Subway

Subway
By: J. Stanley


Dave opened his eyes to the blinding light, burning him to the core. He turned covering his face and entered the train finding a seat along the wall. As he looked at the surroundings taking it all in, he realized that he was alone. Suddenly a heavy jolt rocked the train as it started to move on its way. That light was the brightest he’s ever seen. There was no way to look past or into it. Then something struck Dave odd, he was on the subway but the car had no windows and only one door in or out. No doors connecting the other cars, just the door in the middle of the opposite wall where he entered. “Where in the hell am I,” cursed Dave.
He could feel the car moving, but it’s like a giant cigar tube. A few dim lights illuminating just enough to see and a speaker system over head playing the worst jazz he ever heard. The sound of a woman crying, muffled and faint caught Dave’s attention. He rotated all around trying to pick up where it was coming from, but no use. Then it was gone and returned the jazz playing overhead and clacking of the train took over the sounds hitting his ears.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught movement. Dave swung his head to the right and saw what caught his attention. A young girl with dark brown hair and two big pig tails sat in the first row facing forward holding a brown stuffed bear. She could not have been more than ten years old. Where did she come from, she wasn’t there just a minute ago. She could not have gotten on because we haven’t stopped. Dave scouted the train after he got on and knew that he was the only passenger. “Is my mind playing tricks, am I seeing this?” Dave questioned. He rubbed his eyes thinking he was seeing things. “I really need to take it easy on the sauce.” He proclaimed, stating the obvious that he was unsure of what was happening here.
“Sweetheart, are you alright?” David asked with a look of confusion toward the girl.
“Yes, I am just great. Why wouldn’t I be?” the girl proclaimed.
“I’m not sure really, just seems an unlikely place to find someone like yourself.” Dave stated, “This is one of the last places I would expect to see a young little thing like yourself.” “What’s your name sweetheart?”
“Samantha.” She stated, “and this is Phillip Johnny Bob,” holding up her bear for him to see.
“Now that is an interesting name. How did he come by that?” Dave asked.
“I wanted him to be special, and nothing is more special than have three first names.” Samantha said with a chuckle.
“I have to agree with you, that is a special name. Samantha, why are you here all alone? Do your parents know that you are here?” Dave asked with real concern in his voice.
“Its ok, I am just fine. You on the other hand, I feel that you are not as well as you seem.” Samantha said with an air of confidence in her voice.
“What? You think something is wrong with me? Please be serious, I came over to check on you.” Dave said with a bit of confusion. Then he heard the crying again, soft and muffled. Dave turned looking everywhere for the source of the sound.
“I love you Dave,” whispered in the train.
“Karen! Karen is that you!” Dave shouted. “Karen!” Then it was gone as fast as it came.
“Well it looks like you are the one who needs help here not me.” Samantha voiced after Dave was shouting at the air.
Dave sat back down shaking his head. “Karen, my beautiful wife, is something wrong, is she in trouble? Was it her crying? Where is she? Where am I? What am I doing on this damn train?”
“Dave, what is the last thing you remember?” Samantha asked.
“What? What do I remember?” Dave said with surprise. “I don’t know it’s a bit foggy before I stepped on board. I was working undercover looking to stop a drug ring. I was some time on the case, and the details are foggy. Wait! Why are you asking me this?”
“I need to know so I could help you.” Samantha claimed. “How else do you expect to leave this place?”
“What! I’m trapped here! Not able to leave! What is going on?” Dave voiced with his head falling into his hands. Confusion from the situation is beginning to weight heavy on his thoughts.
“Dave you are here for a reason. We need to find out why?” Samantha stated.
“Where is here? How did I get here? I don’t understand?” Dave shouted in nervous reaction. “How do you understand what is going on here?”
“I don’t.” Samantha proclaimed, “But we need to figure out why or else the trip will never end. You were saying Karen before, why?”
“I thought I heard my wife’s voice saying she loved me.” Dave grunted sounding defeated. “Before that I heard a woman crying. That could have been Karen too.”
“So you believe you hear your wife’s voice. Why would hear that?” Samantha asked.
“I don’t know, because I’m freaking crazy and I am hearing things. Hell, I must be seeing things too!” Dave proclaimed. “I’m in a cigar tube of death going who knows where, hearing the voice of my wife in my head. I would say its time to lock me up in a padded room and throw the key.”
“Dave you are on a journey, and in order to complete it we have to figure out what it is that made you take this journey.” Samantha said softly to calm him down. “Now we need to start clearing up what is foggy in that head of yours. Besides the case what else do you remember?”
Just then Dave looked up and heard a baby crying. He looked back and forth with no luck in calculating a direction it was coming from. “There, there sweetie I got you.” The voice whispered down the cabin.
“Karen, is that you! Karen!” Dave shouted
“I need you to focus so I could help you. What else do you remember?” Samantha said working to get Dave’s attention.
“I was undercover. Karen was upset that the job was taking longer than it should. I remember a fight we had before I went back. She is always worried; my job is sometimes not the safest in the world.” Dave stated trying to remember what he could.
“Why did you guys fight?” Samantha asked
“Karen was afraid that I was going to get hurt or even killed.” Dave said “She said I was being selfish and not thinking about us, but just about the job and myself.”
“Why did she say that?” Samantha asked again seeing they were getting somewhere.
“Our plans, family plans that we were always talking about. My job was too dangerous for us to start a family.” Dave said “She wanted me to ask for a transfer, and I argued with her thinking only about myself. Not what I put her through on a daily basis worrying if I am coming home. Karen above all wants to be a mother, and wants me to be around so she is not raising children by herself.”
Suddenly the train started to slow and begin to come to a complete stop.
“Looks like this is your stop.” Samantha said “Seems you have figured out what you needed. Go stand by the door it should open up for you in just a second.”
Dave got up confused and walked to the door. Then he turned to Samantha and asked, “What about you? Are you not getting off?”
“No sir I am not getting off yet. My stop is up ahead a ways.” Samantha smiled with a little wink at Dave.
Just then the doors began to open and a blinding light began to radiate into the train. Dave shielding his eyes walked off the train.
When Dave opened his eyes again he saw he was laying in a hospital with every type of monitor hooked up to him making sure he was alive. He saw Karen sitting on a chair opposite the bed and asked, “What happened?”
“Your cover was blown and you got shot 7 months ago. You have been here at Memorial Hospital in a coma ever since that day.” Karen smiled running to the bedside hugging and holding Dave. “I am the happiest person alive to see you with your eyes open. I have someone I need you to meet. Your daughter Samantha, she was born 3 weeks ago.”
Dave gave a happy curious stare at the child. “What my daughter? You were pregnant? Is that why you fought with me that day and wanted me to get a transfer?”
“Yes honey that is why. We have our family now and you need to be around to walk this little lady down the isle one day.” Karen proclaimed crying tears of joy.
“Samantha!” Dave said with excitement. “I really love that name.”