By Lucas Gilbert
Trees flew by at what felt like a million miles an hour as we hurtled forward. The loud clacking of wheels against uneven rails was all but deafening. George stood at the opposite end of the car, tightly grasping a metal pole bisecting the middle of the walkway. I opened my mouth but quickly realized there was absolutely no way that he could hear either. He looked terrified, his eyes wide and filled with that uneasy gaze that I knew far too well. He looked at me, our eyes locking. I tried to smile, fighting the raging wind that was barreling through the car and out the open window dividing us from the rest of the train. I could see him trying to smile back, his eyes now glistening. I gestured to my end of the car, towards the embedded lever in the wall next to the door. He stared at me for a second before shaking his head vigorously. I widened my eyes hoping that he would understand. Once again he shook his head, gesturing towards his chest. George was always the protective one, never letting me get into any trouble and always doing everything in his power to keep me safe. I couldn’t let him save me now, too much was at stake and I wanted to keep him safe just as much as he did for me. His eyes seemed to jump around in his head. He looked at me, then down to the end of the car, then back at me. My eyes paused in his gaze and I could feel his thoughts. I scattered frantically.
I screamed as he let go, his body thrust violently forwards as he pushed off. He only made it a few seats forward before the momentum of the train overcame his body and pushed him backwards. At this point he was only a short distance away, his arm extending out to where I could almost touch his fingers. I did the same, chaotically waving my hand around trying to find any sort of grip. His fingers just barely brushed the end of my hand as he desperately held on to the seatback. I tried to push my arm farther, but my hold on the slippery metal pole was weakening. My hand inched forward, just enough for him to latch his finger in mine. His weight was deemed too much, my left hand slipping. My fingers felt the brisk air as the pole was no longer keeping me upright. I stumbled, the momentum of the car knocked me off balance and his hand slipped out of mine, his grip on the seatback all but gone. My body tumbled downwards, knees buckling and my arms forced into a cross to break my fall. The whole world seemed to slow as my arms hit the floor. Pain shot up the nerves in my hand, pain like I’ve never felt in my entire life. My head was still above the ground, turned towards the end of the car. I watched helplessly as George lost his grip, flung backwards through the aisle. His body turned and twisted and I let out an agonizing burst of emotion as his head struck one of the metal poles. I could feel the tears pouring out of my eyes and running down my cheek. His body went limp, striking the end of the car and collapsing to the floor, blood trickling out of the large gash on the side of his skull. My body sunk to the floor, pain paralyzing every muscle in my body.
Everything was a haze of color and all I could hear was a deafening ringing. My breathing quickened with every waking second and I could taste the blood in my mouth which was now dripping down my throat. I gagged, coughing up spit and blood. My vision was slowly returning and I could start to make out shapes throughout the car. I closed my eyes, trying to allow my mind to focus. Opening them again revealed George, laying face down at the far end of the car. I couldn’t yell as the ringing in my ears was still as deafening as before. I swung my head, looking towards the lever on the wall to my left. It was my only option, I had to try. I grabbed onto the closed metal pole, pulling my body forward across the floor. My foot dragged limply behind, blood smearing the ground. A scream burst out of my mouth as the pain shot through my foot. I bit my lip, trying to move forward. The outside world was still moving at a million miles an hour, and I could start to hear the wheels clacking away again. Reaching out I grabbed the final pole at the end of the car. Looking up I saw the bright red lever, glistening in the light from the open window. It was only a few feet away, but recessed in the wall and a few feet off the ground. I paused, ignoring the pain flooding me and using every ounce of my adrenaline. I flattened my palms on the ground, pulling my body upwards until I was in a seal position. Using my good foot, I pushed from the ground with as much force as I could, my body leaving the ground for only a few seconds. My arm extended, reaching out for the small hand shaped indent in the lever. My hand latched onto the lever, and as my body fell to the ground the momentum pulled it downwards.
Loud screeching filled the stale air. Momentum suddenly shifted and I was flying backwards, faster and faster until I couldn’t feel the ground beneath my feet. I couldn’t see anything, the world completely black to my eyes. My back hit something with such force that it felt like I was being ripped apart limb from limb.
