The Train

My head was pounding as I awoke. I moved my head down to look at the floor before opening my eyes. My stomach did a flip. My body was sticky with sweat.

Was I moving?

I opened my eyes to see a dingy, old stained carpet underneath me and not my hardwood floor. I looked around.

How did I get on a train?

I need to stop drinking.

Oh. I’m on my way to work I guess. This is the gross rug from the F train that goes downtown. That was some wild party. No better way to enter a marriage without having one last hurrah. I mean, I love Adam, he’s financially secure and I would never have to worry about money again. I fiddled with my left ring finger and ran my hand over what should have been my 3 karat oval shaped diamond, but it was gone. My eyes shot open.

“Where is my ring?”

My instant bout of panic calmed as I remembered it was sitting in the Tiffany's box it came in on my nightstand. I didn’t dare wear it out partying. I felt disgusting taking my shoes off to walk on this nasty rug, but my head was pounding so hard my eyes were moving. Five inch heels were not going to be my friend. I stood up and tried to get my bearings. I opened my eyes more to see an empty train car. How could the F train be empty? I ignored the intense pounding and walked into the second train car. Empty too.

What the hell is going on? What time is it?

I looked for my purse but Hannah must still have my phone. I wasn’t allowed to have any contact with Adam during my bachelorette party. I remember getting on the train and Hannah and Ally missed it. I had no phone to check, no clock in sight. It was dark out which could mean late night or early morning. This train was moving too fast to be heading downtown. I went back to my original train car to use the bathroom and there I spotted him. He was sitting in the last seat just glaring at me. This was typical, but I wasn’t in the mood.

“Not today Ben.” I opened the door to my small bathroom and sat down on the toilet to compose myself. I ran my fingers through my hair and noticed my hair was sticky and tangled. I wiped whatever booze from last night was soaked in my hair on my dress and stopped. My hands were red. We were doing lemon drops and drinking martinis all night, those wouldn’t have dyed my hair red. I stood up to look at myself. My blonde hair was crimson red with blood. I started panicking and moving my hands through my hair and that’s when I felt it. A hole on the side of my head under my ear that was slowly leaking.

I burst out of the bathroom.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?” I screamed at Ben, who was still sitting in the last seat looking demure and composed.

“I did it for us Amy. Now we can be together.” He stood up and came toward me. Ben towered over me. He’s easily 6 foot 5 and close to 400 pounds. He turned his head and I gasped. He had a hole in the same spot I had mine.

“I did this for us Amy.”

“Why do you keep saying that? WHY DO YOU KEEP SAYING THAT BEN?” I screamed with tears in my eyes and my voice growing hoarse.

“Oh Amy, I loved you the minute I laid eyes on you. Your golden blonde hair and the pretty clothes you wear. I couldn’t just let another man take my chance to love you.” Ben said, stepping closer to me. He put his hand on my cheek and wiped my tears with his thumb. “But do you remember what you said to me Amy? When I asked you to go to dinner with me?”

I moved his hand, but he immediately put it back. I remember him asking me to dinner. It was a normal conversation about the weather that turned into a date proposition. I remember flashing him my ring that I was taken, but he wasn’t taking no for an answer. I eventually moved to a different train car, but I had no idea what I said, so I shook my head no.

Ben moved his hand and got face to face with me. His teeth were yellowing and his hair was more gray than I remembered. “Oh Amy. You said that someone like you would never be caught dead with someone like me.” He let out a small laugh before kissing my forehead. I backed away.

“Why are you laughing?”

Ben started to grin from ear to ear.

“Because that’s exactly how they found us. You and me, together right on this very train.”

I stood still.

“What?”

“I saw you get separated from your friends getting on the train and I knew I had to act fast if we were going to be together. Little did you know you were wearing my favorite dress of yours and I know you were wearing Nightshade perfume. I noticed you didn’t have your ring on. Smart move.” Ben came back toward me and pulled the gun out his pocket. “Two bullets in the chamber. One for the most beautiful woman I ever saw, Amy Dunlap and one for me.”

I fell to my knees sobbing. With my face in my hands I convinced myself I was in a nightmare and started screaming in the hopes I might wake up.

“Oh don’t cry sweet girl, you’re too beautiful to cry. We’re together now.” Ben knelt down and whispered in my ear.

“Forever.”