Awakening

She jogged beside the train track. Her brown hair bounced in it’s ponytail to the rhythm of her evenly paced footsteps. She was following her husband’s running route. Following her gut instinct. Her brown doe eyes trailed down to her watch ‘11:30am’ it read. She continued her pace and tried to calm her uneasiness, she tried to stay calm.

She wasn’t really sure why she was so adamant on finding him or why she was so worried to begin with. It was all gut instinct. It told her to follow his daily route. To find Troy. She needed to find him. She picked up her pace, feeling lucky that the forest ground next to the tracks was even. One reason why Troy ran this route.

Dawn spots a clearing ahead indicating that she had reached the other side of town, the factory side. She slows down her pace and contemplates which way she should go but the small nagging voice tells her to continue following the tracks around the blind corner.

She takes off in that direction and rounds it to find a small crowd of factory workers surrounding the tracks in a tight circle. Confused she walks closer and hears yelling and shouting.
‘Not that unusual,’ she thought before continuing her contemplation ‘factory workers tended to get into a few brawls during the work day’ She gauged the situation before decided it wouldn’t hurt to take a look.

She advances toward the tall men and can make out a few words.

“Mate, get off.”

“You think he’ll stay here?”

She stops next to a brawny man and looks up at him “Excuse me what’s going on?”

The man looks down at her surprised “Not really sure ma’am, we found a man sitting on this ‘ere tracks, I think he’s gonna do it, gonna commit suicide.”

“Can I take a look?” Dawn pleads to the man and he hesitates before nodding

“Move aside follows, make room for this ‘lil lady.” Most of the workers moves aside and when some didn’t the brawny man just pushed them aside for her. She is unfazed by the men staring at her because her concentration is set on finding out if her worst nightmare is to become a reality.

When the path is cleared for her she can see dark red hair, a solid build and a familiar face.

“Troy?” Her voice came out like a cold whisper in the wind. She stands frozen, unable to move. A chill sweeps over her and she unconsciously clutches at her chest. Hurt and confused.

The workers back off and the brawny guy is the only one standing close to her. She stumbles up to Troy and crouches in front of him. His green eyes were like they were last night. Void. Distant. Bitter.

Bitter? Was he bitter towards her? Is this a joke? Was he trying to scare her?

She had so many questions racing through her mind, but she had to stay calm.

“Troy!” She grabs his shoulders and tries to shake him but he doesn’t budge “Troy, stop. You’re scaring me!” She croaks.

She struggles to move him and no one comes to her aid. Ten minutes have pasted and he still won’t budge and now she’s sobbing.

“Help me!” She screams at the brawny man but he shakes his head.

“We tried ma’am, we tried but he fought us off.”

Of course he did. He could fight a crowd of men if he tried. But why is he so unyielding to be moved?

‘He wants to die.’ Dawn sucks in a lungful of air and more tears cascade down her red cheeks. She grabs his wrist and tugs with all her might but she knew she was no match for her husband.

“It’s 12!” A man shouts from the crowd.

Dawn spirals into a full force panic attack but her pleads fall on deaf ears.

In the distant they all hear the 12 pm train coming at full speed, unknowing to what was around the corner
“No, no, no!” She shrieks, pushing and pulling at Troy but he doesn’t shift from his seat in the middle of the track.

Troy seems to blink for the first time and Dawn’s heart rises with hope but Troy lifts his head up to stare past her and at one of the men. His lips part slowly and his voice chilled her to the very core.

“Take.Her.Away.”

Troy and the man stare at each other before the man nods his head in defeat and he grabs Dawn’s tiny frame and lifts her with effortlessness. She lets out a shrill scream, kicking and struggling. The man grunts and struggles to hold onto her but other man runs up and helps in.

The train appears and all Dawn can do is pray to the god above that he comes to his senses. Her body shakes with silent weeping. The train looms closer and closer, it whistles it’s warning but it’s too late.

Dawn blinks away her tears to look at Troy, their eyes meet and it’s as if time had slowed down. She searches his eyes and can see regret, hate, anger, sadness, guilt. His lips move slowly and Dawn blinks. Time corrects itself and the train is upon him. She watches everything, she wants to turn away but she can’t. Her mind will forever remember the horror that unfolded before her.

His body was like a ragdoll. He was lifeless within seconds of the impact, blood splattered everywhere and Dawn was sure she could see his body parts under the stopping train.

She numbly looks down at the ground, feeling nauseous when she spots something. Troy's green eyes, his decapitated head laid a few feet away and his green eyes, stared at her. She let out blood curdling scream and her world went black.

Reality was her nightmare.