The Party that Ended in the Train of Terror in 2222

Adam was a wealthy, attractive, single 30-year-old male who enjoyed life. A free-spirited young man. Parties, bars, girls, trips, and more were his life. He lived alone and constantly hosted parties for his friends. Often, they ended on a great note, until that day in September 2222 at the stroke of midnight.

The party turned out to be a hit. Everyone, including Adam, enjoyed it. The live music, food, games, and drinks were out of this world. Adam was happy with the results of his party, but his head was still spinning, and he had an excruciating headache. His stomach felt like a nuclear war about to explode with knots, gas, and nausea. His body felt numb and bruised, and he was bundled up in a corner. But where? The place was not familiar to him. He felt movement. As if he were on a ride. A ride where? The last thing he remembered was being at home partying with his friends and looking at the clock at the stroke of 12 midnight.

Adam gained enough strength to pull himself up. “Where am I?” he asked himself, dizzy, confused, and staggering around. He could barely stand up, let alone open his eyes.

“I need to get to the restroom. I feel sick to my stomach and need to throw up,” he thought as he paced his way.

The light coming from the cabin window blinded him. It was too intense. He kept his eyes half shut as he tried to make his way through. Adam stumbled upon something and almost fell. He was forced to open his eyes and gasped at the sight.

“What in the world?” he said.

Bodies upon bodies lined up against the cabin’s walls.

“What is this? Who are these people? Are they dead or just sleeping?” he thought.

Adam was confused and unaware of what was going on. Once he stepped out of the cabin, he realized he was on a train. The train was moving fast. Other than the people in the cabin, the train seemed deserted. He continued his way, stumbling through the aisle, and opening the cabin doors one by one. He managed a faint hello now and then. But there was no one else in sight.

He reached the restroom and did not get halfway through when his stomach gave in and threw up. Adam rinsed his mouth and continued to find out what was happening.

“How did I get on this train and where is it going?” he asked himself while stumbling through the aisle. He glanced out the window but could not see outside. The intensity of the light seemed like they were in the sun, with nothing else in sight. Just a pure, bright light. He glanced around. All the seats were empty so he dropped into a seat.

“I must have a ticket,” he thought and searched his pockets but found nothing else other than a blank white piece of paper in his pant pocket. He shoved it back into his pocket and closed his eyes.

“I’ll take a nap and when I wake up, I will be home,” he said to himself. But it was too difficult to take a nap. He had so many questions and needed answers.

“How did I get here and where is this going? Why is there no one else on the train except for the people in the cabin? The cabin! I must get back to the cabin and wake them up!”

He made his way to the cabin, bumping from side to side. The train sped up every time he entered a different passenger car and did not seem it was stopping anytime soon. The faster the train went, the harder it was for Adam to maintain his balance. He reached the cabin and entered it at once.

“Hello? Wake up please,” he said. But no one heard him, no one moved. Were they alive or dead? He knelt at their level and nudged them one by one.

The light coming in through the windows was blinding, and he could not tell who they were. Adam slowly picked himself up and walked towards the windows. There was nothing to see other than a bright, blinding light. He closed the shutters and returned to the bodies. Then he recognized them. They were the guests at his party. What happened to them? Fear took a hold of him as he began to try to wake them.

“Rose, wake up! Dan, Arthur, Mary, Mark, Jane, please wake up! Why are you sleeping?” he shouted as the fear crept over him and he began stuttering. “Please be sleeping and not dead. Please, please,” he sobbed as the tears rolled down his face.

“What happened, what’s going on? This can’t be! This is not happening,” he shouted as he stood up against the door, staring at his guests.

He ran out of the cabin, stumbling around the passenger car with no clear thought of what he was going to do or where he was going.

“I must get to the conductor's cab. I must let the conductor know what is going on. They must stop this train. I must stop this train!”

He ran for what seemed like an eternity from one passenger car to the other. The train sped up even faster as he crossed into the next car. Adam could hear the train's wheels screeching every so often. The farther he got, the further away the driver’s cab seemed. Exhaustion slowed his pace.

Adam’s breathing was heavy. His body was not responding. He continued at a slow pace as far as he could but knew he needed to stop and sit down. Adam was dizzy and too tired to continue. He collapsed on a seat as the train continued its rapid pace to nowhere.

Where was he? Will he ever get back home? Was he dreaming? Was he drunk? Did someone spike the punch with drugs? Or did he transport himself to an out-of-body experience? Will he ever find out? Who knows? Only Adam can figure it out. Only Adam has the key to this mystery.