Sometimes writing is a breeze, it seems to flow out of me. The rest of the time it seems to drag on. This week’s piece, although initially exciting was really difficult to write and edit, hence the late post. I wanted to explore something slightly different. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!
Chase’s life was flawless. Everything he needed was always there, even being cooped up in the small compound didn’t bother him much. Then it wasn’t. Walks in the park to dodging speeding cars. His family to a street urchin called Ellie. Having all the food he wanted to search for scraps.
“Tomorrow then?” Ellie was slumped on the dusty pavement watching as smoke puffed up into the evening sky.
Chase looked away, chest tightening at the thought of it. He couldn’t do it. Couldn’t board that dreaded train. Even as he settled down to watch beside her, the steel machine belched smoke and trundled forwards. According to Ellie, it was small for an engine; there were far larger ones in the cities. She should know, she’d been far and wide and even once on a ship. Chase, until a week ago, hadn’t left his village, let alone the land.
As the carriages picked up speed and disappeared among the shacks of the outer city, so did his chance at finding his family. He didn’t look at her, couldn’t see the disappointing look in her eyes.
“You’ll manage later,” she said.
Her words echoed around his head. He wouldn’t manage later. Six days he’d been here, watching his failure pick up speed. “I’m wasting your time, I’m sorry. If you only…”
He started, finding Ellie’s eyes right up close to his, “There is all the time in the world, and besides, I am enjoying your company. Ever since Billy died, it has been lonely here.”
Chase wanted to shift his eyes but he realised he couldn’t. “Billy died trying to do what I want to.”
She sniffed, “He went under the fence, everyone knows you don’t go that way.”
Chase knew the fence. The first day he’d followed the train all the way to the fence. That’s where he’d met Ellie. She’d been staring through them. “You could go anywhere,” he said, “And yet you stay here. With me.”
It was her turn to avoid his gaze. “It’s tiring moving all the time. Here, at least there are no gangs.”
“That’s because it’s only us! I can’t imagine a worse place.”
She shook her head and began trudging back down the dirty street, “Trust me, Chase, there is. And besides, before you came there was Mike.”
Sally who got on the train.
“Mike is now living a great life on the other side. You could be too.”
Chase swallowed, “How do you know he made it the whole way?”
When she gave no reply, Chase pushed himself to his feet again and hurried after her. He should be glad she was there. He would have followed in Billy’s footsteps with a bullet in his head, she was right, the train was the only way to cross the fence.
They were approaching a road, the tarmac lanes cutting through the shacks like a scar, a mass of cars, motorcycles and blaring horns. His stomach tightened but she didn’t look back. A swarm of motorcycles carrying at least two people wove around blacked-out cars, making it almost impossible to cross.
Impossible for him at least, Ellie was already weaving her way through the traffic. Chase did not want to follow. But he had no choice. It was that or starve, that or being alone. He would be alone on the train, but he didn’t have to think about that until the evening.
Chase took one step onto the road. And another. A horn blared somewhere to his left but he kept going. The cars, he avoided, but— He jumped as a motorcycle wheel grazed his back food. He yelped.
“Ellie!”
The noise was too loud. He stepped forward and then, all of a sudden he was off the road again, feet sinking into the dirt street. People peered at them from doorways and between wall panels but thankfully none of them took any real interest. Still, it worried him that he and Ellie were the only ones out of place here.
This time Ellie chose a new place, the alleyway behind a row of street vendors crowded with hungry faces. It was dangerous here, or so he’d learnt but tonight nobody gave them bother as they slunk around piles of rubbish to a bin full of steaming scraps.
When they were finished, Ellie nodded towards the train station. Almost immediately his stomach began to twist. Seven days and it didn’t get any easier, he might as well accept that he was never going to cross the fence or get on the train. Maybe it would have been easier if Ellie hadn’t stopped him that first night. Billy didn’t have to worry anymore.
“Let’s go,” she said when he didn’t move.
Chase looked longingly back at the busy street behind, “Can we try tomorrow?”
“No. Tonight, I will take you as far as I can, maybe even further than is safe. From there, you only have to get on the platform and into the carriage.”
“…And make it past the fence.”
She scoffed, “There are only a few people that check the carriages, they will surely pass over you.”
Chase nodded. She would know.
And so, once again, Chase found himself at Ellie’s heels on the way to the train station. Heart in his throat, he stepped up to the fence leading to the tracks where he’d sat waiting every day for a week. This time she would come too. He wondered why she was still here, why she hid somewhere like this when she was so well-travelled.
She didn’t hesitate as she slid her way under the rusty fence and up onto the tracks. Chase glanced either way but the next train was still at the station. It was now or never. She would take him part of the way. Chase got down on his belly and pushed himself under the fence. He was through! Something he’d never felt coursed through his blood. It made him all giddy inside.
“You ready?”
“Yes,” he said, a little breathlessly.
Together, they slunk along the edge of the tracks, great rusty iron rails leading right up to the platform and the waiting train, smoke belching from its top.
He thought they’d made it unseen when a piercing screech blasted into the air. He looked around and made to jump over the tracks but Ellie was there before he could.
“No,” she said, “We’re doing this. You’re doing this.”
He looked back at the engine but nobody was looking at them. He bobbed his head and Ellie took off at a run, feet pounding over the sharp gravel. Despite being bigger, Chase struggled to keep up and for a few moments, he was alone in the fading light. Then they were in the shadow of the train and its carriages, steam enveloping them as the screeching came again.
“That means it’s about to leave,” she said, “You need to go now.”
Chase turned to face her, heart pounding, “Please, I can’t go alone. Come with me.”
She looked away.
There was another rush of steam and a lesser screech in the distance along with slamming doors.
“Come on! This is your chance too. It will be lonely here and perhaps my family can help you too.”
She looked at him with grave eyes, “I’m sorry, I cannot. I must… I have to stay here.”
Chase stared at his only companion, soon to be his former friend. If only…
“Go!” She said, “It’s about to go without you.”
Then he was leaving, leaping onto the platform, heart in his mouth. It was almost empty, save for a man with a green and red flag hurrying towards them. Even the giddiness didn’t smother the growing sadness as the distance between him and Ellie increased. He should have encouraged her more.
And then he was inside. A slim hallway and a rack full of large suitcases greeted him. Behind was a small space just big enough for him. From the door, he would be hidden.
The door in the next carriage slammed shut. This was his last chance to bail. He didn’t move, for the first time, his fear froze him in the right place. He counted the moments as the footsteps sounded outside.
Chase yelped as a bundle of white turned into Ellie, the door slamming just as she cleared the doorway. She panted heavily, slumping down on the floor.
“You came!”
For a while she just lay there, looking up at him with wide eyes. “What is it?”
“I lied to you.” She averted her gaze.
The unease grew in his stomach. “About what?”
She looked up, speaking in a low voice as the carriages jolted forward, “I have never been on a boat or a train. I came to the city like you, in a car. My family told me to wait and never came back for me. I don’t know what happened to them.”
Chase swallowed, “So you don’t know where we are going?”
She looked down again. Somehow he preferred the part where he’d been sure of his success.
He looked towards the hallway, the one that must lead to the other passengers, the ones who were allowed on the train. “You’re like me then?”
She sighed. “The first day, I tried to cross the fence like you. I was with Billy. I never managed the train.”
“Billy. How long were you here?”
“Five years.”
Five years and she hadn’t caught the train. It made him feel a lot better that it had taken him a week. And yet he felt a little shamed that he would have left her behind.
At that moment, voices came from behind the door towards the end of the carriage. “Come on,” he said, “It doesn’t matter, we have to find a better hiding place.”
They both slipped out from behind the luggage rack and stopped at the start of the long corridor. It was empty, though there were windows on either side, one side showing the tops of tin roofs flashing past and the other, the faces of those inside.
Keeping low, Chase led the way. If they could only find some way to stay on the train long enough to cross the fence—
A shout cut off his thought. He glanced over his shoulder to see someone running down the hallway after them, brandishing a walking sick. He must have come from that door.
They exchanged a glance and bolted, feet pounding on the wooden floor. Then they reached a dead end. A narrow door blocked their exit. Ellie didn’t hesitate, throwing herself against it. It cracked open a little and the din of metal on metal filled Chase’s ears, cool wind ruffling his hair.
He slammed his weight against the door and between them, they shoved it open. As soon as they were out, it slammed shut behind them.
They were alone in between the carriages, struggling to balance as the track hurtled past below them, the only thing stopping them from falling to their deaths, a narrow metal plate and a rail too high to be of any use.
“I got a ride in a truck once,” Ellie shouted over the din, “It was smooth compared to this.”
“How do we get in there?” Chase gestured to the next door. There was no handle, nothing on this side to open.
Ellie wasn’t looking. He followed her gaze out to the tracks. There were no more houses, just barren land full of spiky plants and sand, all whizzing by. And then… passing them in an instant was a high metal fence, the top wrapped in sharp wire. He even caught sight of a watchtower, and people with guns walking up and down.
Then it was gone and the landscape resumed, though the fence now followed the edge of the tracks. Chase’s heart leapt, they were past the first hurdle. He’d never thought further than this, however.
“We’re over,” Ellie whispered.
“Maybe in both ways,” he muttered as the door creaking open, broke them from their trance. It revealed the same man dressed in a long black coat, a cane in one hand and a gleaming gun in the other. He raised it, the barrel pointed directly at Chase’s chest. He froze, eyes widening.
Something soft collided with him just as the bang went off. He was in mid-air. He was rolling, pain shooting up his legs, through his body. The bang rang in his ears. When he finally came to a rest, gravel crunching underneath him, it took several more moments before his body stopped shuddering from the pain.
He could still feel the vibrations of the train, disappearing into the distance. The wind, now a cool breeze, carried dust that stung his eyes. He was alone.
Fear came first. Then horror. Ellie. The bang. No. She had to have made it somehow. And yet, only the plume of smoke visible, Chase was more alone than ever. She never said it would be easy. The fact that Billy had died this way, if only trying to get through the fence…
As the weight of his situation hit him, his legs wobbled. Instead of giving in to them, he forced them to carry him forward.
The sun sank, turning red. Dusk came and went, and darkness began to fall. His legs ached even more as the breeze cooled until he was shivering. Yet nothing was worse than the dread in his stomach, Ellie’s face etched into his memory.
He would find her wherever the train stopped and if he couldn’t, he would find his family and get them to help. They always fixed problems with ease he couldn’t understand. And yet they hadn’t found him. He wondered if they’d waited at the train station for him, for a week.
Night settled over the landscape. A smattering of lights flared to life in the distance. They grew gradually closer and brighter until he could see winding streets lined with them. He wondered why they lit empty streets, it was surely a waste. At one point the track passed over a road, trucks thundering past. Then the track entered a tunnel and he really was in darkness.
Just as he thought his legs might fall off, he stepped past lights set back into the tunnel. A station had to be close. Was this where his family was, was this where Ellie was? He winced. The gunshot.
The platform was lit by bright white lights and the signs scrolled continuously with information he couldn’t understand. He slunk up onto the platform, the smooth surface a welcome change for his feet.
This would be the only way through. However much Ellie had told the truth, her explanation of borders made sense to him.
They wanted to stop people getting across they didn’t want. Ellie. Even if she was still alive, would she even be allowed to cross?
No screeching whistles sounded as he crept through the arched door, entering a room with a polished floor, poles and a glass wall where he could see the blurry outlines of people moving about behind. He had to get there. Red string hung between the poles, perhaps where people would wait.
Two women dressed in short black coats and red trousers leaned against one of the windows, deep in conversation. Two glass doors on the other side of the wall were the only exit.
He looked around but there was no sign of Ellie. He grew more uneasy. She would have waited, wouldn’t she? Chase swallowed, to move those heavy glass doors he would have to run fast and…
Before he could overthink it, he was bounding across the floor towards them. The two women turned at once and shouted, rushing towards him, waving canes.
Another appeared from a small building. His heart leapt into his mouth, it was the same man as before. They closed in, though the man didn’t show his gun. They could run faster than him, and they were closer.
Chase hit the door. For a painstaking moment, he thought it wouldn’t open. Then, with a creak, it moved enough for him to slip through.
The station continued on the other side, platforms stretching in lines into the distance. There was no smell of steam like before, no suit-stained windows. Bright lights hung from a glass ceiling illuminating dozens of sleep train cars, hundreds of people running and walking, pushing trolleys and dragging children by their arms.
Chase ducked through the crowd, but there was little chance the guards would find him here. The excitement wore off quickly. Ellie was nowhere to be seen. And now what? He’d made it to the other side. Alone. He couldn’t be alone, not again. He realised he’d been holding onto the hope that his family would still be waiting for him. He should have come the first day, they wouldn’t know he couldn’t get himself to ride the train.
He turned back towards the glass doors, just visible if he peered through the shifting bodies, that man was still standing there, talking to the two women by the glass doors, now open. He gestured angrily then took off, skirting around the edge of the crowd.
Even as his stomach squirmed, his legs carried him to the edge of the crowd and as soon, as the man exited the doors, he slipped through behind, hoping that he wasn’t going to be trapped inside.
Instead, he found himself on a street. A huge street. There were no ramshackle huts squished between brick buildings, these were all of glass, towering into the darkness. Neon lights flashed on screens everywhere.
The man turned right. Chase followed, looking for potential escape routes. The man had a gun and to one side was a wall and to the other, a steady stream of polished cars. He wondered where the shacks were in the city. For some reason, there were no motorcycles either.
He turned right again and— He would recognise that voice anywhere. He clamped his mouth shut, resisting the urge to shout back. Ellie was there. He couldn’t see her but it had been her shout from that big black truck. The door slammed shut and an engine started.
Chase looked around frantically but there was nowhere to go. He glanced back at the traffic as the truck swung around and approached the intersection. He would run.
Run he did. Chase bounded between cars, over crossings, and between people as the truck sped up, moving further and further from the busiest part of the city. Finally, it slowed and took a turning just before reaching an even bigger road. He huffed in relief, crossing the road and…
Chase gasped. Walking towards him were his family. Two children hurried alongside their parents, one tall and the other small.
His eyes glistened. The city had to be huge and he’d found them quite by accident. The truck was disappearing into the distance but Chase only had eyes for his lost family.
In five steps, he was looking up at them. Then, to his surprise, they just walked past, avoiding looking at him, the father hurrying his children along a little faster.
Chase stared as they approached the intersection. He looked down at himself. He was covered in dirt and… He ran after them, getting in front again. Couldn’t they see? He jumped up and down.
Finally, they stopped and their eyes focused on his. “It’s me,” he said, “I managed to get across the border!”
The man’s face contorted slightly and, to Chase’s utmost surprise, swung his booted shoe at him. He yelped and jumped out of the way.
“It’s me!” He cried out but the man was already moving, glancing over his shoulder with a worried expression.
Chase pursued. He wasn’t going to fail this easily. They reached the crossing but Chase was there before they could step off the pavement.
“I look different,” he said, “But it’s me!”
Finally, the man waved his children and wife across the road, turning to Chase.
Well, at least he remembered. He could forgive the kick.
The man reached into his pocket, just like the guard had, something gleaming in his hand. Chase yelped, heart stopping as the gleam of a half-concealed barrel once again pointed straight at him.
He backed away more, shuddering. “It’s me,” he tried one last time. There was a click from the gun and Chase turned and ran. He ran and ran. His family. They were not like the guard. They couldn’t be.
And yet… What if they hadn’t accidentally left him behind? What if… What if they meant to?
Chase sank to the ground shaking. He’d come all this way and even found his family but all they’d done was try to get rid of them again.
He didn’t know how long he lay there, curled up on the street. He looked up as people passed, but they paid him no attention. He didn’t care. He wondered if Mike had found the same thing. Or maybe he’d never found his family.
A distant call forced him upright. When he looked up, he found himself looking right at the big truck. Half on the pavement, it was parked beside a large garage door.
Ellie.
If his family didn’t want him, then Ellie would have to do it. He pushed himself to his feet. The metal door rattled when he pushed it but didn’t budge so he moved around the corner to the back of the building. A small door, set back in the darkness was propped open with a crate.
Chase entered despite his sudden wariness. The smell threatened to sear his nose. He was in a room full of plastic boxes. He peered into them in the semi-darkness and jumped back. Glistening eyes stared back. He felt sick. Ellie. No, no. Maybe Mike was here.
His stomach twisted as he darted through the lines of boxes and another door. This room was brighter, and the man in the black coat was bent over a metal table.
His heart rose to his mouth and he froze. On the other side of the man was a cage, and staring back at him was Ellie. She wasn’t looking at him, but staring up at the man, eyes wide.
He made to move then stopped himself. He would have to wait until the man, the guard opened the door.
His moment came. The man pulled a key from his pocket and, unlocking the door, slid the door back slightly. As Ellie cowered to the back, Chase leapt. First, he landed on the metal table, scattering tools and pieces of glass before slamming into the man’s back.
He cried out, twisting before crashing against the cage. His face was a picture of surprise as he reached towards his coat. This time, however, Chase was faster, he caught the hand. Ellie was there too.
“Come on, let’s go!” He shouted as the man rolled over, clucking his wrist, now leaking blood at a steady rate.
Ellie bounded after him with no hesitation.
Finally, several streets later, they slowed to a stop.
“How did you find me?”
Chase shook his head, “I followed the man, it was all that I could do.”
“You made it,” she said tiredly, slumping against the wall, “We both made it. Thank you for finding me. I don’t know what he was going to do.”
Chase opened his mouth but stopped himself. “I found my family,” he said instead.
For some reason, she looked slightly disappointed. “That’s good. But thanks for coming back for me, I hope we see each other again.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well you have your family, I have to find mine.”
Chase swallowed, “They didn’t want me.”
She stared.
“He pointed a gun at me. Like that guy did. I think they left me on purpose.”
She rested her head against his, “We’ll find you another one. Maybe mine will take you.”
He shook his head, “No, I don’t think I will. I want to be like you, to travel and—”
“That was a lie,” she said, “I never did it.”
“You just did! We just crossed the fence. Why should we stop here?”
They exchanged a long glance. Finally, she bobbed her head. “Where do we begin?”
“We stop that man killing dogs.”
I’ve always wanted to explore characters that were not like us but that was still relatable. Perhaps I will try it again as some of it was quite fun to write and, often, it makes it more interesting to put limits on my writing, to force myself to work a little harder for the same effect.