When We Ran: Lea's Story

Chapter Two

Angry voices echo from the carriages ahead of us. At first it sounds like a heated argument, but quickly escalates into shrill screams for help. I walk down the aisle, with Skye right behind me, and stop a few feet from the connecting door.

Through the glass, five men wearing football jerseys move around the next carriage, punching and ramming each other into other passengers. A few bystanders try to break it up, only to get knocked down. A group of teenage girls run to the back of the carriage, screaming as they watch the violence unfold.

The train picks up speed, the force making us all stumble backwards in an attempt to stay balanced. I wrap one arm around a nearby pole and the other around Skye as we fly down the tracks. We hear a crash from the next carriage, and I lean towards the window just as a man lands on the ground outside.

"Oh, shit!" I crane my neck to keep my eyes on him as we speed past, shocked to see him jump to his feet and run away, covered in blood. I turn to Skye, who's covering her mouth with her hands. "Did you see that? Did that just happen?"

She nods as all the colour drains from her face. "He flew out the window and just... ran. Like he didn't even feel it."

I look over at the couple, who are standing by the window with their jaws hanging open. The faster the train goes, the harder it is to stand. The entire carriage feels like it's going to collapse, the handrails and seats trembling, lights flickering. I feel like I'm in the epicenter of an earthquake.

"If the train doesn't slow down," I say. "We'll come off the tracks."

Brett must have heard me because he turns around. "There's a tunnel coming up," he says. "It looks like there's a bend."

More screams ring through the air. It's growing more chaotic in the next carriage by the second. One of the men has pinned another against a wall and seems to be biting into his neck. I watch in disgust as blood pours out of him. The other passengers are visibly terrified, shrieking and crying as they cower in the corners and on the floor. One of the teenage girls tries to open the door to cross over to our carriage, but leaps away from it when a man is thrown against it.

I step back and tug on Skye's hand, gesturing for her to follow me. "Let's move to the back."

Brett and his girlfriend notice what we're doing and follow quickly. The four of us stumble our way to the very back of the carriage.

"Shouldn't we help them?" the girl asks as she wipes a tear from her cheek.

Brett shakes his head. "What can we do? We can't let anyone in or we'll be the ones getting mauled."

We sink to the floor, huddling together as we listen to people being attacked. With every scream I hear, my stomach turns uneasily.

"Hold on," I say as we enter the tunnel. I slide an arm around Skye's waist and clutch onto the back of the seat in front of me. Then I take in a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

Skye pulls her knees up to her chin and holds me tight. "How is this happening?"

I don't know what to say to comfort her. It all feels so unreal. All I can think about is getting home. I have no idea what's going on in the train or outside, but I hope that if we can just make it home, we'll be alright.

The screams quieten, but the silence is so much more terrifying. I know that once those men have finished in there, they'll come for us.

Piercing screeches cut through the air as metal collides up ahead. All we can do is scream as the train derails and our carriage slams into the wall of the tunnel. The four of us slide across the floor as the train moves and bucks off the rails. The power goes out, plunging us into darkness.

Once the train stops moving, I search around me for Skye.

"Lea?" I hear her say, her voice trembling. I can tell just by the way she said my name that she's crying.

"Skye," I say. "I'm here." I reach a hand out to find hers then pull her towards me and into my arms. "Are you okay?"

"I think so, are you?"

I sigh, relieved. "I'm okay." I hear sobbing behind me, and remember the couple. "Hey, uh, are you guys okay over there?"

"Think so," Brett replies. "You?"

"Yeah."

"Are you near the door?"

I feel around me, trying to figure out where we were. Somehow, Skye and I have slid back down the aisle in the crash. "I don't think so. Are you?"

There's a pause before I hear unsteady footsteps and grunting. "Found it!" he calls. "C'mon, Sonia, it's here." I hear Sonia's shaky breathing as she tries to find him in the darkness.

I take hold of Skye's hands and we stand up together, both of us trembling from the shock. We move slowly, following the sound of Brett's and Sonia's voices. I hear him trying to open something at the back of the carriage.

"Shit," he says after a few attempts. "The emergency door won't open."

Another scream breaks out from somewhere else on the train, making me jump. And then someone is banging on the door to our carriage.

The four of us fall silent. I can hardly breathe, I'm so scared. My palms sweat, my heart races, my shoulders tighten. When the banging finally stops, I'm shaking like a leaf.

"Brett?" Sonia whispers. "Try the door again."

He does, but it doesn't budge. "I think something's blocking it." I hear him sigh.

"We're trapped."