Chapter Text
At first the wild mare tried bucking him off, until a groan from a nearby zombie reached its ears and it took off like the wind. For the rest of the night, Faizan clung to the mare’s neck like a lifeline, while his miners helmet illuminated only a small radius of the rails in front of them, something he hoped would at least somewhat help the horse avoid any further zombies and other dangers.
He urged the wild mare faster and faster, away from the danger, away from the zombie town. It galloped past the now-empty buildings the party had previously raided, skirted around the dead bodies of zombies that littered the ground, all the way until the safe stone walls of San Antonio slowly came into view. The whole time, Faizan’s heart pounded in his chest, before skyrocketing into a near-painful ache, one that almost made it too difficult to breathe. The sensation caused him to cling to the horse tighter, before a sudden whinny had him flinch. “Now, c’mon Bessie, don’t be like that!” He tried to calm the horse but to no avail. With just two thousand or so metres in front of him, the white mare suddenly reared up and bucked the poor miner off, causing him to land in the dirt.
The mare then galloped into the distance, its hooves stirring up clouds of southern dust as it did so, while Faizan could only rub his sore back and let out a groan of frustration. “My head…” He slowly sat up, which caused his head to loll foppishly. He wasn’t surprised, the horse would inevitably run off, the only thing that mattered to it was its own survival. But still, did it really have to buck him off so aggressively? Grabbing his fallen miners helmet, he put it back on before beginning the trek back to San Antonio as the last streaks of twilight faded into proper nighttime. Though even when it was early nighttime, the stone walls and turrets that guarded the city were a reassuring sight to see. Faizan jogged along the tracks as relief started to swell — only to be cut down and replaced with confusion. As his jog slowed down to a tired walk, he was met by a large black train dominating his view. It was a proud lamp black with a robust cow catcher and a headlamp that shone a bright yellow onto his face, which caused Faizan to raise a hand and shield his eyes. How on earth had a train just suddenly appeared in the middle of San Antonio? Who was the owner? Did they have a crew? Where did they find it?
His questions were quickly answered when a voice cut through the silence.
“Stop! Don’t come any closer!” The voice ordered. Based off the pitch, Faizan was immediately able to guess it was a woman. Her voice lacked the southern twang he’d heard in the voices of other San Antonio citizens, and based off the clear, sharp, and commanding tone, this was a woman who was used to getting what she wanted. “Sorry for startlin’ you, ma’am!” Faizan held his hands up in surrender and froze on the spot. “Uh…you mind tellin’ me where you found this here train?”
The unknown woman paused for a moment, before reluctantly responding. “I found it.”
“You what now?”
“I found it.”
“Now- Now hang on a second, how did you just magically find a giant train in perfect workin’ conditions just lyin’ around?” He questioned.
The woman paused for a moment, and Faizan watched as her silhouette scratched the back of her neck, a break from the cool and imposing aura she radiated earlier, instead revealed a glimpse of… embarrassment?. “Well… my family manufactures and sells trains, and have a few to ourselves as well. One was used by them when they fled, and the other was this.” She tapped the wooden railing of the black train. “This one’s an unfinished train, and it was quite a hassle to get it up here.” She watched the miner carefully for a moment, waiting for the inevitable look on his face as he put two and two together.
Faizan had nodded along to the woman’s story thoughtfully, as most of the details fell into place, crafting a simple yet cohesive narrative. ‘Okay, so her family makes trains,’ He thought, ‘so she has to be one of the Salamis sisters.’ forgetting his earlier promise, Faizan moved away from the blinding and interrogative spotlight of the train, and walked to the side until he could get a clear view of the woman’s face. “Don’t!” She hissed in panic, but by then it was too late. He had already seen the fangs.