Each passenger stared out of his window in silence only grunting every once in a while. The summer storm was getting louder, but nothing compared to the searing sound the train made running on the eroded rails. “Was that...!” She gasped and hugged her child closer to her chest. “They are driving us to a dead end!” A man shouted. “It’s not in our hands,” another passenger stated. “Don’t risk what we have no. We are secure for now. We have hours until we reach the end of the road. Things might solve themselves by the time we get there.” “Mommy, should we do something?” The nine year old Gamel, spoke, but was quickly hushed by his mother. “We should stop being passive!” “We should!” The passenger agreed, but their consensus was followed by a long pause. Each of them gulped and ogled at the others with pending eyes. “You know; we won’t survive this until all of us decide to take action.” “There are fifty of us and just five of them!” “Yeah!” Suddenly, they all froze. They stared at their feet, as they heard the thudding sounds of footsteps. Soon, each passenger went back to staring out of the window. “We need a hero,” a woman whispered. “Gamel!” A woman stood up. “Where did my son go?!” “We’re on a train. There is nowhere to go. Relax,” a lady huffed. “Kids these days...” The mother fisted her hair mumbling and tearing up, as she searched the cargo. The child wasn’t under any of the chairs, or behind any corner. Passengers formed a small group to look around for him in the other cargos. They searched up and down, left and right, but still. “What a pain?” Some passengers whined. “Being cramped together with fifty or so other people while waiting to die wasn’t enough?!” “He’s just a child! Stop being a-” A young lady bit back at the man. “Lady, he’s either here somewhere, getting ready to die with the rest of us. Or he jumped out of the train, in to the storm, and is already dead. It’s not a big difference.” “You are despicable!” She waved her hand in his face. “Am I any different than the rest of us? Is life so peachy?!” “Just shut the-” “Oh my God!” Some gasped, and some screamed as they watched the bloody child march into the room, and collapse on the floor. The mother scuttled towards him, but hesitated before turning him over. “Please don’t be dead! Please don’t! Don’t!” She wept, biting her knuckle. She looked up at the other passengers for any response, any help, but no one moved. So, she shook him. “Baby.” “...” “It’s mommy. C-can you hear me?” “...” “Oh my God!” “M-may be he just lost consciousness,” a man stuttered. “Any doctors here?” “He’s a doctor,” a woman pointed at her husband, who stepped back while glaring at her. “No,” he mimed to her. “He’s dying,” she gritted her teeth. “Please!” The mother banged her fists against her thighs. The doctor took a deep breath, walked towards the still body, and kneeled down. He turned the child over, before whispering. “Gun shot, but he still has a pulse. I need something to stop the bleeding.” As the doctor tended to the child, whispers and rumors spread between the passengers. Who would shoot a child? What kind of monster? They wondered, but they all knew the train crew was responsible. Then they heard a whisper. “I... just wanted to be a hero,” the child mumbled as blood gushed out of his wound. “I wanted to do something.” His words took the air right of the room, and the words right out of the passengers’ lips. A child took action, while they... did nothing. They stared at their feet once more, ashamed. They all avoided looking at the child, and not just because he had just had his last breath. A young man stood up, “Are we still going to do nothing?” “Sit down,” a man spoke. “No, I’m not going to sit down! His blood stains all of our hands! If we had done something... But a child- A child! Did what none of us had the guts to do. So, are we still going to do nothing?!” Right then, the door slid open. One of the crew walked inside, limping. “We are sorry this had to happen, but the child threatened the safety-” “How can a child threaten anyone’s safety-” “Take it from me,” the crew member rubbed his nose. “He cut some very important wires. Now, the train ventilation system is shut. Just pray, pray, we could fix it before you all suffocate. Pray.” “Stop the train right now!” The young man ordered the crew member. “You are not in charge of this train.” “This is our destiny, and we want you to stop the train right now!” Voices got louder, everyone demanding. The crew member was starting to sweat, looking at them like a man would look at a cockroach he was about to stomp. He pulled a gun out, and took a random shot. A woman fell to the ground, holding her shoulder. Everyone froze. “Trash. Trash like you know one language only; fear. Now, everyone return to your seats.” No one knew who aimed the first blow at the crewman’s face. But not before long, everyone was stomping him, digging nails into his flesh, or even biting him. Once he was in pieces, they mobs marched towards the conductors compartment, killing every crew member they met along the way. They took exceptional care of the conductor, enjoying their revenge. The passengers were free to take a hold of their destiny. A man smiled as the last of the bodies were disposed of. He tapped another passenger’s shoulder before asking, “So who here can operate a train?” “...” Word count: 979 |