Chase Hatter's Origin of Pangaea

Chapter Four

"Yeah." Cole whispered in the wind as he wrapped himself a bit tighter in his jacket. It was freezing. He checked his watch again given that it was a bit easier to see with the sun rising just a little more over the horizon. The train would arrive at six ten, but that wasn't the time he was looking out for. He was more interested in when the clock struck six. He had always wanted to be awake when WMYD first began its broadcast, but had never found himself in the position where waking up so early was necessary. But here he was; prepared finally to listen to the beginning broadcast of his formerly worshiped radio station. However, in the stages of its post-demise, it didn't feel as special to cut on his pocket radio now as it would have been two months ago before it had all went to Hell.

"..."

Radio silence. Cole kept waiting.

"..."

Cole kept waiting.

"...To all of our listeners, I'd like to remind everyone that tomorrow night will be WMYD's final broadcast. We'd like to thank all of our wonderful listeners for their continuous support over the years. We've enjoyed every moment that we've had here and you will all be missed. We'd now like to open up the lines for..."

Cole cut it off. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let the morning wind chill his skin as he let it sink in one more time; there was nothing left for him. If he had any reservations before they were gone now along with the banter and once amazing commentary that was WMYD. Cole's last hope to find meaning in his life was now in the hands of the Pangaeans; the last group of people who he seemed to identify with, even if it seemed to only be with their humor.

As Cole waited out the final minutes before the train arrived, he listened to the silence of a sleeping city instead of the dying words of his toppling radio station. Gracefully, the horn of the train intertwined with the silence in such a way that Cole hadn't even realized something had changed. He looked down the tracks and found the lights of the train peaking through a thin fog. He felt the ground beneath his feet vibrate as the train slowed in front of him and came to a stop. When the train was still, the doors closest to Cole opened and out came a man who was clearly the conductor. The conductor made a bit of a spectacle as he slapped on a striped conductor's hat before he stepped onto the platform.

"All aboard!" He hollered. It seemed dramatic to Cole as he was the only one on the platform. Cole grabbed the handle of his suitcase and wheeled it over to the conductor.

"Pass?" The conductor asked. Cole handed the conductor his essay and the conductor flipped to the last page and smiled. He welcomed Cole aboard. Cole stepped onto the train and the conductor followed.

"Welcome to the revolution, Brother Cole." The conductor said. Just then, the train began to move again. There was no going back from here.

"We haven't stopped in so long." Said the conductor. "Not many people hopping on the train since we departed in California."

"Not many people in your revolution?" Cole asked.

"Plenty of revolutionaries," said the conductor, "just not many outside of Maine these days. Before this, our last passenger got on in Utah. It's been a long ride."

"So, the train is empty?"

"More or less." The conductor said. "By the way, you should know that somewhere in Kansas I got the passengers together and we discussed a way to make the trip more comfortable given the small numbers. We did some math and now for every car, based on last names, we assign two people. Plenty of room to stretch, exercise, practice dance routines, and do some public speaking as we ride this train for the rest of eternity! Or another week or so! Ryan, right? R-Y-A-N?"