Stranger No Danger

Stranger No Danger, Part 1

My stranger was trying to continue down the hallway but I was standing locked in place. "Hey, is everything okay?"

I managed to shake my head and whisper, "That's her. My captor. In that room." He followed my gaze towards the group of people.

At that moment the door opened and they began to file slowly out, talking and laughing loudly amongst themselves. We realized suddenly that the other people with my captor were henchmen; their muscles bulged out from beneath their business suits, and I could see the outline of guns that had been tucked into their beltline. I felt my heart stop.

My stranger immediately pulled me forward behind a wall where we weren't visible. He grabbed my shoulders and stared intently at me.

"Listen to me," he murmured. "You need to run. Keep following this hallway down, through the doors until you reach the foyer. You'll recognize it; it's a huge room with a customer service desk. Once you get there go right through the main doors."

I began to hyperventilate.

"You can do this," he continued as the voices down the hallway began to get louder. "Once you're out on the street you need to turn right, there's a train station called Juniper Station about half a mile from here. Just follow the road, it's a straight shot. You need to take the next available train heading out."

I could hardly speak. "A train? Y-you want me to take a train?"

My stranger spoke even quicker. "This is a tiny town, you'll be safer the further away you are."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and shoved a few bills into my hand. "This should cover you. I'm going to call the cops and grab some necessities from my room. Do you understand?"

"Wait, you aren't going to come with me?" I begged fearfully, grabbing his arms. I could hear the click of business shoes now.

"I'll find you at the train station," he reassured me. "I need to get my phone, it's still in my room. You'll be fine, you can do this."

He gently pushed me away from the wall and towards the hallway. "Go now."

I glanced around frantically, as if some sort of magical portal that could lead me to safety would appear, before turning around and speed walking down the remainder of the hallway. I pushed through the first set of heavy double doors and entered another hallway.

Jesus christ, how big is this damn hotel? I exclaimed silently, now running down this next hallway and through the door. After that was another short, small hallway that I passed through before finally entering the grand foyer. In any other circumstance I would've taken a moment to appreciate the beauty of the architecture but since I was obviously in immediate danger I dashed towards my right.

To my horror, there were more of the kidnapper woman's goons approaching from the other side of the lobby. I bent my head down and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. Before I made out through the main doors, though, I heard one of them shout behind me, "Hey, you!"

Fuck.

Not even caring if I drew attention at this point, I sprinted out onto the street which, despite the fact that it was late at night, was bustling with one way vehicle traffic and partygoers. I had never been so scared in my life. The honks of an angry car blared as I crossed the street without any regard to my safety. I continued down the road, weaving past groups of drunk bar hoppers.

Once I was past the hotel I afforded a quick look over my shoulder, and to my immense relief realized that nobody was chasing after me. Okay, I need to get to the train station now. I tried to calm down my wildly racing mind to focus on the instructions that my stranger had given me. I knew that blindly following a stranger's orders wasn't a good idea, but I couldn't think clearly for myself.

At last I reached the intersection of a larger street. Across from me I saw the entrance to the train station, recognizing the words "Juniper Station" typed out on a large sign above a set of doors. I fidgeted nervously while waiting for the pedestrian cross light to turn green, praying I wasn't about to be caught in a chokehold from behind.

The light finally turned green and I raced into a massive train station. Even though the stranger had told me to wait for him, I was anxious to just get away from this place. I spotted a ticket kiosk next to the gates leading out to the platform and headed over. 

"Hey, when's the next available train and where is it going?" I asked breathlessly.

The bored-looking attendant scrolled on her computer for what felt like an hour. 

"Next one's in 15 minutes," she responded monotonously. "It's a three hour ride to Whitehorn Creek, five stops in between. You wanna buy a ticket?"

"Yes," I exclaimed, almost cutting her off.

She gave me a pointed look of annoyance and jabbed a few things into her keyboard. 

"That'll be 26 dollars," she said, holding her hand out. "Cash or card?"

I placed one of the stranger's bills into her hand in response. Once she handled the cash she handed me my change as well as a crisp paper ticket.

"Lane 1C," she said brusquely.

"Thank you," I responded over my shoulder as I walked quickly towards the gates. 

After inserting my ticket and passing through, I identified Lane 1C and made my way over to the platform where the train was already waiting. I stood in front of the train's doors for a minute, deliberating whether or not I should keep waiting for the stranger. I didn't even get his name, I thought regretfully, and decided to not risk it and took a seat at the very front of the train where the conductor was yet to enter. There were only a few other people in my cabin.

I kept my eyes trained on the door, and only after a couple of minutes was able to fully catch my breath and process what had happened. To say I was in complete shock would be an understatement. What a fucking nightmare this was turning out to be. I didn't even recognize this town the traffickers had brought me to or the name of the train's destination. Was I even in the same state? I could've asked the kiosk attendant but knew it would be a weird question and didn't want to somehow jeopardize my chances of catching a train.

Time passed by agonizingly slowly, and I didn't see any sign of my unlikely savior- or my captors, luckily. It seemed I was the only other passenger boarding this train. 

Finally an overhead announcement echoed through the entire station: "The train for Whitehorn Creek is departing from Lane 1C in five minutes. Please ensure you have all of your belongings with you, and report any suspicious activity."

At this point a scruffy man in his 50s entered the conductor's cabin and settled himself into his chair. I stayed glued to my seat. I knew I could've informed someone about my situation but was too scared. I bit my lip and thought, I know that couple was calling 911, so if my stranger pulled through and was able to call the police too... that's two different calls. It should be fine. I just need to focus on getting somewhere safe.

"Last call for passengers boarding train 1C for Whitehorn Creek."

Shit. There was still no sign of my stranger, and as the train doors closed I searched out the window to see if he might be in the station. A new wave of fear washed over me, and I tried to breathe slowly and calm myself as the train inched out of the station and into the darkness of the night. I tried to convince myself that I could manage without him.

I peered up at the wall where a sign displayed the time and next stop in red electronic digits: "2:37 AM, arriving at Amden Station in 18 minutes."

Despite being physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted, I knew I needed to stay awake, and stared intently out the window. The train accelerated and soon I was watching a blur of darkness interrupted periodically by streetlights and homes of people that were still awake.

I heard the cabin connector door slide open and stiffened in fear. Soft footsteps traveled through my cabin, closer and closer towards me. I kept my eyes glued to the window and started to shake. Please don't be my traffickers. A familiar voice spoke softly to me.

"Michelle? Is that you?"