I opened my eyes, their lids feeling like lead weights, everything was
blurred; I could make out dark outlines of shapes in front of me; twisted
contorted metal with a dancing border of fire. Smashed glass lay before me,
my hands moving to get away from it. My eyes had now focused, I was inside
the train, the door ahead had smashed open, the pole was now on the floor,
inches away from me. I had no real idea where I was but I knew it was
unsafe. I picked my self up and stumbled through the door. Up ahead was a
small light, at least it was day time. I stepped forward, my brain not
entirely focused. The darkness around me was closing in, swallowing me
whole and I had sped up, desperate to get out.
I was almost out when I heard a noise. The sound of old metal creaking, hope stirred with in me, a survivor maybe . I turned my self round, took a few steps forward, the creaking was now louder, something inside was moving. I sped up, my feet wandering on their won when they suddenly stopped, the train moved. A tiny movement, tipping it further onto it's side and then a crash echoed through the tunnel. Speeding towards me, enveloping me in a wall of sound . I heard a snort, heavy breathing, with a rasp, the ribs rattling as the mouth drew breath. That wasn't human, my instincts forced me to turn and run, the light nearing once again, not daring to look back I thrust my self into the streets, a blast of cold air hitting my face. The noise stopped as soon as my foot left the tunnel.
My eyes adjusted to the light, something was wrong. I was now standing in a street, low mist hung like a mysterious veil, hiding an unknown truth, obscuring any light that could get through the wall of grey clouds. The visibility down to about ten metres, I stepped further, new street being paved in front of me as I stepped forward. Ahead was a row of phones, sticking out of place from the cracked paving stones the boxes on small wooden poles, holes punched in the side, marking out a phone. There were three and I stepped up the one nearest me. I checked the stickers and shoved my hands in my pockets. I pulled out some change, amazingly I had become one of those people, useful items hidden in between fluff and obsolete items. I held out my change into the slot, the value of them unrecognisable, hoping to string together a few dollars I curled the first coin in. As soon as I heard I drop into the box, the phones rang. All three in a row, a deafening ring erupting into my ears. I looked at each phone, each one ringing at the same time. I thought for a second, it wasn't a coincidence, I stretched out my hand, pausing before coiling it around the receiver. As soon as it slid off the hook, the ringing stopped, it was to be expected but..the other phones were gone too, the ringing silenced in the streets. The phone I had to my ear made no sound, it was dead. Hopelessly letting it dangle on the chord I checked the others, dead.
I sighed, where was I? All the houses behind me were disgusting, a horrible yellowy colour with green shutters, all closed, revealing nothing of the people in the inside, but I doubted there was anyone there, this must have been a town evacuated in the war or something, the gardens overridden with weeds, no one lived here. I sat down on the kerb but immediately jolted up, over the road, directly across the street from the phones, was a café. It's bright neon sing, flickering, slightly dirty, dead flies trapped inside. The windows that weren't shielded by the blinds were huge, revealing an empty, but welcoming interior. The open sing swinging silently in the breeze that swept over my shoulders. I pushed, the bar at the back empty, the seats rotting, the tables empty, no longer shining. On the tables sat long forgotten meals, a veneer of mould spread over them. I was beginning to wonder what had happened here, and if it was about to happen to me.
I sat down on one of the more sanitary seats, looking across the bar, the half empty bottles standing alone in between the broken bottles that lined the floor behind the bar. The door creaked.my ears pricked up, I had made an enemy of my imagination before in the tunnel, the image of a monster exploding in my mind, I couldn't do that again. I took another look at the bottles behind the bar, lining the shelves, their liquids long gone but their stains still fresh on the maroon carpet. I was about to stand to look closer behind the bar when something hit my shoulder, wrapping around it causing me to jump and turn in mid air. I opened my eyes, which I had snapped shut when I had jumped. When the opened they were met by two deep blue eyes, staring at me. The eyes belonged to a policeman, at least I hoped he was a policeman. I estimated him to be thirty, and he was y idea of the perfect man, tall, dark handsome with an air of innocence about him.
'Jesus, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just trying to get your attention.', his voice was soft, but unnerved. 'Aren't you too young to be in a bar?'
What? Sorry, what? Was he chatting me up? Anyway, I was twenty seven, of course not. He was looking at me again, his hands still on my shoulders. He registered my confused face and pulled his hands back. 'Kidding. Hey, I'm Phil.'
I took a closer look at his eyes, there were bluish-grey, but as they melted into the irises they became bright yellow. 'Hey, Phil.' He looked at me, expecting something more. 'Oh.I'm Kate.'
'Well hi there Kate.' I noticed a leather holster to his right, a small black pistol poking out at me.
'Hi. Erm.what happened here?'
'What do you mean?', he rocked his head back, puzzled.
'Well the phones outside.doesn't matter, where is everyone?'
'I don't know, honestly, I sometimes think this place is just a figment of my imagination, stupid huh? I wouldn't worry about those phones, those things have been broken for years.'
'It's just, I was in this tunnel and.', my voice trailed off, I could hear the nose gain, so clearly as I remembered running in the tunnel, the low grunting and howling.
'What the hell is that?', Phil had jumped back, his face spinning on his neck to the windows. The noise was there again and it was blowing through the window like a whirlwind. He looked back to me. 'Shit.what is it? Have you heard this before?'. He had seen my face.
'Yeah I.', my voice trailed off, the noise was gone, no echo to confirm it's actual existence. Phil spun on his heels, before turning back reluctantly to me. He waited, considering something before sliding his gun out and putting it on one of the tables next to him. What did he mean?
'You take this, I'm going to see what that was.'
'Your leaving me?', my voice rasped, how could he do this?
'Listen, if you have that,', he gestured to the gun. 'You'll be fine alright? Just fire in the air and I'll be back in a flash alright?'
'A gun?', my voice was now desperate, but Phil was already the door, swinging it open into him before stepping out, looking back at me one last time.
'I'll be back, don't worry,'
'Wait.', but Phil was gone, disappearing in the midst like a dream or some distant memory. And there I was, on my stool, my legs curled up close to me, alone.
I was almost out when I heard a noise. The sound of old metal creaking, hope stirred with in me, a survivor maybe . I turned my self round, took a few steps forward, the creaking was now louder, something inside was moving. I sped up, my feet wandering on their won when they suddenly stopped, the train moved. A tiny movement, tipping it further onto it's side and then a crash echoed through the tunnel. Speeding towards me, enveloping me in a wall of sound . I heard a snort, heavy breathing, with a rasp, the ribs rattling as the mouth drew breath. That wasn't human, my instincts forced me to turn and run, the light nearing once again, not daring to look back I thrust my self into the streets, a blast of cold air hitting my face. The noise stopped as soon as my foot left the tunnel.
My eyes adjusted to the light, something was wrong. I was now standing in a street, low mist hung like a mysterious veil, hiding an unknown truth, obscuring any light that could get through the wall of grey clouds. The visibility down to about ten metres, I stepped further, new street being paved in front of me as I stepped forward. Ahead was a row of phones, sticking out of place from the cracked paving stones the boxes on small wooden poles, holes punched in the side, marking out a phone. There were three and I stepped up the one nearest me. I checked the stickers and shoved my hands in my pockets. I pulled out some change, amazingly I had become one of those people, useful items hidden in between fluff and obsolete items. I held out my change into the slot, the value of them unrecognisable, hoping to string together a few dollars I curled the first coin in. As soon as I heard I drop into the box, the phones rang. All three in a row, a deafening ring erupting into my ears. I looked at each phone, each one ringing at the same time. I thought for a second, it wasn't a coincidence, I stretched out my hand, pausing before coiling it around the receiver. As soon as it slid off the hook, the ringing stopped, it was to be expected but..the other phones were gone too, the ringing silenced in the streets. The phone I had to my ear made no sound, it was dead. Hopelessly letting it dangle on the chord I checked the others, dead.
I sighed, where was I? All the houses behind me were disgusting, a horrible yellowy colour with green shutters, all closed, revealing nothing of the people in the inside, but I doubted there was anyone there, this must have been a town evacuated in the war or something, the gardens overridden with weeds, no one lived here. I sat down on the kerb but immediately jolted up, over the road, directly across the street from the phones, was a café. It's bright neon sing, flickering, slightly dirty, dead flies trapped inside. The windows that weren't shielded by the blinds were huge, revealing an empty, but welcoming interior. The open sing swinging silently in the breeze that swept over my shoulders. I pushed, the bar at the back empty, the seats rotting, the tables empty, no longer shining. On the tables sat long forgotten meals, a veneer of mould spread over them. I was beginning to wonder what had happened here, and if it was about to happen to me.
I sat down on one of the more sanitary seats, looking across the bar, the half empty bottles standing alone in between the broken bottles that lined the floor behind the bar. The door creaked.my ears pricked up, I had made an enemy of my imagination before in the tunnel, the image of a monster exploding in my mind, I couldn't do that again. I took another look at the bottles behind the bar, lining the shelves, their liquids long gone but their stains still fresh on the maroon carpet. I was about to stand to look closer behind the bar when something hit my shoulder, wrapping around it causing me to jump and turn in mid air. I opened my eyes, which I had snapped shut when I had jumped. When the opened they were met by two deep blue eyes, staring at me. The eyes belonged to a policeman, at least I hoped he was a policeman. I estimated him to be thirty, and he was y idea of the perfect man, tall, dark handsome with an air of innocence about him.
'Jesus, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just trying to get your attention.', his voice was soft, but unnerved. 'Aren't you too young to be in a bar?'
What? Sorry, what? Was he chatting me up? Anyway, I was twenty seven, of course not. He was looking at me again, his hands still on my shoulders. He registered my confused face and pulled his hands back. 'Kidding. Hey, I'm Phil.'
I took a closer look at his eyes, there were bluish-grey, but as they melted into the irises they became bright yellow. 'Hey, Phil.' He looked at me, expecting something more. 'Oh.I'm Kate.'
'Well hi there Kate.' I noticed a leather holster to his right, a small black pistol poking out at me.
'Hi. Erm.what happened here?'
'What do you mean?', he rocked his head back, puzzled.
'Well the phones outside.doesn't matter, where is everyone?'
'I don't know, honestly, I sometimes think this place is just a figment of my imagination, stupid huh? I wouldn't worry about those phones, those things have been broken for years.'
'It's just, I was in this tunnel and.', my voice trailed off, I could hear the nose gain, so clearly as I remembered running in the tunnel, the low grunting and howling.
'What the hell is that?', Phil had jumped back, his face spinning on his neck to the windows. The noise was there again and it was blowing through the window like a whirlwind. He looked back to me. 'Shit.what is it? Have you heard this before?'. He had seen my face.
'Yeah I.', my voice trailed off, the noise was gone, no echo to confirm it's actual existence. Phil spun on his heels, before turning back reluctantly to me. He waited, considering something before sliding his gun out and putting it on one of the tables next to him. What did he mean?
'You take this, I'm going to see what that was.'
'Your leaving me?', my voice rasped, how could he do this?
'Listen, if you have that,', he gestured to the gun. 'You'll be fine alright? Just fire in the air and I'll be back in a flash alright?'
'A gun?', my voice was now desperate, but Phil was already the door, swinging it open into him before stepping out, looking back at me one last time.
'I'll be back, don't worry,'
'Wait.', but Phil was gone, disappearing in the midst like a dream or some distant memory. And there I was, on my stool, my legs curled up close to me, alone.