"TICKETS!"

“…ckets! Tickets! TICKETS!”

Leeta’s eyes shot open. Instantly she was frozen in fear. Quickly she closed her eyes and counted to ten. Normally opening her eyes after ten would wake her from nightmares like this, but not this time. This time, she was truly awake. Worse yet, she seemed to be awake in a nightmare.

“Ticket!” a hooded figure yelled at someone a few rows ahead of her. “No ticket!” she heard the figure laugh. Then, as if in surround sound, she heard a screech so sharp and high pitched it could have broken glass and a blue light began to beam from the person. In an instant the hooded figure had sucked in the blue beam.

Leeta gasped. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? What did she just see? Did that thing, whatever it was, kill that person? What was that blue light? Her brain finally focused through all the questions, and she realized the hooded figure was just a few rows ahead of her. She held her breath and ducked in her seat. Peering around the seat, breath still held, Leeta watched as the hooded figure leaned into another crying person. Before she could take a much-needed breath the figure laughed.

It felt like Leeta’s ears had begun to bleed as the screech started once again. No blue light this time, instead a deep red light was sucked in by the hooded figure. As it turned to come down the aisle Leeta was able to see more than just a hood. Scanning the seats was a fat green face deep with wrinkles. Leeta blinked, it had no eyes, just two sockets of white vast nothingness.

Leeta melted to the floor, what was she going to do? That’s when it hit her, the figure keeps yelling about tickets. She frantically began feeling around her pockets, but she had no ticket. She peeked around the seat to see how close the figure was just in time to see another red light get sucked away.

That was the first time Leeta got to see what the person looked like after the light had been sucked away. There was no person left. Well, there was a body, but it was grey like stone. There was no life left inside. Leeta soon felt uneasy, her nose tingled, what was that smell? Rotten eggs maybe? That’s when she glanced up and waiting to meet her eyes were the white voids.

“Ticket!” the figure yelled in her face; the rotten egg smell spewing from his mouth carried on his breath.

With a push and a dash Leeta was around him. She ran the only way she could. Seconds later she was at a door and before she could even think if opening it was a good idea, she could smell the rotten eggs getting closer. Leeta slid the door open and was shocked to find she was on a train. She had been so terrified by what she witnessed that where she was had become an afterthought.

The cold dense air hit Leeta’s face. She quickly closed the door and stepped forward toward the door of the next car. It was just light enough to see the engine about a half dozen cars ahead. It was steaming along a bridge that looked to never end. With one last look around, as she opened the next door, Leeta noticed that she could not see the end of the train.

Inside the next car Leeta found more people. As she made her way down the aisle nobody looked at her; it was almost like she wasn’t there. Not knowing when the green faced figure would come looking for her, she ducked into an empty seat toward the front of the car. A moment later the rear door opened and in came the green faced figure. Again, he began yelling at the first person he came to, “Ticket!” Just like in the last car there was a laugh, then a screech, and colorful lights leaving people. Leeta panicked. Was this a soul eating demon of some kind? Maybe, it was the devil. Either way Leeta knew she didn’t want to have her color sucked away.

Since there were more people in this car, Leeta decided to formulate a plan before the green faced figure reached her again. She sat still like the other people; her head slightly turned left to see out the window. Leeta hadn’t noticed if the car behind her had windows, but she did notice that it was still as dark as when she had been outside. It was like dusk that wouldn’t end.

As Leeta watched the green faced figure move from one person to the next, she took noticed that nobody seemed to have a ticket. With each screech Leeta focused more on the window. The train was heading straight for a storm. The lightning was getting brighter every few seconds. Leeta had now come up with a plan; since the green faced figure was at the back of the car working its way forward, she was going to head for the engine, using the lightning to help move between cars.

The second Leeta heard another screech she hopped up and ran for the door. She wasn’t sure if the figure saw her, so she planned to reach for the door with the next bolt of lightning. To Leeta’s horror the lightning lit the bridge ahead. What she saw made her scream in anger. The bridge was out, and the giant gap was coming quick. That’s when Leeta realized the air was moving faster around her.

Flinging the door open to the next car Leeta was stunned to see it empty. She slid closed the door and ran down the aisle toward the other end, only a few more cars to the engine. As she reached the end of the car, she smelled the faint smell of rotten eggs. Leeta dropped to the floor and crawled into the third seat from the next door.

The slamming of the door as the green faced figure entered the car almost made Leeta cry out in fear. She hoped that he would pass by her so she could adjust her plan. Sadly, in what felt like no time at all, there he was with his white voids glaring down at her. “Ticket!” he yelled.

Before Leeta could open her mouth to tell him she didn’t have a ticket he began to screech. Suddenly, a purple glow began to come from Leeta. The figure went from screeching to howling in pain as it backed away slowly. The smell of rotten eggs was now so thick in the air Leeta gagged.

Again, the green faced figure leaned in and screeched. Again, a beautiful purple light lit Leeta up and sent the figure back a few feet. Leeta saw her chance and took it. She sprinted for the door, opening and shutting it fast. Looking up at the bridge, Leeta saw that the train was almost to the gap in the tracks. There was no way she could make it to the engine and get the train stopped all while running from the green faced figure.

It was that second that Leeta took to think of a new plan that allowed the figure to open the door she had just closed. Leeta looked into the white void eyes and knew what needed to be done. She took a deep breath and stepped off the train.

Leeta felt like she fell forever. She could see water getting closer but could only hope that it was deep enough for her to land in.

Splash! The water was so cold it hurt. As Leeta tried to get out of the water, she heard voices yelling. Were they from the train? Was there shore nearby? It didn’t matter, the icy water had stung her to sleep.

Leeta opened her eyes. “Oh, there you are. Have some water. You’re alright now,” a fireman was wrapping a blanket around her. “Yep, she’s awake and seems to be fine. Once she warms up, she’ll make a full recovery,” he said to someone just out of sight.

Looking around Leeta was shocked. The car she had been in with her family had hit black ice and spun off the bridge. Leeta started to cry. Where was her family? Why couldn’t she see them? The fireman leaned over her and said, “It’ll be alright girl. We’ll find you a good home. After all, you deserve it after fighting so hard to live.”

Sadness swallowed Leeta. She had never known another family but hers and now they were gone; their souls lost on the train.

Leeta quickly decided she wanted to live with the fireman that had pulled her from the river. He was a kind gentle human, and she was a good girl; it was a perfect match she thought. Leeta had never been more correct. She moved into the firehouse with a family of firemen to keep the green faced figure away.