Boarding - The Leviathan Express
You sat with your hands folded in your lap upon a paint-worn bench, Your oversized luggage that’d been hell to carry next to you. The platform you’d been directed to was surrounded by nature, and the ever growing annoyance due to the buzzing of cicadas and having to swat away at wayward clumsy bugs consistently reminded you of the fact that the train was late.
You snuck a glance at the worn clock that stood beside you- an hour. It’d been nearly an hour, long enough for the sky to turn dark and the shadows between the trees to become ever more present.
You practically cried in relief at the deafening whistle of a train. You jumped up and heaved your suitcase with you, excitedly making your way near the edge of the platform. You waited, and you waited… it should be here by now. The whistle sounded so close…
Your soul nearly leaves your body as a rush of wind almost knocks you over. You hadn’t seen the headlights- or even heard the familiar chugging of the train on the train tracks. It’d seemingly just appeared?
You could’ve sworn- …Anyway. Luckily, you’d kept a tight grip on your ticket so it hadn’t been blown away. God knows what you would’ve done if it had.
You right yourself the best you can before the door to the express slowly opens.
You hug your ticket close to your chest and swallow as you stare up at the massive animatronic in front of you. They were taller then any human could hope to be, but even more so they took the spot amongst the tallest animatronics you’d ever seen.
You’re knocked from your stupor when he begins to chuckle. He walks down the steps of the express and with a little jump he is standing on the platform beside you. He politely bows and extends a hand.
“I’ll need your ticket, dear.”
You flush and sputter out a quick apology before handing the ticket over. You watch him give it a quick scan then punch a hole into it with his… claw. How intuitive! You give him a bright smile as he hands it back to you. Without another word he reaches forward to take your heavy suitcase. You sigh as the weight is taken from you.
“Oh… thank you so much. I know it’s a bit heavy.” He pauses to stare at you. It feels like an eternity until he actually speaks.
“Of course. It’s- not a problem, dear.” He quickly turns before you can say anything in response and you have to quickly scramble to keep up with him. The inside of the cabin is… warm- but empty. It’s unnervingly quiet. Theres no bustle of passengers settling down for the night, not another person in sight. You feel a sense of vertigo and It’s as if all the air has been sucked from the room, with the only other presence being the one in front of you. Despite the liminal atmosphere you can’t help but feel… safe? With the tall bot around. Even if he is a little strange.
There is nothing to fear. Not yet.
You almost run into the back of him when he abruptly stops in front of your room. Did… you hear someone just now? He takes out a key and unlocks the door, gesturing for you to go inside. You shake off the eerie feeling and smile up at him. As you walk past and take in the place you’ll be staying for the next… however long, you idly hum. You’ll have to ask at some point. Turning to face him you thank him once again. He’s silent for a brief period of time and places your luggage down inside of your room.
“…May I see your hand?” The odd request stuns you for a brief moment but you comply. He seems pleased by this and says a quiet thank you. He takes your hand making sure the palm is facing up and drops the key into it. He slowly closes your fingers around it and holds your hand closed. You manage to pull your eyes away from how his massive hands dwarf yours and freeze up when you find him staring at you. At least, you think he is as his neon pink eyes lack pupils. “For your own sake, do not lose this key.” You blink and nod, confusion and concern written all over your face. The Conductor seems satisfied by this though and gives a nod of his own.
He turns to leave but before he’s out the door you reach for his sleeve- his head whips to face you but he makes no move to pull away. “Uh- sorry- I just… wanted to thank you… again. For carrying my suitcase, I mean.” You start to let go of his sleeve, however before you can fully pull your hand away he quickly grabs it and presses the back to his faceplate.
“Of course, my Dear. Anything you need, just say the word.” And with that he actually leaves, with you standing in a stunned silence and your hand still halfway in the air.
