TRAIN TRACKS ➣ chris chambers x reader

011

back at it w the long ass chapters cuz i don't want this story to have too many parts

Sixteen songs and a news report later, the five of you arrived at a bridge built over an enormous body of water.

You bit back a laugh as you watched Vern peek over the edge of the tracks and let out a shaky breath. "Uh... do any of you know when the next train is due?"

"I'm not sure. There are only around four or five a day, though, so there's a pretty low chance we'll see another one in the next hour." You replied. Vern didn't seem too satisfied with your answer. "But that's still a chance, isn't it?"

"We could go down to the Route 136 bridge." Chris said.

Teddy scoffed. "What are you, crazy? That's five miles down the river! You walk five miles down the river, that means you gotta walk five miles back!"

"Yeah, I'm with Teddy on this one." You admitted, though you weren't exactly happy about it. "We're on foot. If we go that way, it'll take more than three hours."

"Exactly! If we go across here, we can get to the same place in ten minutes."

"Yeah, but if a train comes, there's nowhere else to go!" Vern argued.

Teddy's eyes traveled from Vern's petrified expression down to the water running below the bridge, and a grin spread across face. Chris instantly realised what he was hinting at and shook his head. "Teddy, it's a hundred feet."

"Yeah, Teddy!"

"Look. You guys can go around if you want to. I'm crossin' here." Teddy replied stubbornly. "And while you guys are dragging your candy asses halfway across the state and back, I'll be waiting for you on the other side, relaxing with my thoughts."

Gordie squinted at him. "You use your left hand or your right hand for that?"

"You wish."

Teddy turned on his heel and began walking across the bridge, not bothering to cast a glance back over his shoulder to make sure everyone was following - he knew you all agreed with him deep down, but it was only you who was nice enough to acknowledge it, and even then it took a fair bit of willpower.

Chris ran after him, presumably to make sure he didn't do something stupid that ended in him falling to his death. You swallowed and looked forward. Vern had followed shortly after Chris and Gordie after Vern, leaving you at the very back.

"Get it together, y/n." You said to yourself, then, with a deep exhale, you hopped onto the tracks and speed-walked past Gordie. It was pretty easy; he'd stopped walking and was kneeling on the ground with his hand on the rail; and as much as you would've loved to know what the hell he was doing, you decided not to question it and keep moving instead. You didn't want to admit it, but walking this high up over the water really made you feel ill and all you wanted to do was to get across to the other side as quickly as you possibly could. It didn't look too far, though, and your stomach eased up a little. Maybe this wouldn't take as long as you thought it would.

And then you reached Vern.

"Vern. What the fuck." You said. He was crawling on all-fours, his tongue sticking out slightly in concentration. Usually, you wouldn't have cared - you would've breezed past him without a word, but with him and his huge sleeping bag taking up the entirety of the middle part of the bridge, only the sides were empty enough for you to walk on; and you really didn't feel like walking on the very edges where you could topple over and fall any moment.

"It's safer this way." He explained. You kicked his shoe. "Move faster."

"I don't want to."

You turned around at the sound of footsteps coming from behind you and saw Gordie, who was looking down at Vern with the same disappointed expression. "Gordie, can you please tell Vern to hurry up?"