Never Ending Love Cycle

Chapter 5 – Train attack

Bright light streamed into the room as Rose slowly blinked awake. She was still in her outfit from the night before and must’ve forgotten to close the curtains when she finally got to her room. She had been exhausted and quickly melted into her bed and went off to sleep. Now she groaned at her laziness. The sharp light penetrated her eyelids and prevented her wish to snooze, even when she rolled over and tried to bury her head in the pillows. A dull throb started in her head and her stomach protested the new pressure, but fortunately it didn’t have any nauseous turns. She had felt worse before, after a night of drinking, but the thought of work still made her grimace. Checking her phone for the time, she knew she couldn't stay in bed any longer, and forced herself from its soft warmth. Knowing she didn’t have a choice didn’t make getting up any easier and she trudged into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Well-rehearsed in preparing herself in the mornings with limited time, Rose was ready when there was a knock at the door. She did a quick look around the room to make sure she had all her stuff packed and answered the door to Mark. After the mess she had left him in last night, she was surprised to see him bright eyed and extremely well put together for the day. There wasn’t a single hair out of place to give away his late night of drinking and she was mildly impressed. With an easy smile, she handed him the signed contracts, that were the sum of their trip’s efforts, and felt a little flutter in her chest when he returned one just as genuine as hers.

That day, they only had one job to do in Drustead before they could make their way home. They had to show their faces in that city’s office and meet some of their distant colleagues. Unsurprisingly, Steven wasn’t there, but he had asked his assistant to give them a tour when he called in sick. With the newly appointed Regional Territory Manager and Assistant Manager touring the building, everyone was on their best behaviour, acknowledging their seniority, and Rose felt eyes on them wherever they went. Mark took it in stride, seamlessly fitting into his new role, whereas she was a little unnerved by all the attention. Whether he could tell or not, she was grateful that he stayed at her side for the entire time.

It was quite an amusing sight to see him leading them all around despite his younger age, but they all watched him like his recent promotion came with a load of knowledge they were desperate to have. Either that or they thought following him like a sheep would get into his good books. She could also see small glimmers of jealousy and spite in their gazes and wondered if she had been the same up until last night. Rose took in her new boss. She couldn’t deny that he wore the position well, but he wasn’t arrogant with it. He took his time talking to all the employees, no matter their level, and when he saw someone struggling with a pile of boxes, he personally rushed to help them before forcing their little entourage to help and carry the rest. Rose smiled at that and hoped he’d carry the same comradery as her boss.

Thankfully the day went quick and, after being treated to an early dinner by the company, they were keen to leave and made their excuses before another round of drinks could be bought. The Drustead office was much nicer than she expected, and she hoped to return there in the future. Hopefully with Mark again. Rose was surprised by how well the trip had gone and how well she had worked with him. She had thought they would be competing the entire time or, worse, he would use his newfound authority to drive her crazy, but neither had happened. They worked well together, got the deal signed and Rose could admit that she had never felt as valued by a boss before. Mark wasn’t ashamed to ask her questions and help her with her own many times. He also made his own suggestions and offered ideas without making her feel guilty for turning them down. Despite their new titles, he treated her like an equal. It was nice.

The train station was rammed when they arrived, with many business people leaving for the same reason as them. At the Friday rush hour, there were also families and university students whom Rose assumed were heading away for the weekend. The platform was cold with the winter’s evening, its lights holding back the darkness of the sky above them. It made her feel drowsy and in need of a bed, but the thought of home helped to carry her tired feet forward. Enduring the train journey now would be much better than spending another night away.

They waited together on platform as a crowd formed around them, everyone looking down the tracks for the train to appear. It was packed, and Rose felt a little uneasy with the lack of space around her. Given she seemed to be the shortest person there, all she could see was a wall of chests blocking her view of open air. The feeling stuck to her skin like a tight layer of clothing that she wanted to remove, but when she rubbed her hands over her arms nothing changed. In one swift, unexpected move, Mark pulled her to stand in front of him and them moved his stance wide to jostle the people around them. It gave them a small circle of space, and some desperately needed breathing room and she gave him a smile of thanks.

Finally, the train pulled in and the crowd, that were still and patient, turned savage as everyone pushed on board. Mark and Rose made it onto carriage seven, with some strong bustling skills on Mark’s part but, once inside, he pushed ahead of her to win them some seats. After a long day they didn’t need to be standing for the four-hour ride home. She followed behind him, weaving through the people who were already storing their luggage and getting settled for the journey ahead.

Rose was just about to reach the pair of seats that Mark had claimed, when a pain cracked over her head. She hissed and lifted a hand to clutch at the sore spot. An old man, with a briefcase lifted to his chest, pushed past her and had knocked her in the head in the process. It rocked her hard enough to make Rose stumble a few steps, but once she got her footing back, she threw him a deadly glare. The man didn’t even look back in her direction. He was rushing through the carriage like someone was chasing him; his clothes were a mess and his face ragged. The man continued to push forward, and Rose watched him disappear into the crowd.

"What an arsehole.” Mark was by her side, his hand placed on her shoulder, whilst the other rested under her chin and angled her head to look at the bump. “Are you alright?”

She nodded, fighting a wince. It didn’t hurt much but it was a surprise blow that had shook her brain and left her dizzy. Thankfully, Mark took her luggage from her and stored it in the overhead, before guiding her to their seats. As they sat, the train pulled from the station and gradually picked up speed, racing into the night.

Mark took the window seat, taking out his laptop, while Rose sat back with a huff. Her head throbbed. The pain worsened in the harsh light of the carriage, and she squinted to lessen its effects. She turned her gaze to the window, but she could only see her reflection dancing in the darkness beyond, as the lights of the city soon fell behind them. It was a small reminder that the next time she’d be off the train she’d almost be home, a thought that gave her a reason to smile.

The carriage was very warm after the chill of the platform, and Rose slipped her coat from her shoulders. It wasn’t a nice kind of heat, that would lull one to sleep, but the oppressive kind that made one gag for fresh air. Her headache was growing, and the noises around her didn’t help. She had hoped to use the long journey to sleep, but it seemed it wasn’t going to happen.

“Get him, get him!”

Rose jerked as two children shouted at a mobile phone screen, one trying to steal the device from the other, whose face was contorted in frustration.

“Get the bomb! Get the bomb! Kill them!” They screeched, much to their dad’s embarrassment, but Rose offered him a smile that hid her annoyance.

Each sound cut through her head, making her dizzy, and she looked around the carriage for a distraction. Behind the kids were a group of university students who had claimed a table, which sat between four seats, and were using their journey to play cards. Apart from the occasional burst of laughter or groan from a loser, they didn’t make much noise, however each time they did, they were glared at by a pregnant woman across the aisle. She looked exhausted, and her hand was resting on her very swollen stomach.

The train made another stop at a small station, just after they passed through the city of Leaford. Rose watched the scenery pass the window, temporarily lit up by the small town’s lights before it melted to darkness again. Then, her eyes fell to Mark. Though he had been a mess the night before and had a busy day touring the Drustead office, he still had the energy to pull out his laptop and work. It was admirable, when all she wanted to do was sleep or take a nice long bath to ease the tension in her body. Even in their bright, noisy environment he seemed unaffected, and she smiled as she took in his concentration. His brows were knitted together, a finger resting under full lips that toyed between his teeth as he worked. She noticed a ring on that finger and she couldn’t stop the question from bubbling past her lips.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” She regretted the question the moment it was spoke, and hoped he hadn’t heard her, but luck was not on her side. As if he had been waiting for her to speak, his attention snapped to her immediately. Whatever he had been expecting her to say, it wasn’t that, but his look of surprise quickly melted to amusement as her cheeks bloomed with warmth. “I... I just saw your ring and was curious, that’s all. It looks like a promise ring.”

“Ah. No, I don’t have a girlfriend.” He chuckled, eyes drawn to the band around his pointer finger. “It is a promise ring, but it’s not mine. It’s been passed down my family for generations and I don’t go anywhere without it.”

Rose didn’t know if it was the weight of the business trip making her unwilling to move much, but she found that she couldn’t take her eyes off Mark’s face, enjoying the small curl to the edges of his lips.

Suddenly, the lights of the carriage dimmed and it whole body rocked violently. Rose’s sleepiness was gone in a moment, as her heart lifted in her chest, hammering loud against the muffled shouts of the other passengers. Her hand clamped on Mark’s arm steadying herself and his own moved to rest on top of hers. Unlike her, he sat up straight like a wary animal, his eyes searching through the carriage, but as soon as the disruption had come, it was gone again. The lights switched back on and the carriage became stable once more.

“What was that?” A shrill voice called from a few seats down. It was the pregnant woman, now standing and had both arms wrapped around her baby bump. Worry pulled at her expression and Rose felt the urge to help.

“It may have just been a system failure with the electrics, but we’re still moving so it should all be fine now.” She soothed, adding a smile to her words even though she had not recovered herself.

Like she said, the train continued to move through the darkness and after a couple of moments of nothing else happening, the carriage settled. The pregnant lady calmed and sat, the college students re-dealt their messed up game and the little children returning to their mobile game. Rose sighed and flopped back into her seat, before she felt Mark’s eyes on her. She cast him a glance and realised, with dawning mortification, that she was still gripping his arm. She released him with a mumbled apology, and half turned away to hide her violent blush.

Though everyone else had calmed and gone back to what they were doing, Rose couldn’t settle her pounding heart. She took some deep breaths and a sip of water, wary of Mark’s gaze flicking to her in concern, but there was no reason to still be agitated. So why did it feel like there was something profoundly wrong? Like what had just happened wasn’t the end of the disruption, but was the beginning? Her hands clenched and unclenched rhythmically, as her eyes scanned the carriage, looking for the danger.

“What’s the matter, Rose?” Mark asked, keeping his voice low like he didn’t want to alert anyone else of her concern. She felt stiff, alert, every muscle in her body ready for action, while her mind whirled for the reason. Her breaths fought her control and became faster, and she pressed a hand to her chest, forcing her focus on herself. “Rose?” He asked again, his hand moving to comfort her.

“It’s noth...”

Suddenly, a loud bang sounded in the carriage, a red mist filled the air and a strange sticky substance exploded across her skin. Screams erupted immediately, exploded into a flurry of deafening voices and more explosions. A heavy weight fell against her side as she tried to take in what was going, but all she could see was so many bodies running and screaming and pushing and crying. That, and red. So much red. She tried to stand, the urge to follow the crowd and to run fuelling her body, but she couldn’t move.

“Mark.” She shouted, hands fumbling across her body, to push away the weight, unable to take in what she was truly seeing. Panic gripped her, screams falling from her lips that sounded foreign and far away. There was no response. Her hand came up to her face and wiped at the stick substance. Blood. It was blood. It was all blood.

Another scream tore from her throat, her stomach churning its disgust, as a violent tremor worked through her body. Finally her eyes land on him. A body laid next to her, where Mark had just been sitting. It wore the same clothes, its hand still resting on hers, but it wasn’t moving. Wasn’t talking. Wasn't breathing. She jerked back and it slipped, making the head fall to her lap, exposing a large bloody whole in the back of its skull, staining the brown hair red. Blood pooled from it, spilling over her thighs and she had to fight back the bile that clawed up her throat.

Rose stared at him, not comprehending what she was seeing but unable to change it. However it hit her all at once. Mark was dead. Just as she understood the truth, a cold hard tube was pressed to the back of her head and she instinctively froze. Before she could raise her hands in surrender, it exploded.

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Rose jerked awake, sweat sticking her covers to her body. She could still see the shadows of her nightmare looming out of the darkness towards her, and darted for her bedside lamp, flicking on the light and throwing her gaze around her room once more. Her chest was heaving, and sharp pains shot through her abdomen, as she stared in disbelief around the calm room, as if that was the dream. A tear slipped down her cheek and she brushed it away with a shaking hand.

Whatever she had dreamed about escaped her, but it left a lingering sense of fear that shook her to the core. Her stomach churned and her head was splitting with a sharp pain. Her body was tense, and continued to ache as she gradually relaxed. She was exhausted, her heart still pounded an erratic rhythm, even as she pressed a hand to calm it. It was as if it was still living in the nightmare that she had faced.