Anyways, the question mark in the title means that I don't know if I'll continue this or not, much like that other story The Quiet. I'm thinking I might want to move all those single-part stories in the long section to Undecided until I've gotten a second part written, as it's false-advertising otherwise. Regardless, hope you enjoy this genuinely short story, and see you tomorrow at eight AM for more!
North by South by Mackinley Clevinger, April 19, 2016
The train car jolted, the shaking window smacking against my forehead and waking me with a start. I rubbed the sore spot on my head, eyes squinting against the glare of light from a newly rising sun as it drove away the restful dark of night, and covered my mouth as I yawned, patting the seat beside me to make sure my luggage was still there.
The train passed a tall stand of trees, interrupting the harsh light of the sun as the soft, white lights that shone throughout the night in the small apartment quietly clicked off. I opened my eyes fully, wary of a sudden shot of sun through the window, and tried to make out my surroundings in the thin light of the early morning.
The window cast weak, silvery light into the small apartment, illuminating a short few feet near the window while leaving the rest of the room in the dark. I tightened my hold on my luggage and dug myself into the corner, watching the light slowly advance along the floor while I kept my eyes focused on the darkness. My mind was still addled from waking up, but paranoia didn’t take breaks.
The inside of the train car was comfortably warm, but on the other side of the window I could see frost twinkling away as light hit it at every angle. We must still be pretty far from where I was headed; I was dressed for the cold, in layers upon layers with more in my luggage, but I’d been told that I wouldn’t need them when I arrived. I was through being afraid that I’d freeze whenever I went outside.
My eyes locked onto the trunk beside me, held protectively by one arm. They’d given it to me years ago, but hadn’t ever expected me to use it. I’d packed it in a hurry when I heard the train was coming for the only time in months, and had been so busy trying not to miss it that I hadn’t even questioned what I was doing until my hometown was a blur on the horizon. I’d left a lot behind; possessions and people, but I couldn’t stay there anymore.
The tree line broke, the harsh light of a risen sun shining through the window and burning away the darkness, briefly revealing empty seats all around me and a stout door before the sun disappeared again. No one else had left like I had, for all that there’d been talk about the train’s arrival for weeks. No one else thought that there might be more to themselves – to life, even – than a town that’s biggest concern was their well freezing overnight.
I wasn’t being fair to them, but… I shook my head, eyes adjusting to the darkness around as the light continued to trickle in, slowly. I’d made my choice, nothing was going to change that. I was going to a better – no. A different place. For all I knew, the rumors could be wrong and it could be worse. I don’t know how it could be worse than my old home last year, but…
I sighed, eyes darting around the apartment to catch the little details of the room that popped into my vision as more light came in. It had been weird to sleep in the moving train, surrounded by strangers but all alone. It still was, I guess, but I was more used to it now. The lack of a lock on the door connecting me to the train car’s main hallway and everyone else was still a sore point, but… I’d be arriving soon enough. I could deal with this.
Fighting the instinct to curl up in the corner until I could see better, I leaned away from the wall and stretched, arms and back cracking in a satisfactory way while my eyes remained trained on the row of empty seats across from me. It was a small room, just two rows of five seats facing each other, the window that showed a blurred stretch of uninhabited snowy countryside, and a sliding door that wouldn’t lock no matter how hard I tried.
I’d been alone when I came back here last night, and I was still alone now. I’d been fearing having to share the room with strangers, but there weren’t very many passengers on the train. Yet, that is. The train made runs through all of the bigger towns all over the continent, collecting people and bringing them up north before doing the same, only heading south this time, stitching a path back and forth that would take anyone anywhere, if they were willing to pay and didn’t mind the wait.
I was ready to accept either to… not get away, but to get somewhere else. The train, North by South, was my ticket to another world I’d only heard about. Now I was going to see it for myself.