Press. Release. Wait.

All Your Fault

CALL FROM TRAIN SEVEN.

Cool.

CALL FROM TRAIN SEVEN.

Shut up.

CALL FROM TRAIN SEVEN.

I know. Honestly, I know.

I took a deep breath and stepped back a few paces. Still worrying that the tunnel would collapse even further.

I tried to look around. But my eyes had gotten so used to the blue light coming from the phone it all just looked like darkness now. I felt through the darkness, swiping at it slowly with my hands. Until I finally landed on a metal object.

I felt around it, grabbing and wrapping my hand onto it.

CALL FROM TRAIN SEVEN.

I could hear the call easily even from the outside. My foot stepped up, feeling its way through the darkness and onto the solid metal platform of what was left of the train.

The soft red light was somewhere. I could see the remnants of its luminance tinting every silhouette a slight red.

CALL FROM TRAIN SEVEN.

Yup.

I wasn't even disoriented anymore. I wasn't scared. I wasn't anything. I felt numb. Just tiredness. I sighed heavily as my other foot landed onto the platform.

CALL FROM TRAIN SEVEN.

I'm coming.

My feet shuffled forward, inspecting the ground for any objects blocking the way. I could tell I was inside the train now. But I still could see almost nothing.

Were the red silhouettes getting brighter? I couldn't tell. Maybe I was just adjusting to the light. I could almost see the patterns of the seats on both sides. My foot softly kicked something metal.

The pole. One of the poles. I grabbed onto it. Just to feel something solid I could depend on.

CALL FROM TRAIN SEVEN.

I looked up again.

There it was.

The dim red light shining continuously into the darkness.

Fuck.

Finally getting my bearings, I took a step towards it. And then another. And then another. Nothing blocked my way. I almost wanted something to.

And there I was. In front of the speaker that was Adam. Just above it I could just make out the words that I had seen over and over again in our conversations.

PRESS·RELEASE·WAIT

They looked demonic above that red light. The creases of their characters sinking into darkness in the parts that light could not touch.

Great.

Hell train.

Hell words.

Hell.

CALL FROM TRAIN SE-

I smacked the button almost haphazardly.

"Hey." Was all I could say before falling completely silent.

There was a long pause. As if Adam was just now getting his bearings. And then a long, deep sigh of relief.

"Hey."

"You good?" I questioned almost casually.

"I mean... as good as I can be." He replied through the tiny holes in the speaker.

"You wanna talk about anything?"

"I... I don't know. How... how are you?" He questioned.

"You know..."

"This sucks." He said immediately. Almost interrupting me.

"Yup." I answered.

"Did you find the exit?"

"Nope." I said. I didn't want this line of questioning to go any further. "How did you..." I continued.

Adam interrupted almost immediately.

"Did you find anything?"

I stopped.

"I don't really want to talk about it." I said.

"Cheyenne..." he almost whined to me. "Cheyenne this is important."

I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself and not explode on him. I felt like I was back at his apartment again. Adam questioning me about everything and everyone. He did it in the guise of caring. Pretending it was for me. Pretending it was for us. He was just nosey. Nosey and manipulative. I wasn't going to play his games this time. I wasn't going to tell him what i saw and have him just not believe me. Just dismiss everything I said immediately.

"I know," I answered after a long pause.

"So why can't you tell me?" Adam was getting closer to the microphone now. I could feel the tension in his voice. Was he angry? I couldn't tell. Maybe he was just tired. But he was more dangerous when he wasn't angry. When he wasn't angry he was hiding.

"Please... Please... just shut up." I whimpered back.

Shit. I could feel myself getting emotional. He was getting to me. Adam perked up a bit.

"Cheyenne. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I need this. I really need this. Just tell me something. Some hope. Some sort of semblance of normalcy in this. You have to tell me something. You HAVE TO TELL ME!"

I was crying now. I was trying not allow my sobs to be audible over the phone. I'm not sure if he could hear.

"Just... " I choked down my tears. "Just SHUT UP!"

I smashed the button as hard as I could. Adam's breathing was cut off immediately. Then there was silence.

Silence and darkness.

I looked around me. Into the twilight shapes around me. Their outlines just visible in the perpetual darkness.

How long did we last with him?

Two minutes?

This was your fault. This was all your fault. You fucked it up.

You fucked up everything with him. It was all your fault.

"SHUT UP!"

I breathed deeply.

You fucked it u-

"NO. NO I DIDN'T! HE FUCKED IT UP. THAT WAS HIS FAULT!"

I yelled as loud as I could but my raspy voice could scarcely travel far. I coughed hard, my lungs attempting to expel the dust I had accumulated throughout the journey. I sat in darkness after that. Unsure of what to do. Unsure of what action to take.

I looked down. The red light exposed my bag on the ground. There were still a few waters inside of it. I grabbed one. Then sipped slowly. Taking deep breaths in between.

Calm.

Don't think.

Calm.

Just be.

I put down the water and stared at the red light ahead of me. Same as alway. Same light. Same Adam. Same everything. I knew what I was getting myself into. I know him. I know what he's like. Why would I expect anything different?

I balled my fingers into a fist and half-hazardly punched the button.

The call rang out through the train.

CALL FROM TRAIN THREE.

CALL FROM TRAIN THREE.

CALL F-

The call was cut short. Then I could hear Adam again. He breathed in deeply. Then let out a staggered exhale. It happened again.

"Adam?" I called into the microphone.

There was no answer. Just a long sob from behind the panel.

Adam was crying.