The door slid shut a second later as the train left the station, the wheels moving and vibrating beneath them
"Sorry. Excuse me" Price apologised as a man holding a umbrella gave way to him before he returned to playing a game on his phone
Price stood close to the doors holding onto the pole to steady himself as Kyle continued to hold his hand as he scanned for anywhere free to sit
The seats were all full. They were going to have to stand there unfortunately. Well that was rush hour in London for you.
As he settled on standing there until they could find a seat, suddenly a woman stood up holding a folded newspaper and bag as she got up, turning to face Price who was standing close to the door
"Excuse me, Would your kid like to sit down? I can give him my seat. It's totally ok"
Price looked at her in surprise to see the young woman who was in her twenties
"Me? My son?" He hardly manage to stutter out as he pointed to himself
The woman laughed
"Yes your son. He needs it more than me. I insist. Please go ahead and take my seat. I'm getting off at the next stop anyway. I'll be fine"
"Well... Thank you. Thank you very much. I sure do appreciate that. Thank you"
"Kyle!" Price called out roughly as Kyle turned to look at him
"You heard what the young lady said. The seat is all yours"
"Yayyyy" Kyle squealed in joy emitting a chuckle from Price and the woman as they looked at him
Kyle practically ran to the chair as he sat down on it grinning widely before he turned to face the kind stranger again
"Thank you miss!" He beamed happily
"Your more than welcome Kid. Enjoy your seat!"
"I will do. Thank you once again!" He chirped
Silence flowed in the carriage quietly except for the sounds of the wheels on the rail and the engine of the tube train which thundered on in the background.
The train had entered the tunnel now as the windows were filled up with black nothingness except for their reflections
For a while, Kyle just stared at his own small reflection on the opposite window as Price continued to stand watching him quietly lost in his own thoughts
See, maybe everything isn't so bad.
Maybe he's just a loony or depressed. Maybe he isn't a terrorist who is up to something and it's all just you being paranoid and in your head. You've seen plenty of crazy people on the tube in your years travelling on it maybe he's just one of them. Harmless.
Maybe he's just having a bad day and is a runaway from home, hence the big backpack. You never know Price. People run for all kinds of reasons. You should know, you ran away to join the army at a similar age.
Not all muslims or Asians are terrorists. Remember your diversity and equality training and all your Asian friends growing up in London. They were the nicest people ever and always had your back.
To label one person as a terrorist because of one bad example is racist Price and wrong. And your not a racist, because if you were you wouldn't of adopted a black child out of the children that were available, you would of chose a white one
After all there were many children that were available for adoption in the agency.
He had plenty of choice.
He could have easily chosen a white kid instead of a black one, he could have done.
Price wasn't a racist. That just wasn't him as a person.
His thoughts were interrupted when Kyle suddenly swivelled around in his seat to face him
"Dad, Can we get some ice cream over the weekend? I really want an ice cream"
Price looked at Kyle who was sitting there innocently looking up at him with puppy dog eyes.
His heart melted.
How could he say no to a sweet face like that? He just couldn't
"Of course, son. I'd be more than happy to do that. But Homework first" He pointed as he tried his best to be stern but a faint smile had formed on his features
No matter how hard I try to hide it I can never be truly angry at this kid. He may not be my own but I love him as my own. Corr I'm getting soft now. That's what Fatherhood does to you, Price.
"Of course Dad. You got it. I'll do the homework then we can go and get ice cream. How about that?"
"I think that's a good idea son. We'll do that Saturday afternoon. That's a promise" He nodded smiling warmly
A loud bang erupted in the air behind them as the train shook violently
Price jolted as Kyle was slightly thrown to the side of his seat as they both jumped at the same time
"What the effing hell was that?!" A man behind them cried in fright
The lights flickered faltering for a second
A second bang was heard behind them.
The windows vibrated violently as the glass threatened to crack
The train shook violently again
Price stumbled nearly losing his balance from the force as he swerved before gaining his bearings again
Frowning, he turned around to look at the carriage window and door behind him, that was when he realised.
A orange fireball was hurtling towards their way at an alarming speed
"Get down!" He yelled
Price dived half on instinct and half from the force of the tremor as time froze all around him
Kyle lurched forward falling out of his seat as he fell forward
"Dad!" He shrieked in terror
Price leapt forward catching Kyle as he wrapped his arms around Kyle as snugly as he could, moving to shield him as he lay on top of him
Price felt heat soar behind him and above his head as the fireball broke through the windows, appearing in front of them
"It's ok son. Daddy's got you. Your Safe. Stay under there and don't move. Your ok" He soothed
Kyle trembled shaking violently as he saw the orange fireball narrowly pass by his head, he could feel the faint heat of the flames as it brushed past him
It was like those pictures of the sun that he had learnt about in school, only smaller
Screams came from all around him as he could see several passengers cowering on the floor having fallen over too, curled up and with their hands over their ears
Glass flew along with other objects as the lights went out with a smash.
They were now in total darkness.
Kyle saw bags and newspapers fly around him including one that wedged itself in the chair in front of him, narrowly missing him
More items continued to fly around the darkened carriage as bits of metal and glass flew behind Price
The wind blew sharper and harsher like a tornado as a book hit Price on the back.
He grimaced as he felt the hard cover of the book hitting him from behind, he lightly winced as he tightened his grip around Kyle
"It's alright kid. Your doing really well. Dad's here. It's ok" He mumbled as Kyle continued to tremble under him
A loose bit of metal flew towards him as he was bonked on the back of the head causing him to grunt out in pain.
Still he wouldn't falter.
If it means dying to protect Kyle I'll do it. I would go to hell and back for him just to keep him safe. If I'm going to die here protecting him from flying bits of shrapnel, so be it. I would rather it be me than him. I would die for this kid if it meant him living.
Kyle turned from looking in the darkened carriage and up to Price.
He could just about make out his worried eyes and features in the dark, having adjusted to the darkness
"I'm alright son. Don't worry about me. Dad's fine. Your doing really well Kyle. Keep it up"
This seemed to convince Kyle as he turned back to look forward, still continuing to lay on his front
Price regretted his words in a instant
Glass cut across his forehead, as he gritted in pain clenching his teeth to avoid letting out a low growl as pieces and shards sliced him cutting his skin
I can't let Kyle know. I need to keep him calm. I can't let him know that I'm hurt. He'll panic even more. He's just a kid. I shouldn't have brought him on the train, if we both die it's my fault. If I could go back in time this morning I would have just drove him to school instead. I didn't and it's too late now. We're fucked.
Blood started to drip from his forehead as it leaked across his face dripping down on the floor close to them
Kyle froze as he felt something warm and sticky fall on his shoulder
What? What is that? What is that sticky liquid that is falling on me? Am I dying?
After what felt like forever, the train suddenly came breaking sharply to a halt as the wheels screeched before it fully stopped