Press. Release. Wait.

Something New Comes to Light

Adam was asleep. He sounded it at least. I couldn't sleep. Something about what he said. About that man that had been his car.

The thought filled me with a confounding dread. A confused, cold feeling that made my legs kick restlessly and the back of my head throb where I had hit it.

I heard deep, slow breaths from the other end of the speaker.

I got up slowly, still aware of how dark it was. My legs almost gave out on me because I had been sitting for so long.

How long has it been?

I looked back into the darkness. I just remembered the feeling of my phone digging into my back after the crash. I stepped carefully, searching for my prize. I thought maybe it wasn't broken. Maybe it had signal and I could call someone. Even just speak to someone. Someone besides Adam. Someone that could tell me what the hell happened.

We were at least a hundred feet underground. Deep within the dirt and rocks and other things we didn't think about under the city. I wondered if even the worms and other little creatures bothered down here. Or whether there was anything living down here. Maybe the rats the scurried through the subway tunnels and made their homes deep underground. Maybe the rumbling of the trains passing by them was comforting to them now. They were so used to it at this point.

I passed by what was assumedly the large rock that I had been previously been cuddling up against after the crash. I smiled and almost laughed thinking about how ridiculous of an image that must have been. Well... if there had been any light in this cold dark stupid subway car. I went off to the right, exploring with my hand.

A round metal pole met my searching hand. I grabbed onto it for support and brought myself up against the seats. I could feel the dirty, coarse fabric of the seats. My hand slid across it, waiting for something to block its path. I felt dirt and gravel travel across my hand, staining it even more than they probably were stained before.

Nothing.

Nothing but the fabric tickling the palm of my hand as it traveled across it.

Maybe it was on the ground. It had, after all been digging into my back. I stooped down. The metal felt cold beneath my hands. Nothing.

I looked back at the speaker and the dim red light illuminating it. I couldn't hear Adam but I doubted he had noticed. He was fast asleep.

Goddamnit. This phone. Why was I even bothering. Who even gives a shit?

The crick in my back was beginning to hurt now. I reached back. And rubbed my back through my thin shirt.

Oh shit...

That wasn't a crick in my back. Something was still digging into it. I felt the hard plastic of my phone case against my fingers. It reached up from my back pocket and dug in right beside the small of my back.

I don't think I ever felt that stupid in my entire life. Lucky Adam was asleep. I probably wouldn't have told him anyways.

I looked up again to the speaker. It almost felt like that was Adam at this point. My only line of communication. My only friend.

I grinned as I had a strange idea.

"Hey Adam!" I called out to the speaker.

There was no answer.

"Guess what? I'm an idiot!"

Still no response from Adam. Finally he didn't have one of his stupid responses.

"Hey Adam!" I called out again.

I lowered my voice for the next part.

"I... I'm still very attracted to you."

I looked down after that. It wasn't fun anymore.

My phone was fucked. Like fallen down six flights of stairs and then stepped on for good measure fucked. Like fucked fucked.

I brushed my hand across it. Tiny shards of plastic met my hand no matter where I went.

"Fuck." I said. Or thought. I wasn't sure which.

All I needed was the light to work. I just needed something. Something to see. Something to do. I just wanted to see what the hell was going on.

I pressed the power button.

The screen did not light up.

Obviously.

I pressed the volume button up and down and up and down.

And as I did I could hear the phone respond in kind. With tiny beep corresponding to the volume I had set it at.

It's WORKING!

A slight victory considering the fact that I could do literally nothing with it.

Or possibly...

I turned my phone around, just seeing a glimpse of the dim flashlight. If I could just find a way to turn it on.

I squeezed the phone.

Nothing.

Was there some shortcut or something to turn on the phone?

I squeezed it three times in rhythm.

"FUCK!" I screamed.

Then I looked up at the speaker.

No answer from Adam.

I pressed every combination of buttons I could possibly think of. I pressed them three times. I pressed them four. Five.

I let out a screech and shook my phone violently, trying to prevent myself from throwing it across the room.

"GODDAMN IT PHONE DO SOMETHING," I screamed as I shook it.

The light came on.

What?

I cocked me head.

"Goddamn it phone?" I stuttered weakly.

No change. The light was still on.

I shook the phone back and forth.

The light came off.

I shook it again.

The light came on.