"To be asked to take this plunge, to forgive and forget
And be the better man, to be a better man, to be a better man."
And so with everyone’s hearts beating as one they moved, fists and gods flying towards the three headed demon. It thrashed as it’s third and final skull gave way to the muscular girl’s fist, each head dragging along the metal ground with a high screech. It’s four legs gave out from underneath of it, causing it to collapse in the rift between the two pieces of the disemboweled train. The vines around it’s body had woven themselves through its fully exposed ribcage to squeeze around it’s three necks. There was no flesh left to kill, nor mechanisms in which to create sound, and yet it still screeched in pain.
Clawed appendages scraped against the ground as it weakened, causing the metal to cry out along with it. Bones began to bend and splinter. Two of it’s heads fell limp as the third struggled to stay afloat. Its gaze remained fixated on the charcoal doll for the last few seconds of it’s life before its neck was snapped apart. As it’s skull fell it dissolved into more of the now familiar tarlike substance, splattering onto the ground in front of you with a squelch. It smelled
awful, like the rot from a corpse mixed with mold and detritus. You covered your mouth to block some of it out, but the pervasiveness of the odor was too much to fend off.
But in the corner of your eye, you noticed that movement hadn’t quite stopped. Though the beast was destroyed the vines that had been plaguing it so writhed against the ground. Some o them were still. The ones that hadn’t been wounded shot past either of your sides, whipping to grab at each member of your disorganized but still united group. You held the neck of the bottle tightly, determined to slash as many as you could before they reached their destination, but almost as soon as you rushed forward to do so something cut into your arms like razorblades as they gripped gripped. You didn’t need to turn to know what was holding you.
One by one the vines caught onto the others. A thick tendril lashed around the muscular girl’s wrists to bind her fists together so they would never punch again. Another took Miyoshi’s arms to thrash her just as badly as she had thrashed them. The blind girl’s legs had been wrenched out from underneath her in an attempt to drag her further into their reach, dealing the healer of the group a similar punishment. They rose up to almost completely bind Taro, the thickest of the vines squeezing his midsection to the point where it looked painful. The last wrapped its way around the neck of the girl who had stung it the most with her water attacks, squeezing with intent to pop it off like the neck of a daisy.
You thrashed despite your mind was blank with terror. No- they had fought so hard!
You closed your eyes, not willing to watch what happened if you failed to escape. But blue took over the red that burned behind your eyelids and as you hesitantly opened your eyes to look you saw something extraordinary.
A thousand blue lights had strung themselves across the train. Bodies sprouted from their flame heads, each of their faces set in an expression of unwavering courage. Sparks flew across the metal, stinging the vines like shots from guns. The snakelike growths arched back as if to tighten their grip once more, but cobalt flames started to engulf them, practically filling the train car. You closed your eyes and drew your now free arm up to shield yourself, but felt no heat. As you looked around, you saw the others standing amongst the flames as well, unharmed by the blaze that had covered everything. The fire had engulfed the vines which now burned to ash on the ground below, freeing everyone from each of their prisons.
The ground shifted underneath you, pulling forward quickly. Stumbling back, you saw that the two ends of the train car had begun to lace together like strings of glue. They grew orange for a split second and then snapped together, mending the car back into a singular body. The black tar burned away like smoke, filtering out of the car and, in a flash of light the flames dispersed, leaving only sparks of blue and faint glow behind. Nearby on the ground, one flame body remained. It was lying face down, flickering weakly as if caught by the wind. Why hadn’t it gone with the others?
The ground lurched below your feet again and slowly, the train began to move. Though this time it was peaceful and smooth, maybe even more so than its usual pace. Orange light began to filter through the windows as you approached the mouth of the tunnel and, as you bottomed up the world opened before you. The city was still, stuck in time as the train continued to glide through it. Windows reflected a lazy pink light, the usual harsh shadows of the streets calmer and less than they had ever appeared.
You looked around to see that the others bathed in the same light, alive and unharmed. Their wounds had been restored and, they had won. You wiped off the wetness that had collected on your face from earlier, hopefully before anyone saw it.
“We… should get each other’s numbers, in case something like this happens again,” you cough, voice cracking a bit.
“Just to be safe.”You pulled your cellphone from your pocket and it flickered to life. For some reason, you weren't expecting to work. Finally, a pleasant surprise.
So love me mother, and love me father, and love my sister as well.