Disobedient

Sunlight woke me from a deep slumber. At first, it seemed like a dream, with sounds of people rushing about, and machines running then I realized it was all too real. Attempting to sit up straight on the bench I groaned realizing my ribs were excruciatingly sore. Pain shot through my chest, my muscles felt too sore to move. My heart began pounding, and confusion shot through me. I slowly looked around, still trying to fight the grip of the situation.

Searching my hazy mind, I tried to find my last memory. It was Tuesday evening, It had been a great day at work but a long one. I was happy to be home for the night. I locked my car before heading inside my apartment building. Somewhere between my car and my front door, everything went dark.

Then I realized who was sitting next to me.

He appeared to be in the best of spirits, completely different from two weeks ago when I told him I no longer wanted to see him and he left the bar in a fury. He acted just as if we were an ordinary couple heading home for the day. Cold chills ran down my spine. I could remember nothing about how I got there or how I came to be in his company.

We had broken up two weeks ago. After dating for a month I discovered a possessive angry side of him that scared me. When I broke up with him I never expected to see him again. The week after, that I began getting strange phone calls, heavy breathing, and hanging up. Then I would see his car in the parking lot of my workplace. I thought I was imagining things, I thought I was paranoid.

He noticed I was awake looking over at me coolly. A mix of self-satisfaction and arrogance made his mood seem darker than usual.

“Are you going to be a good girl?”, he said to me.

He was a condescending piece of crap but the pain in my muscles was overwhelming, I had to stay calm.

I managed to shake my head yes even though every muscle in my body hurt.

He looked satisfied. “ Good, we are going home.

I assumed he met his home since he had taken me from mine.

“What are you going to do with me?”

He looked at me shocked” Well you're coming to my house, you are my girlfriend.”

He smiled in a way that told me we were not sharing the same version of reality.

The train had pulled out of the station. Only a few passengers were in the same car as us. A few minutes into the trip something happened. The loudest noise I ever heard, a sound as if metal was being torn. A large thump was felt as the car separated from the rest of the train and started to travel down another track. Not connected to any other train car, we traveled down the separate track at an increasing rate of speed.

The few people in the car sat in shock, staring out the windows, trying to figure out where we were going. We were in a wooded area and no one knew our location. There was no way to know when we would stop.

I looked over at him wondering how he would react.

“ How are we going to get off this train?”

He looked puzzled and angry, he didn't like not being in control, I knew that much.

He looked at me coldly, “I’ll think of something.”

The train car approached the next station, up ahead a group of railroad workers looked to be setting up an obstruction to stop the runaway car. The few other people in the car looked to be praying that the rail workers might be able to stop us.

I wondered how, or if, I could get away from him.

As we got closer to the train station the workers moved away as we approached the barrier. A noise rang out, as loud as a car crash, and threw all passengers to the floor. The car broke through the barrier sending broken glass and what looked like sandbags past the car windows. We were still moving and increasing in speed.

Suddenly, he rose from his seat and started toward the back of the car.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“ There has got to be a way to slow this car down?”

“Do you know how?”

He gave me a dirty look and for a second I thought he would hit me, but he stopped and looked at the other passengers, then opened the rear car door.

I wondered what he was going to do as I followed him out the rear door on to the small platform outside.

He turned and spoke to me.

“We have to jump before the car picks up anymore speed.”

I wasn't jumping. At that moment I knew I had to get rid of him.

I grabbed the door handle to go back inside the car the exact moment he grabbed my other arm. I held onto the door with every bit of strength I had while he tried to loosen my grip. I screamed in pain. We played tug of war over my body, while not knowing if we would even live to get off the train. As long as I was alive, I was not giving up.

The cars speed increased again as we proceeded down hill to a sharp turn that was moments away.

In our struggle we both fell to our knees, I was still hanging on to the door and he was trying to pull me away. As we began to round the corner I drew back both of my feet and kicked him in the face as hard as I could. He finally let go.

The train car began to swerve as it rounded the corner , I made it inside the train car and shut the door as it left the track. Everything slowed down, a blur of bodies, glass, and metal swirled around me while the car went end over end into the air. I waited for it to be over. The tumbling finally stopped in a farmers' field.

Emergency services came rushing across the field as I managed to crawl out of the wreckage. My left leg was broken, I was certain of that much but other than that I wasn't sure. An EMT ran up with a medical kit as I lay on the grass, hoping I would live.

“ Hey you ok?”

I could barely speak as I felt I could not breathe comfortably “ No, I’m hurt.”

The man blushed a slight bit, “Right, that was a dumb question.”

I did my best to smile '' That's ok it's been a long day”

I hope you enjoy this little story. Please feel free to read some of the other work I have written for Vocal. Thanks!