Press. Release. Wait.

The WORST train ride ever

"Adam."

...

"Adam."

"What Cheyenne?" Adam interjected loudly.

"Oh," I answered in relief, "Ummm... I heard noises."

"...what?"

"Loud noises. Did you hear them?"

"No."

"You didn't hear anything?" I approached the speaker as I called to him.

"Nope. Just you screaming at me." He answered.

"Sorry," I mumbled quietly into the speaker.

I heard Adam groan into the speaker. Whatever he was sitting in creaked as he moved. There was a slight crunching sound coming from the phone a few seconds later.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Dunno," he answered. His speech seemed disjointed. Almost... Almost like he was chewing something.

"I mean, what are you doing?"

"Oh... the Cajun fries I saved from earlier. They're a little cold."

They had Cajun fries there?

Adam took a swig of a liquid.

"What?" I almost screamed at him. "What else do you have?"

"It's just water. Do you have any?"

I wanted to yell really loud but I decided to just sit there in silence.

"Cheyenne," he called out, "do... do you have water?"

"No."

"There's some in the first aid kit in the conductor room."

I sighed. "I know. I can't get in."

"What about the other side?" he offered.

"It's caved in."

"What? Really?"

Yeah dummy. That's what I said.

We sat in silence for a few seconds.

"Sorry," he finally said.

PLUNK!

A huge noise came from all around me.

"I heard that!" he called out into the speaker.

"Finally."

"Well," he answered. "I heard it through the phone."

I sighed. I needed to explain to him. He was not where he thought he was. He was not where he thought he was. Things were bad. Things were very bad.

"Things are bad." I finally said.

"You're telling me..."

Goddamn it Adam.

"Adam, I have to see what's going on. I have to find that noise."

...

"Do you have to go?" He answered. He suddenly sounded scared. "I know I'm like acting chill and stuff but things... are bad."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here. I'll be able to call to you."

"If you get too far I can't hear you." Adam answered. It's some cutoff or something. "Please stay here."

"Adam," my voice was calm and collected, "I will be back in two minutes. Two minutes. I'm not hanging up. I'm not leaving. I just want to see. This could be someone coming to help us."

...

"Okay. Two minutes."

"Good."

"Hey Cheyenne?" He called to me as I turned away.

Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it.

"I love you."

The words from the speaker were like someone stepped on my face.

"Yup," my face dropped down as I turned away from the speaker, "Okay."

Despite the fact that I had been screaming Adam's name just a few minutes ago I felt great relief stepping away from the speaker. Now I could finally think.

I wish I had tried to pick out where those noises were coming from.

I thought back to them. They were the same. Well... Almost the same as the noises I had made when hitting the door. Maybe someone from the other side. Maybe even the side that had collapsed.

Had someone maybe survived the collapse? Were they beating on whatever they could in a desperate, last-ditch effort to get someone's attention?

Maybe it was just the settling of the rocks and dirt onto the train. The creaking of the roof as it bent down to allow it to become one with the earth.

I walked over to the other side of the train, dodging the giant rock in the middle of the aisle. I tiny trickle of dirt came down from the mound. I watched it pick up a few pebbles and granuals along the way until it fell upon the floor.

I touched the mound. It was dry and hard. Like it was just one big rock. Maybe most of it was though. I suddenly realized that most of it was probably the concrete from the roof of the train. No one really could have survived being in the path of something like that.

I shone the flashlight along the edges of the pile and up along the windows. Something seemed... different.

Only just slightly different than before. The pile seemed somehow a little more misshapen. I couldn't quite recall what it had looked like before but something just seemed off.

I shone my flashlight to the other side. Right where the windows met shattered roof of the subway.

There it was.

My ticket out of this goddamn deathtrap of a train.

The window was gone. Like it had just popped straight out.

I approached the window and brought my hand out to the other side.

It was colder in the tunnel. Maybe just by a little but I could tell.

I stuck my head out. I could see a little ways down the train one way. The other way there was nothing but dark rock and concrete. The tunnel was entirely collapsed on the other side. Nothing in. Nothing out. Below me I could see the remnants of the window.

It seemed to have just popped out in one piece. I could see the etched-on borders of the shattered safety glass but it still held its shape.

That... could have been the noise. It was definitely possible. I wasn't sure if I was deluding myself though

I climbed up onto the last, broken seat before the concrete. I steadied myself.

CREAK!

Nothing gave away but as I stepped off the seat it made the most horrible noise. I almost fell over from the surprise.

Carefully, slowly, I brought my foot up and to the window.

CREAK!

I froze again, waiting for the sound to die completely. I grabbed on to the edges of the window and pulled my other leg up. No sound this time though I waited fearfully.

I sat on the window.

And with a deep breath I tucked my head down and slipped through it.

I was out.

I was out of the goddamn WORST train ride I'd ever taken.

Not just because of the crash.