"You see," I gasp, continuing, "I think this may be too much for one person to
handle."
"But-." I cut Sebastian off.
"Then, what's your plan?" I asked. Sebastian shrugs.
"Stop it." He answers.
"With?" I asked.
"My hands?"
"Oh my god-."
"Maybe a magic-."
"Are you serious or are you freaking kidding me-?"
"Language." Zachary gasp. "We might be about to die, but there are freaking children here."
Sebastian snorts.
I turn to give him a look.
"Sorry," Sebastian clears his throat, "oh yea. Right. No."
"Sebastian-."I whine.
The train jerks again. Sebastian stumbles back, loosening his grip on me. I stagger
the opposite way, tripping out the open train doors.
Sebastian hurriedly reaches for my hand, grabbing me before my head slams into the train tracks.
"Andy!"Zachary screams, scrambling to grab my other hand. The train rapidly spreads
ahead, air hitting my ear drums, my skin cold and prickled.
I gasp for air, my hair tickling my face; my eyes squinting to see through the tears threatening to fall. Sebastian gathers his strength to pull me up, but I stop him.
"Wait," I breath out, opening my eyes big enough to study my surroundings outside.
We're in another tunnel, but close to the next stop; the sun beginning to peak out at
the end of the tunnel is a huge indicator.
I freeze, a thought—no idea—suddenly overflowing in me, so I tighten my hold on Zachary's hand and try to loosen Sebastian's, but he only holds tighter.
"Andrew," he shakily asked. "W-what the hell are you doing?"
I turn to him and smile, gasping for air.
"C-could you actually stop this train with your hands?" I asked. Zachary looks at
me, flabbergasted.
"Could try," Sebastian frowns, his face in full thought, like he's trying to figure out what I'm thinking, "if not…I can try something else," he looks down at me, trying to host me up again, but I lean back down, my eyes focused on the
tracks.
"Andrew…" Zachary shakes his head, "come on man, get up here. Now dude."
"I can-I can stop it on this end," I turn to Sebastian. He already looks like he's
about to object. "You just need to stop it at the front."
"Andrew…" Sebastian starts. Zachary tags along, shaking his head.
"No! Get up man, that sounds dangerous-way too dangerous-!" Zachary said, but
I cut him off.
"Let go of my hand Sebastian," I said, "and go to the front of the train."
"B-but-." Sebastian starts.
"Let go, Sebastian." I said.
"No, Andrew-."
"Say you'll go!"
"Andrew-."
"God! I-Why won't you ever just listen?!" I
raise my hand and slam it on the ground. The hands crawl out of hiding, twirling,
and swirling in the air before the crowd of limbs grab hold of the back of the
train and train tracks. The train speeds ahead; my body suddenly jerks forward,
fighting against the train's strength. I feel something suddenly run down my
nose: warm and smelling like iron.
"Andrew-!" I cut Sebastian off.
"Go."
"Andrew-."
"Go!" I hissed out.
Sebastian gives me a look. He stares at me in silence. He stares at me for so long I open
my mouth to tell him to go again, but he slowly, tauntingly, releases my hand.
"Don't do anything else." He said, and he jumps out the train.
I tilt my hanging head, watching Sebastian run to the front of the train in a
chase. I don't see or hear from him until there's a loud bang at his end. I hear loud groaning and grunting, but the train still speeds ahead.
"H-how are you doing back there?" I asked.
There's no answer.
"Seb-?"
"Lotus." I hear, and them the train jerks back, almost toppling over. I jerk up,
coughing, salvia trailing down my chin. The blood coming out my nose trails
down lower, staining my chin and neck.
But the train still creaks ahead, it still moves.
"S-Sebastian-." I croak out.
"Y-yea, sorry. Trying here." Sebastian yells back. "I need something to pull on the
other end. That's the only way this can work-."
The train jerks again, screeching across the tracks, leaning more to one side. I
can hear Sebastian struggling to tame the beast, his frustration coming out in
soft curses.
The five limbs pulling on the tracks aren't enough, Sebastian can't do this alone,
and oxygen is quickly leaving my head.
Maybe that's why I see her—the woman—sitting on the train's roof, smiling down at me.
"Here," she smiles. "It's cute, seeing him try to play train conductor. Wonder where he
learned that." She snickers.
I retaliate, answering her with "You think you can help me out," I must be going
crazy, talking to someone that isn't physically real, "give me something better
to work with? Ghost hands are a little useless here."
"You're going to regret that later." She said, an earnest tone to her voice.
I raise my hand, a laugh escaping my lips. "Already do." I said. I slam my hand
down again.
Everything stills, even the hands, and then the ground rumbles.
There's this blue dust, rising with the dirt under the trail rails. And then hands
shoot from the ground, which belong to torso, and then faces—decomposing,
decaying, ghastly—and then bodies, all missing limbs or mouths or sockets.
"Huh?"I mumble, and then I cough out a mouth full of blood.
The people-no, the dead hook themselves onto both the back and below
the train, pulling the train in a tug-a-war with Sebastian. Sebastian yelps in
surprise, peaking his head from the train's large front.
"What is-what the hell..." Sebastian looks at the dead, beyond shocked, distraught, elated with dread. "What…did you just…?"
"Stop asking questions," I exclaim with a mouthful of more blood, the thick liquid
now leaking on my shirt, "and do something with this train-!"
The train suddenly swerves to the side; the dead help Sebastian drag the
death trap off the train rails, dragging it as far as it can off the tracks.
People that were standing astray, minding their business, and carrying on with
their lives suddenly run away, attempting to avoid the train that's suddenly being
pulled and plotted where pedestrians wait.
Finally, after much will power, strength, and precision, the dead and Sebastian
let go of the train, sitting it stationary for bystanders to eye in fear and
curiosity.
I slowly rise my head and pull myself into the train, but I lean onto the train's
floor and slip on the blood on my palms. I mutter a soft curse to myself; my
arms quivering when I attempt to lift myself up.
My arms suddenly give out. I fall back, but I get caught in time. I crook my head
up to see Sebastian looking down at me in panic and fright.
I look away, avoiding Sebastian's eyes to finally notice my brother.
Zachary must have fallen on impact. His face is flat on the ground, and his hands are
flat on the train's cold floor. He looks up, confused. then he spots me, and he
shares the same look Sebastian just gave me.
"Holy shit," He holds my face, pats my body, and grips my shoulders, "w-what
the hell happened to you?"
"My thoughts exactly." Sebastian murmurs.
"I'm fine," I laugh, my lungs and torso screaming, "I-I'm okay-."
"Andrew," Zachary looks at me, "do you remember our conversation this morning? Yea, okay, so talk to me here."
I squint, painting, struggling to breath. My mouth tastes strongly of iron, my
nose feels tingly and weirdly, and my torso aches like a bitch. If I had to guess, it's probably going to disappearing too, like my ankle.
"It hurts," I admit, honestly, "it really, really hurts and I-I'm sorry."
"Why are you freaking apologizing?" Zachary fumes. "W-?"
"-here?" Sebastian turns my body, inspection for damage.
"My lungs, a-and my torso. My stomach and m-m-m-my r-ribcage," Sebastian holds me
from behind. I lean back, closing my eyes. "E-e-especially m-my stomach."
"Stomach?" Sebastian asked. I nod my head.
"J-Just Hungry." Sebastian gives me the same look as the first time I said it.
"How bad?" He asked.
"So bad," I hold my stomach, "f-feels like m' dying." I joke.
"You might if we don't go to the hospital!" Zachary fails his arms. "You need to get
checked out now-!"
I shake my head. "N-no, Zach-."
"I agree." Sebastian said. I look up at him, catching his big frown. "You should
get checked. I can only do so much, but you look like you're in really, really bad
shape."
"Is it that bad?" I asked.
"Yes," I open my eyes to Sebastian holding my face, worry seeping through his pores. "I'll
take you and your brother to the hospital, okay?"
"Y-yea, o-okay, yea." I close my eyes again, this time drifting off to sleep, "thank
you-."