The Train
“It was horrifying”
“It was...it really was”
“I mean...how could anyone do that?”
“I didn’t know killing is still in fashion”
“I swear...whatever they did to that burger man, it was not good”
“It was worse than a bowl of Brussels sprouts”
Yup. The burger was THAT bad. They had killed it.
Royce and I had planned a meet up on the 17th of December. Just me and him, talk about the good ol’ days when...Jesus. I somehow forget what the ‘good ol’ days’ were. Well since I am meeting Royce my memory should jog up. It was going to be amazing.
So we did meet in the evening at this new burger place that opened up a couple of weeks ago. It was not good. AT ALL. For all that I know, that’s what dirt tastes like. The burger was messy-there was something hard in it too. We had to spit it out...and dry-swallow the rest of the burger. They didn’t have WATER. Ya. No water.
Well it didn’t matter much...I was with Royce. He was the best. People gave dirty looks when we passed by but...it didn’t matter to me. He was always there for me. He was...more than a friend to me. WE were more than friends...
We got to chat and we shared a burger cause...well, ordering another one was a waste so. It felt so good to be there with him... after a whole year of me waiting for him to come back.
He was away on a trip with his friends-he had gone to Vasville, the town of trains and forests. He was adventurous like that. Even though it was supposed to be a one month trip, it took him longer to get back. He wouldn’t say the reason, no. He said, “I’ll tell you...or better yet, I will show you”.
Vasville wasn’t really that far; just 2 miles from where I live. But he had decided to go further in that direction and well...he stayed there. Maybe it was nice? I was about to find out.
“You want to see where I lived Alex?”
“Have been dying to”
“Well...let me show you”
I felt so excited about I don’t know what. But, with the excitement lay a layer of comfort...the comfort of walking beside him again. It was...
“Taxi!” he called out.
I was bouncing with excitement. He told the driver the destination and we sat in the car. We drove for around 17 minutes and finally we reached the place.
“You lived nearby Royce?”
“Well...I was supposed to but...you will see what happened”
I was nervous now. I don’t know why. There were barely any people in Vasville. It was somewhat of a dense forest. We walked, tripped a lot. The ground wasn’t visible.
We walked for a while and Royce stopped short.
“This is it”
“A railroad?”
“You still don’t get it, do you Alex?”
“What are you talking about? Royce?”
“Royce?”
The sound of a train approaching intensified.
“Royce?”
“See my burns...my scars...how did they expect me to behave like everything’s fine?”
“Royce noooooo!!!!!”
That’s it. I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed air, a whole lotta air.
He burned down. Into ashes.
No. He WAS burnt into ashes.
I could almost see the faces. Were they his friends? What happened? Why does this place seem so familiar? There is something in my mouth...blech. Dirt. I was swallowing dirt. My head is on something hard...steel. My head is on the...track. The...track. And...I think I am forgetting something...
Oh no.
The trai...