VERY STRANGE BUT VERY SHORT STORIES #2
The Underground
Hello. Apologies in advance for how truly horrible this story is. A lot of these are going to be based on my own anxieties and fears, and this one is no different. I think about this every single time I use the London Underground, and sometimes even opt to get the bus instead, even though it takes a lot longer. Enjoy! - Jen
The Underground
I seen a lot o ‘orible fings on this job, from suicides in fronta trains to kids electrocuted, all burnt up to a crisp like. Mothers crying over em and kissing their face like they wasn’t even melted. Horrific. But if yer really wanting to know, then I’ll tell yer what I’ve seen. But I warn yer, it might put yous off using The Underground.
Was a good while back now, I’m finking ninety nine? Two fousand, maybe? Just e’fore nine eleven, not that it’s significant it’s just how I remember it is all. I was just comin’ offa my night shift yer see, havin’ had a long one what with all the drunks. We was open all night on account of new years. Anyway, as I’m settin’ to leave and go ‘ome all the business types start to moving on through to get to their offices and start their days. They’re always rushin’, these types, sippin’ on fancy coffees and the like. I’m just about to step out of the station when suddenly Christina gets a call over the walkie. I see ‘er turn to take it and ‘eck she’s white as a ghost when she turns back to me, says there’s been a accident down the way. I follow along, finking maybe I can lend a hand to it, except at that point I gots no idea what I’m in’fer seein’.
As we get nearer, I hear a commotion what’s hard to describe. The noise of a group collectively tyin’ to keep their voices calm when it’s impossible. There’s a woman who’s screaming somefing like get him out over and over but shes not directing it at anyone in’perticular, just pacing around and holding her face. She ‘ad coffee all down her blouse and skirt, I remember that detail. Musta’ been right behind the poor sod when it happened.
As I get closer I can ‘ear a gurgling. I wish I was better at words so as to describe it, all flowery like, but I spose it sounded like when you blow bubbles into a milkshake, except with a human voice in there somewhere, struglin’ to speak out. We push through the small crowd at bottom of escalators and when I see him I nearly pass out. I’m not ashamed to say it, me knees went like jelly and they nearly had another casualty on their ‘ands. At the bottom’e this escalator some poor sod had gotten his’self stuck somehow in the small gap at the bottom. I know it don’t sound like it’s possible, but I can tell yer I’ve seen it. You gotta remember that the body is just meat. It’s soft and easily separated from isself. I’ve learned that time and again on this job. And an escalator, well - that's all steel and heavy weighted mechanical force. It’s got cogs and electricity and grease. And I dunno what parta him got stuck first, but I’m gonna guess it was a shoelace. And it pulled him through. Sucked him right in, I don’t fink it was hard for it - the escalator I mean.
I know yer finking he musta been up to his waist but it weren’t like that. It was more side on than you’d imagine. It was all crumpled, his body, like an old tissue you found in yer pocket a week later. I was going to tell yer that half of his ‘ed was flayed away, but it was more like free quarters. I only knew it was his face on account of teeth and his collar and tie. He was still alive, and tryin’ to speak. I wish I could tell yer what he was tryin’ to say - but no one knew. Maybe I don’t want’e know. Some experiences you don’t want a first hand account of, do yer? Poor sod was most probably asking us to turn the thing back on and finish him off, except we weren’t allowed to do anyfing like that. We had to wait for the police and the paramedics to turn up and tell us what was bleedin’ obvious - that there weren’t much to be done. I remember one paramedic giving him an injection, I dunno where - in some part of ‘is body still connected. He quietened down some after that, and I reckon it wasn’t long till he was gone.
I can’t really give yer much more detail than that. Rememberin’ it is ‘ard work - the specific details and the like. The main fing that stands out ter me though is that woman with the coffee stain. I wonder what her life is like now. If she’s normal, up there like. If she still uses that escalator. Thousands a day do, I can tell yer that much now. You probably used it to get down ere and talk to me.