Infinity Train

Do you want it to be this way forever?

_____

It was Heon's first time seeing a dead body with his own two eyes. The creeping horror suffocated him, even though he often saw a scene like this in the movie. Was it real?

A mannequin or Halloween's leftover scare doll. A make-up artist student's school project or an illusion some freak magician played on him. He truly hoped that it was just a prank.

But the small voice at the back of his head told him, 'No, it is real.'

Breathing heavily, Heon tried to calm his rising heartbeat. He had to remain calm. His bullies said that when they forced him to confess his crush on the most beautiful girl in school after the basketball match. Back then, in his first year. Hence why he never saw any basketball match ever again.

He placed his hand on his chest, closed his eyes, and counted to ten. Then twenty, thirty, and a hundred. Maybe more. He lost count not long after that. Feeling as his heart was not pounding loudly anymore, Heon tentatively opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was the red dots on the floor, a vivid visual of the coppery smell surging on his nose. Then the feet, clad in worn, dirty boots, just like the faded blue pants the body wore. The shirt was supposed to be white, but dirt and soot had dominated the frayed fabrics. That, and the precious red liquid now rendered useless, dripping from the clean-cut on the body's left arm.

Looking up, Heon was momentarily taken aback. The body's face looked peaceful, as though he was sleeping. Not dead. As if the weight of the world was finally lifted from his sagging shoulders. And he dreamt of a happily ever after.

Heon didn't know what to do. But, his curiosity was piqued at the blood drips on the train's floor. It was leading to the next carriage. To whoever murdered and took the body's arm.

Gulping, Heon made up his mind and stood up. He ambled slowly, careful not to step on the bloody trail. Heon tightened his hold on his bag's strap as he slid open the carriage's door.

An empty carriage. But the bloody trail remained consistent. He balled his fist until a crescent moon-shaped mark was on his palm as he walked following the trail. The light sting from his nails added to his doubt that this was a simple nightmare. Could this be what people call lucid dreams?

He slid open the next door. Another similar view. He was truly alone.

Looking out the window, he saw the familiar buildings of district eleven. He saw two cars and a motorcycle waiting at the railroad crossing before the tunnel. After passing this tunnel, the train would arrive at his station on district twelve. Heon quickly rushed towards the door, ready to get off.

But the train didn't stop at the station on district twelve.

The train didn't even pass district twelve. Out of the tunnel, the train went back to district nine. Heon was stunned, staring in silent dejection. He remained there. He was watching, helplessly waiting for something to right itself, and he was just having a very vivid hallucination.

On the third cycle of passing the same railroad crossing and tunnel, that hope left Heon.

Steeling himself, he continued walking to the carriage door. Sliding it open, the same view of an empty carriage greeted him. Again. And again.

Carriage number fourteen. It was supposed to be the last one on the train. There shouldn't be any gangway connecting to the next carriage because it was the last one. And yet…

Heon sild opened the door, and another empty carriage lay in front of him. Looking up, the number '1' was plastered proudly, signing that he had just arrived at the train's first carriage.

It shouldn't be possible.

Not caring anymore whether he stepped on the trail of blood consistently on the floor or not, Heon dashed forwards. Opening gangway door after door.

Then the blood trail stopped.

In exchange, Heon was once again faced to face with the dead body missing an arm. But, now, the missing arm was on the seat beside the still body. Cut clean, showing some white bones in the center because the blood had stopped dripping.

Cautiously taking a step closer to the body, Heon muttered, "What are you trying to tell me?"

"You are trapped here forever."

Startled, Heon turned to his right and found a tall, male figure in a dark cloak. His voice was gruff, as though the person hadn't spoken for days. His shock must look apparent because the cloaked man continued. "That is what I was trying to say; you are trapped here forever."

Looking in disbelief, Heon questioned. "Where did you come from?"

The cloaked man looked strangely at him. "You will probably be mad if I say my mother, will you not?" He even had the decency to chuckle in situations like this. Just before he disappeared into thin air.

Heon blinked his wide, round eyes. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, in case this was a really advanced dream his mind conjured up without his permission.

"Oh, I am here, if you are wondering," someone said from behind. Heon whipped around, staggering to his feet. The cloaked man was there, looking amused at him.

"Where's the other passengers?"

"The others? Hmm… I do not know? As far as I am concerned, you are the only one here besides me." Then, the cloaked man added as an afterthought. "And this poor fellow, obviously. He is hard to forget, is he not? Such a memorable first impression."

"Who are you?"

"Your savior," he said with so much conviction.

Narrowing his eyes, Heon repeated. "My savior? You mean, you can make this train stop?"

The cloaked man nodded vigorously, making the hood covering his hair and half of his face move accordingly. "Sure. This is my infinity train, after all. I am the one who made this. I can control it however I like."

"Then, please do it. I have to get off the train now."

"Ah, how do I say it…" the cloaked man hummed. "Now, that would not do."

"What do you mean?"

"Where is the fun in that?"

"…what?"

"How about this. I will give you two choices, and you pick one." The cloaked man lifted his forefinger as he continued. "One, you will retrieve something for me and in return, I will make this train stop so you can go back to your own world." He brought his middle finger up. "Or two, you can refuse to do so. But, if you refuse, of course I cannot take you back. Hence, that is why I said you are trapped here forever."

Heon looked strangely at the cloaked man, trying to determine who was crazier between them. Perhaps, he was the only crazy one, and this cloaked man was part of his overly active imagination. If he had the motivation, he could be the best fantasy novel author in the world with this vision.

"Oh, you still do not believe me?"

Who could believe such nonsense anyway?

So Heon asked, "Did you cut this man's arm and bring it along as you walk through all carriages just to prove to me that there is no exit here? That the train moves in a circle after passing that tunnel?"

"Yes, I work so hard for that. You should appreciate my artistic depiction of giving a sign to a lost lamb," the cloaked man casually said, as though murdering someone and cutting his arm off was an everyday occurrence. That there was nothing wrong, morally and lawfully, about what he just admitted to Heon.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I just said that I want you to see how impossible it is for you to get out of here without my help."

"The help you will only give to me after I retrieve something for you?"

"Obviously. Unless you like being trapped inside my infinity train with a dead body for your company?" The cloaked man chuckled again, finding humor that Heon didn't understand. "Do you want it to be this way forever?"

Heon didn't want to believe whatever was happening right now. But he seemed to turn crazier by the second because he was considering taking the first choice the cloaked man gave.

"What do you want me to retrieve?"

"Ah, eager, are we?" The cloaked man chuckled again. "I will tell you that later. First, let us get you accustomed to my realm."

"Wait, what do you mean by that? Your realm?"

"Foolish boy. Have you not ever read about something called the parallel universe?"

"You're pulling my leg."

"Believe what you want. I am not a person who will force anyone into doing anything, much less forcing them to believe something they do not want to."

Heon didn't understand. "Then, why are you forcing me to choose instead of helping me out? You're the one who trapped me here in the first place, aren't you?"

"Well, like every other person, I have my own agenda. You, on the other hand, are just unfortunate enough to be caught in mine. What can I say?" The cloaked man shrugged. "So, do we have a deal?"

Heon cautiously looked at the cloaked man's hand, outstretched towards him, waiting. He should take a lot longer to think about this. His mother would chew his head off if he did something stupid, while his father would threaten to sell his computers just to make him sweat while being grounded for a week. It was nothing new, in particular.

But Heon also couldn't help but think of how cool it would be to find that a parallel universe exists. A whole new world where he could roam around for a while without worrying about his graduation exam. Or the university entrance exam he must take. In the back of his head, a little voice loudly exclaimed that he didn't have to face his parents and say he didn't want to be a lawyer.

This was his escape. No matter how insane it sounded to him at first.

The cloaked man was right. Everyone had their own agenda.

Heon took the man's outstretched hand with his left one with that in mind. It was a little awkward, as he wasn't a left-handed person. However, that thought vanished a second later as he stared in horror at this left hand. Now, cleanly cut just below his elbow, and streams of blood sprouted from there.

"AAAAAHH!"

The pain came later as if his brain's ability to receive the signal from his hurting nerves was lagging behind. Clutching tightly at his now shortened hand, Heon's world was turned into one of agony. At the unbearable pain, he threw up on the floor, gagging. Slumping until he was lying beside his own puke, Heon took a great effort to stare hatefully at the cloaked man looking down at him. His sight was blurry from the tears.

"Why…?" Heon wheezed, trying to stay conscious despite the horror.

"Oh, please do not look at me like that." The cloaked man said.

Heon caught the grin displayed cheerfully just for him through his blurred eyes. Dropping his severed, bloody arm in front of his eyes, the cloaked man took another arm. The one from the dead body sitting near them.

"After all, how else can I attach this unless I cut off your arm first?"

That was the last thing he heard before darkness swallowed him.