The TombStone 31 Express | A Macabre Menagerie (Part 1)| -Prototype-

The Landscape Looked Cold and Malevolent Outside the Train's Windows and She could See some of the Denizens that Inhabited the Area and they Watched as the Train Rushed by on the Tracks with Wild and Crazed Eyes. She could Not Describe their Appearance to any Living Soul if She ever Found her Way Out of the Silent Necropolis if that was the Name of the World She was Currently Trapped in because the Creatures Forms were so Twisted and Malformed Beyond any Sane and Rational Belief....The Closest she could come up with was A Combination of a Mammal crossbred with a Reptile. The Entire Bodies of the Creatures were Sickly Scales the Color of a Faded Sapphire with a Mane of Dirty and Matted Hair across the Back of the Creatures Spine and Leading to the Head like a Twisted Version of a Mohawk. Their Eyes were of 6 Pupils, Three to the Left and Three to the Right and they were a Dull Pink and as they Watched the Train, they Opened their Jaws Wide, Revealing 10 Rows of Jagged and Sharp Teeth and from their Throats there came a Gurgled but Loud Howling that Seemed to Pierce Deep into Her Eardrums and Cause Nausea. she Gagged and Turned away from the Window in Alarm and Fright. 

"Feeling the Effects of a Dilinexill Howl for the First  Time...eh?" A Voice Beside Her Asked, taking her Gaze away from the Window and the LandScape Outside. Sitting a few Inches Beside Her was another of the "Passengers". This one Wore a Heavy Trench Coat Complete with a Fedora and He had Half of a Cigarette between his Teeth.  He had Remnants of Short Brown Hair that was Slowly Turning to White but He Did not pay it any Notice. 

"Dilinexill?" She Asked still trying to keep Herself from Hurling onto the Floor of the Train.

"The Creatures Outside Howling and Giving You the Feeling of Emptying out your Stomach onto the Nice Carpet Floor of this Train. They are Scavengers Mostly and Use their Howling as some sort of Attack on their Prey Immobilizing it as it Cannot Move Since it too Busy Seeing the Digested Remains of Its Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner all in one Brownish looking Puddle..."

At this Comment, She Finally Threw Up. After a Few Minutes of this Unpleasantness She Sat back up and Glared at the "Passenger" Momentarily Forgetting her Fear and Shock of them when She First Arrived at the Station and Boarded the TombStone 31 Express.

"You did that on Purpose...."

"Yes I did because if You Kept Trying to Fight Against the Nausea then it would have been a lot more Worse and Since you in here and not Outside with those Damnable Creatures, You can Easily Overcome the Illness which is Temporary here on Board this Train. But the only thing you have to Worry about now is the Some of the Staff Complaining about the Mess you made."

She Glared at Him still, but seeing the Screwed Up Logic of this "Passenger" She Muttered a Brief and Short "Thank You"

"You  are most Welcome. The Name is Richard Olston, and Yours...?"

She did not Answer for something had Occurred to Her after He Asked this one Simple but for Some Reason Fateful Question

" I Don't know.... It like my Memories of my Name have also left me....."

Richard gave Her one Long look of Curiosity almost the same as the one the Constable from the Station gave Her than Shrugged.

"Ah...Who Cares about a Name anyway these Days...its not like you will have a Name that anyone will Care to Remember or be in Awe of."

"But I Care...A Name is Part of Us and it what Makes Us Who We are in Life."

"I must Disagree. From Where I came from....Names were as Important as a Puddle of Dirty Water in an Alleyway. Actions and Deeds were the thing to make you into Somebody to be Remembered by all Who Heard of your Exploits."

"Where did you Come from?"

"A City known for its Crime and Corruption but also for its  Rare Few Citizens who Dare Stand Up Against the Filthy and the Degenerate."

She took another look at Him and His Garments getting a Sense of Familiarity, Thinking of Old Black and White Films with Jazz Playing in the BackGround as Men in the same Garb as this "Passenger" Walked with the Trail of Smoke Following them either Accompanied by a Dame in a Provocative Dress or  by a Tommy Gun in their Hands. She saw a Name Floating around in the BackRooms of her Mind...Noir. She Knew that She had Understood what this Word Meant but while in the Silent Necropolis, her Memories were like Curtains Attacked by Moths Leaving Holes in the Once Whole Fabric.

"So I told you Where I came from... Now it your Turn unless you Don't know that either."

She shook her head.

" My My My... you are a Curious one. There are so many Passengers other than you  that I Met and Talked to on this Train that know Who they Are and Where they came from that I could Tell You Stories all about them. but you are the First Passenger I Met that does not even know Her Own Story... That is Curious indeed. But you must have a Story that has Yet to Begin because it has not even Ended."

"What do you mean by that?" She asked

"Well you here on this Train aren't you? The Ticket you have in your Pocket is Black same as Mine and all the other Passengers on this Train. So that means you have Unfinished Business to Attend to."

she kept Silent Remembering the Constable's Warning of Keeping the Black Ticket She Carried a Secret. Richard seemed to have guessed at the Reasoning behind Her Silence and gave her a Harmless Smile.

"Do Not Worry... Everyone here knows that Everyone has a Black Ticket but it the people you meet at the Stops that you should be Careful around."

"But if they See us get off this Train then they will know we have a Black Ticket."

"No because No one is Allowed inside the Train Stations except other Passengers so it Completely Safe and away from the Prying Eyes of the UnWanted."

He Stopped and pulled out His Ticket and Handed it to Her.

"Now you have Seen my Ticket and now you are Holding my Ticket in your Hand. Nothing is going to Happen Because you have done these two things on board the Train. Do you Understand now?"

"I think... A Little."

"Good...But once you off this Train for any of the Nine Stops and you Choose to go Exploring then you keep your Damn Mouth Shut and you have that Black Ticket Hidden in your Pockets."

She nodded and he Smiled again as if he was a Teacher Finishing Teaching One of his Students a Difficult Lesson. He took his Black Ticket back and Secured it in a Pocket within his Trench Coat Revealing a White Shirt Underneath with Multiple Bullet Holes with Dried Blood Surrounding them. She gave out a Small Gasp and he merely covered his Shirt with the Trench Coat and Smiled Sadly.

"That Part of the Reason I'm here on this Train with my Own Black Ticket...I have some Debts to Collect from those who Gave me these and there is a Promise I must Keep to a Young Boy and his Mother.  I have been Traveling around this World Searching for the Train Station to Redeem this Ticket and now that I Finally Found the Station and I'm now on Board the Train, I can Begin the Journey Back to that City and Finish my Business there Once and For All." 

He took a Puff from his Cigarette and went to Sleep or She thought He was Sleeping...it was Difficult to tell if His Eyes were Opened or Closed due to them being Hollow Sockets.

"Richard?"

"Yes?"

"If Names are not Important where you Come from then why did you Tell me Yours?"

Richard was Silent before He Replied Blowing out a Thin Layer of Smoke.

"I was just being Polite....Even if Names are not Important where I came from...It still Polite to Introduce Yourself."

Richard then went back to Sleep...Or Not.

She gave Him one last look then Feeling Bored Sitting down on her Assigned Seat, She got up and went to the Dining Car Hoping that there was at least some Food Normal enough for Her to Eat since She had Nothing to Eat Since She Awoke up in the Station.

Opening the Door to the Dining Car and Stepping in, She saw that there were some of the Passengers there already Eating or Placing an Order with the Waiters and Waitresses who Glided past Her without taking any Notice of Her at all. 

She found a Table near a Family of Four and began Browsing through the Menu that was on the Table.  Finding something that was at least Normal was  Difficult but She Relented and Chose a Random Meal and Watched as the Waiter Wrote it down then Glided to the Kitchens.

She Passed the Time Looking around the Dining Car at the Many Passengers and Found that each was Different in their own way and as She Looked more Closely at each of the Passengers Garments and Listened to their Accents, She Began to have a Sense of Familiarity and Knowledge but yet again there were Holes in her Memories that Prevented Her from Fully Understanding what She had Discovered about this Macabre Menagerie.