Train to Nowhere
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not really sure if I like this story too much. But I loved 'Hope Chest' (by Garth Nix) and really wanted to write a continuation of it. I didn't really want Alice May to come back, though, because the story didn't sound like it needed a sequel so much. So I decided to just give it a short continuation. I won't be writing anymore of this, so you don't need to review telling me to write more. What you see it what you get! But all reviews are appreciated!
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Alice May awoke to find herself slumped over in a train compartment. For a blissful moment, she forgot what had happened. Then it all streamed back. She remembered shooting the Master, shooting her sister.
She looked over at the trunk. Why did it have to be her? Was she really the only one that could carry this burden? Or perhaps there were more like her? Maybe she was going to meet them right now. But out of the smoked-glass window was only black. The lights of her compartment flickered as the train hit small bumps. She turned over her hand, and saw the terrible scar that was left by that burning white-hot lump. But it no longer hurt, and was as healed as it could be. How long had she slept?
She stood and stretched, giving a slight yawn. Her hands reached for her guns and reloaded them for her. She needed more ammunition. She was practically out. Hopefully, wherever this train was going would have a place for her to get some bullets. She put her guns back in their holsters after reloading them, and decided to take a quick look around the train.
The hallway was still seemingly endless. She was in the compartment closest to the engine. She looked at the door across from the one she had just walked through. It looked the same as all the others, and why shouldn't it? There was no noise coming from the other side. She reached out to the doorknob, thinking about whether or not she should open it. She had heard things behind some of the doors, like the rain and the wind. They had seemed welcoming and friendly. But this door didn't seem welcoming at all. She couldn't see any light showing through under the door itself, telling her that either there was no light inside or it had been turned off.
She hesitated, but then decided that not knowing what was there would be worse than actually knowing. She could just shut the door when she was done… no harm there, right? She took a shaky breath, listening to her pounding heart. What could be behind this door that was making her instincts scream so loudly?
She was just about to open the door, when it opened without her touching it. A young man ran out, looking behind him. He ran right into Alice May, pushing her across the hallway. He paid no attention to her and quickly slammed the door shut behind him, breathing heavily. Soon, Alice May had a rifle to the back of his head.
"Explain yourself," she said. How had he gotten in there? Had he been there the whole time?
"I'm so-sorry!" he stuttered, raising his hands slightly. "I was just running away. And then I went into some tunnel, and now I'm here." He paused for a moment, and Alice May said nothing. "Please, ma'am, don't shoot me…" he pleaded.
Alice May lowered her rifle, but didn't put it back in its holster. "Why were you running?"
He gulped, "I just had to get away. I didn't feel safe." He turned around to look at her. He was actually rather handsome. He looked to be around 20, not much older than her. He had dusty blonde hair and a casual tan. He wore denim cowboy-style jeans and a brown button-up shirt. Around his waist was a holster, with a revolver held snugly inside. As she sized him up he seemed to be doing much the same thing, concentrating mostly on her bare legs. She coughed, blushing slightly. He realized what he was doing and quickly turned his head to examine the train he was in.
They stood in silence, each of them trying to think of what to say to the other. Alice May thought she would go crazy if the silence lasted any longer, so she blurted out, "I'm Alice May, what's your name?" except she said it so quickly, it almost sounded like one long word.
"I'm James Morgan," he said, offering to kiss her hand. She misread his body language and shook his hand instead. He let out a quiet laugh. Alice May wasn't sure if she should laugh with him, or act insulted. So she did neither, which made her appear stiff and awkward.
"I'm getting kind of hungry, how about you?" Alice May said, for conversation. But she hadn't the slightest idea where she could get some food.
"Here, I've got some jerky," James said, pulling some out of his pocket. "It's not much, I know, but it's something." He tried to look optimistic.
Alice May took the jerky, muttering a thank-you. She opened the door to her compartment, letting James go in before her. She closed the door behind her then sat down. They sat across from each other chewing on their jerky, trying not to make eye contact. Alice May decided that she would wait for James to break the silence, instead of making a fool of herself again. She adjusted her position on the cushioned bench, moving her trunk a bit further away from her.
"What's in there?" James asked, leaning forward to pick it up.
"Uh, only I can open it," Alice May explained, pulling it out of his hands and onto her lap. "It's empty anyway." Did he seem closer than before? The compartment seemed smaller than when she had first sat down.
"Oh," was all he said.
Alice May let her mind wander, thinking about all that had happened. She could remember perfectly what it was like when she shot the Master. He had turned into quicksilver and gone down some drain… into the train. She mentally gasped. She reached for the door, to check the endless hallway. She opened the door and leaned out, looking both ways. Nothing. He must be in one of the compartments. Or maybe he really isn't on the train? Now she just wanted the train to get wherever it was going so she could get off.
James was oblivious, and confused. He had no idea what was going on in Alice May's head. He stood halfway as she opened the door then sat back down as she came back in. But she didn't close the door. To be honest, he as glad. The compartment had seemed stifling before, and it was nice to have more air. He looked out the smoked-glass window, trying to see anything outside. But all he saw was black.
"Do you know where we're going?" He asked Alice May, who was sitting back down now.
She jumped, startled by his voice. "No, not really," she told him, truthfully. "But I don't think it's taking us anywhere we've been before. I've been riding it for a while now, though I was asleep most of the time, and it hasn't stopped once." She paused, "I'm just hoping it stops somewhere I can get some ammunition."
They both relaxed and started to doze. The train continued, and they made small conversation every now and then. After a while, James fell asleep. Alice May could act as she wanted now, without worrying about how he was judging her. She sighed and closed her eyes a bit, blinking slowly. How had James gotten on this train? Was he supposed to? Maybe he was like her. She smiled at the thought. Either way, at least she wasn't alone any more.
After another hour or so, Alice May found herself drifting off to sleep too. She yawned and breathed slowly. Almost catlike, she curled into a ball, and went to sleep.
When she woke up, she was on the floor with a small memory of the train stopping and herself rolling off of the bench. She stood up and looked around. James was gone. She panicked, thinking that maybe he was never there. Maybe she had never woken up in the first place. But as she stepped out, she saw James was already in the long corridor. He looked at her, giving a slight smile. He turned to face the door he had come in by. Why had she been so nervous that he wasn't real?
He stared at it for a while then turned back to Alice May. "I was just thinking," he told her, "Maybe I was supposed to get on this train."
Alice May nodded, "I was thinking about that too." He put his arms on her shoulders, and they hugged, both smiling.
Without any other words, they stepped off the train to nowhere.