A/N: I'm back from holidays!! Okay, so it was ten days, but that's close enough to two weeks for me. I got back last night and today I wrote this chapter, probably my favourite one so far, and I'm hoping you all like it. Let me know what you think!
Chapter Four.
The train seats were hard and uncomfortable and I had to share a cabin with a large man who breathed very loudly and nasally. Every now and then he'd inhale deeply and sigh heavily, causing his large belly to wobble. It was about 120 miles back to Arkansas from Memphis so I settled down as much as I could for the ride, knowing it would take a few hours. I quite liked the clackety-clack sound as we raced along the tracks and I watched the scenery pass before me, fascinated as it slowly changed from city to countryside.
After a while I began to whistle a tune but the large man glared at me and huffed loudly, the ends of his moustache being blown upwards. I felt a strange urge to laugh at him but decided against it as he was still glaring.
I turned back to the window and felt my eyelids grow heavy. The steady rhythm of the train and the clackety-clack was beginning to lull me into a light sleep and I felt so tired and weary that I allowed my eyes to flutter closed…
Anton wasn't saying anything. He sat beside me silently and the only thing I could hear was the clackety-clack of the train progressing along the tracks, taking us away from Jenkinsville and to the unknown. I shivered from the cold and wrapped my arms tightly around my body. A moment of doubt flickered through my mind… Perhaps it wasn't safe for a twelve year old girl to run away with a grown man and jump onto a train. But I pushed that thought away almost immediately. Anton was going to look after me and we were going to stay safe.
Suddenly the train shuddered and lurched and I felt myself being thrown forward. The brakes were grinding, screeching and screaming in protest and I knew that something wasn't right. Something inside me said that we'd been found. They were coming for us. They were going to take me away from Anton, take me home, and send him away to an unknown fate. They'd lock him up and throw away the key. Or even worse… What if they killed him?
"Anton," I whispered into the darkness as the train slowed down. "Anton, they've found us! We have to run!"
When Anton didn't answer me I crept forward. The soft moonlight flashed from behind a cloud and I gasped. Anton's face was gone. He had no face! I staggered backwards in horror. What was happening? I didn't know what to do. Suddenly Anton reached his hands out blindly towards me and I heard, or rather felt, an anguished moan.
"P.B.," the voice cried inside my head. "They've taken my face. They've stolen it. Help me, P.B. Save me…"
Anton collapsed on the ground and writhed in obvious pain. I didn't know what to do. I tried to call for help but no sound came from my mouth. Anton's body lurched and shuddered and heaved, and I could feel his pain and screams resonating inside my mind. I was terrified and I knew I had to save Anton, but how? Suddenly I felt strong arms grab me from behind in a vice like grip, dragging me away from Anton.
"Help me, P.B.," I felt him say. "Don't leave me."
"Anton!" I cried, struggling against the arms that held onto me. "No! Anton! NO!"
I woke up with a strangled cry that was somewhere between a scream and a desperate sob. For a moment I didn't know where I was but the distinct clackety-clack and a disapproving huff from a seat reminded me that I was on a train heading home. I was shaking uncontrollably and drenched with sweat and as I tentatively hauled myself back onto my seat I realised I could taste blood in my mouth. I must have bitten my tongue. I brushed the wet and matted hair away from my forehead and looked at the seat opposite me. The large man had drawn himself as far away from me as possible and stared at me shamelessly with open disgust, as though I were a rabid dog or a carrier of the plague.
"I… I'm sorry," I stammered, my heart still thundering in my chest. "I… I must have had a nightmare."
The large man grunted and unfolded a newspaper, obviously trying to forget that he was sharing a cabin with such an undesirable companion. I felt tears sting my eyes and my bottom lip trembled but I refused to cry, and instead stared determinedly out of the window. The sky was darkening now and the landscape was somewhat familiar. It was only then that I realised we had reached the outskirts of Arkansas. I felt a tremor of excitement in my chest and found it slightly strange that it just looked so… plain. It was the same as everywhere else, really.
Crossing into different towns had always been strange for me because I somehow expected it to look different, distinctive. Almost as though there should be a great big line separating each county and each one looking a little different. But Arkansas just looked like Arkansas. No twelve foot fence separating it from everywhere else. It was just like two counties melted into one another.
"We're in Arkansas!" I said excitedly, turning to the large man and smiling broadly. He didn't even look up, just grunted. I was too excited to care. I hadn't realised quite how much I'd missed this place until now.
I heard the train change gears and almost immediately felt us begin to slow down. This was it, I thought to myself. I stood up and hauled my suitcase down from the compartment above and nearly toppled over. It was awfully heavy. The large man didn't offer any assistance. Seconds later he stood up to haul down his own luggage. His was obviously heavy too. I didn't offer any assistance. At last we drew to a halt and I shivered as the whistle blew. The memory of my nightmare momentarily flickered through my mind but I pushed it away again.
The large man was closer than I to the cabin door so I waited for him to open it, but he was still bumbling around organising his luggage so I crept forward. He noticed this and grunted, stepping in front of me. He was clearly rushing to get off the train and evidently didn't know anything about courtesy. I sighed impatiently as he dropped his newspaper and bent over to pick it up. He had quite a bit of difficulty in doing so as his large belly got in the way and he pawed at the ground with his sausage-like fingers until he eventually managed to swipe it up.
I sighed again, louder this time and he bustled out of the cabin. I followed. As soon as he was in the train's corridor he promptly dropped his newspaper again. It fluttered down inches from my feet and, so I could get off the train faster, I bent down and picked it up for him, handing it over with a smile. He glared at me and snorted, his moustache fluttering, and stormed off the train. Well, I thought, how rude. In this day and age you'd think people could at least be polite when someone had given assistance. I shook my head and followed him off the train and onto the platform.
People were crowded around the train waiting for passengers, some with signs bearing names. I felt a momentary stab of loneliness, knowing that nobody was waiting for me, but pushed that thought away. Nobody even knew I was here yet. I lugged my suitcase after me and after pushing my way through the crowds I found myself outside the station. I took a deep breath and was surprised at how different the air really smelt here. I'd never fully appreciated it before. It was so much cleaner, so much fresher, than the air in Memphis. Yes, Jenkinsville air was sweeter.
Even though it was dusk the summer air was still heavy and warm from the sweltering day and I gazed up in wonder at the beautiful evening sky. The orange ball that was the sun was slowly sinking along the horizon, streaking the sky with red, purple and gold, and the shadows were beginning to stretch out from the trees, embracing the dusty ground that was glowing with the last of the day's light.
I shivered in delight. Yup, there was no doubt about it. I was finally home.