The armored passenger train pushed against the limits of both the track and its capacity. Even with no knowledge of how the engine worked, Noble could feel the wheels were one mistake away from derailing.
But no one complained. News of the communication with the city spread quickly. As the day went on and into the night, no one could make contact.
"I am sure they are just being cautious," BB assured Noble when she whispered her concerns to him. "Maybe one of the creatures has some sort of ability to track communication, so they cut it off until the thing is dead. They will get it figured out."
Noble wasn't sure she believed him, but she couldn't disagree. BB's father was back home. He had to be alive and well. There was no other option.
The longer the train sped across the landscape, the worse the news became. More and more areas were becoming unreachable and the few pieces of information that could be gathered indicated that the danger was spreading in their direction.
So the relief when the port finally came into view near the middle of the day was profound.
"We made it!" Noble tapped on the glass as she pointed excitedly.
The gate to the port opened just in time to let the train through before shutting its massive alloy door once more.
"I was so worried," Lena admitted quietly to her husband. Lance hugged her and she melted into his arms.
In the absence of his father, BB embraced his mom and younger siblings, leaving Noble to watch the scene. She had never seen any of these people scared.
Even her Uncle Bran, who was the oldest of her father's siblings, seemed rattled for the first time in his life.
When the doors opened, the train station was flooded with the influx of people. The port was mostly used for transport of goods and military personnel. So many civilians were a very strange sight in the austere environment.
Noble had not realized there were so many people on the train. She gripped her mother's hand and her bag, afraid to lose either of them in the mass of humanity.
"Where are all these extra people from?" Lance asked someone in uniform.
"As soon as that blasted Gate opened, every train imaginable has been finding its way here. I doubt they even have room for this engine to spend the night." The station worker answered with a frown. "If I were you, I would get off the platform and find a place to be for the night."
"Thank you. We have a ship leaving this evening." Lance headed away and motioned for his family to follow.
Everyone was pressing together, but once they got into the main yard of the port, the choke point opened wide.
The bulk of the military had left the day before to help battle the Gate, so only a skeleton crew of workers remained to keep things moving. The result was utter chaos.
Some officials were directing people to the unused barracks while others were simultaneously sending arrivals to the docks or to one of the mess halls. The crowds undulated in an aimless mass.
"This way!" Lance called to Lena, who passed the message back to the rest of his family. Snaking through the plaza, the group finally made it past all the barracks and to the docks.
What they found was nothing short of shocking.
A line over a thousand people long waited along the pier to board a massive ship.
"I'll figure this out. Wait here." Lance left his family behind in the line to traverse the empty side of the concrete dock in search of someone in charge.
After what felt like ages, Noble's father returned with frustrating news.
"It seems the port is having the same trouble connecting with the siege capital. They never got the evacuation list, so things are working on a first-come, first-served basis. I can get myself, Lena, and Noble on immediately because I have official orders, but the rest of you will have to wait in line."
"We cannot leave them!" Noble grabbed BB's hand automatically.
He squeezed it, sharing her worry. Then realizing he was being a little too sweet, he mussed up her hair for good measure. Noble rolled her eyes in response and tied back her hair with a scowl.
Uncle Bran was more reasonable. "Even with all these people, I think we should make it onboard. It is good we did not get ushered into the barracks with so many of the others. It will be fine. You go ahead and save us a better place."
But Lance agreed with his daughter. "We will wait with you. The line has already moved."
It was a slow afternoon, but the fear of the water and the gate slowly faded as monotony set in. Noble and BB played games with the rest of the cousins as they all blabbered on in a language only they understood.
But then…
The sound of gunfire rang out on the alloy wall of the fortification.
Those on the dock fell silent as the ground began to rumble.
The guns one by one fell silent.
With each passing moment, the line grew more restless and pressed forward, filling in the empty spots on the dock.
People pushed forward to get onto the ship, many yelling their urgent need to get aboard. The soldiers at the entrance were barely able to maintain control.
A scream.
Standing on her toes, Noble looked back toward the wall. A hideous black monster, worse than anything on any webtoon, tumbled over the wall and into the port's railyard.
More screams. More shooting. More creatures coming over the wall.
But Noble could not see any of the action. The people around her panicked and began shoving.
Noble tried and failed to grab her mother's hand. Her suitcase was ripped from her grip and trampled underfoot.
"Hold this. I'll get it. Go!" BB handed over his bag and pulled back to find the lost luggage.
"No!" Noble tried to stop him from leaving. But she could not even stop her own movement.
With so many people pressing in around her, the girl's feet lifted from the ground and Noble was forced forward. The world around her erupted into chaos.
A call came from the ship's intercom. "Weigh anchor! We need to close the gangway!"
The two large doors on the side of the hull began to shut. Ropes connecting the ship to the concrete slab began to be cut from above. Normally the large cords would have been untied, but there was no time, so they were being sliced by every means necessary.
Screaming, pushing, and trampling...people were falling off of the pier and into the water from the pressure of the crowd. But no one cared. There were monsters behind them and the only hope for salvation was closing fast.
The only way to go was forward.
Noble's slight frame was not heavy enough to get her feet back on the ground. She could only hold onto BB's bag for dear life and hope she would not be suffocated.
The doors of the boat stalled halfway shut. There were too many people blocking them for to close anymore. This was good news for Noble and so many others. More poured into the overfilled cabin, bringing Noble ever closer to the door.
At last, the alloy doors seemed within reach. She finally felt the toe of her foot gain purchase on the lip of the doorway.
But then the engines of the boat revved to life and forced the boat away from the port. The people in front of her scrambled forward while those behind her could not make the leap.
The pressure from both sides of the girl suddenly disappeared, leaving her with only one foot on the ship. It was not enough. Her toe slipped and her shin hit the safety step. The gangway tumbled down.
Noble was falling.