It is day 25, people! Once again, thank you for rocking with me so far. I appreciate yall to the utmost! Let’s get into this new prompt. Sidenote: The past two prompts have been a bit dark. Since it’s Halloween, let’s keep it dark.
Today’s prompt: One person meets a stranger on a mode of transportation. Write the story that ensues.
Enjoy!
It’s about 8PM in Downtown Miami as the rain heavily pours and floods the streets. A few people make their way through the ankle-high water on the sidewalks and cars are driving slowly through the puddles that seem like lakes. From an alley, a loud scream and a single gunshot is heard. After a few seconds, there is another gunshot. Derrick quickly runs out while holding his side and wincing. He reaches the sidewalk and ducks under the Metro Mover tracks. A homeless man sees him and stares curiously.
“You good, youngblood?” the man asks.
Derrick turns and looks at him. He then removes his hand from his side, revealing a large bloodstain. After inspecting it, he covers it back and continues on. He reaches the Metro Mover station and slowly walks up the stairs, still wincing in pain and holding his side. He reaches the top and lies down on a bench. He feels for his pocket with his other hand and takes out a wallet filled with money. He inspects it for a second then puts it back. While staring up at the ceiling, he slowly closes his eyes and breathes heavily. After about a minute, there is a dinging sound. He opens his eyes, sitting up straight and sees that the Metro Mover has arrived. He slowly gets up, walks in, and the doors close behind him. Inside, he leans on a support pole and breathes heavily while holding his side. He staggers to a seat and sits down. Suddenly, he is startled by a deep voice.
“Rough night, huh?” the voice asks.
Derrick whips his head to his left and sees another homeless looking man sitting down on the other side of the Metro Mover. He is wearing black, dirty clothing; a shirt, a large overcoat, jeans, and boots. His long, dirty hair covers his face, making it hard for Derrick to see him clearly.
Derrick weakly replies, “What?”
The man stays silent then replies, “I hope it was worth it.”
Derrick looks at him in confusion. “Nobody ends up here by mistake. There’s a reason you’re here,” the man says.
Derrick replies, “Mind your business before something happens.”
The man chuckles which causes Derrick to look at him in anger.
“Denial is normal. Everyone goes through it. You’re no different,” the man says snidely.
Derrick has had enough. He gets up and walks over to confront the man but the pain from his side is too much. He moans loudly and falls onto the bench in front of the man. He winces and rolls around a bit. The man looks at him and chuckles again.
“Fighting this will only make it worse, young man. Just accept what’s happening,” the man says as he reaches into his coat and pulls out a half-empty bottle of scotch. He sips a bit and then offers it to Derrick who is still keeled over.
“Here, drink,” the man offers. Derrick looks up and denies the bottle. The man shrugs and continues to drink.
Still holding his side and wincing, Derrick asks, “Are you gonna keep speaking in riddles or are you gonna explain yourself?” The man smiles and drinks more.
Derrick continues, “Whatever, old man.”
The man finishes the whiskey and sits the bottle down next to him. “I’m just here to guide you to your next destination, young man.”
Derrick laughs and replies, “I know my way around my own city. Thanks though.”
Suddenly, the man lets out a loud, raucous laugh for a few seconds. This causes Derrick to sit up straight and stare at him in bewilderment.
“Ah, naivete. The calling card of the youth,” the man says. He continues, “You all think that you will live forever.That nothing can touch you, nothing can harm you, however, no soul on this earth can escape when it is their time.”
Derrick continues to wince and hold his side. The man continues to look at him, smiling. “That man in the alley. I’m sure he accepted his fate, even though you were the one to hand it to him,”
Derrick pauses and glares at him in anger and confusion. He replies, “What the fuck did you just say?”
The man laughs raucously again. He then replies, “Soon, young man. Soon you will suffer the consequences of your actions. Your past evils will come to a head and drag you into your final pit of despair!”
Derrick becomes angrier and tries to get up but falls down. The man laughs again, then says “Where do you think you are, young man? Where do you think you’re going?” He lifts his hand up and points to the window.
Derrick turns his head and looks out of the window and all he sees is pitch black darkness. At the same time, the Metro Mover picks up speed. Derrick becomes uneasy and starts to panic a bit. The old man, smiling, looks at him, and says, “Ah. You get it now?”
Derrick quickly gets up and instantly, his vision becomes blurry and he begins to stumble. He sways side to side and tries to grab the support pole but misses and falls to his knees. Derrick slowly lifts his head to look at the man. As Derrick stares at him, the man slowly lifts his head and looks at Derrick. The man moves his hair from his face and reveals a smiling skull. Derrick yells, falls to the floor, and begins to pass out.
As he blacks out, he hears the man’s fading voice say, “End of the line…”
Derrick is face down on the floor of the Metro Mover. A few minutes pass and Derrick suddenly wakes up. He is sitting on the bench again. He opens and rubs his eyes. The Metro Mover is empty and moving at its normal pace. He looks through the windows. Everything outside is bright, crimson red. Startled, he jumps up and starts banging on the door.
“Let me out! Stop this shit! I want to get off! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” he shouts frantically.
All of a sudden, the Metro Mover comes to a screeching halt. Derrick grabs the pole but is still thrown to the floor. He quickly gets up and gathers himself. He rushes to the door and tries to open it, but to no avail. Before trying a second time, he hears the dinging sound again and stops moving. The doors open very slowly and the sounds of blood-curdling screams flood the Metro Mover. The red he saw through the windows slowly creeps inside, enveloping the seat and the cart. Derrick stands erect, eyes wide, frozen with fear. As the doors open fully, the screams become louder and closer. The red is now everywhere. He panics but he cannot move. He opens his mouth to scream but no sound comes out. He looks down at himself and he is completely naked.
Then, he feels a force. It is slowly but strongly pulling him through the doors. He tries to fight it but it is too strong. He tries to let out another scream and he does. All of a sudden, the force rapidly sucks him through the doors and his screams fade away. The doors slam shut and the Metro Mover starts up and drives away.
© Jormatic. All Rights Reserved.
Originally published at http://illthinker.wordpress.com on October 13, 2020.
