The interior of the train was claustrophobic, and it wasn't just the stifling heat that made my body sweat; it was the uncertainty of what I would find in Awaniko. It had been six months since my last visit, and my memories of my hometown were vague, almost erased by the years I'd spent away, whether working as an explorer or at the Wushia Teaching Academy. Probably the city had changed like me.
The steel train's route through the devastated desert was a straight line, like most railroads today. The curves added to the already enormous travel time.
The aridity of the desert was punctuated by the ruins of ancient cities, the skeletons of a once thriving civilization. Rusting metal factory structures and collapsed buildings were everywhere.
'How did we get to this point?' The question hovered in my mind with no clear answer.
Perhaps it was a combination of human arrogance and inevitable disaster, a cycle of destruction that no one could stop. The result was right in front of me, unfolding like an endless horror movie.
A few hours passed, but the clock seemed to be ticking. The car, packed at first, was now almost empty. Some passengers got off in the small, forgotten towns along the way, while others remained, lost in their own thoughts, their faces expressionless, the marks of a life worn out.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the landscape began to change. The desert gave way to a more familiar sight. The city Awaniko appeared on the horizon, its silhouette marked by tall, compact buildings surrounded by a sea of smaller structures. It was smaller and less grandiose than Republic City, but it still had an imposing air of its own.
As we approached the station, I could see that Awaniko, though smaller, had also become an incredibly crowded city.
Space seemed to be a luxury that no one could afford to waste, and every inch was used as efficiently as possible. The city was a hive of activity, incessant and relentless.
When the train finally stopped, I stood up, feeling the weight of hours of sitting on my tired muscles. The crowd, which had thinned along the way, seemed to have suddenly multiplied, and I found myself once again being pushed and carried along by the flow of people. Getting off the train was a struggle, a fight against the tide of bodies that seemed to be heading in the opposite direction.
As I left the station, a wave of hot, polluted air hit me. The city was alive with noise - the constant sound of voices, flying vehicles passing through the sky, and the clatter of machines and electronic devices working incessantly.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm my heart.
Awaniko was exactly as I remembered it, and yet completely different.
I walked through the narrow streets, watching the people who passed me. Tired faces with eyes that seemed to look beyond them, as if they were stuck somewhere far away in their own minds. Children ran among the adults, their clothes dirty and torn, playing in an environment that seemed to have no place for innocence.
Storefronts were covered in graffiti and faded posters, empty promises of a better future that now seemed like a cruel joke.
Still, there was a part of me that found a strange comfort in being there. Maybe it was the familiarity, the fact that despite everything, Awaniko was still the place where I grew up, or maybe it was because my efforts to become a student at Wushia Academy had made me who I am, and the good things that had happened to me included not having to live in this city.
Finally, after a long walk, I reached the neighborhood where my parents lived. The streets were quieter here, away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. Their house was a modest three-story building, each floor housing three families, one apartment for each.
I climbed the stairs leading to the second floor, and as I stopped in front of door number 5, I felt a knot form in my stomach. It was strange how, despite all my mental preparation, I was still nervous about seeing my parents.
*Knock, knock!*
I knocked on the door. Seconds later, the door opened and after all this time I could see my mother. She looked older than I remembered, but she still had the same warm look in her eyes, a look that filled with tears when she saw me.
"Leonard!" She exclaimed, a smile spreading across her face as she pulled me into a tight hug. I could see the worry in the lines around her eyes, but there was also obvious relief.
"Hi, Mom!" I said, returning the hug. "It's good to be home."
She pulled away just enough to look me up and down, as if to make sure I was really there, whole and safe. I couldn't blame her, after all, intercity communication was difficult because of all the radiation out there, so it was only done through terminals, and I used to have the Explorer system, which forced me to stay out of the cities, so it wouldn't be whole either if I had died and my family never got any news.
"You're thinner. I hope you've worked up an appetite, because I'm going to make your favorite dish."
"I'm starving." I replied.
She dragged me into her old apartment. The living room, with its antique furniture and worn rugs, was identical to how I remembered it. My father was sitting in the chair and when he saw me, a tired smile appeared on his face.
"Leonard..." he said, standing up to greet me. His handshake was firm, but I could feel the weakness in his fingers, something that worried me more than I wanted to admit. "It's good to see you, son. We thought you were dead." He said in words what I had deduced when I saw my mother's eyes.
"It's good to see you too, Dad." I said, pulling him into a hug that surprised him, but he accepted it.
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