Neon Black

3: A lady. A man.

The familiarity of the station comforts me as I walk toward my platform. It isn't very busy but the few people I see eating food or talking on their phones make me feel like I'm in a crowd, and happily so. I see on the board it's 9:43 PM and my train is two minutes away. All fears from my encounter are forgotten as I rush down the escalator. When I turn onto the platform I feel a rush of air coming down the tunnel, and hear a high pitch electrical whine and hum getting closer.

Maybe I should be thanking that Michael guy. If he hadn't freaked me out I probably wouldn't have gotten here so fast. I see people down the platform start to move toward the yellow line as the train pulls in. Only one other person lines up with me for this carriage, a business woman in her 30s I guess, probably finishing work late. The train comes to a stop, the button on the door lights up green and she presses it so we can both go in. I look around for a good place to sit and happily see this carriage is almost empty. I head to the left and go for one of those 6 seat ones, taking my bag off and spreading out.

When I feel the train moving I gently roll my head from side to side, stretching my neck and kneading the sore muscles of my shoulder. 4 stops and I'll be at uni, then a short walk and I'll be back in the dorms, I tell myself. The first thing I'll do is have a warm shower then go to bed. I look at my bag and think of my notes inside, the notes I haven't looked at all day. The notes I need to review for my exam tomorrow. Okay, Ever. Shower, then a redbull and study. I let the movement of the train and the darkness of the tunnel rush past, relaxing me in its own way, like being gently rocked as the world streams by.

No one else gets on at the next two stops, though a few leave. And as we head to the next one it is just me and the business lady. She's pretty, I think. With her perfect hair and corporate clothes, that look on her face that says, I'm tired, but I'm busy, I do things, I'm important. I find it hard to believe that would ever be me. Fancy job in the city with nice expensive clothes, going out for cocktails after work. I'd be surprised if I even finish uni to be honest. Which makes me anxious, and guilty. But Chelle thinks I'm doing fine, so maybe it will work out. I mean, whatever will happen will happen right? At least that's what I tell myself. Like all day long.

As the train whines down for the next stop the lady goes to get up, and sees me looking at her. But she doesn't look annoyed, just smiles as she goes and stands at the door - thank god. When she gets off I see that I'm alone. I pick up my stuff and walk toward the doors to wait. The second it stops I'll be off.

The train lurches as it breaks hard, I fling my arm out and clutch a railing for support so I don't fall over, and the lights flicker on and off for a few seconds as we screech to a stop. As I'm trying to figure out what's happened an announcement tone sounds through the carriage and a crackly voice starts speaking.

"My apologies everyone. Please rest assured everything is fine. A minor change to the schedule has led to another train being in the tunnel ahead. Sorry for the heavy breaking, we have a very eager trainee with us today. Should be a 5 minute delay at most."

And after some static and clicks all is silent again. It's annoying but, I mean 5 minutes, it's not that bad. I hitch my bag up onto my shoulder and look back down the carriage.

I grip the bar hard as fear shivers and rolls through me like lightning across the sky, every inch of my skin tingling, telling me something is wrong.

In the exact spot I was sitting, is a man with his back to me. A man that wasn't there before, a man that shouldn't be here at all.