Feb 19: Write a story set inside an electric train that breaks down and traps passengers in the middle of a heat wave
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"Where are my glasses?!" I yelled at no one in particular, zipping my bag up in a hurry.
"Found it!" my son called out and flung the case at me carelessly.
My eyes widened as I caught it and held it firmly to my chest.
He chuckled and walked off but I didn't have time to think about it because as I glanced at my wrist, I realized I was running even later.
I flung my backpack over my shoulder and dashed out of the house. I knew I'd regret not having breakfast as I speed-walked through the street.
The sun was shining down harshly that morning and I made a terrible mistake by putting on a black dress shirt and brown khaki pants.
I hadn't gone farther than twenty steps from my house but I was already damp. I pulled on my tie and loosened it up, unbuttoning the first few buttons, trying my hardest not to look stupid or unkempt as I walked.
A few meters more and my short, tousled hair was stuck to my forehead and I was really uncomfortable, my arm hurting from reaching up to wipe the sweat from my face repeatedly.
I noticed that I wasn't the only one who didn't get a heads up about the scorching weather because most people were in my situation, dressed in clothes that were meant for a much colder weather. And the few people who were dressed scantily were even a bit uncomfortable as well.
I picked up my pace when I realized that I could possibly miss the train I was in such a hurry for.
I heaved a huge sigh and dropped my hands to my thighs, panting. I made it at the last minute and my heart was at rest once I slumped down on the chair.
The ride was peaceful and for the first half of the journey I sat silently, listening to music. Luckily, due to the air conditioning, I had cooled down. Although, it was still a bit hot even with it.
After finishing a bottle of water, I decided to spend some of my time doing something productive so I brought my laptop out of my bag and began to type.
I was working on this high fantasy story and I was currently at the climax. It was really emotional and full of action at this point so all my attention was focused on it.
I blinked and tore my eyes away from the screen once I noticed we had stopped moving.
There was a slight commotion and everyone was murmuring. Soon, the murmur turned to slight yelling but someone managed to calm the people down, saying that we would soon be informed of the reason why we had stopped.
I was so agitated. I kept glancing at my watch frantically. I was going to be so late.
And to make matters worse, since the train had stopped, the air-conditioning had stopped working too and everyone became even more uncomfortable.
Everyone brought fans out and started to loosen some parts of their clothing too.
Me, I took off my tie finally and opened up a few buttons too. It was such a horrible experience.
After about half an hour of suffering, the people got back to us and said it was a problem with the engine. But they would fix the problem in a few moments and we shouldn't worry.
People scoffed and complained about the terrible heat wave but we were informed that there was nothing they could do about it.
I noticed a strange man, not far away from me who looked like he was having a really bad time. He kept gritting his teeth and running his hands through his hair, grabbing a handful of it at times roughly.
It was such an unusual sight and it was very disturbing. But people decided to ignore him and focus on how they'll survive the heat.
I was getting impatient and really uncomfortable by the minute to the point that I unbuttoned my shirt all the way.
No one really cared anyway and they removed any piece of clothing they could possibly remove as well.
My anxiety levels were so high but I distracted myself by writing again. It was an interesting one and I was so absorbed in it that I jumped and the laptop fell from my hands and crashed to the floor suddenly.
My mouth hung open in annoyance and frustration but that was the least of my problems at the moment.
The cause for my reaction was a scream I heard. It was so terrifying that everyone in the train stilled.
I turned to the direction the sound came from and watched in horror as the strange man from before started to jerk and run his hands over his body frantically.
His breathing was laboured and he was drenched in sweat. He looked like he was going mad.
Suddenly a blinding white light shone from his direction and he burst into flames.
Everyone on the train gasped and tried their best to stay away from him as he burnt up. He shrieked and struggled violently until he became limp and the fire died out.
The atmosphere was silent for a while until he woke up and burst into flames once more.
Then he roared and looked round at all of us menacingly. His eyes were white flaming orbs and the remaining parts of his body were covered in flames completely.
“Ahh it feels good to be back,” the newly formed monster hissed and I tried my best not to cry at the absurdity of the moment.
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Yes, a heat wave can bring a monster back from Muspelheim✨
