Energies in the valley

*Four days after the storm - one hour after midnight*

The nightly train had reached the Brenner Pass, and it stopped on a cliff, waiting for permission to proceed. Most passengers were sleeping, tired from the long and hot day.

The air conditioning in the train was just at the right temperature - which was a miracle. Vera was glad it was not set at a low temperature as most trains would be. She had frozen while travelling through Italy in the middle of summer, and she would sometimes catch a cold soon after. People liked cold environments in summer, but the difference with the outer temperature was too much to be healthy.

On that train, maybe because it was night and they were crossing the mountains, the air conditioning was just right for sleeping. However, she couldn't close her eyes to the comfortable seat.

She and Sara weren't alone in the cabin. There was another woman, around forty years old, with a boy around ten. They were sitting on the opposite side. She was sleeping, her head on the side, while the little boy was awake. He was playing a video game. At least, he had turned the sound off, but the light made it difficult to sleep.

Also, Vera could feel the energies in the valleys around them. There were night creatures nearby, which made it hard to relax. Sara, on the other side, was almost snoozing. Her lips were parted, and her breathing stable.

Vera resisted the urge to take a picture and use it later for blackmail. She planned not to deal with that woman ever again in the end.

When the train stopped, the boy raised his eyes from the phone and looked outside. However, it was too dark to see anything. Also, they were on a cliff, waiting for permission to cross the bridge towards the other side of the valley.

«Why has it stopped?» the boy inquired.

Vera shrugged, looking outside. Her human eyes couldn't see anything out there, but the energies and auras... Something was moving down there. Something big and dangerous.

However, they would likely leave before it could reach the top and attack the train.

«Is the train broken?» he continued, trying to see anything, but it was too dark.

«It's not,» Vera said. «We're waiting for permission to cross a bridge or a tunnel. This part of the railway is complicated, so we can't just go. We will proceed slowly because of the tunnels and everything.»

«But I don't like this,» he exclaimed, pouting.

Vera chuckled. The kid was sensing something, wasn't he? Even regular humans had some kind of instinct, and it would be more developed in children than adults. They tend to forget as they grow up, and other kinds of thoughts and emotions cover it with time.

«It will be all right,» Vera said. «We will depart real soon.»

«Are you sure?»

She nodded, even though she couldn't be sure about anything. As far as she knew, they could wait there for an hour. But the kid needed comfort more than realistic forecasts.

She moved her eyes to the window, and the energy she had located before had moved. Indeed, it was directed towards them.

And it had moved faster than she thought any creature would. Those valleys in northern Italy had many legends and creatures, but none could move such a long distance in a short time. It was as if they were on a bike or a slow car, she thought.

Also, the shape had changed. As if it wasn't a single creature but a group. Were they moving in a pack?

She squeezed her eyes, but the complete darkness made it impossible to discern any shape, not even the closest trees. The moon wasn't in the sky, and the stars were hidden by clouds. What bad luck.

«Listen, if you ever notice something, do not utter a word,» Vera said when the energy was as close as to be dangerous. «They won't hurt us here. And they might not know we're on the train if we don't talk.»

Somehow, it wasn't right. She shook her head, thinking, but nothing came to mind. What could cause that kind of energy? She didn't know enough about the creatures of the valleys, apparently. Or she was missing something.

When the energy was as far as a few steps from the train, Vera pressed her index finger to her lips. The kid stood next to her, and they watched outside together.

The creatures were visible in the darkness, shining because of the fire. There were a dozen knights on horses covered by flames.

Only the horses were burning, and not too intensely. Just enough to be seen but not to enlighten the area around them. They couldn't see the fire before because they had been covered by the trees.

But now, with nothing in between, they were clear. The leader of the group had a crown on his head, and his horse was the one burning. The others were surrounded by a whitish halo, just like ghosts.

They looked human, at a first glance, and were wearing clothes from another age. Maybe, from the middle ages or even earlier than that.

The kid opened his mouth to scream, but Vera gripped his shoulder. She shook her head, telling him not to talk. They hadn't noticed them yet.

One of the knights turned towards the train. His eyes were completely dark, like carbon. Or maybe, they were void. It wasn't easy to see at night. His horse was made of bones, without any meat or skin attacked. It was the most dreadful of the horses.

He turned the horse as well and took a couple of steps, tilting his head curiously.

Vera and the kid felt their blood freeze in their veins, but they did not move.

Just when she thought about preparing some defence, collecting energies, and getting ready to fight, the train started to move. At first, slowly. As slow as to be difficult to notice. But soon, the knights were out of their sight.

When the train reached the bridge, they were safe. No dark creature would follow them on an iron infrastructure.

Vera leaned back in her seat and sighed. Safe.

«What were they?» the kid inquired.

«A hell hunt,» Vera replied. However, she didn't explain what she meant by that.