Inside the train, wires hung from the sides of the top, occasionally sparking. The heavy scent of iron from the blood that splattered the floor was thick. The deeper they explored the train, the more remnants of the massacre they found.
"Are you sure there isn't anything in the train?" Calyx asked, taking precautionary measures.
"I'm sure," Haze responded as he took a seat.
"Okay, then," Calyx said, sitting on the chair on the other side of the walkway.
"I really didn't want to fully think about it, but it's getting hard not to," Haze said as he leaned back into the seat while the train zipped to their next stop.
"Think about what?" Calyx asked.
"All of this. What even is happening? How many people have died? Even the infected you had killed, those were once people too. And this bloody situation, is this the end of the world? We are scrambling to find my mother in a bloody apocalypse that started out of nowhere. It's just all too much to comprehend," Haze concluded his rant as he tried to process the situation.
"Yeah, but on the bright side, you became a Quasar, a few months before you turned sixteen as well," Calyx shared a brighter perspective.
"That's right, that's a really uplifting point of view," Haze agreed, nodding.
"Although, your awakening is a bit weird as well, the more I think about it," Calyx said.
"Huh, what do you mean?" asked Haze, raising an eyebrow, seeking clarity.
"Well, your abnormally great senses—you shouldn't have had that before awakening. Even more weird was the fact that you could immediately use resonance; that's not normal," Calyx said, stroking his chin, trying to figure out what was going on.
"It's not?" Haze asked, intrigued and confused.
"No, it's not. From what I was told, resonance can't be used immediately after awakening, not to talk of before awakening," Calyx explained.
"So what could this mean?" Haze asked, now greatly curious.
"You had already awakened," came the words slowly out of Calyx's mouth, saying it in disbelief as he put the puzzle pieces together.
"What are you talking about? That's not possible. I have never been exposed to Quasarite prior to what had just happened," Haze dismissed Calyx's speculation with a scoff.
"Yeah, it doesn't make sense, but there is no other logical explanation for it... I don't know," Calyx scratched his head as he looked out the window, watching the walls of the train tunnel fly by.
Then, as they exited the tunnel into the open city, the devastation covered its entirety. Crumbling buildings and debris scattered across every street and corner, flames and dangling lights lit up the night.
Calyx wondered what was powerful enough to cause this level of destruction, to bring an entire city down to rubble and ashes. This was an answer he hoped he never got. His plan was to get his aunt and immediately get back to safety; he wouldn't get involved in what was clearly way above him.
"My dad..." Haze began, his head down in a contemplative stillness.
"What did you say?" Calyx immediately turned to ask. In all the years he had lived with Haze and Irene, Haze's father had never been brought up, and he, in turn, did not ask any questions out of respect for privacy. Hearing Haze say those words shocked him. However, the words that followed were even more surprising.
"He was a Quasar." Haze looked up, turning to Calyx, who did a horrible job of hiding his surprise.
"Hmph, yeah, it's unbelievable," Haze chuckled, looking back down as he fiddled with his fingers.
"I adored him and all Quasars. So did my mom. That's why I had always wanted to be one, and my mom is always so enthusiastic about them. We were always proud of who he was and what he did. I was little, but I understood that the job he did was dangerous. I understood there could be a time he would never come back... Yet this did nothing to lessen the pain." Haze's voice cracked slightly.
"That day is still vivid in my memory. I forgot most things, but that day I remember well. I could hear the man approaching from the hallway even before he knocked. He said something. I was way too far to hear it, then he handed my mother an envelope.
I watched her stand silently as she died inside. I was young, but I understood, and I was well-prepared for when that day would finally come—or at least, that's what I had thought. I often found myself calling for him at night, then crying painfully when I realized he would never answer.
One day, curious to see what was in the folder they gave my mother, I made my way into her bedroom as stealthily as I could. I slid open the bedside drawer, and there it was. The folder was loosely kept, and till this day, I wish it wasn't.
I opened it, and the first couple of things were some documents, some of which were for millions she was given as compensation. Then I got to the images, looked at them... They were... Those things... My dad, it was horrific." Haze's breathing began to become rapid, entering a panic state.
"Cal, those images..." Haze said as his breathing became more erratic.
"Stop, calm down. You don't have to say it if you can't. Just breathe and be calm." Calyx grabbed Haze by the shoulder, calming him, and Haze's breathing slowed.
"My point is, maybe I was exposed to Quasarite because of my dad?" Haze speculated, calming himself as the train began to slow.
"That's a possible connection. Don't worry; we'll get answers, but for now, let's focus on our task," Calyx said as the train came to a stop.
"Yeah, it seems we have quite the task," Haze added, standing from the seat.
"What do you mean?" Calyx asked as the train doors slid open, revealing dozens of infected scattered across the station, in their path.
Calyx sighed as he gripped the hilt of his sword, a precautionary gesture.