The Train by TAYLOR MORRISON
“911, what’s your emergency?”
I hesitated, listening to the emptiness that awaited me on the other end of the line. I had never called 911 before, and talking to new unknown people always made me feel antsy. God, I wished Sasha were here…but that’s why I was calling in the first place. “911, what’s your emergency?” The operator repeated.
I cleared my throat and took a deep breath while trying to still my heavy beating heart before answering.
“Hi, I-... um… my name is Darryl and I need to report a missing person. My girlfr-uh… fiance, she’s gone missing. Sasha. Her name is Sasha.”
“Alright, Darryl, and how long has Sa- wait, I’m sorry, can you give me your last name, please?” She answered.
“Burks. Darryl Burks.” I replied.
“Right, Darryl Burks. How long has your fiance been missing, then?” I sighed impatiently. “Look, Sasha. Her name is Sasha Ledford. I haven’t seen her since yesterday morning. I know that doesn’t seem like very long but, you see, she’s got a routine. She carpools with her friend to work and takes the train home. And she’s not home, she never came home and I’m just-” Shit. I’m rambling. Tears welled up in my eyes.
“She took the train, you said?” The operator interrupted.
Frustrated I replied, “Yes, the train. Can you just please listen to me? She was supposed to be home last night around 7 pm and never made it. I know this doesn’t seem like a lot, but that’s a very long time for her to be gone. She never goes away without telling me when she’ll be back. You just…” I took another deep breath as a few tears escaped down my face. “You’ve got to find her.”
“Darryl, do you know which train route Sasha takes in order to get home?” “Train 29…” I glanced over to the train schedule taped on the fridge. She always highlights the routes and times so that I know when to expect her home. “Yeah, train 29, that’s the one.” The words rushed out of my mouth. I could hear the quick typing from the other side of the line.
“Okay, let’s see. Ah yes! Train 29. The station appears to be at…” She paused for a moment before I cut her off.
“Press Street. Her station is at Press Street, we only live a five-minute walk away.” I interrupted her with an anxious reply.
“Darryl, I need you to take a deep breath for me. In and out really quick.” “What’s your name?” I retorted.
“My- My name?” She questioned.
“Your name,” I repeated.
“It’s Michelle. I’m sorry, I should have introduced myself.”
I could sense that she was apologetic despite not being in her presence. The phone call proceeded as anybody would imagine. She asked for more details about Sasha’s commute routine, and although I wished I could’ve given her more information, the reality is that we’ve only lived together for two months now. That’s why I still ask her to highlight her train schedule every week when we sit down to plan meals and converse over the mundane things happening in our lives. Not to mention living in the city is completely new to us, so it’s been quite the adjustment.
“Alright Darryl, I’ve filed this missing persons report.” She said after an excruciatingly long moment of silence.
“What do I do now?” I questioned
“Now the only thing there is to do is wait. I encourage you to reach out to her last known contacts to see if we can fill in any gaps. Your case number is- wait, do you have a pen and paper ready?”
“Go ahead.”
“Your case number is 854466. If you have any more details or information that you’d like to add you can do so by going down to the station or completing a request online.” She explained. I think she continued talking and I'm sure it was important, but all I could think about was my missing partner. I wanted to scream. I wanted to scream and cry and punch a hole through the wall. But none of those things would help bring her home any faster. “Darryl are you there?,” I heard through my own wave of thoughts. “Hi, sorry, yes I’m here,” I answered.
“Is there anything else you’d like to report? If not we can end this call now.” The operator stated.
“No, that’s it.”
“Goodnight, Darryl. I wish you good luck, I hope we can find her.” Click. With that, the call ended, and I was alone again in the half-empty kitchen.
Sasha
Gods, this commute always feels so long, I thought to myself. I took a peek down at my watch, and it read 5:37 pm.
“Now arriving at Baker Street. Doors open to my right.” I heard the intercom chime over my headphones.
I pulled my phone out to scroll through Instagram, I really just wanted to pass the time. Before opening the app I let my eyes scan over the train car I was seated in. This wasn’t the usual crowd, but in about two stops this car would probably be full to the brim. As soon as I directed my attention back towards my phone a blonde gal, probably a year older than me or so, sat next to me and tapped my shoulder.
“Hey! You’re Sasha, right?” She exclaimed, with a genuine smile on her face. I pushed my headset off my left ear and made eye contact with her. “Yeah, and you’re….” I trailed off as I looked over her features, trying to place where I’d seen her before.
“Jamie! My boyfriend Callon and I are your neighbors. I don’t think you and I have properly met yet, but I’ve seen you and Darryl a couple of times while taking out the trash. I know he and Callon have talked on several different occasions. Somehow they always end up at the dumpster at the same time.” She chuckled, but kept her attention on me waiting for a reply.
“Oh, Jamie! Yeah, I remember Darryl telling me about you guys a few weeks ago. We’re still a little new to the area. I mean, not to this state, but to the apartment. We just moved to the city together two months ago.” I don’t know why I was telling her all of this. It really doesn’t matter in the long run. Something about her made me feel less on guard, though. Maybe it was her soft features, perhaps her kinky blonde hair. She looked a lot like my sister, that had to be why talking to her felt so natural.
“Are you headed straight home?” She queried.
“I had actually planned to get off at Maxon Avenue, but only to make a pitstop at the dispo on the way home. Do you want to come?” I shrugged “Then we can catch the next train and walk home together.” I raised a brow at her, hoping she’d say yes. I didn’t really love going there alone, but Darryl and I desperately needed a few joints to get us through the rest of the week.
“Ohmygosh, yeah I’d love that!” She exclaimed, “I actually need to get a pack of CBD gummies anyways. This is perfect. I don’t like going alone but Callon is weird about going to dispensaries for some reason.” She rolled her eyes in a way that almost seemed sarcastic.
I let a sigh of relief flow out through my nose. This might be good, I could use a friend, I thought to myself. I let my eyes wander back over to Jamie who happened to be doing the same.
“Alright girlfriend, tell me about yourself! What do you do for work? How long have you and Darryl been together? Oh!” A childish grin grew over her face, “You guys are such a beautiful couple.” Her gaze softened as she eagerly awaited my reply. I’m not usually the type to just spill my life story to a stranger, but we still had at least a 30-minute ride until the Maxon Avenue stop. And honestly, Jamie had such a bubbly personality that made me feel comfortable sharing stories. So I did. I told her about us having to move to the neighborhood because of the editorial job that I somehow fell into. I told her about how Darryl and I are high school sweethearts that were waiting to move in together until we knew if I got this job.
“He’s honestly just been so supportive of me and this move. I mean, it’s not like I wanted to move so far from our hometown, it’s just what opportunity came up for us. I had to take this job. Being an editorial director is, like, my dream. Not to mention it makes good money. Him being a mechanic is so convenient because people always need shit to be fixed. He had no problem getting a job and he-.”
“Now arriving at Maxon Avenue. Doors open to my right.” The intercom chimed and cut me off. I gazed over at Jamie.
“Oh, this is us!” I said with a bit of forced enthusiasm. “I’ll finish the rest after the dispo, and then you have to spill the beans about you and Callon.” My smirk grew into a full-blown smile. It felt like I was back in high school gossiping, or reconnecting with an old friend.
We both grabbed our purses and exited the train. The gust of wind that blew past us after getting off sent a shiver through my spine. I brought my cupped hands up to my mouth and blew my hot breath into them for a temporary moment of warmth. My attention shifted to the right where I could see Jamie shuffling through her tote bag for a beanie that quickly found contact with the top of her head.
“Dude I always forget how chilly it can be the closer you get to the marina.” “Ugh I know!” she practically yelled, “I almost never come down here anymore.” We started to make our way to the dispensary that was conveniently right across the street and down at the corner. The whole process is always a breeze. We walked in, had our IDs checked, bought what we needed, and started back towards the rail stop. I pulled up the schedule on my phone.
“Okay this says the next one will be here at 6:43. That’s in…” I focused my attention back at Jamie, “oh good, we only have to wait like 3 minutes. Thank god.” I tucked my hands into the pockets of my jacket.
“This breeze is killing me, I desperately wish this was an indoor stop. Oooo or one with a heated waiting area.” She raised her brows and looked back at me, “wouldn’t that be nice?”
“I would kill for even just four walls to escape this wind.” I retorted.
We both giggled before silence fell over the area. All of a sudden, the lights illuminating the stop flickered and went out. Within the time it took fear to flash through my body, they were back on and Jamie and I were looking at each other with wide eyes. “That was weird…” She stammered.
“Uh… very weird. I mean, it’s windy but not that windy.” I muttered before I felt the rumble of the train at my soles. “That’s us.”
The train doors slid open and we strolled to a couple of seats towards the front of the section. My brows pinched together as I scanned the car, not a person in sight aside from the two of us. Not normal, but not abnormal either. I flashed a gaze at Jamie.
“I guess everybody else caught the last one.” She shrugged, as if she didn’t think anything of the eerie vibe.
I forced my lips into a grin, “Yeah, you’re probably right.” I acknowledge before the doors slid shut and the train started to move again.
Darryl
With my head hanging heavily on my palms, I stared below me at the table where my phone was sitting, still lit up from the 911 call. I pushed my head away from my hands and glanced around the kitchen before zoning in on the overflowing trash can that was practically begging to be taken out. My attention got pulled to the clock illuminated on the microwave that read 7:56 am. I stood from my spot at the kitchen bar stool and dragged myself over to rip the bag out of the trashcan. With a quickness, I tied the bag, slid my feet into my crocs, and made my way down the stairs and outside to the dumpster in the parking lot. As I shuffled across the icy lot, I noticed Callon struggling to get his bag up and over the edge of the dumpster. I picked up the pace and set my trash down next to him before lifting the lid open, allowing him to chuck his bag inside.
“You’re a lifesaver man, thank you.” He huffed, trying to catch his breath after struggling to get the trash in the dumpster.
“No problem dude.” I felt my stomach twist and couldn’t hold back the words that spewed out of my mouth, “Weird question, but did Jamie make it home last night?” “Funny you ask, she actually didn’t. It’s not entirely abnormal for her though, sometimes she’ll work a double at the diner and then crash at her friends' house on the east side since it’s pretty close. You know the commute is awfully long.” He raked his fingers through his hair and tilted his head back. “But I haven’t heard from her since she finished her shift yesterday. I’ll probably drive over to the diner later if I don’t hear from her. Maybe her phone is dead or broken or something, and she just went to work this morning without it.” The calm on his face melted into what appeared like concern, despite his trying to hold it back. “She actually texted me saying she’d run into Sasha when she got on the train after work.”
“Really?” My brows furrowed, “I didn’t know they took the same route.” I glanced down at my watch and realized it was almost time to get ready for work. “Does she take 29 to get to and from work?” I asked.
“Yeah, she does. Considering it’s got the largest coverage of all the cars in the city.” He answered.
I took a quick peek at my watch again, as if the first time wasn’t enough to confirm I was already running late. “Look,” I met Callon's gaze again, “You’ve got my number still? Just-” I sucked in a breath, “shoot me a text if you hear from her, please? And let me know what you find out if you go to the diner today. I hate to cut this short, but I’m running late for work.”
Callon slipped his hands into the pocket of his worn-out hoodie and gave me a nod before we went our separate ways. I managed to change into my clothes, catch the train, and make the 5-minute walk in under 3 in order to get my coveralls on in time to clock in before my foreman noticed I was behind. At lunch, I pulled my phone out of my locker and noticed three missed calls from Callon, along with a text.
Callon: Have you seen the news today?
Confused, I grabbed the remote out of the desk in the office and fumbled through the channels until I reached the local news network. The reporter was standing at the corner of Press Street and Coach Road. Right by our apartment. Sashas train stop. What the fuck is going on? I thought to myself.
“Thanks, Jack,” The news reporter gripped the mic, “This is Toni, and I’m here today at Press Street Station, where a train car has mysteriously gone missing.” My heart dropped straight to the floor, and I immediately lost my appetite as the reporter turned to the man standing to her right. “With me here is Terrance, the station’s evening security guard. Terrance, can you explain to me what’s going on here?” She stared blankly at the man for a minute before he answered, “Now I wish I could explain to you what’s happening, but I honestly don’t know.” The man's southern twang rang through the speakers of the t.v. “I have worked the evening shift at this station for nearly eight years now, and I’ve never, ever had a train car just- not show up.” He was visibly struck with fear and dread before continuing, “I had originally thought it was maybe running late, that happens sometimes… but when it didn’t show up at all-, well, I- I didn’t know what to do. So I called my boss, who told me they were trying to figure out why train 29 was completely off the map.” He looked down at the mic, up at the camera, and then back at the reporter again.
“Thank you for that, Terrance,” The woman said before the camera zoomed in on her as she continued, “authorities are currently working with the station master to try and locate the missing car. They are asking that anybody who has any information to contact the local department to aid in the investiga-” I abruptly shut the t.v. off and just stared blankly at it for a moment. I looked down at the hand holding my phone and noticed I was gripping it so hard that my knuckles had gone white. I hastily pulled up Callon’s message and pushed the icon to call him.
The phone barely rang once before he answered, “Darryl? Holy shit.” he sounded like he was panting but continued, “This isn’t real. This can’t be real.” He uttered. “Are you sure Jamie was in that car?” I responded.
Sasha
“You know,” I leaned my head back against the headrest at my seat, “I really hope Darryl has dinner figured out by the time I get home,” I stated.
“Hmmmm…” Jamie drawled, “what are the options?” She questioned. “Honestly? There’s a whole lot of nothing in the fridge.” I huffed and rolled my eyes as my body slumped further into the seat. “Maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll suggest takeout.” I looked over to my right at Jamie and continued, “do you know any good sushi joints close to the apartment?”
Jamie shot upright and clapped her hands together, “ohmygosh!” she exclaimed, “Miso’s is the fucking best. They’re literally right at the end of Coach Road, so not too far away at all. I’d say maybe…a 10-minute walk at most?” Her smile peaked from ear to ear. “Miso’s it is then,” I replied.
“Maybe you and Callon can join us?”
“I’d love that!” She exclaimed.
I sifted through my bag to find my phone. After a good 30 seconds of wading through old Target receipts, gum wrappers, and the occasional tampon, I finally found it. I pulled it out of my bag and unlocked it to send Darryl a text about this Miso’s place. Sushi was our favorite, so I knew he wouldn’t have any objections.
Sasha: “You’ll never believe who I ran into on the train. Btw if you need dinner suggestions I have one !”
Message failed to send
“Huh, that’s weird,” I said, with a puzzled expression on my face.
“What’s up, girlfriend?” Jamie inquired.
“I don’t have any service right now for some reason,” I explained as I looked over at the phone in her lap, “do you have service? Maybe it’s just my phone. It is kinda old afterall.” Jamie unlocked her phone and faced the screen towards me, equally as confused as I was. No service. Not a single bar.
“Do you think we’re just in some sort of blackout zone?” She offered. “I guess that could be possible?” I cocked my head to the side and pinched between my brows with my thumb and forefinger. “I literally just want to be home already. There’s a new episode of me and Darryl’s favorite show that we still need to watch.”
Jamie and I both looked up above the door to see where the train was marked on the real-time digital map that hung above it. We locked eyes with each other after realizing the map was completely blank. No, not blank- it was blacked out? As if nothing were there to begin with.
“Well, that’s just great!” Jamie blurted as she crossed her arms over her chest like a toddler about to throw a tantrum. “How are we supposed to know when our stop is if we don’t even know where the hell we are?! It feels like we’ve been underground for a long time now.” She declared.
I rested my elbows on my thighs and cupped my hands over my nose and mouth. Seriously, the tunnel never feels this long, I thought to myself. Before I could say anything else to Jamie, the train car rumbled and shook. It almost felt like we were gonna shoot off the tracks. Jamie locked her left elbow into my right one, and we both held on to the rails next to our seats. Just as the shimmying stopped, the lights flickered in and out for what felt like forever. Finally, the lights came on completely, we exited the tunnel, and the train kept moving as if nothing had happened.
The two of us looked at each other, wide-eyed and a little hesitant to say anything. I found my attention being pulled passed her out the window, where I started to recognize the scenery beyond the tracks.
“I think we’re almost home,” I said hesitantly.
Jamie looked at her phone again and then back at me with a girlish grin, “I have service again!” she stated with a sense of relief.
Just as I pulled my phone back out of my bag to text Darryl, the intercom chimed over the car,
Now arriving at Press Street, doors open to my left, it said.
I texted as fast as my little fingers would allow before the train came to an easy stop.
Sasha: “Darryl, please tell me you’ve figured out dinner. I’m dying after how long this commute was !”
The doors of the train finally opened as Jamie and I grabbed our bags and headed out the left side. We weren’t even two feet from the doors before a security guard stopped us. With the most profound expression on his face, he stood in front of us with a walkie in his left hand.
“Did you ladies just come off of that train?” He asked.
Simultaneously, Jamie and I turned our heads over our shoulders and peeked back at the train and then back at the guard.
“Yes…?” Jamie answered with obvious hesitation.
“What’s going on, why do you ask?” I added.
“What day is it?” The man questioned with a firm tone.
“February twenty-thir–” I started to say as I looked down at my phone and quickly came to realize it wasn’t February 23rd. May 13th?! I thought.
“Hah. hah. Funny pranky guys. Where’re the cameras?” Jamie forced a sarcastic laugh out of her mouth, but her shaking hands told me she was actually terrified. “Do you gals mind coming with me to the station office for a moment? We need to ask you a few questions.” The guard looked at both of us, waiting for an answer. We both nodded and proceeded to follow him up a set of stairs and into whatever office was hiding at this station. He held open the door to the room, and after letting us pass through, he circled his way around to the other side of the desk and motioned for us to take a seat. Just as he looked like he was about to open his mouth and say something, the phone on the desk started to ring. The guard looked at us, then at the phone, and back to us again before picking it up to answer the call.
“Yes sir,” He started. “Yes, 29 is back. No. No, I don’t know where it came from. Yes, there's two passengers from the train sitting in front of me right now.” He eyed each of us from top to bottom very quickly, “No, no visible signs of injury.” He pushed the hair that had fallen down out of his face and gazed toward the ceiling. “Okay, thank you.” He said before setting the phone back on its stand and ending the call. The man sat back up straight in his chair and made eye contact with us before speaking.
“Alright-” he sucked in a deep breath through his nose, and his nostrils flared as he leaned his forearms on the desk, “I’m not exactly sure how to explain this to you girls…but the train car you just got off of has been missing for the last 79 days.” I couldn’t think. I could barely breathe. This cannot be real, I thought to myself. I felt my mouth open just a bit as I fought back the urge to vomit. I looked to my left, where Jamie was sitting with a white-knuckled grip on the arms of the chair. She was just staring at the man with the most blank expression I’d ever seen on her face, despite shaking her head in denial. I noticed her eyes were lined with tears that she seemed to be holding back. I took her right hand and held it in my left one, just to give us both a small sense of comfort.
“If you don’t mind, can you both recollect what happened on February 23rd when you got on the train?” He requested.
So we did.
Darryl
I looked down at my left wrist and checked the time, just before 7 pm. Callon, seated next to me, let out an extremely dramatic sigh and cocked his head toward me. We both conveniently had the day off, so rather than doing chores or running errands, we chose to binge-watch some random anime series he wanted to share with me.
“Dear god, how long ago did we order? I feel like it’s been forever.” He sputtered “It should be any minute now,” I assured him.
Just as the words escaped my lips, the doorbell rang. I stood from the couch and stretched my arms above my head before dragging myself to the front door of my apartment. My apartment, that’s still so weird to think about, I thought to myself with an ache seated deep in my chest. It’s been over two months since Sasha and Jamie went missing, and while search efforts continued, they had definitely slowed because nobody could figure anything out. There were no clues to connect, no evidence to examine, nothing. I fished my wallet out of the pocket of my sweatpants as I opened the door,
“Hey, how's it going?” The delivery guy said plainly,
“It’s gonna be $42.50.” I handed the kid $50 from my wallet as he traded me for the bag of food. “Keep the change!” I began, with a shy smile on my face. The delivery driver smiled back and thanked me before turning on his heel and walking back in the direction of his car. I shut the door and carried the bag to the bar in the kitchen where Callon was waiting, practically drooling with anticipation.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all week,” I beamed.
“I told you that you’d like Miso’s. It's the best in town!” He chimed.
We unpacked the bag and started stuffing our faces with the sushi rolls and sesame chicken. As I reached to grab my water off the bartop, I locked eyes with Callon, who looked like he was about to cry. I set my water down before opening my mouth, “Are you okay?” I questioned hesitantly
“I miss her a lot.” He whispered.
My gaze drifted back to the food in front of me, and I sucked in a shaky breath, “Me too…” I admitted. “It just doesn’t make any sense, it never has,” I added. “I know they keep saying ‘shouldn’t give up hope’,” he replied with air quotes, “but I’m just not sure what we’re supposed to think.” He continued, “Over two months have passed and there’s been nothing new added to the case. I mean-” He paused for a moment, “I mean…how long until they give up and move on?” He finished as a single tear escaped his eye and ran down his cheek.
I stood from the bar and began packing up the remnants of our takeout. As I shoved the styrofoam boxes and paper bag into the trash can, I heard my phone chime from the living room. Callon helped me finish cleaning the kitchen. We wiped the bar off and pushed in our stools before making our way back over to the couch. He snatched the remote off the coffee table and started the show back up while I made myself comfortable on the opposite side of the couch. I leaned to my left and picked my phone up off the side table. My stomach dropped as I locked my eyes on the screen. This is a joke, a cruel, cruel joke, I thought to myself. I snapped my head over to Callon, who was fixed on the tv in front of us. I looked back to my hand, where I barely noticed my phone slipping and falling out of my grip. It hit the floor with a meaty thud, causing Callon to jerk upright. Wide-eyed, I met his gaze,
“Dude, you good?” His brows pinched together with concern as he leaned over to pick my phone up off the floor. “You’ve got a text from Sasha,” He said, so nonchalantly before the realization hit him. “Holy shit- you’ve got a text from Sasha!” He squealed. I took the phone from him and looked at the text thread again in disbelief.
Sasha: “Darryl, please tell me you’ve figured out dinner. I’m dying after how long this commute was !”
Before I could even say anything, Callon was already tripping over himself while rushing to the door. We barely got our shoes on before making a break for the train station down the street.
Sasha
After Jamie and I recounted the story of what we originally thought was a normal commute, the security guard and the police officer that had joined us let us go home. By the time we stepped foot outside, it was already after 7 pm. She and I both found ourselves quickly peeling our jackets off and slinging them between the straps of our bags and our hips. I remember being told that the heat of summer always hit the city sooner than back home, and boy, were they right.
“I don’t even know what to say or do right now.” Jamie stated as she stopped in her tracks.
A smirk grew over my face as I peeked over at her, “We go home and see the boys,” I replied.
“Ohmygod,” She sputtered, “what if Callon has a new girlfriend?!”
I couldn’t hold back the genuine laugh that flew through my teeth, “Jamie! Be for real right now. He couldn’t replace you that fast,” I insisted, “Neither of them could!” “Okay, okay, you’re right,” She sucked in a breath, “I’m just a little dramatic sometimes.”
“In all fairness, we did just go through something kinda traumatic,” I argued. As we made our way around the corner, I noticed two people practically sprinting in our direction. I linked my elbow to Jamie’s and pulled her to the side to let them by until I realized who was headed straight for us.
“CALLON!?” She exclaimed.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I noticed it was Darryl and Callon bolting in our direction. I let my arms drop to my side just in time for my bag to slide off my shoulder as Darryl crashed right into me, knocking us both to the concrete.
“Is-is it really you?” He questioned through a quiet sob.
All I could manage was a violent nod of my head. Tears streamed down my face as he stood up and pulled me to my feet. To my left, Jamie and Callon were hugging so tight they might as well have been fused together.
“I- I don’t know what happened. It-” I stuttered through the tears.
Darryl cupped my face and wiped the tears from my cheeks, “I know, I know. You don’t need to explain right now.” He mumbled.
He bent over and snatched my bag off the ground, and slung it over his shoulder as he slipped his other arm around my hip.
“You hungry?” He said and raised his brows at me.
“Starving!” Jamie and I said, simultaneously. “Miso’s?” Jamie questioned as she nudged me with her elbow.
“Absolutely.” I answered.
The four of us walked in complete silence, aside from sniffles, back to the apartments.
This page has paths:
- CREATIVE WORKS: FICTION & PROSE University of Alaska Anchorage Department of English