Runaway Train

The swaying woke me. The soft undulation, the back and forth motion. Normally considered an excellent conveyance to the land of dreams, it may also be the catalyst to wakefulness. And so I swayed. Back and forth, like a swaddled babe. Bumping the window ever so slightly. I came to fairly rapidly, wondering who I was and where I was. The answers normally come rapidly to mind, but not this time. I sat, swaying, and thoroughly dumbfounded. Where was I? More importantly, WHO was I? I was alone in the private car, without clues to either question.

The window gave no help. Beautiful, scenic countryside flowed by. Without any particular landmark or grounding. I noticed a sound, a slight disturbance outside of my cabin. Still quite disoriented, I stood to investigate. Peeking from my cabin, I heard the disturbance more clearly. I noticed people about in the halls. I hastily joined them, ears alert for clues. "What's going on?" This, loudly and forcefully from an older gentleman looking towards the front of the train. "What are they doing?" This, full of worry and fright, from a frumpy woman peeking from another cabin. There was a flurry of motion as several people rushed through our hallway towards the front of the train. Rushing through without questions, or answers, simply hurrying along their way.

I addressed the older gentleman, "what's the matter? Do you know?" He looked at me as though I'd grown an arm from my forehead. "This train has passed the last two stops, at full speed, without slowing! One of which was mine! What's the meaning of this?"

Obviously I could not offer any insight, since as of this moment I was still unsure of my own name.

'I see." I replied, noncommittaly. I left the relative safety of my cabin, taking note of the number, 304, and began traveling toward the front, as I had already seen others do. "I will check into it. " I assured the gentleman, and the woman peeking from her cabin. I strode through the halls confidently and not especially hurriedly, towards the engine.

The next car was the dining car. Utterly deserted, which struck me as odd. I carried on forward without encountering a single soul. The following car was the observation lounge up top, and the snack bar below. Here I found a crowd.

"Uhm, excuse me, does anyone know what's going on?" I asked to the crowd at large. A youngish woman turned to me with wide eyes. "They can't stop the train." she whispered. I considered this momentarily. Honestly, I could not see this being that big of an issue. Certainly not deserving of the reverence conveyed through the whispered answer I'd received. Yes, some passengers would miss their stops. Yes, that would be inconvenient, but truly, then what? The train was on rails. We would slow down eventually. The inertia would peter out sooner or later, and we would all be fine. I failed to see any severe calamity ahead.

I nodded my thanks and pressed onward. The following car was coach seating. I passed through, vaguely listening to the questions and answers called out as I passed. The car after that was more of the same. Coach seating. Some passengers called out questions and other called out answers. I walked through only half listening. Four coach cars later, I came to the end of the car, congested with people.

A conductor stood there, at the connecting door, stopping those who would advance. He was speaking in a moderately loud voice, to be heard over the rumble of the group, but he was not shouting, nor did he seem concerned with anything beyond the group encroaching on the door.

"Please return to your seats or cabins." He said. "The train is experiencing a technical difficulty, however, there is no immediate danger, and we are working on the issue. " He pointed toward the rear cars with both hands. "Please return to your seats or cabins. We will alert everyone once the issue is resolved, or if there is any possibility of danger. "

The crowd stirred, but listlessly, aimlessly, and no one made any moves to return to the previous cars. Questions peppered the conductor. "What happened?" "I missed my stop!" "Why aren't we stopping?" "Why aren't we slowing?" "What are you doing about this?"

Again, the conductor raised both hands, maybe more placatingly this time, and after making a downward motion with both hands, began once again pointing to the rear cars. "The train is experiencing a technical malfunction. You are all quite safe. We apologize for any inconvenience, and we will rectify the situation once we have resolved the issue. Please return to your seats or cabins, and have your tickets ready. Someone will be along shortly to apprise you of our plans. "

Again, the crowd did not disperse. Still shouting questions and complaints at the lone conductor. "I must insist that you disband! If you refuse to do so, we will be forced to bodily remove you from this hallway!"

This was met with loud grumbling and much righteous indignation, but the crowd did begin to thin. I began my journey back to my cabin, and considered his words. I put my hands in my pants pockets, and then felt every other pocket I possessed, looking for my ticket. I found nothing. I sped up, feeling an urgency to reach my cabin and look for my ticket.

Once again safely ensconced in my private cabin, I searched all over for my ticket. Not only did I not locate my ticket, I found no luggage, or any other identifying items. My pockets were bare, and the only item in the cabin with me was a small carpet bag.

This, upon opening, proved to contain a most unexpected item. What could only be described as a medium sized bomb sat within the bag. It had a timer attached, and it was counting down. The dial indicated that there were 9 minutes and 45 seconds left on the timer.

I gasped and gaped. I was freaking the HELL out! I had no idea how that had gotten there or what to do about it.

I promptly closed the bag, and, taking it with me, began to make my way quite swiftly back to the conductor.

Once there, I was met with largely the same scene I had witnessed prior. The harried conductor, directing everyone to return to their seats. The crowd milling, dissatisfied with the placations.

This time, I spoke up. "Sir! I MUST speak with you!" The conductor flapped a hand at me. A dismissive gesture. "Please return to your seats and cabins. If you refuse, we will necessarily bodily remove you. " He said again to the crowd. To me.

I pushed my way forward, leery of the bag and its contents, trying not to jostle it unessecarily.

"Sir! It is imperative that I speak with you immediately! It has nothing to do with the malfunction of the train."

The conductor continued his typical speech, paying me no mind. I continued to press forward, still inwardly coming thoroughly unglued.

"Sir! It is an emergency! I must speak with you now!"

This garnered the attention of the conductor, but also of all of the passengers currently harassing him. I did not intend to advise the passengers at large that I held a fair sized bomb in my bag. I could only imagine the chaos that would ensue.

"What is the emergency?" He asked, with genuine concern. There, in front of all of the passengers crowding the hall.

"Sir, I must speak with you privately. I assure you, it is an emergency, but of a private nature." He gave a small sigh, and once again began beseeching the masses to return from whence they came. He looked pointedly at me several times during this monologue, then motioned for me to come closer. He opened the door into the next car, allowing me to pass through, then once again told the crowd to disperse before squeezing through himself and shutting the connecting door.

"What is it?" He asked. Not unkindly, but without preamble.

"I, uh, I have a bomb." I said. His eyebrows crawled up his forehead and he pulled back automatically. "I don't know why or where it came from!" I said, hoping to calm him. "I found it, and I thought you should know!" I said, nearly hysterically. He stopped backing away then and we both looked at the carpet bag. I hastily opened it and tipped it toward him. He backed up again, unconsciously. "Where? Where did you find that? Who's is it?" He demanded.

Honestly, I had not thought this far ahead. So, I was unsure how to answer. I decided to be honest. "I found it in my cabin, while I was searching for my ticket. I don't know who it belongs to, or where it came from." He stared at me fully for a minute or more. "Is it yours?" He asked. I couldn't really answer as I had no real knowledge of who I even was, let alone what I'd brought on board with me. "I don't know sir. I don't think so." The look he gave me then could only be described as incredulous, and I really couldn't blame him. "Could we throw it out the window or something?" I asked. The timer was down to 3 minutes and 15 seconds. It occurred to me then that all of the windows were darkened. He looked toward them and then back to me. "Absolutely not! We're in a tunnel!"

The train still had not slowed its pace and we had exactly 3 minutes to figure out what to do with this bomb. In a tunnel. On a fast moving train. Full of passengers.

I still had no idea who I was, but I ferverently hoped that I was not the kind of person that would do this intentionally.

The conductors eyes began to water. More accurately, I believe, he began to cry. "Why? Why have you done this?" He asked quietly.

Completely bewildered I started to protest. "I haven't done any...." but I stopped myself. Had I not? There was no one else in my cabin. I had no identification on my person. I had no ticket. I could not recall anything about myself, including my own name. There was only me and a bomb in cabin 304. Perhaps it was my intention when I boarded. I shuddered.

"Look, I honestly don't know. I don't even know my own name. I just... I found this. Is there anything we can do?"

He screamed then. A scream of rage and fear. A full throated, air renting scream, and he ran to the next car and opened the door. Another conductor came running. "What? What now?" He yelled. "There's a bomb in that bag!" He yelled back, pointing at me, and my contriband find, as he fairly collapsed onto the new conductor who stood supporting his coworker and looking at me without comprehension.

I opened the bag again and peered at the timer. 1 minute 43 seconds. Time was up, and I knew there was nothing to do. I turned and fled with the bag. The new conductor yelled for me to stop, but I doubted that he would give chase, occupied as he was.

I pushed through the crowd and passed through as many cars as I could. Once I'd passed my own cabin I began yelling "There's a bomb in the back! Go to the front!" People poured from the cabins, only slightly impeding my way to the back. When I reached the end of the train, I was alone. I checked the bag, and I had 20 seconds more to wonder who I was, to sabotage a train (that could NOT be a coincidence) and blow it up? Why would I do such a thing? Was it always my intention to die with the rest? Was I supposed to exit the train at the last stop? How did I lose my memories? How did I get here?

This and more I pondered as the seconds ticked away, huddled against a seat, clutching the carpet bag to my chest. I only hoped that my being in the last car would be adequate to shield or save as many as possible. I may not have known who I was prior, or how I got here, but I prayed to the God I found I did believe in, that what I was now doing was atonement enough.

The last second ticked off, and the bomb exploded.

The End.