You're Safe With Me
A.N. So… with 'BtMCSitSF' completed, 'BbF?' discontinued, and no concepts for 'Fractured', I am drained of ideas. Thus, I shall do the writer equivalent of an artist doodling/randomly sketching and write a oneshot! (seriously. I have nothing… this is nothing. It was just randomly thrown together- so I'm sorry if it sucks.)
…
The air around him was hot, sweltering, and suffocating. He could barely see anything in front of him because of all the smoke and sparks surrounding his vision.
As he moved down the tracks, he noticed they felt unusually warm.
He tried desperately to cough and blow the smoke away from his mouth and nose so he could breathe just a little easier. But it was in vain.
He looked around to get a better glimpse at his surroundings.
He could see the cooling area, buckets full of molten slag, and molds that were having melted steel poured into them.
The engine took a deep shuddering breath. What once seemed like a bright and lively place, filled with sunshine and wonder, had transformed into a hellish prison from which he could find no escape from.
But he looked around, still determined to find an exit to escape. Then his eyes landed an opening that led outside and to the main yard.
Letting a smile break out onto his face, he steamed forward as fast as he could, coming closer and closer to freedom until the door suddenly slammed shut, permanently trapping him inside.
"Stop! You can't just leave us on our own! You're our new favourite engine!"
The engine looked, and saw a female diesel shunter racing towards him on the left side of the four way track.
"We can't just let you leave!"
The small engine's eyes widened as looked on the other side of himself in fear. He saw a larger male tank engine rushing towards him on the right side.
"Frankie! Hurricane! Just let me go! Let me go home!"
"No way, little tank engine! We're not letting you leave! Ever!"
Just before the two collided into him, the small engine reversed backwards down the track as fast he could, and hid behind three large metal safes.
He breathed heavily, but silently into the darkened portion of space he was in as he listened for his pursuers.
"Come out, come out wherever you are..!" Came Frankie's sing-song voice as he heard her near his hiding space.
Then, he heard Hurricane moving right in front of his hiding place before they both put on their brakes and stopped.
He held his breath.
Then suddenly, the lights flashed on, bathing the small engine in an orange light, revealing his position.
"Found you!" Frankie said in triumph.
Quickly, he reversed down the track once more, trying to get away. "Leave me alone!"
He raced down the track as fast as his small wheels could carry him, narrowly avoiding flatbeds that were pushed at him to try and stop him.
"Get back here, little tank engine!"
He gasped as he heard Frankie behind him. He sped up. "Let me go! Oh- oh no!" His eyes widened as he saw Hurricane push a load of cars right in front of him, blocking his path.
"Hahahahaha! Yeah!" He heard the larger engine sneer.
He had no choice- he had to stop. Hastily, the small engine applied his brakes, but he did so, too late.
Even though he tried his best, he still rammed into the freight cars, causing them to topple over onto their sides, and off the tracks. When that happened, they fell over onto a control panel, pushing a lever.
That lever just happened to control a giant metal magnet which was dropped, right on top of the small engine.
The engine suddenly found himself being pulled up off the track, and right above a large cistern full of molten slag. "No! No! Help! Help!" He called out, hoping someone would rescue him.
But he heard nothing.
He looked around, and discovered that Frankie and Hurricane were nowhere in sight. They just disappeared.
All of a sudden, he heard the sound of scraping.
He looked towards the control panel and saw an empty freight car that was hanging on another lever. But it was slowly falling, pulling the lever down with.
The engine's eyes widened. "No! No! No, stop! Please, somebody, anybody, help me!" He cried out. But no one did.
Then the freight car fell completely, pulling the lever down.
The little engine gasped sharply as he felt the magnet's hold on him falter, and let go of him.
"NO! NO! NO!" He screamed as he fell, coming closer and closer to the molten slag…
.
.
.
Thomas' eyes shot open as he jerked himself awake, a strangled, quiet scream leaving his mouth. He took deep shuddering breaths as he tried to calm his rapidly spinning mind.
As he breathed, Thomas looked around to analyze his surroundings. His real surroundings.
He saw that he was back in Tidmouth- not the Steelworks; he was home. He looked around and stared at the familiar light tan brick walls, green wooden doors, and brown poles. He looked to his left, and saw Percy and Emily sleeping peacefully besides him.
He then looked towards his right side, and saw James, Edward, Gordon, and Henry sleeping soundly as well.
He also noticed that the air around him was clean and fresh, and the tracks below him were cooler than from what he remembered in his nightmare.
Before he could stop them, agonised tears started spilling from his eyes. He clenched his eyes shut, and bit his lip to stop a sob from escaping his mouth as he started trembling.
But that didn't stop him from gasping as he inhaled deeply through both his nose and mouth.
Thomas' eyes snapped open again however, as heard someone stir next to him, so he held his breath- well, tried to anyway.
Slowly, James' eyes opened, his sleep disrupted by noises when he knew it should be silent. He was about to demand who would dare to wake such a splendid engine like himself but, his complaining died his throat as he heard soft sobs next to him.
He looked to his left, and saw Thomas, his cobalt blue star, awake and crying. James' firebox dimmed just at the sight.
The little engine was shaking, tears were streaming down his face and onto his buffers, and he was trying his best to stifle his sobs.
James bit his lip. "Thomas, what's wrong?" He asked softly, staring at the small tank engine in worry.
Thomas gasped sharply, and looked to his right, but let a relieved sigh leave his lips as he realised it was only James.
"J-James…" He whimpered. "It- it was horrible..!"
James bit his lip. "Shh, shh." He quietly soothed. "What was horrible? What happened?"
"I was… b-back at the Steelworks…" Thomas said shakily.
James gasped softly. Oh… a nightmare…
"It was so real… I could feel, everything. The heat, the smoke, the warmth of the rails…" Thomas said. "But- I was alone…" The blue engine whimpered. "Frankie and Hurricane… they- they found me. And chased me…"
"I thought we already forgave them, Thomas…" James said gently.
"A-and we did but…" Thomas sighed. "But they still… they scare me, James…"
James sighed, as he stared at Thomas, silently urging him to continue.
"They said… they didn't want me to leave. That I was their 'new favourite engine'." He whimpered.
The red engine shuddered, letting those words play back over and over in his mind.
"Once, I was running." Thomas said. "I thought I was getting away but, there were cars pushed in front of me… I stopped, but not in time. The cars fell off the tracks, and onto a lever… it dropped a magnet on me… I was lifted into the air, over a cistern of- of molten slag…"
"I cried for help, but… no- no one was there anymore…" Thomas gasped. "I was alone. Then- then slowly, a lever was being pulled down by a stray freight car… the magnet dropped me, and I… started falling… I- was about to fall into the- the…"
But Thomas' voice failed him, and he started sobbing, hating that he had to relive the horrid nightmare.
James stared at Thomas in shock before realisation hit him, and guilt made its way into his heart.
"Oh Thomas… I'm- I'm so sorry…" James whispered. "This- this is all my fault…"
Thomas sniffed, before looking at James, his watery eyes filled with confusion. "What..? What do you mean?"
"You went to the Mainland… because of me." James explained sorrowfully. "If I hadn't teased you about my job in the first place, you would have never had felt the need to go… you left, because of me."
"If I hadn't said those things… you wouldn't have gone." James said. "You wouldn't have gotten lost. You wouldn't have been… held hostage. And you wouldn't be suffering…"
"Thomas, I'm so sorry." James whispered.
But then, James had an idea. He wasn't good at comforting anyone, but he hoped that this would help his partner. "Listen, Thomas." He suddenly said, but quietly, being mindful of the others.
Thomas, his eyes still glittering with tears looked at his engine in confusion. "What- why?…"
"Shh." James said gently. "Just listen. What do you hear?"
So, Thomas listened.
"I… I hear breathing. Of- of my friends." Thomas said. "And the quiet wind outside and some animals…"
James smiled a bit. "Exactly. Thomas, you're home. Alright? Nothing can hurt you here."
Thomas looked to James, a small smile on his face, as his sadness started to dissipate. "Thank you, James… thank you."
The engine in mention smiled a bit. "You're welcome, Thomas. I want you to know… that you're safe with us. You're safe with me. Alright?"
Thomas smiled once more. "Alright, James." He whispered.
James chuckled a bit. "Now… let's go back to sleep."
Thomas watched as James' eyes slowly closed and he fell back to sleep.
In the safe comfort of his home, surrounded by all his friends, and with the knowledge that he was safe, Thomas slowly fell asleep as well; and this time, no nightmares.