First 5 Parts

Today is the day, he thought while looking out the train window. He was determined to propose to her tonight. Everything was set: he had bought the ring, he had bought red flowers and sent them to the restaurant where they would meet, he had chosen the song that would play, he had bought a nice sweater and a jacket, and even memorized a small piece of a poem to say before proposing. In his mind, everything should go as planned, and tonight should finish one chapter of his life and start another one.

The announcement was made: "Dear passengers, this is the last station. Please, do not approach the door before the train stops." He adjusted his outfit to head towards the door. The second he moved to stand up, the train suddenly braked, causing everyone who was standing to fall to the ground, screaming.

He didn't scream, but his eyes were wide open from the shock he was going through. He turned his head, looked around, tried to understand what was happening, but everyone else was doing the same thing. Some of them were asking each other. The train was slowing down very fast, so everyone became quiet and waited for it to fully stop. After a few seconds, it had almost stopped, but suddenly all the lights went off and inside the train, it was dark now.

"At least it stopped," he thought. People from various seats started turning on their smartphone flashlights. He stood up, turned on his smartphone light, and tried to find his seat to pick up his things. He had also taken off his jacket because it was very hot inside the train, even in winter. He tried to find it by holding the phone's light, but he couldn't see it. "Maybe this is the wrong seat," he thought, and also started looking at the other seats, but it wasn't anywhere.

Suddenly, he felt a mix of anger and sadness. "Damn it, this must be a joke," he muttered to himself.

--- End of Part 1 ---

After checking the other seats, he bent down and started looking under them. Something caught his attention under the seat two rows back. He walked over, bent further under the seat, pointed his light towards it, and reached out for the object. It was a ring box. He felt a wave of relief. "Thank God," he muttered, and as he tried to carefully back out without hitting his head, a loud crash erupted. First, he hit his head as the train jolted, and then he was dragged along under several rows of seats. People had fallen to the ground and started screaming again. He tried to grab hold of something to get up. However, as he stood, he noticed that the floor didn't seem stable. He looked around and peered out the window, confused. Someone screamed, "Oh my God, the train is tipping over!" His eyes widened in fear. "Forget the jacket," he thought to himself. What mattered most had already been found. Now, he had to do what everyone else was trying to do-get out of there. He ran with the crowd toward the nearest door. People were panicking, trying to open it, but it wouldn't budge. This was one of the disadvantages of modern trains. Then, one of the passengers had an idea to break the window. A female passenger grabbed the emergency hammer above one of the windows and handed it to a man. He struck the glass several times, shattering it. By now, the tilt of the train car was unmistakable. He was waiting for his turn to get out as quickly as possible, but it didn't seem like anyone was actually waiting in line. So, while making sure not to cut in front of any women or children, he squeezed in among the other passengers, gently pressing forward with the crowd, trying to get out as soon as he could. After a few shoves, he finally made it to the front. Carefully avoiding the broken glass, he placed his feet on the safe parts of the window frame and, with a strong push, threw himself onto the snowy tracks.

* End of Part 2 *

Now, stepping outside, he could better comprehend the gravity of the situation. Two trains had collided, both lying on their sides, windows shattered, carriages crushed into one another, and fragments of metal scattered everywhere. People were screaming—some searching for loved ones, some crying in fear, others staring blankly in shock, and a few had already started walking away to somewhere else. Following the crowd, he first walked a bit along the tracks, then turned around. He wanted to help the others, but he only had a sweater on, and in this snowy weather, he was freezing. Now he stood there with a ring box in one hand and a half-charged phone in his pocket. He looked around—some people were on their phones, talking. He pulled out his own phone. Before doing anything, he lifted his head and thought about whom he could call. His family and friends were in another country; if he called now and told them he'd just survived a train crash, he knew they'd panic. So, he decided not to call them. But who could he call here? He thought about calling his girlfriend—of course, she could come and support him, maybe even pick him up from here. But if he called her right now, just when he was about to propose, it would ruin the entire plan. He unlocked his phone, opened the menu, found his contacts list, and began scrolling through it from top to bottom:

George,

Grace,

Harry,

Hannah,

Icy Ian,

Iris,

Julia,

Kev,

Kate,

Liam,

Lil' Jack,

Lucy <3

Just then, a gust of wind made him shiver as the cold gave him goosebumps. He needed to act quickly, find somewhere to go, and figure out the rest from there. After thinking for a moment, it occurred to him that his friend Hannah might live nearby and could possibly help him. Hesitantly, and with some doubt, he tapped on her name, and the phone began to ring. He didn't want to disturb her or cause unnecessary panic, but at the same time, he wanted to get out of there quickly, find out what had happened, and continue with what he needed to do. So, as the phone rang, he both wanted and didn't want her to pick up. Suddenly, the phone was answered, and he heard Hannah's voice.

"Hey, where have you been? I haven't heard from you in a while. How are you?"

"Hey Hannah, thanks... um, I'm sorry for bringing this up at a time like this, but—"

"What happened?"

"There was a train accident."

"What?! What are you talking about? Where are you? Are you okay?" she replied, shocked.

"Um... yeah, I'm fine, but if you're nearby, would it be possible for you to pick me up? I know this is a lot to ask, but..."

"No, no, no! Are you crazy? Where are you? Tell me right now, I'm coming!" she said, sounding worried.

"I'm really grateful. I'll send you my location right now through the phone. Thank you so much."

He hadn't realized it before, but when he called someone and said he had been in a train accident, he suddenly became aware of what he had gone through. In an instant, with the cold affecting him, his breath began to tremble, and without fully understanding what was happening, he crouched down between the tracks, trying not to make a sound as he started to cry. He couldn't believe it, but at the same time, it felt as though he couldn't stop his emotions from pouring out.

- End of Part 3 -

When his emotions had finally settled and clarity returned to him, he walked toward the nearby bus stop where Hannah had said she would be. It was a bus stop in the middle of nowhere, with barely anything around. The colors of an old graffiti were faded, its words unreadable, and the bench was broken. Feeling tired, he knew he couldn't stand for long, so he sat down on the half-broken wooden bench that barely resembled a seat and began waiting.

As he waited, he replayed everything that had happened in his mind, but he still couldn't believe it all.

Lost in thought, Guy was startled when a matte black Tesla pulled up in front of the stop. The passenger window rolled down, and Hannah leaned slightly toward him, nodding as she asked, "Hey, Guy. Shall we go?"

He got up slowly, opened the car door, and sat down. Hannah leaned closer and held his hand.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked.

Guy couldn't respond. He tried to smile, but it came out so forced that Hannah must have realized he wasn't fine. He simply muttered, "Mmhmm," and stared out the windshield at the road ahead.

Seeing there wasn't much she could do for now, Hannah pressed the accelerator and began driving toward home.

Guy was aware that Hannah was not only driving but also worrying about him. Feeling the need to ease her concern, he finally broke the silence.

"So, how are you? What have you been up to? Sorry, I guess I'm a bit out of it," he said, trying to appear composed.

Hannah saw right through his effort. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me now," she said gently. "Let's just get home. I'll fix you something, and you can rest and pull yourself together."

"Thank you," Guy said, his voice soft with gratitude. "You're such a good friend."

After some time, night had fallen, and they finally arrived. "Here we are," Hannah said as she parked the car. They stepped out, entered the apartment building, and made their way to Hannah's flat.

As soon as they walked in, Guy hesitated before speaking. "I know it's a bit late to ask, but... I won't be bothering you, will I?" he said, then quickly added, "I mean, was there anything you needed to do, or is there anyone else here I might disturb?"

"Relax," Hannah replied with a reassuring smile. "No one's coming or going, and I didn't have anything planned. Just make yourself comfortable."

Hannah's words seemed to put him at ease. He flopped onto the couch in the living room with a deep sigh. "Wow, what a day," he muttered.

"Guy, what happened? Tell me everything," she said, then paused. "Actually, wait. Let me go change first, and then we can talk properly."

"Sure, that sounds good. I'll wait," he answered with a faint smile.

Just a few minutes later, Hannah returned, dressed in a black, nightgown-like dress with a plunging neckline. Her hair was down, flowing freely around her shoulders. She sat down beside Guy, so close that only a few inches separated them.

Guy glanced at her and, almost involuntarily, his eyes swept over her from head to toe in a quick, shy motion. Hannah noticed and smiled.

"Guy, what happened? When did you get here? What's going on? You have to tell me everything," she said, her tone both excited and endearing.

"First of all," he began, "thank you again for picking me up and letting me stay here. Also, you... you look amazing," he added, almost hesitantly.

He regretted the compliment for a moment, worried she might take it the wrong way, but then reminded himself that they were friends, and there shouldn't be anything wrong with saying it. He didn't dwell on it for long and started recounting everything that had happened.

As time passed, he paused in the middle of his story. Something was distracting him-Hannah's perfume, her long, loose hair, her piercing gaze locked onto his, her neckline, and the way she had crossed her legs so elegantly right next to him. It was as if he were frozen in place, overwhelmed by her presence.

He stopped and smiled faintly. "You're a great listener," he said.

Hannah reached out, took his hand from where it rested on the couch, and placed it on her thigh. Then, she put her hand on top of his.

"You know," Hannah said, her voice soft and teasing, "there are other things I'm very good at."

With that, she leaned in closer to him. Before he knew it, their lips met in a brief but electric kiss. When it ended, Guy gasped.

"Oh my God," he said, his voice filled with panic. "But I told you, didn't I? I'm engaged! What have I done?"

"Don't worry, I know," Hannah replied calmly. "I'm just trying to help you relax. Afterward, if you want, you can leave."

"Hannah, I love you-I mean, I love you as a friend. You're amazing, but I think my mind is all over the place right now. I don't want to give you the wrong impression. I'm really sorry," he said, looking at her, waiting for her response.

Instead of replying, Hannah leaned in and kissed him again. This time, it was a quick peck, but it left him flustered.

"Please, stop," Guy said, standing up abruptly. "I don't want to be rude to you, but as I said, I'm engaged to someone else."

"I understand, and I'm not misinterpreting anything," Hannah said, rising to her feet and walking toward him with deliberate, slow steps. "I just thought we could reconnect, after all this time."

When she finally reached him, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "You know," she whispered, "you can come back after you see your fiancée. Maybe then, we can talk again. Don't worry, I won't force you into anything."

But before finishing her sentence, Hannah slid the straps of her dress off her shoulders. Now, she stood before him in nothing but her underwear.

Guy's composure shattered. He could feel his breath quicken, and all he wanted was to leave the apartment immediately. "Hannah, please," he said desperately. "You're a good person, but I can't do this."

He tried to step past her, but Hannah grabbed the back of his sweater, and the sound of fabric tearing filled the air.

"No, this can't be happening," Guy muttered in disbelief.

At that very moment, the sound of a key turning in the lock echoed through the apartment. Guy froze, giving Hannah just enough time to grab her dress from the floor and quickly cover herself.

She had a sinking feeling she already knew who was at the door.

- End of Part 4 -

With a whisper, Guy asked, "Who is it?"

"My boyfriend," Hannah replied calmly.

Panic took hold of Guy as he continued in a hushed voice, "What do we do now?" Before Hannah could respond, the door swung open, revealing a towering man with a smile on his face. But his smile quickly vanished, replaced by a fiery rage as his eyes landed on Guy, standing awkwardly, and Hannah, hastily covering herself with her nightdress.

"What the heck is happening here?" the man demanded, his voice a mixture of confusion and fury.

Guy opened his mouth to explain, but before he could utter a word, Hannah interjected. "He... he tried to force himself on me. I couldn't stop him," she said, sneaking a glance at Guy to gauge his reaction.

The large man, Ted, seemed skeptical. His voice softened slightly but retained its edge as he asked, "Then how did he even get in here in the first place?"

Hannah continued her fabricated story. "He's an old friend from college. We studied here together. He called me, said he wanted to catch up, and I agreed. But when he came over, he started acting... differently. Oh Teddy bear, if you hadn't shown up…" She trailed off dramatically.

Ted, unconvinced, took a few steps toward Guy. Grabbing him by the collar with one powerful hand, he lifted him off the ground effortlessly. With narrowed eyes and a menacing tone, he growled, "Is she telling the truth?, speak! Then he turned to the woman and said, "And how many times do I have to tell you? It's Bear Ted, not Teddy Bear. Oh God, this woman!"

Guy, stunned and struggling to process Hannah's lies, stammered, "Yes and no."

Ted hesitated, caught off guard, giving Guy the chance to continue. "Yes, I called Hannah because I needed someone to talk to after surviving a train accident. But no, I didn't try to force myself on her. In fact, it's quite the opposite."

Ted's eyes flicked back and forth between Hannah and Guy, his anger growing. "One of you better start telling the truth," he warned, his voice cold and dangerous. "Because I swear, I won't hesitate to kill you both right here and walk away without a second thought."

"I'm telling the truth," Guy said quickly. "I was trying to leave, Look, even my my sweater got torn," he added, turning to show the tear in the back of his sweater.

Ted released him, his grip loosening as he was trying to see the damaged sweater. But before Guy could feel relief, Hannah made another desperate move. "No! That's not true," she cried. "He kissed me—more than once—without my consent. He probably tore his sweater when I was pushing him away!"

Ted glanced at the sweater, then at Hannah, his expression twisting into one of disgust. "You did it again, didn't you?" he said, not as a question, but as a bitter acknowledgment of her pattern.

Turning back to Guy, Ted gestured toward the door. "Come on, man. If you've got somewhere to go, I'll give you a ride before it's too late."

He grabbed his car keys from the table, then threw a scornful glance at Hannah. "We'll talk later. And this time, we're settling this for good."

Without waiting for her reply, Ted strode out the door, slamming it shut behind him after Guy followed.

"I got off easy," Guy thought as they walked away. "For such a big guy, he's surprisingly merciful." Still, he had a nagging feeling that this wasn't the end of it, and he resolved to stay cautious moving forward.

They exited the apartment building and got into Ted's purple sports car. Guy was so on edge that he sat awkwardly, as if the seat were covered in thorns, ready to jump up at any moment.

"Relax," Ted said. "Maybe you did kiss her, but I know it wasn't your fault. That woman will do anything to seduce someone." Even so, the stern expression on Ted's face hadn't softened yet, leaving Guy unsure if Ted was bluffing or genuinely understanding.

"I would say nice to meet you under normal circumstances, but uh, I'm sorry things turned out this way," Guy said, pouring out his thoughts. "I really didn't mean for this to happen. After the accident, I didn't know what to do. I just wanted to reach out to someone I knew in this city. I don't even live in this country."

"Alright, man, calm down. Where should I drop you off? Do you have any money?" Ted asked.

"Thank you, I do. You're very kind. Could you just drop me off at any hotel you know? I'm not sure where to go," Guy replied.

Ted nodded silently and hit the gas, driving forward.

After a while, as they drove on in silence, Ted glanced at the road and then at Guy, a puzzled look on his face. "So, why was she wearing a nightgown?" he asked. "Were you about to…?"

"No. no, no, no! Absolutely not!" Guy stammered. "Look, I'm really sorry, okay? I've caused you so much trouble. If you want, you can drop me off here, no problem."

"I mean…" Ted continued, "sure, your sweater was torn, but didn't it strike you as odd to see her in a nightgown? Or… did you want it too?"

Guy thought to himself, There's no turning back now. He needed to be very careful, and with Hannah not here, a little lie might save his skin. "She just said she'd change into something else and come back. I didn't expect her to show up like that," he managed to say.

"Hmm, okay. I see," Ted said, though he didn't seem fully convinced. "So now…" he began, but the car started shaking violently, swerving from side to side.

"What the f***?" Ted exclaimed, bewildered.

Guy looked out of the windows, trying to figure out what they had hit, but the darkness revealed nothing.

Ted didn't stop the car entirely; he slowed it down to about 50 km/h, but the shaking persisted.

"I think…" Guy said hesitantly. "I think it's an earthquake."

"An earthquake? But there are no earthquakes in this country," Ted replied. Just as he finished speaking, the ground beneath his side of the car suddenly dipped downward. Ted slammed the brakes, bringing the car to a halt.

The moment he opened the door to step out and see what was happening, he screamed, "Hey, help me! I'm falling!"

Guy quickly opened his door and jumped out, running toward Ted's side of the car. But as soon as Guy's weight left the car, it tilted further toward Ted's side. Before Guy could do anything, the car slipped into a massive crack in the ground.

Guy froze, unable to comprehend what had just happened. He immediately turned on his phone's flashlight and pointed it in that direction.

What he saw left him speechless. His mind went blank, and his mouth fell open as he stared at the gaping fissure that had suddenly split the highway.

It was enormous—large enough to swallow an entire car whole.

- End of Part 5 -