STUMBLN2 The Ground

Average Wednesday, huh, seems like so long ago, but i'm sure it wasn't more than a month.. was it?


I woke up just before dawn like always, grumbled a good morning to myself, and answered a few text messages. Rolled out of bed twenty minutes later, showered, in real, hot water, that smelled fresh, not this circulated crap and rain water we use now. Dressed, hurriedly as always, due to wasting time dicking around, another small luxury we're not afforded today. Put in my i-pod, strapped my steal toed boots on my feet, did a quick inventory of my self ( I always carry, a wallet, my keys, i-pod with headphones, Badge Card for the office, a Spyder Co pocket knife, and my cel phone.) then grabbed my laptop bag, (complete with, digital camera, back up battery, and power supply, and two water bottles, ) and headed to the car port my apartment is over, down the concrete stairs on to the asphalt, and headed to the 'beater' (My little grey hatchback). I started the engine, and put her in reverse, Not bothering to check my mirrors, and headed the short mile down to the B.A.R.T. Station, i noticed a homeless man digging around in the trash, and heard the loud 'beep' of the Garbage trucks making their Wednesday rounds, never thought I'd miss those, I made my way, and parked on the Street like i always do, i've always hated parking garages, and walked the next block over. I turned up the music in my headphones to avoid interaction with any of the people milling about me, and noticed as i looked over head into the cloudy sky, my normal train was departing the station, i sighed grumbled something like, "Figures," to myself, and passed my wallet over the turn style sensor and climbed the stairs, two at a time, to the platform above. The Next train arrived shortly there after, as i stood with my eyes closed bobbing my head to the tunes coming in loud, drowning out the sounds of the people, breathing..

I slept most of the time into work, but today, there were quiet a few stops on the tracks, and i was woken up suddenly, the train had halted outside of the 'tunnel' that leads into Oakland, and the sun was fully up in the sky, it had to be, 8 or nine, checking my phone confirmed that i was now, late for work, and was agitated instantly. I took off my head phones and looked around, as it HAD been the early train, there were only a few people seated on this train, but they all had expressions of concern, and in a few cases fear, on their faces.

I sighed again, and called my co-worker, thinking i could get him to turn my station on, maybe i could log in on my laptop from the train, and still get some work done, but when i got through, he sounded ill, "Hey man, no i'm not in the office today, I'm sick and there's something on the news about some kind of bug that's been going around the city, i'd head home if i were you.. Hang on there's some ass hole banging on my door.. " And then, the screaming.

I moved almost instantly, not thinking, hitting the emergency release on the doors of the train, and sprinting along the tracks back toward home, i didn't know what was going on, but i knew, i needed to be home to do anything about it.

About 20 minutes later i came to Hazelnut River station, and would be home soon.. That's when i saw my first.. I'll never forget it.. The Train car doors were closed, i crossed to the opposite track, but i could already see what my mind wasn't acknowledging.. Everyone inside was dead, i could see the bloody mist on the windows, ALL the windows, i saw a man, standing on the station platform with something in his hands, as i got closer, i saw it was an arm. He/it turned to face me, and then ran at me with surprising speed. I pulled my knife and like an idiot, screamed "Get aWAY FROM ME FUCKER!" and ran, down the tracks, toward home.

I called my roommate while the phones still worked, but only got his voice mail, i could only hope, as Happy Mountain station came into view that i wasn't too late..

Little did i know, that too late, had already come and gone..