A Vacant Man -- After Sam's Death

The conductor hears a woman screaming hysterically. Initially, he ignores it. What else can he do? There is a dead man under his train! He knows it is not his fault. The man jumped in front of the train. How was he supposed to have stopped the train in time? But still, Paul was driving. The train is his responsibility. The dead man is his responsibility. What is he going to tell his employers? The police? His own wife? This man's wife? (Did he have a wife?)

Paul's thoughts are all a muddle. He has never seen death before and now a man is dead by his hands. It wasn't his hands, God damn it . . . . But Paul is having a tough time believing that.

Paul just kneels, staring at the ghastly mess beneath his train. Time is passing. He vaguely hears some sirens approaching the train station. He doesn't notice the shadow of a female zombie walking up behind him.

No response. Paul isn't processing the quesition. It is background noise, not even words to him. He feels a pounding on his back. "I asked you if Sam is dead?! Why won't you answer me!?"

The pounding and screeching in his ears pulls Paul into the present. He turns around to face a pale woman whose eyes are gateways to eternity. He stutters "Did? Did? Did you... did you know this man?"

The woman collapses into his arms sobbing. She is dead weight. All he can do is pull her close and hold her. She clings tightly to him. Tighter now . . . .

And gravity intervenes. Paul's position becomes precarious and they topple over. Paul is now lying on the ground with this hysterical woman lying on top of him, clinging tightly to him. He is pinned.

As the conductor's foot hits the ground, he asks himself "Do I really want to look under this train?" And as he answers "No", he finds he is already walking in the opposite direction. Paul pushes his way against the crowd of voyeurs trying to make their way to see the dismembered spectacle. Paul quickly walks off the platform. "Hey, Paul! Where you going? What's going on up there?" cries a young ticket cashier. Paul mutters, mostly to himself, "He's dead . . . He's dead . . . ."

Paul leaves the station. He is walking quickly. As quickly as his feet will take him. He needs to get away . . . away from the death of that young man. But death is following him. He smells it. He feels it on the air. Paul is running now. Faster. Faster. Over goes the old woman with the shopping cart.

More guilt. But he can't stop now. Death is right behind him. He can't let Death catch him. Not here. Not now. Paul is running faster. Faster than he has ever run in his life. Everything around him is a blur.

And now he hears sirens pursuing him as well. He looks to his left. A police car. The officer on the passenger side is shouting "Mr. Slovaski? Mr. Slovaski? Can you stop running for a second? We want to talk to you!"

Paul doesn't want to talk. He doesn't want to think about what happened. He runs into a nearby doorway. A flea market. Crowded. Dodges man to the left. Dodges woman to the right. Hops over the puppy on a leash.

As the conductor's foot reaches the ground, the conductor's eye reaches a severed head. All Paul can think to do is turn around and get back into the train. He needs to get away from here and he needs to get away quickly. Without warning, Paul starts the train. Passengers are thrown backwards by the violent acceleration. A man climbing out of the train loses his balance and falls to the ground in front of him.

Gardendale. Emmons. Kooten. Paradise. Ashton. So much for those scheduled stops. There is a pounding at the door to his cabin. "Hey! What's going on up there!" "You just missed my stop!" "I needed to get off in Gardendale!" "Is anyone up there?" "Does anyone have control of this thing?"

Paul isn't listening. He's flooring the accelerator, concentrating on the tracks and trying not to think about what happened back there. What was that guy doing? How could he jump in front of my train like that? Suddenly Paul's face hits the windshield. The train is stopped!?! Who? How? Duh! Emergency brake!

Note: Any readers interested in contributing to this story should send their submissions to the address below.

	Does the conductor speak to the horrified woman? Go to Section A11
	Does the conductor get up forcefully? Go to Section A12
	Does the conductor just lie there weeping? Go to Section A13

	Does Paul enter the men's room? Go to Section A21
	Does Paul exit by the back door? Go to Section A22
	Does Paul stop to speak with the police? Go to Section A23

	Does Paul climb out of the train and walk away? Go to Section A31
	Does Paul just stay seated in the cabin? Go to Section A32
	Does Paul start the train again? Go to Section A33