Sam eased himself gingerly into his seat wincing slightly as the cabin lurched forward. With a slow groan and the squeaking of the metal wheels on the track he felt the train get under way. Cradling his arm under a folded jacket, Sam attempted to get comfortable in his seat as the train picked up speed.
The pain in his arm began to throbbed and grew more intense. He began sweating profusely, his heart rate increasing. A young woman sat down across from him and gave him a polite nod. Taking no notice of Sam's discomfort, she reached for a magazine and hid her face from his view.
As he squirmed in his seat, Sam glanced over to the woman, and saw the cover of the “Newsweek” she was reading. The title read, “Africanized Rabies, the Plague of the 21st Century” Sam shuddered. Was that what was wrong with that crazy homeless man who attacked him? There was definitely something wrong with that guy. His eyes were clouded over, his face and hands almost skeletal. When Sam offered the man some money, the lunatic grabbed Sam's arm and wrenched it up to his mouth! That nut job actually bit him! What kind of freak would do that?
“As soon as I get off this train," Sam thought, "I'm going to have clean this bite!” The more he thought about it the worse it felt. Was he imagining it or did it look worse now ? It hadn't been that discolored a few minutes ago, did it? Sam tried not to think how many germs and bacteria must be in the mouth of a homeless person. The more he thought about the look of that transient , the more Sam was convinced there had been something very wrong with him.
Sarah sat reading the main article in her “Newsweek” about the increase in reported cases of "Africanized Rabies", that kept popping up in less remote areas on several continents. The article went on to say that the CDC had begun instituting screenings for International travelers coming from areas where the virus is known to be more prevalent. “The CDC has things well in hand and we expect containment by the end of the month." The article continued, "Furthermore we urge the public not to panic, we have everything well under control.” Quoted the CDC agent . As she finished reading the article, feeling somewhat relieved that whatever this disease is, it is a long way from where she was. Of course the government would most likely have it under control soon. Sarah glanced over the top of her magazine at the man sitting across from her. She thought that he looked a bit flushed and seemed to be sweating rather profusely. “Great,” thought Sarah, “This guy's probably got some nasty bout of the flu or something. Just what I don't need.”
Glancing around the train she checked for any other open seats, but everything was taken. Sighing to herself, “Oh well, I guess I'll just have to load up on the antioxidants when I get to work.” Sarah thought.
Sam shuddered in his seat. There was a funny taste in his mouth now, and his joints were really starting to ache. “What wrong with me?” He thought. Looking down at the bite he saw that it did indeed look bad. His skin was a waxy grey tone. His breathing was becoming more labored. Looking around the full cabin he noticed that everyone else seemed preoccupied. The only person really paying any attention to him at all was the woman sitting across from him. She gave him a quizzical look, then asked, “Are you all right?”
Sam gave her a tight-lipped smile and nodded. He noticed, that she was nicely dressed and wearing a hat with a little sunflower on it. “That's one big hat.” Sam thought. “Probably because her head is so large.” He mused. “Bet she's got a big brain in that noggin of hers.” Sam paused over this last thought. Why would he be thinking about her nice, big, juicy, brain like that? “I mean just because she has a big head doesn't mean that her delicious brain is proportional.” Sam paused again. He wondered why he was worried about this random stranger's brain. “I mean, just because she looks smart and has a gigantic head doesn't mean that if I cracked it open I'd find some big, juicy, succulent, braaaiiins.” Sam mused. What was wrong with him???
Sarah was now openly staring at Sam's behavior. She noted that his skin was beyond pale now. His veins were quite visible beneath the semi transparent skin. His eyes had become pale too. Glancing around she caught the eye of a fellow passenger near the door to the next compartment. After mouthing the words “Go get the conductor,” She turned back around facing her seat mate.
A moment later the conductor walked up to where Sarah was sitting. Sarah tilted her head meaningfully at Sam, her eyes wide, the conductor nodded in answer. He turned his attention over to the man slumped in his seat.
The conductor visibly blanched. Composing himself he spoke to the man,“Sir, “ said the conductor. “Are you all right?” He looked down at the now groaning man. Sam slowly turned his head up towards the conductor. His eyes now milky, skin ashen, his mouth opened slightly. The conductor continued, "Sir, may I see your ticket?" As he extended his hand, the train approached a tunnel. Seconds later it plunged into darkness. The roar of the train's engine echoed off the walls of the tunnel. The train emerged from the tunnel and the echoing sounds of the engine and the click-clack of the wheels on the track subsided.
As Sarah's eyes readjusted to the brightness, her voice joined that of the conductor, the two of them screaming. The conductor, flecked in shocking red blood screamed in pain ripped his hand back. Agony gripped the man's face as he looked down at his remaining digits.
Sarah screamed again as the man across from her lunged at her. The screams of the other passengers echoed throughout the train car as chaos erupted. In the next moment the other passengers tried desperately to get to the next car as the maniac aggressively pursued anyone within arm's reach. Several people were bitten in the scuffle before they could slam the sliding door between cars. Sam collided with the door several times before turning and slowly shuffling back to the woman bleeding on the seat.
Hours later the train eased to a stop, having been remotely disabled when the train's Engineer became unresponsive. The sergeant looked at it with dawning horror. There were bloody handprints and splattered blood on all the windows. He could see movement inside the train and a low moaning could be heard. There was a shuffling noise as the occupants of the train limped towards the doors. “My God.” said the Sargent. The doors opened, and all hell broke loose.