The Final Destination

‘Are you ok sir?’ the Conductor asked.

John had been fast asleep and was startled awake; he was still a little bleary eyed as he tried to focus on the man leaning over him.

‘Yes, of course…I guess I was tired.’

‘I am so sorry I woke you up, sir. My apologies’ the Conductor replied.

‘Oh, please don’t worry about it…riding on a train always puts me to sleep. I suppose that’s kind of natural, isn’t it?’ John asked.

‘I am sure it is. By the way, we won’t arrive at our destination for at least another hour. If you’d like I can wake you say 15 minutes before then? That way you can go back to sleep and won’t be bothered. Will that work for you?’ the man asked.

John straightened himself up and wiped his face with his hand. Yawning, John replied.

‘That sounds fine..I appreciate it.’

As he became a bit more aware of his surroundings, it dawned on John that he had no recollection of how and why he was on this train or, for that matter where it was going.

He then read the Conductor’s name tag on his uniform.

‘Thanks, err…Martin? That is your name?’

‘Yes sir…that’s it. Well, don’t worry…I’ll check up on you again when we are a bit closer to NY. That way, if you do fall back asleep I can wake you up…same 15 minutes I mentioned before. Have a great trip and, by the way…what is your name, sir…if you don’t mind my asking?’

‘Oh…John…it’s John…John Cooper. Did you say this train is heading for NY?’

‘Yessir…to Grand Central…just as always. The 2:25 to New York’. Martin replied.

The Conductor gave John a quick wave as he continued down the aisle. At that point, now more or less awake, John realized that something didn’t feel right to him. He could not immediately put his finger on it, but something just seemed very wrong. Beyond the fact that he still could not figure out what he was even doing on this train, he began to notice the other people in his car. They looked as if they had just stepped out of a magazine from the 30’s…strange, out of date clothing on the men, and ladies dressed to the nines as if they were going to a fancy restaurant instead of wearing clothing more suited for a train trip. It dawned on him that the train’s Conductor was also dressed in a uniform that did not seem to fit, but instead seemed to be more of a throwback to a completely different time.

The week before, John had read a story about a runaway train, traveling from Upstate New York to Manhattan that had derailed just outside of the city. All but 2 of the passengers had been killed in the wreck, which at that time was considered one of the the worst rail disasters in US history. The accident had occurred in the summer of 1934; sometime in mid July.

John then noticed a man reading a newspaper in the seat immediately in front of his. The man began to push the newspaper up in order to read a story on the lower part of the page, and it was at that point that John could clearly make out the date of the paper on the top of the page…July 16th, 1934.

Shocked, John thought this had to be some sort of a twisted nightmare.

‘Weird Dream…had to be. I guess I’m not completely awake just yet’ John thought.

Still, it didn’t really feel so much like a dream to John. Something was off; something just seemed different.

He then felt the train beginning to accelerate, ever so slightly. John thought they might have just been picking up a little speed in order to keep to their schedule, so there would probably not be any reason to worry about it. On business, he had taken dozens of train rides in the past, and from time to time this would be a common thing to do. Better to arrive a bit early than take a chance on getting in late. The company running the trains did not look favorably on ‘late arrivals’.

But the acceleration continued.

John noticed that the Conductor was walking down the aisle in his direction again, but unlike before, the look on his face seemed to be anything but normal and calm. It was obvious that something was not right, so as he got closer, John reached out his hand to stop him.

Martin seemed startled as John grabbed his arm.

‘Sorry, but I just wondered if anything was wrong? You seem a bit anxious…are you ok, Martin?’ John asked.

Martin took a look around the car, not paying too much attention to the question.

‘Err, no sir…no John. Everything is fine. Please don’t worry about it’ Martin replied.

‘Martin, c’mon now…what is going on? It sure as hell seems as if something is not right…for one thing, why are we going so fast? We’ve picked up quite a bit of speed in just the past few minutes…are we running late or something?’ John asked.

Martin turned to John for a second, pulling his arm away in the process. He looked away, then once again replied ‘Everything is fine, John…just fine. Look, I gotta go…I’ll stop by again when we get closer to New York’.

Martin walked away and went through the door to the next car.

None of what was going on made any sense to John. The passengers wearing clothes that were not even close to his time, and what about that newspaper? The date on that paper could not possibly be real, yet as time went on it was becoming very apparent that this was much more than a dream.

Within just a few more minutes, the train had picked up a great deal of speed…much more than what would be needed just to ‘save some time’, John thought. It now began to vibrate slightly and make occasional ‘metal on metal’ squealing sounds that got louder with every passing moment. It seemed that the other passengers in the car were becoming very uneasy. Some of the women would let out a shriek every time the train car would hit a bump, and everyone began to hold on to whatever they could when that happened. People began to actually lift off their seat as the bumps became more intense, and at that point the train itself seemed to almost launch itself off the track. At the current speed, a derailment now seemed imminent.

John looked out the window as the landscape sped by…he could also see sparks coming up from below, which seemed to indicate that the Engineer was desperately trying to apply the brakes in order to cut back on the speed as much as possible. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to be working…the train was not slowing down at all, but instead continued to accelerate.

Just then the Conductor walked by again. John reached out and grabbed his arm, but more forcefully this time. Martin turned to John, a little startled but at the same time he now seemed calmer than he had been.

‘Damnit, why is this train going so fast, Martin?’

Martin now seemed very different. It was as if a switch had been thrown and he had become a completely different person. He looked down at John and smiled.

‘I wouldn’t worry too much about it John…now everything is going to be just fine. Just wait and see’ Martin replied.

‘Going to be fine?? My God…this train is going to come off the tracks at 100 miles an hour! We are NOT going to be ‘just fine’, Martin…and you know it!’

Martin stopped and leaned down towards John.

‘Like I said John…I wouldn’t worry too much about it. All is going to work out ‘just fine…just fine’ Martin replied mockingly, now chuckling at John’s concern.

The response angered John.

John was taken aback by this sudden change in Martin’s personality, along with his snarky answers and apparent lack of concern regarding what was happening. John then got up from his seat and went straight to the doors separating the 2 adjacent cars. He got within a few feet but for some reason could not get any closer. It felt as if someone or something was physically pushing him back, preventing him from getting into the other car. He tried several times but each time was turned away. Finally he went back to his seat where Martin was waiting.

‘So…what happened, John? Ya’ didn’t make it through the door now, did you?’ Martin asked.

John glared at Martin.

‘You seem to know what is happening here, Martin. You know damn well that this train is going to crash, and a hell of a lot of people are going to die when it happens. What is going on?’ John again asked.

Martin smiled as he looked away.

‘734, to be exact…734 will be killed, and 2 very lucky ones will survive. Well, let me clarify that statement. Now, if to ‘survive’ means spending the next year and a half in a hospital and then at a major rehab center learning to walk again, hmmm….doesn’t sound very ‘lucky’ to me, eh’ John? But then again, at least you’re alive, right?’ Martin asked.

‘How in hell do you know all that, Martin?’ John asked.

Martin turned to John and looked menacingly at him, bending over and getting into his face.

‘Because I have been here before, my friend! I know all about this train trip! Back then, some 88 years ago it was my job to play the ‘Conductor’…and now, it is ‘my job’ once again’.

The train continued to pick up speed, and by now the passengers were getting into in an extreme state of panic. Martin looked back at John for a moment and smiled as he stood up in the center of the aisle and turned towards the other passengers across the aisle.

‘Now, listen please…I need everyone to calm down. That’s right, everyone please calm down…panicking is not going to help the situation. Just try to relax if you can…sit back in your seats and try to be calm and quiet. Everything is going to be all right, folks’ Martin said.

He then looked back at John and gave him another sly smile.

‘So, what do you think, John? Not too bad a performance, eh?’

‘You’re playing around with these people when you know damn well they are all going to die? So, how long have we got? How much more time will go by before this damn thing turns into a meat grinder?’ John asked.

‘C’mon now, John…I was here back then, and by the way, so were you! You don’t remember, but believe it or not we had this same conversation some 88 years ago…88 years! You are in the same seat, in the same damn clothes…hell, everything is the same as it was back then. That’s because it really is 1934 again…not 2022’.

At that, John looked down at his clothes and was shocked to see that his suit was something out of the 30’s, just like all the other passengers…slowly, he began to realize that what Martin had just said was somehow true. He started to feel that the memory of that day so long ago, although faded, had now become real again.

In the back of his mind, John remembered that he had taken the train everyday, going to his office in lower Manhattan. But this was a lifetime ago…it was not in the present.

Martin began to speak to John, a bit more softly.

‘All this happened during your past life, John…this was your ‘destiny’ back then. You died on this train, just like most everyone else here. This was your seat…that’s why you couldn’t get through to the next car…you simply don’t belong there, John’.

Martin looked away, and then continued.

‘734 people died, John…734! It’s very sad to think that your body wasn’t even able be to identified for 3 weeks after the accident. If it makes you feel any better, I died in that wreck, too. It was a terrible accident for all concerned’ Martin said.

‘So how is this all happening again? This doesn’t make any sense…it’s impossible’ John said.

‘Oh, but it is possible, my friend. Sometimes the past somehow slips into the present and, for several moments actually replaces it. We can get caught up in this ‘different time’ as a result. It’s just one of those things, John…a ‘repetition of the past’, if you will. You don’t have any control over it…you just have to ride it out. Once it is over, rest assured everything will return to normal’ Martin replied.

‘No, c’mon…this can’t be real. I have a wife and a good job now…not in 1934…in 2022! I am not this person, Martin…and I am not going to die!’ John replied.

‘I’m sorry to say it, but you are, John…and I think you know you are. You can’t change it.’ Martin said.

John suddenly got up again and bolted down the aisle towards the other door in front of his car, pushing Martin aside in an attempt to escape the rail car. When he got within a few feet of the door, out of nowhere Martin suddenly appeared in front of him.

‘So…where do you think you’re going, my friend? Look, you need to accept this…you are not going to get off this train, John…hell, you’re not even getting out of this car. I told you…this is where you belong, just like you did 88 years ago. You are stuck here with all these other people and you will just have to accept it. I told you…you cannot change any of it. Today is the day, John…and whether you want to believe it or not, today is THAT day. Today is July 16, 1934’ said Martin.

The train now began to shudder violently, and many of the passengers began to get tossed out of their seats and into the aisle, some landing on top of one another. In order to steady himself, John held tightly onto the back of the seat in front of him.

Just then, the sound of crunching metal began to go through the train, combined with the horrified screams of the passengers in the other cars. John could see his train car begin to crumple before his eyes; it started to turn onto its side, with sparks and intense fires now coming into the rail car. The horrifying sounds became deafening as the rail car began to literally rip itself apart.

Then, suddenly…it was silent.

John felt himself being shaken. He found his wife standing over him, pushing hard on his shoulder, trying to wake him up.

‘C’mon John…you’ve got that meeting in New York in a few hours. You don’t want to miss your train’ she said.

John wiped his face with his hand. Yawning, confused, he asked ‘What train? What are you talking about, Claire?’

‘You’ve forgotten already? The 2:25 into Grand Central…the 2:25! C’mon, this is important. You’ve got that meeting with that ‘Martin Thomas’ guy you’ve been carrying on about for the last week. ‘Big money’, remember? That’s what you said. You’re gonna meet up with him at his office in the city at 4:30’ Claire said.

‘You should probably clean up a bit before you leave. I dunno…take a quick shower or something. But wake the hell up already! Let’s get moving!’ Claire shouted.

John slowly came around, still trying to wipe the sleep away. He looked up at Claire who was standing in front of him with her arms crossed.

Claire glared at John.

‘John…look, this is a really big opportunity for us, so try not to blow it, ok? You know how important this meeting is’ Claire said.

‘Yea, yea…a big deal…yea, I know that, Claire’ John replied, still not fully awake.

Claire reached down and placed her hand gently on John’s cheek.

‘John, all you have to do is close the deal with him and get back home as soon as you can, ok? I’m sorry…I’m not trying to put more pressure on you. I’m sure you’ll do fine…I know you will. You always do, sweetheart’ Claire said.

Claire turned and began to walk away.

John shook off the remainder of sleep and finally managed to get himself out of the recliner. Still a bit wobbly, he began to walk towards the bathroom just down the hall.

On the way, he passed by a slightly crumpled magazine that was sitting on a small coffee table just beyond the living room. On the cover, capitalized, in large, bold type, he saw a title that chilled him to his core.

“REVISITING THE GREAT TRAIN WRECK OF 1934…88 YEARS AGO TODAY"