The Last Train To Mars

Everyone talks about the end of the world, but no one's actually been there when it happens.

Well, at least not until now; everything is falling into ruin, more than Earth used to be when we regarded it as 'safe for living on'. We could blame ourselves for destroying it, but blame is for when we're out of danger, not when we're drowning in it.

"Red," Meegie blurted out, "pretty."

I spared a glance at my sister, watching her flick bubbles in the bathtub with her chubby thumbs. She was talking about the sky—the once blue pool of clouds, now simmered down to a thick shade of scarlet.

"Yeah," I mumbled under my breath, "pretty."

She was too young to understand that the color was the aftermath of burning forests, smoke and fire swallowing our planet up into an orb of disarray. We could barely breathe anymore. Oxygen was a luxury, not a necessity now.

Bending over, I grabbed Meegie up by the sides of her pudgy stomach, lifting her out of the water and onto the towel on my lap. She laughed, eyes squinting in glee.

"We have to leave, okay?" I said, straining my voice to sound happy, "we're going somewhere else now."

She shook her head. "No!"

"We don't have a choice, Gigi."

"No!"

I sighed in defeat, drying the rest of her hair off with a towel. I never wanted to parent a two-year old. That was supposed to be the parent's job, but they caught the early train to Mars and never came back. That was when Interstellar travel was for vacation—not because Earth was quickly reducing to a pile of ash.

It was also when there were more than three trains left to take. Some say the others were destroyed by meteorites, other claim they were only reserved for the rich. Nevertheless, there were only a few tickets to escape this place and anyone would give their left arm for one.

Meegie and I were one of the first to get ours. They called them 'lockets'—a thin metal chain to wear around our necks, and a thick, paper ID looped on the end.

Only one ticket, they told us, you lose it, you lose your seat.

While Meegie went off down the hallway, I made my way into the kitchen, flinging open the cabinets in search for where I put them. Our train was set to leave in a few hours, so we had to leave quickly. I found the lockets behind a can of pinto beans, quickly taking them and setting them on the kitchen table.

"Meegie!" I called out, "we're leaving now!"

I heard her loud footsteps come racing towards where I stood. "No!"

Ignoring her resistance, I crouched down to match her height, placing the locket over her head and onto her shoulders. It was too big; nearly falling to her feet.

Groaning, I stood up again, grabbing a pair of scissors from the kitchen drawer and snapping the chain in half. Taking the two strands into my hands, I tied them tighter together so that the ID would fall to her stomach instead.

"Wait here," I told her strictly, "I'll be right back."

Setting the scissors on the floor, I rushed towards my room. I had packed a single backpack full of travel items so our journey would be quick and without setback. I slung the bag over my shoulder, making my way back into the kitchen.

"Okay, Gigi," I said, "time to say bye-bye—"

I stopped in my tracks when I saw the scene before me.

"Pretty!" Meegie exclaimed.

In her hands was the pair of scissors I had been using previously, and scattered on the floor around her were the paper remains of her locket. I nearly let out a scream in horror.

Meegie, what the hell did you do?" I pressed, rushing over to her and snatching the scissors out of her hand, "oh my God."

She smiled brightly. "Heart!"

She'd used the scissors to cut a heart shape into her locket, every bit of information listed on it cut out or cut off. The sides were rigid—and I thought it looked more like a broken heart than it did a real one. It matched my terror.

I wanted to be mad, but she was a child. I was the one who so recklessly left the scissors out for her to reach, because the idea of being able to escape this dying planet made me unable to think straight. This ticket was barely legible now.

"Sad," Meegie said quietly.

I looked up from the scraps to meet her wide-eyed stare. She didn't know that she could have ruined our chance to leave this place, but I couldn't put the blame on her for it. Once again, blame is for when we're out of danger, not when we're drowning in it.

I reached my hand up to my eyes, feeling the wetness of forming tears start to brim. I didn't realize I was near to crying—an emotionless void I let myself get sucked into.

"Yeah," I sniffed, "sad."

Collecting every scrap I could find, I tucked them into my pocket. There were too many to tape together, but maybe I could convince the ticket collector that it made no difference. There was still a chance.

Grabbing my own locket, I threw it over my head, letting it dangle loosely as I picked my sister up.

"Let's go," I mumbled, setting her on the side of my waist, "we have to get there."

She didn't say anything, even as I set her back down in the foyer, placing an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose, making sure she could breathe properly. Her goggles went on after, and then I put on my own.

Taking one last look at our house, I hoped I'd never return.

Out into the scarlet-colored Earth we went, the smoke filtering through our masks and blocked out from our eyes. This world was uninhabitable. It hadn't been for a while, and it would only get worse. Years ago, Mars would have seemed the same way, but that was before they built a city on its land and made it into an empire.

Now it was a safe-haven.

We passed through the thick smog, being discreet as we walked, not saying a word. Meegie was taught not to bring attention to us since she was even younger than she was now—because sociality was a danger. Anyone would do anything for a locket.

I took us through a separate path, away from the streets where I knew most people walked. It took everything in me not to scream when I saw the heart shape cut into Meegie's ticket. I wanted to close my eyes and pretend I was going insane, because at least that would be better than knowing we might not escape this place.

"Hungry," she whispered, her tiny arms clinging to my shoulders.

My words were caught in my throat. "I know, Gigi."

"Want food."

"They'll have food on the train," I said quietly, "just wait."

When I passed a stranger walking near, I hid my ticket inside the layers of my shirt, keeping my head low.

The train station seemed forever away, blocked by a mile of pavement and hills of abandoned tunnels. We were thirsty, exhausted, and unable to breath. Most of all, we were scared.

Meegie buried her head into the crook of my shoulder, letting out a feeble sigh. I clutched her tighter, never looking back as I sped our way away from anyone who dared to walk near us.

I've heard stories of people stealing lockets from their own families. Friends stealing from Friends. Strangers stealing from strangers. The world had no morals when it was nearing its end.

My thoughts were discarded when I saw the dark horizon of the train station appear into view. The shouting of people begging for lockets grew louder as we walked, crowds climbing the metal gates in attempt to push through. Meegie was still silent.

To the left side of the crumbling terminal, the line for those with tickets was stationed. I made a beeline towards the scatters of people, passing the police barricade by flashing my own ID at them. They weren't the ones I was worried about—the ticket collectors were.

"Train," Gigi said, "big."

I turned my head, looking past the gate to see a shiny, metal train laying lifelessly on the tracks. It looked like it came from Space itself, sleek, silver, and bathed in starlight. Most of all, it looked like hope. The Train wasn't wasn't what would go to Mars, but it was the only thing that could take us to the Spaceship that would.

Without this Train, there was no Spaceship.

"Locket, please," a man barked impatiently, sticking out his hand towards me.

I had been so lost in thought, I didn't realize I had already made it to the front of the line. Taking my ID off, I held it out to him with trembling hands. The tension was already filling up my body. He nodded his head, stamping mine and handing it back to me.

Then he held out his hand again.

"Where's hers?" He snapped, nodding at my sister.

I held my breath as I lifted the chain off of her neck, holding out the heart-shaped locket that she'd made a few hours ago.

"Is this a joke?" The man pressed.

I shook my head. "She's two, she didn't know."

"That's not a ticket, and it won't be counted as one."

My heart dropped into my stomach, getting dissolved by the acid of my fear. There had to be some way I could fix this. There had to be. We were so close to freedom, and if we couldn't get past that gate, we might as well be dead.

Struggling through shaky breaths, I pulled out the scraps of paper from my pocket, and held it out to the ticket collector.

"It's all there," I pleaded, "please."

He just shook his head and waved it away. That's how it was now; with all this demand, any misfortune wasn't even taken pity on.

"You have one ticket," he said sharply, "that's it."

It felt like my oxygen had run out. Eyes blurry, and throat dry, I turned to look at my sister, who was staring up at me with wide eyes. She had no clue what was happening. I should have been angry at her, but I wasn't.

I was just numb.

They don't tell you how numb you feel at the end of the world.

"She'll go," I whispered, "just make sure she's safe."

The man grunted, turning to wave at someone behind him. One of the caretakers hurried over, bobbing their head and gesturing for Meegie to follow them. They didn't wait to let me say goodbye. I set her down, trying to hold back my tears as I began to turn around.

"Stay," I heard Meegie whimper after me.

I shook my head, glancing back one last time. "I can't."

"Stay!"

"You'll go somewhere better, okay?" I whispered, "you'll see mom and dad, and you'll eat as much food as you want, hm?"

She shook her head. "You stay."

"No, Gigi."

"Stay."

"Goodbye, Gigi," I whispered, kissing the top of her forehead, "I love you."

Nodding my head, I rose to my feet, taking a step back. The caretaker grabbed her hand, beginning to drag her off through the gates before she had a chance to cling onto me again. I could her her yelling for me as I turned away, her tiny shouts shrill and painful to hear.

I wasn't going to leave Earth now. I'd live and die here, buried by the ruin and guilt that lived in these streets.

So into the red fog I went, a heart-shaped locket still clutched in my hand, and no one left to stay.