From New York to Lisbon on the Magic Train

They got up from the table and, leaving the restaurant, headed for the platform. The train was already standing there, ready to depart, but it was noticeable that it was not going to move yet. Everything around was as usual - the carriage, the familiar noise of the station, the slight smell of oil and metal hanging in the air. They sat down in their seats, and although the tickets were for seats, not for couches, which, of course, did not add to the comfort, they were prepared for a long journey.

"So, how was the ride to Lisbon?" Noah asked, glancing at the carriage windows, where, despite the late hour, movement was still visible.

"Nothing so far," Delia Asia Vieira replied, leafing through the newspaper, "if it weren't for these seats... with these, my legs would go numb. But in principle, I have no complaints."

The trip to Lisbon promised to be long and tiring, but in its first minutes Noah and Delia Asia Vieira felt quite comfortable. They had already read all the jokes in the newspaper and discussed the best ways to spend time on the train. The topic of the trip itself faded into the background, and the conversations became more and more existential. In the end, they both began to talk about how they would fight the approaching evil, because their great mission was looming on the horizon - to defeat the Antichrist, the same Antichrist who all descriptions agreed would look like a man, but with an unusually dark force inside.

"So, how do we do it?" asked Delia Asia Vieira, still a little tired from all the long talk about trivialities.

Noah, leaning his elbows on the table, thought, not immediately finding the answer.

"Well, we'll have to be smart about this," he said, still glancing at the paper as if its pages might offer answers. "We can't just yell at him like he's some gangster. We'll have to be strategic."

"Strategically, you say?" Delia Asia Vieira gave him a sympathetic look. "You think we'll be taken for normal if we approach Gene York with a bluff? Like, 'we know you're the Antichrist, so lay out all your cards'?"

"Oh, you don't understand," Noah chuckled. "We won't bluff. We'll go in with the full confidence that they don't really know. It's a secret, and we can make it real. We'll give him a moment to think, and then, once he realizes that we can't be ignored, our plan will work.

They both thought for a moment, and the conversation gradually turned to more mundane matters. They began to discuss how to approach the settlement in Lisbon. Where they would stay, what they would eat, and how they would spend the night hours searching for a way to solve the mystery hidden in this strange city. Later in the evening, after several cups of coffee and talk about where they could rest, the question "How do you think we will defeat the Antichrist?" faded slightly into their conversations about less global matters.

But the train was in no hurry to move. Minutes turned into hours, and still no train. Noah glanced nervously out the window. Around him was the typical bustle of a train station: people were rushing along the platforms, hurrying to get on trains. But their train was standing, as if purposefully stuck in this moment, as were their thoughts.

"Have you noticed?" Delia Asia Vieira finally asked, feeling the tension growing. "We discussed everything, and even decided on a plan of action, and the train didn't move."

"That's weird," Noah said, looking out the window and noticing that the engineer had still not appeared. "Usually when things don't go as planned, it's a sign that something important is about to happen."

They exchanged glances that left no room for humor. Something about this prolonged delay seemed too unusual. They began to wonder if this was some kind of sign or warning.

"Maybe it's fate?" Delia Asia Vieira said thoughtfully, looking out the window again. "Maybe we should stay here and figure something out before we go to Lisbon?"

Noah nodded silently. He felt that this moment was a harbinger of something important, and that they were about to face something much greater than they had imagined.

"I don't believe in signs, but still... something strange is happening," he muttered, turning his gaze to the entrance of the carriage. "It could be related to what lies ahead of us."

But the train still did not move. The strange silence that settled around them only pushed them to conclusions that they would not have had time to make under normal circumstances.

The minutes passed, and each wait became more and more tense. The train stood still, and Noah and Delia Asia Vieira just continued to wait for the unknown continuation of events.

Delia Asia Vieira nodded, agreeing with this observation. They were both already standing in the corridor, ready to exit the carriage, when Noah's gaze caught on a figure walking along the platform. It was a middle-aged man, with some kind of bundle under his arm. He walked with a casual gait, but for some reason his presence attracted the attention of both of them.

"Is this another strange passenger?" Delia Asia Vieira teased, grinning.

Noah watched him with that same intuitive wariness that always haunted him in moments of uncertainty.

"I don't know, but let's not pay attention to him," Noah answered with a slight grin.

They exchanged meaningful glances, noticing how the strange passerby held his bundle close to his body, as if he were hiding something important. At that moment, they both realized that there was actually nothing special about this man, and - strange thing! - they completely forgot about him almost immediately.

They would have forgotten it altogether if it weren't for that moment when the train suddenly started moving, without any warning, just as they were starting to lose patience.

"Here comes the train," Noah said with unexpected ease, watching the light outside the window begin to change as they left the station.