The train station was filled with early commuters, office workers with suits and ties, and even school students, waited leisurely for the train to arrive.
The boy, with his platinum hair hidden under the dark blue hood and the bag that made his short stature even smaller, stood fearfully between them as he waited as the soldier walked around, The chimes of the train station ringed, yet the sound of the announcer was muffled, for his heart screamed in his ears louder for every moment that passed.
Everything blurred in his vision as he felt someone watching him from behind. His breathing -as quiet as he could will it- was still too loud for him. the sound of people around him felt like scratching against his ears. He moved as unhurriedly as he could, each step agonizingly slow as he desperately blended with the crowd.
'i need to blend in, I need to look normal, until the train comes.'
The train came with a quick woosh. And in an instance, the boy found himself pushed forward by the early morning crowd. Their shoulders finding every bruise in his body, especially the wound on his left shoulder. But the pain didn't matter, only freedom mattered, getting closer and closer as he finally got to the door.
That's when it happened, the hood went down. His light hair and ocean green, now for everyone close to see. Eyes that couldn't help but take a look as the bodies entered, coated with undisguised yet fleeting interest.
'oh no Oh no OhnoOhno what if he saw me what if he--'
He couldn't help but look around, the man has saw him, the man has noticed,
the man is walking around him.
His mind went blank as he quickly pushed through the crowd, his slight stature helping him hide behind the adults, he made sure to only walk in the middle of them, so his movements wouldn't be seen through the window. Muttered and panicked apologies and suppressed flinches as warm breaths hit his neck, his breath hitched everytime he moved, a sharp pain in his chest everytime he saw the wall and the window.
He moved to the other cabins one by one until he landed on the 2nd one, the people tall and wearing clothing as dark as his, he doesn't remember when he pulled the hood up. But it didn't matter now, all it mattered was to crouch and stay silent and alert, and ignore the warmth that continued to trickle just under his skin despite the cold, and the wetness of his shoulder continued to slowly expand.
His chest jumped as the cabin's door opened, and he pulled his hood down even tighter. The cabin, felt smaller, as the steps of boots on metal were heard. The man the boots belonged to was subtle, yet the sounds were sharp to the boy every step, like needles pushed down his heart.
The boy's heart jumped violently as his eyes fell on the man. Quickly, he walked behind another man, his throat closing in as he quickly moved.
'why is he here? Please go away , please just leave me alone.'
But as the man was close to the other door, the man beside him stumbled and bumped into the boy's injured shoulder, and a whimper escaped him.
The man turned back, his movements fast as he got closer and closer. The boy held his mouth as he turned away from the man.
Suddenly, a whimper was heard, then crying, a baby. An anxious woman was desperately trying to calm her baby down. The man moved away again to the door, and finally left the cabin. The boy exhaled deeply.
he saw from the windows the man leaving the train, holding his ears and being visibly angry. He gazed one more time at the train before he finally went away. The train moving as well. He escaped, for now.
And for now he could finally rest, and relish his escape. Tears falling down as consciousness slipped away.
