Rumbles and rattles told me I was back on the train. On my right, I could hear Ellen chattering excitedly with Urszula.
Urszula!
So she was indeed now cycling between life and the afterworld on her own. She was alive. Reincarnated. And I was the one who had brought her back from death. The implications stunned me.
James Moody, life bringer? Like Prometheus? Dr. Frankenstein? Jesus? Why would I, of all people, be given such powers? It made no sense. I was such a nobody.
Ripples roiled my stomach. I kept my eyes squeezed shut, waiting for the wave of nausea to pass and for my head to clear.
Ellen giggled giddily and nervously. I couldn’t help myself. I wanted in on the joke.
My eyes popped open. “What’s so funny?”
The two girls looked at me. They sat in facing seats in the booth across the aisle. The car was half empty now.
“Urszula just had a run-in with the conductor,” said Ellen, her face all red. “Don’t be surprised if we get kicked off at the next stop.”
“Why? What happened?”
“Well, when the guy first came by, both of you were sleeping, and you were hunched over your courier bag, so I couldn’t get at the cash. He said, no problem, he’d come back again after he made his rounds. Well, when he did, you were still sleeping and neither of us could rouse you. I mean, you were really out of it. I was worried. I had to check your pulse to make sure you were still alive. Well, he thought you were drunk or stoned and he gave us this big, long lecture about next time purchasing tickets before we board. But the way he said it kind of rubbed Urszula the wrong way.”
“Stupid man. High and mighty,” said Urszula. “I hate hubris. Especially in a man.”
“She … uh … threatened him,” said Ellen.
“He should have minded his own business.”
“Checking tickets is his job,” I said. “We have to pay to ride on trains.”
“Makes no sense to pay in advance,” said Urszula. “What if the locomotive never reaches the place we need to reach?”
“She … she threatened to roast his testicles … and eat them.”
“Urszula! That’s not cool. You can’t do that kind of thing here. It’s not how we do things.”
She shrugged. “It was just an expression.”
“The way he stomped off, I think he’s gone to get security,” said Ellen. “But we’re almost in Bridgeport and that’s our stop. Get ready to skedaddle as soon as the doors open.”
“She didn’t actually touch him, did she? I mean, that could be seen as assault.”
“He wishes I touched him!” said Urszula, sputtering. “Why would I want to touch a cockroach like him?”
I smirked. “I don’t know. I thought you liked insects.”
Ellen’s eyes widened. She leaned forward and whispered. “You know … that’s the other thing. We were talking and … she says she rides giant bugs.”
“Well … maybe she does,” I said.
The trained braked, thrusting us forward.
“This is our stop,” said Ellen, rising from her seat. “We change here for the Metronorth.” She reached into the overhead rack for her plastic sack. “Get ready to run!” She kept her eyes trained on the adjoining car, where the conductor had likely retreated.
