Yellow light lazily filters through the large glass windows of one of your usual haunts, the train station. The warmth of the indoors is a welcome reprieve from the permeating chill you had just narrowly escaped. While you’re used to autumn being crisp, you can’t remember a time when it has ever been quite this cold. It snuck up all at once, not quite overnight but still without enough warning for you to think of dawning the proper attire. Well, you suppose it may be time to prepare for winter. 

But for now, you need to catch the evening loop! It’s almost seven already and you’re nearly late! If you miss it, you’ll have to wait another hour for it to arrive again. Or worse, you’ll have to wait around even longer because of that… other thing. 

Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, considering it had helped you earn a little extra time to do your homework and get to places faster. But the fact it was occurring at all was, well, troublesome. Time stopping, as it were, was not a normal occurrence. Or at least it wasn’t until a few weeks ago. Right before nightfall everything had just stopped. The person beside you had frozen and upon further inspection, everyone else had too. Everyone except you. So talking to someone about it hasn’t really felt like an option. Even if you tried, who would believe you? In the end, there’s nothing you can do except deal with it and try to ignore the feeling of being watched while you continue your daily activities. 

Which is exactly what you intend to do. 

Making your way to the boarding area for the town loop, you step into the familiar metal chamber and take one of the available seats. Surprisingly, there are quite a few empty today. Given that it’s getting late, you suppose it’s only natural there are less passengers. The soft murmurs of people chatting, the tapping of buttons and the gentle hum of the train makes it easy to relax. It’s been a long day. 

[i]
[indent][u]> Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to close your eyes, just for a few minutes?[/u][/indent] 
[indent][indent][list][*]…Alright, just this once.[/list][/indent][/indent] 
[/i]

You close your eyes, letting yourself drift into a sort of half sleep. The slight chill from the crack between the train’s window licks at the back of your neck, keeping you just aware enough of your surroundings to feel secure.

Just as you feel yourself slipping into a real slumber, something begins to pull you forward. It’s as if a hand has reached through your stomach and grabbed onto the column of your spine, yanking you forward. All at once your body is hurtling forward faster than your arms or legs could possibly hope to catch it. It only takes a few seconds for you to make contact with the end of the train’s compartment, the impact against cold metal knocking the air right out of you. 

The last thing you hear before you lose consciousness are the low groans and high screeches of metal, mixed with your own shallow breaths.

[i][indent][u]> Wake up.[/u][/indent]
[/i]
You wake up, coughing on the taste of iron. Maybe from your lip, maybe from something else. You can’t tell just yet, but you know you’re lucky to be alive. If you manage to stagger and sit upright, you’ll notice that the train isn’t crumpled or damaged like it ought to be. 

In fact, everything is exactly as it was before you fell asleep. That is, aside from a few minor details. 

There are no sounds of chatter, tapping, or train clatter. There is however, a dull groaning noise which sounds too alive to chalk up as machinery. It sends vibrations through the train, like the thrum of snoring. It keeps in time with your pulse, almost down to the very last beat.

As you glance around, the other passengers seem to have avoided the collision that you were unfortunate enough to experience. They remain planted in their seats, locked in the position they had been before the world had stopped. The little girl who had been crying earlier is still wiping at her eyes while her mother continues to grimace with palms clutched into the seat. A man argues on his phone, pressing against the glass to mutter so he won’t be heard. Once again, you are trapped in a showcase of human experiences. 

But this time, you know you aren’t alone. The faint sounds of shuffling and footsteps against metal tell you that someone is actually awake in another compartment. 

[i][indent][u]> Investigate?[/u][/indent][/i]