The Camera and the Train

I looked out the window as the cab pulled into Sway Train Station. People paced the platform as they visited the ticket booth and found their lines. I gathered my luggage from the trunk and approached an empty bench when I took out my camera and took pictures of the crowd. Suddenly, a man emerged from behind me and tapped my shoulder. I looked out of my peripheral to see he was dressed in black, hardly paying attention to his face. He handed me a train station pass for free food at the concession stand. Eventually, he left and went on handing out passes to the rest of the crowd. After an hour of taking pictures, the public announcement system alerted me that the train would not arrive until 5:00 PM. My stomach started to grumble, so I collected my belongings and approached the bakery shop just behind the benches. Inside the bakery was Mr. Willie, a chubby man who ran several shops throughout the city. I hadn't seen him since I worked in the shop with my dad as a little boy. He recognized me immediately and came from behind the counter for a handshake. 

He uttered, “Well well well, if it isn't thee Savior Jennings. It's been a long time since I saw you! How ya been!” 

“I've been great! I see the bakery is holding up! I expressed.

He replied, “Yeah, I'm hanging in there.” he looked around the bakery. 

He continued, “I can picture you glazing the pastries with your little hands and wearing that small baker's hat on your head.

I smiled and Mr Willie directed me to a chair in front of the server's counter. He reached into the pastry booth and handed me a creme donut.

“You’re tearing into that donut son!” he expressed while watching me nibble at the oozing cream.

I stuttered with a full mouth, “Ye ye yes! Your donuts hit the spot! You know how to hook a brotha up!”

“A ha ha ha!” he laughed while wiping the crumby counter. 

Mr. Willie asked, “So where are you headed?” 

I exclaimed, “I am going to a family reunion.”

“Okay! I hope you have a good time,” he stated.

I expressed, “Yes! It's going to be a great time! My cousin needed a photographer and we agreed that I could take the pictures with my new E Tech camera.”

The conversation went on for two hours. We reminisced about old times and laughed till our chests hurt. Around 5:00 PM, a red train rumbled mightily and vibrated the building.  

I gathered my things, “Welp, that's my cue to go!”

Mr. Willie and I parted ways. I exited the bakery and pulled my train ticket out of my pocket. I began walking down the platform when the black dressed man emerged behind me. I fixated on the train and ran towards the director standing before the doors. The black dressed man eventually caught up with me and met me near the director, revealing a ticket. We parted ways on the train as the directors guided us to different sections. After a few minutes, I found section F3 and loaded my belongings into a code locked storage compartment. I sat in my seat and waited for the train to fill. Around 5:10 PM, the cabin reached maximum capacity. The passengers had stored their belongings and settled into their designated seats. Eventually, the train departed the station at 5:30 PM. I nestled into my seat listening to a drama story on the e-reader. As the story played, I looked outside to see a waterfall streaming from a cliff to a flat rocky stream. The sunlight beamed on the current, forming a cast of light against the rippling tides. This moment was perfect for a photoshoot, so I reached into the storage bin and pulled out my camera to take pictures of the scenery. Eventually, the impromptu photography session concluded as nighttime began to approach. I turned off my Kindle and observed the train cabin. For the most part, the cabin was calm as most of the passengers fell asleep or were occupied with their phones. The director paced back and forth in the aisle, serving those that wanted a meal or a beverage from the kitchen. Around 7:30 PM, the train reached a high speed. It glided across the tracks, dusting pebbles against the icy windows. I was texting my cousin to inform him that although I was late, I would be at the farm by 9:00 PM that night to help him tie up loose ends for the reunion. After I sent the text, I placed my ear plugs in and closed my eyes to rest. Around 8:45 PM, I woke up in drenched clothes. I grabbed a bottle of water from the table and chugged it down.

“Ehem!” a woman coughed, “My throat is dry!” 

The director brought her a cup of water and some crackers and returned to his post. Within the next ten minutes, I turned towards the aisle again. The woman's face turned a pale grey and her veins thickened from underneath her skin. She rose from her seat and collapsed to the ground.

“Help!” a man yelled.

The train medic rushed to the scene, placing a respirator on the woman's nose and checking her vitals. Her body jumped in the aisle, causing the passengers to look out from their seats. As the lady became stable, she was transported to the medic station for further observation. Eventually, news surfaced that she had a blockage in her lungs. The cause was unknown, but puzzling to the medics as the woman fell sick so suddenly. Eventually, everything concluded around midnight as the cabin fell asleep in their let out beds. The train was dark, besides the occasional moonlight shining through the windows. Sweat barreled down my face again as I pulled out my cellphone to check my messages. As I placed the phone on the table, several passengers fell to the ground gasping for air. The last thing I remembered was grabbing my scarf, and attempting to wrap it around my face when smoke entered my nose. I woke up, head bouncing on the table as the train continued at high speed. A man was dragging and tying everyone together with a rope.

“No! What is going on! You can't be doing this, please, please,” a woman begged.

The man slapped her out cold, leaving a contusion across her face.

He yelled, “You people are locked in here until I get the camera!”

A male passenger yelled, “What damn camera!”

The crazed man pointed at me, “His camera! Now where is it?”

I yelled, “It's in storage F3, the passcode to enter is 6789.”

At this moment, I realized this man was the guy from earlier dressed in black at the train station. He grabbed my shirt and yanked me to section F3. As we approached the area, I reached towards the storage keypad to enter the code. On the first attempt, the storage opened with a loud squeak and the man grabbed the camera bag.

“I got it!” he expressed.

Suddenly, I felt an object underneath my butt and I realized it was the camera. I did not return it to the bag after taking pictures of the waterfall. I took my hands and quickly slid the camera in my back pocket. While he admired the camera bag in his hand, I snatched it away from him and tossed it about the numerous rows of seats.  

“You bastard!” he shouted.

The man punched me in the face and tossed me towards the passengers to run and search for the camera bag. As he scoured the train, I cut the rope from around the passengers and led the group through a broken window to jump from the moving train. As I struggled to make it over the ledge, the man emerged behind me and snatched me back into the train through the window, cutting my leg. 

He grumbled, “You tricked me you piece of shit! Arrrrrrrrrr!”

We scuffled over the camera as the moonlight glared into the moving train. I raised my bloody leg and kicked him through the control room door to the ground. He released the camera and I knocked the lever out of gear, causing the train to lose direction. As the train skidded, I dove out of the window leaving him behind with the camera in my pocket.