concrete blocks lying everywhere.

Hakade’s memories lay underneath all that rubble. Memories of the time when he lived without worry. When he still chased his dreams. When his family was there with him. When he cooked with his mother, played games with his father, and taught math to his brother.

“... Alright, let's continue.”

“You're not going to spend more time…?” Ann asked.

Hakade shook his head. He had made a decision. He wouldn’t dwell on the past.

No matter how long he stared at this building, the time from back then wouldn't come back. Those who had passed wouldn't return. He came here to pay his respects, since his family never received a grave. Even then, he didn't have flowers to bring or any words he could say. All he could do was stand in front of it.

They continued to the place across the street. Unlike Hakade, Laurel Anamia’s former home wasn't so lucky. It used to be a large home, yet now, nothing remains of it. The ground beneath it had collapsed, and they couldn't get close, or they might fall into the crater. They couldn’t even pass its front gates.

“This place…” Ann murmured. For the first time, her voice shook.

“Yeah,” Hakade replied. “This is their home.”

The three girls stood near the entrance. The nameplate attached to the gate had disappeared. It had nothing to differentiate itself from the surroundings, but Hakade remembered. The girls remembered. They knew their own home.

The memories from that time, when Laurel Anamia would drag Hakade to her home. She would beg him to teach her biology, and she would invite him to play games. Hakade knew her parents. They would give him gifts during holidays, sometimes even invite his family to go on vacations.

So many memories, gone within seconds.

“Conductor,” Laurel approached, holding her umbrella tight. Hakade nodded.

They returned to Scorpion.