Runaway Train (Preview)

Chapter 8

I promised Alexa that I'd wake her up when we got to the stop. I only needed to stay awake for an hour, but I failed at that like the rest of my track record in life. I never expected that a duffel bag could be so comfortable, as I quickly realized that I was far more tired than I had initially anticipated. Closing my eyes, that was the last time I saw the night sky as my imagination replaced the world. Instead of laying down in the private compartment, I was now upright in the unknown. My mind had transported me into a dream where I was standing on train tracks that rested on a gravel path. On either side of it was a treeline that extended for as far as I could see. Instantly I started to panic, looking in every direction for some sort of freedom. I then imagined feeling a hand being placed on my shoulder. It caused me to turn around and look at the person, when suddenly I started to relax. There beside me was Alexa, and her look of confidence was enough to reassure me of what was to come.

"Are you doing okay?" She asked.

"Yea, where is this place?" I replied as she looked at me flirtatiously.

"It's a place where we can be alone, silly. There's no one around here for miles. It's just you...and me." She whispered seductively before placing a hand on my chest.

"I don't know if I'm okay with this, Alexa. We just met and-"

Before I could finish, she placed her index finger on my lips and leaned her head in so that I could feel her breath on my ear. She was sending a tingling sensation through my body. The soft touch of her cheek against mine was driving me insane. While her head was just falling short of the edge of my mouth. It felt like my brain had released an aggressive surge of dopamine into my body, to the point that I was on cloud nine. Just being in the girl's presence was enough to jump-start my heart, and as it sped up, the world started to shake in rhythm. Blinking again, the world changed.

The sky had turned a romantic pink shade. The stars in the sky were all glittering red hearts, while the moon had also distorted its shape to look like a heart but didn't change colour. Instead, it just had H + A written vertically inside of it. The only thing that stayed the same was the tracks that we were standing on and Alexa. She was still with me, and as I opened my eyes, there she was right in front of me again. Her shining green eyes looking into mine, and glancing down, all I saw was her in the neon pink bra with skulls and crossbones. She didn't let me look for long as her hand found my chin and slowly tilted my head so that our eyes were locked in place with one another.

"Do you like what you see?" She asked, causing my body to freeze up.

I couldn't speak, and I couldn't turn my head as if some mysterious force was holding me in place. All it allowed my body to do was nod ever so subtly, and that was all Alexa needed to see from me as she wrapped her arms around my neck then pushed her body against mine. From there, it was like I was watching a movie, and I forfeited control of my imagination. My arms were suddenly wrapped around her, and again, I couldn't help but think about how soft her skin was. Only that thought was interrupted as Alexa started to move her head closer to me, and her subtle breathing met my lips as she pressed the tip of her nose against mine. Our eyes now watching each other, and it was clear we were going to kiss. I was determined to, but she was making me wait and then I heard it. A heavy chugging sound was approaching us, and the rails were starting to shake as a train whistle echoed out.

None of this seemed to bother Alexa as she started moving again, her nose slipped past mine, and I didn't know how I was supposed to feel. I wanted to kiss her, but I also didn't want to die. Except my body had already decided my fate. In my last breath, I kissed Alexa holding her tightly as the train whistle continued to blare out, and the next thing I knew, my eyes fired open. I was gasping for air back in the luxury compartment. Thank god, it was just a dream, and I couldn't believe that I had fallen asleep. That's when I looked over at Alexa and was relieved to see that she was still out cold, and that the train was still moving. She was a silent sleeper and was curled up in the fetal position on the bench, still facing the backrest. Rubbing my eyes, I stared out the window, just as the sun was breaking the horizon. It was only about halfway up, transforming the sky into a spectrum of warm colours mixed in with the overcast of clouds.