The Bull Comes at Night

I remember it clearly as if it were yesterday. The stuffy, congested air, the flickering incandescent lights above and to either side of me, the smell of body odor and faded take out from the local Chinese restaurant, the pain of standing upright for an extended period; the claustrophobic feeling of being surrounded by strangers with a common goal. At the time, completely irrelevant, but now a reminder of better days. It's funny of the things you remember before you die.

It all began a month ago. It was a sweltering, mid-August evening. I was riding the subway back to my hometown for a big, exciting family reunion. An event that hasn't happened with my folks since my grandmother passed away four years ago. The trip was long and arduous but well worth the effort to see my loved ones. Public transportation wasn't my favorite way to travel; however, being a broke college student left me with limited options. And, despite my introvertive nature, I enjoyed being around others in a casual setting.

All of my discomforts would soon disappear, or so I thought. In roughly 45 minutes, my train would arrive at the central station in New York City, NY, where my father was waiting for me. He will drive me to our suburban home off of Madison Avenue and meet up with the entire Edson family for the first time in forever. I just had to be patient.

Suddenly, a lightbulb burst above my head. Glass shards went everywhere. The event caused several people to scream. Unfortunately, because I was under it, I got injured pretty badly. The thick, durable shards struck my head, knocking me out. I remember seeing the faint glow of a green light blinking before slipping away into darkness.

I was dreaming, I think. All alone, surrounded by black and grey clouds of dust, shivering, suffering intense physical pain. I was lying on the cold, hard ground, being held down by something heavy. Anxiously, I looked around for someone, anyone who could help me. A figure appeared, but it wasn't human. It was a large, black bull standing next to a pile of concrete debris and pipes. It was terrifying! Glowing red eyes, flaring nostrils, a viscous liquid dripping from its jaws. Slowly, it moved back and forth, staring into my eyes.

I hoped that it would ignore me, sniff around, get bored, and leave. It was nice to be oblivious for the time being, but the reality set in. I was in terrible danger. It stopped moving, becoming an intimidating statue of horror. Relieved, I started shifting my body around in an attempt to free myself. Several minutes later, success! My body was sore, bruised, and tired but alive. Although limping, I managed to turn around and put some distance between the bull and myself. At least that’s how it seemed.

A loud bellow came from behind me. Without hesitation, I ran for my life. Panting, sweating, and sore from the injuries sustained. Worst of all, I was dehydrated and dizzy. From behind, there were heavy, thunderous feet bounding towards me, then severe pain coming from my abdomen. Hot and sticky blood gushed out. The bull had gored me with its mighty horns. This injury was it, end of the line.

Until I woke up in a cold sweat, my mouth was dry and hoarse from shouting in my sleep.

The bull wasn't real, but I was still in danger.

The train wrecked; turned over on its side, glass broken, metal and concrete debris everywhere. A bright green emergency exit light illuminated the area.

I was lying across the tracks of the train, flat on my back. My torso was crushed under sheets of dense metal from the disheveled frame, chunks of concrete pinned my arms down, legs went bent into unnatural positions from a row of seats. Despite the green light keeping me from complete darkness, there was nobody to help me. Hope crept into my heart as I looked around for signs of life. Something caught my eye. It was a puddle of blood and gore under a pile of rubble. Desperately, I cried out.

“Help!”

“Can anybody hear me?" I said hoarsely. "I’m hurt but alive!”

No response.

The pile shuffled, revealing a flattened body. It was a large black bull!

The creature's body was destroyed, but the head and front legs were intact. The eyes were glassy and unfocused, the legs stiff, the mouth agape in horror. Dead. Logic would dictate that the train rammed into the poor creature and derailed as a result. At least that made sense to me. In a cosmic sort of way, the terrifying creature that harassed me as I slept would be the last thing I saw before losing consciousness again.

This time I would be prepared for the bull that comes at night.