Reasons to Hate the Commute

# 952 The Fixer ~ Anonymous

"The fixer is a person who nominally looks like a human being. But he specializes in creating misery for others, in order that he can offer to fix it for a fee." ~ former Philippine Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago

Magsipoc station is a long tunnel. Too long. They gotta find a way to make it shorter.

There's this guy who appears in some cars, sometimes. He takes different forms. Sometimes he's a toddler, sometimes a cute, tiny kitten, and sometimes a terrfying creature. But people say it's often a man, perhaps in his 20s or early 30s.

So let's say he's a guy. He sits or stands right in front of random people while the train passes through the Magsipoc tunnel. You'll know that he's THAT guy because he just appeared in front of you. He wasn't on the train before.

Everyone knows that you're not supposed to open your mouth while you go through the Magsipoc tunnel. Well - you can, but it's the risk you take. People entering the train through that particular no-exit station don't have bodies, so they occupy the spaces between the bodies of the people already on the train.

You can sort of feel them sometimes - like it suddenly feels a little too crowded in the car, and like it gets a little hard to breathe.

When you open your mouth - even just to yawn, or to improve the flow of air to your lungs - you risk letting them in. And there's no telling what happens when you let them in. Magsipoc "stowaways" have been blamed for strange occurrences, like a couple of unexplained suicides, and people turning up miles from where they initially wanted to end up, and not having a clear idea how to get back.

And then there's the chance that you won't actually experience anything different; a "stowaway" just enters your body through your mouth and sits there quietly. You don't feel a single thing. But the Sinauna Group has made it expressly clear that you shouldn't take the risk. You gotta keep your mouth shut. You gotta watch out for number one. When you open your mouth, you may just find out that "number one" isn't just one person anymore, or even the person you thought they were.

All you have to do to keep safe is to stay mum until the train gets through Magsipoc station. Then the pressure (I think, sort of, based on the feeling) inside the cars evens out, the crowded feeling eases up, and it's safe.

But see, that's the guy's job. To make you open your mouth. He'll take any form that he feels would make you react. And no one else can see him, so you can't exactly look to anyone else to help distract you from his presence.

He may start off staring at you. That's what he did to me. He stared at me with really pretty eyes that changed color with the light, as if waiting for me to say something. I couldn't take my eyes off those eyes, or even turn away or close my eyes to protect myself.

Then, he spoke.

"It's been a while. How are you?" he asked. I almost replied, "Do I know you?" but at the time, though somewhat in shock, I knew better.

"How's your mom doing? Is she feeling better? How are your kids?" he asked. And it was weird, because I didn't know him, but he spoke like he knew my mom had just been discharged from the hospital for a small household accident, and like he knew about my kids.

As I still didn't answer, he tried a couple of other things. I don't even remember them anymore. I remember finally being able to turn away and ignore him, but also being curious about what he was going to do next, and occasionally glancing at him, or sneaking looks out of the corner of my eye.

I gritted my teeth. I hung on. I wished for the train to get out of Magsipoc station soon.

Finally, as the train was nearing the end of the tunnel, he shot out a clawed hand, and lunged at my throat.

I screamed.

It was a brief scream, and not very loud, but it made the people beside me draw in air sharply through their nostrils. Their lips were clamped tightly shut, but their eyes, wide with concern and alarm, were fixed on me. The lady sitting beside me rubbed the back of my shoulders with the palm of her hand and looked at me worriedly, unable to ask me anything.

Then the train reached the end of Magsipoc station, and the man disappeared. The seat he had occupied was completely empty. It was as if he was never there.

I should've been smart. I should've listened to music. I should've closed my eyes. He couldn't even touch me... I should've remembered.

Then came the deluge of questions from other passengers. What happened? How are you feeling? What did he look like? Are you all right? Do you need someone to go with you?

I politely replied to as many questions as I could, assured everyone I was fine. Then I got off at my stop. I went through my day as normal.

Because I wasn't experiencing anything strange, I thought it best not to tell my family, or anyone who cared about me, fearing I would alarm them unnecessarily.

The incident at Magsipoc station happened five days ago.

And.

I still feel... crowded. Like the pressure never normalized and I'm still in the tunnel, and it's still a little hard to breathe.

But I wonder how much of it is real, and how much of it is fear.

If only the Magsipoc station were shorter... maybe this wouldn't be happening.

I think, I'm not sure, that a "stowaway" got into me.

And I think, but I don't know for sure, that it's still there.

[Ed.'s note: The quote was added to the start of the post due to relevance. The "guy" spoken of here, though nameless, has been identified as a fixer who helps "stowaways" for a hefty fee. He is being actively pursued by Sinauna Group authorities, and Magsipoc station continues to be carefully monitored.

["Stowaways" are undetectable by any instrument, and thus the Sinauna Group highly recommends prevention. And the primary mode of prevention it is pushing is apprehending the Magsipoc fixer. Authorities welcome all information leading to his arrest.

[As the submission was posted anonymously, the original poster could not be reached for updates.]