Marla

She had been in a deep slumber. Dreaming, one would suppose. Surrounded by fluffy white clouds, birds singing all around and beautiful purple flowers as far as the eye could see. She could feel the warmth of the sun caressing her cheeks as she lifted her face toward the sky. She felt peace. Nothing but peace. But this serene vision would soon fade against the faint sound of a whistle. She tried pushing the sound away; she tried to get back to the tranquility of her dream, but the whistle grew louder and louder. Soon her senses were engulfed by a strong musty odor; the type of odor one might encounter in a dark, damp cellar. She curled her nostrils realizing she was no longer frolicking in a field of flowers. As her heavy lids lifted, her surroundings were one big blur. But as her eyes opened wider and the objects around her came into focus, she feared it was her mind that was a blur and not her eyes. What was she seeing? Was this another dream?

So, Marla did the next logical thing. She pinched herself. And she flinched; surely what she was seeing was real. Or was it?

Marla was in a small room. She had been sitting slouched over in what can only be described as a bench-style chair, securely affixed to the floor. The rigid leather cover showed its age and she wondered on she had gotten there. Her seat was vividly vibrating. She glanced around, trying to discern her surroundings; it was a cabin of some sort. It was loud. Very loud. She glanced further around the room and affixed her eyes on a small calendar hanging on the wall. The year was 2022. She let out a sigh of relief and then she heard the whistle again. It was this point that she realized, that she was on a train.

In a state of bewilderment, Marla reached for the window shade that hung next to her. She opened it and as she peered through, she saw shades of purple rapidly flashing by. At first, she was barely able to make out what was in front of her. But when she finally did, she could see the vision from her dream. It was a never-ending field of purple flowers and the bright sunshine glistening off the window. The clouds floated softly in the sky and though she could not hear it on the other side of glass, she knew the birds were singing a glorious tune. The realness of the view was so vivid, but she could not touch it. It was so close, but not within her reach. She could almost feel the peace.

Marla peeled herself out of the seat and began to search around the room for any sign of where she might be or where she was going. She felt for pockets in her pants that might hold a piece of the clue. But her pockets were empty. Void of all contents, she had hoped that at the very least, a ticket stub would explain how or why she was there. Absent of any explanation, Marla reached for the heavy wooden door that stood between her and the unknown on the other side. As she slowly opened it, she could see there was another window before her. There was no shade to draw and she could easily see that the view from this one was very different than the one in her cabin. This window was filled with a thick, gray sky and ominous dark clouds. She edged closer to get a better look. Placing her hands against the window, she noticed a cold and callous dampness upon the glass. She couldn’t help but gasp at the view. She could not see the bottom where the sky was supposed to meet the ground. There was only sky and clouds, with no beginning and no end. Like a bottomless abyss, the chilling thought caused her to flinch and pull her hands back from the glass. Covered with moisture, she brushed them off on her pants as if to remove the perilous aura that loomed on the other side of that window. She turned to look down the vast corridor and wondered, Do I dare move forward?

On a mission to understand where she was and why she was there, she was drawn to investigate further. The train rumbled under her feet, as she took her first few steps. Faint lighting along the corridor wall flickered as the gray sky engulfed the windows on the other side of her. Steadying her balance, she would take about 100 steps before she reached a door to what she assumed was another railcar. Grasping the handle, it was like a block of ice in her grip. It did not want to turn but using all the strength she had, it finally rotated enough to creak the door open. Peeking through the opening, Marla could see that the car was empty. There was no one on board. Except that ……. she noticed the slightest movement, in a shadow, at the far end of the car.

An eerie feeling came over her. This was all too strange as she tried to recall how she had gotten there in the first place.

Her last recollection was that she had been speeding down the road in her SUV. As she thought harder, she recalled that she was in a hurry. She was in a hurry, but going nowhere. And then it all came back. Marla and her husband, Derek, had just gotten into a horrible fight. It was a fight not too much different than any other, except that this time, she got away.

Derek had been out drinking for hours with his buddies. He came home late and climbed into bed wreaking of alcohol. The stench of his vomit filled the air. Marla thought she would gag but she laid still and silent hoping he would simply pass out. He had other plans. Derek was a big, burly man and he was unusually strong. Mostly unkempt, he had lost his job at the local factory and spent his days drowning his sorrows at the village bar. Marla, on the other hand, was of very small stature. Her long, shiny blonde hair only amplified her natural, holistic beauty. Derek slammed his open palm down on her hip and clenched it with his dirty, pointed fingernails as he forcefully yanked Marla closer to him. She let out a startled wince, part in fear and part in pain. But she didn’t mean to; it just slipped out. At the sound of her weakness, the mocking began. Then the name calling. Marla tried to caress Derek’s hair even though the sight of him repulsed her. Apologizing profusely, she told him, “I’m sorry”, over and over again, begging for his forgiveness. In response, he swatted her with the back of his hand and began to kick at her repeatedly. He kicked and he kicked until she flew off the side of the bed. As Marla tried to stammer to her feet, Derek was already hovering over her. Fists balled up, screaming obscenities, reminding her of the worthless thing she was. Cowering into the fetal position, she felt one blow after another come down upon her head and body. Until finally, he stopped.

As Derek stomped off, Marla could faintly hear him mumbling vulgarities and how she had no idea how sorry she was going to be. “I have something for you, Marla”, he called out in an almost demonic voice. She could feel the blood dripping down her face. It hurt to breath and her body writhed with pain but she knew he would be back. She had to act quickly.

With everything she had, Marla lifted her battered body the floor and scrambled toward the stairwell. She could hear his feet scuffle behind her as she made her way down the stairs, half running and half sliding as she skipped a few steps along the way. Frantically grabbing her keys off the table by the front door, she hobbled out and managed to reach her car. Somehow, she made it safely inside and locked the doors. Marla’s hands shook violently as she placed the keys in the ignition. When she raised her head, there he was … screaming, foaming at the mouth and wielding a 12” knife.

“Here Marla! I have something for you!” Derek chanted as he pounded the hood of her car. “Get out so I can give it to you!”, flashing the glistening blade before her eyes. And at that moment, Marla slammed her foot on the gas pedal and held it to the floor. She wasn’t thinking clearly. She knew it was fly or die. The car lunged forward and as it did, she heard a loud thud! And just as quickly as she heard the thud, she felt a sensation like she was driving over a rumble strip made of boulders. Thump-Thump! Thump-Thump! Is all she heard as the car struggled to gain traction. Marla glanced in her rearview mirror and could no longer see Derek. His incessant screaming and vulgar yelling had stopped. But she didn’t wait to see why. The car lunged forward again and she just kept driving. As fast as she could. Faster and faster down the road; as far away as she could get. After that, Marla could only recall hearing the sounds of screeching car breaks and shattering glass. Then, everything went blank!

Until she woke up on the train.

As this recollection faded and her senses came back to her, she was focused on the movement she had seen in the far corner of the railcar. She called out to it but there was no response. The thought crossed her mind that it may be an attendant of some sort who might help her piece together what was going on. So, she slowly proceeded down the aisle of the car. As she moved closer, an eerie darkness began to envelop her. With each step, came a feeling of dread….each one stronger than the last. She couldn't help but slow her pace; her feet felt as if she were wearing cement-filled shoes, making each step harder and harder to take. But Marla’s quest for understanding was strong. She was being unexplainably drawn to face what was in the shadow, yet she feared it may be her worst nightmare. Again, she noticed movement. So she called out to it again. But still, there was no response.

As Marla came within about five feet of the shadow, she could see the outline of whatever it was that had been moving. She stopped abruptly as the figure slowly began to rise from its’ seat. Still lingering in the shadow, she could not make out who or what it was. Shivers began to run up and down her spine as every bone in her body began to tremble. Marla wanted to call out one more time, but she was speechless. Slowly, the figure began to move out of the shadow. The more it moved, the more she could see the outline take human form. Part of her wanted to reach forward in excitement, but the other part of her was frozen in fear. The anticipation was building as the figure moved further out of the depths of the darkness.

Suddenly! She could see! It was a ghastly sight. Skin torn off and hanging from the skeletal remains of what was once a face; what was left of its jaw was twisted and awkwardly disfigured and its right arm was completely severed at the shoulder. It reached out to Marla with its left arm, gesturing like it wanted to grab her. Moaning a gruesome sound, the figure didn’t say a word but took a step in Marla’s direction. Still reaching, it took another step closer. Petrified, paralyzed and shocked at the sight before her, she couldn’t move. It was him!

It was Derek!

With his third step, his reach came even closer. Marla was almost within his grasp … again! All the horrible feelings Marla had ever felt came flooding back to her. Fear …. Sorrow …. Pain …. Guilt …. Insignificance …. Embarrassment …. Worthlessness …. every blow he had ever laid upon her came pounding down …. Every tear she cried flowed back ….

And at that moment, after all the painful memories came back, she no longer felt afraid!

Marla turned from Derek and headed back toward the rear of the railcar. Reaching the door, she opened it with ease and made her way along the corridor, headed toward her cabin. With each step, she grew more confident and with each stride she grew stronger. She could hear Derek following closely behind; moaning and reaching out. But as she kept her pace, she could feel the darkness fading and the sense of doom lifting.

The train continued to chug along, roaring underneath her feet and speeding down the track. At the tune of the whistle, Marla reached for the door of her cabin. She flung it open with a force and purpose she was unaccustomed to, and there it was. A clear blue sky filled with soft, flowing clouds and the field of her dreams blanketed in a vast array of fragrant purple flowers. As the door closed behind her, so did her nightmare. Marla could hear one final moan as the door latched shut. No longer separated by a window, Marla found herself walking through the lulling sounds of the birds and running her toes through the velvety smooth carpet of flowers ... she was now free… and she finally found her peace …

… on a runaway train with no ticket to ride. And then,

Everything went blank!

Note from the Author: If you find yourself (or feel you aron a runaway train, with no ticket to ride and there is no sign of it slowing down, then you are probably somewhere you shouldn't be and should do whatever it takes to get off ... before your world goes blank!