Derek turned to find Mike and Tilly standing with their backs to him, both staring up the tracks at what appeared to be an actual train headlight. This, naturally, was impossible since right around the corner from where it had supposedly emerged was the railroad crossing in which the rails had been removed. In spite of this, there was no denying that well-defined light hovering high above the center of the rails far down the long straight stretch of track upon which Derek and his friends now stood.

Fighting with the impracticality of the light coming toward them, Derek again found himself not knowing exactly what to do, or, for that matter, whether or not to believe his own eyes. The total absence of sound normally associated with that of an approaching train seemed to indicate that this was merely an illusion, and yet with the increasingly-bright light Derek had to think that, if not a train, something was trundling up the tracks towards himself, Mike and Tilly. Something really big.

Curiously, there was a definite lack of sound. Normally, the approach of a train would be stridently declared by the roar of a diesel engine or the chugging of a coal burner, but such was not the case. The night remained just as peacefully quiet as it had been prior to the appearance of the headlight. This inconsistency actually felt to have short-circuited some neurons inside Derek's brain for, although he was definitely afraid at the moment, he could not decide whether or not he should panic. As if to add insult to injury, the wooden railroad tie upon which he was standing began to tremble under the approaching force of a mighty and powerful locomotive.

As the light continued to grow larger and draw nearer, both Mike and Tilly decided it best to scamper off to the side of the tracks, leaving behind the third member of their party who was still trying to determine the legitimacy of what he was seeing. Derek's eyes told him to follow his party and rush to safety but his ears disagreed. Therefore, about all he was capable of doing was to stand still and hope that this was all just a mirage, nightmare or ghostly apparition.

"Derek, get off the tracks," Tilly warned in an upraised voice.

"It's not real," he heard himself say, though without forethought - or believing his words completely.

"It's real enough," she insisted.

"Derek. Get off the tracks," Mike now insisted as the light continued to grow.

The distance between it and Derek was rapidly diminishing and as it neared it seemed to rise up higher and higher, indicating the immensity of the silent engine that it had been built into.

"Come on, Derek," Tilly now implored.

Derek's brain scrambled a little bit more, his confusion mounting to the point of being able to sense the impending danger but making him unable to react. As best he could figure, at this point he was incapable of determining whether it was fear that prevented him from moving off the tracks or stubborn denial. In either case, he merely stood like a statue with the ground beneath his feet trembling and the light before him growing larger, closer and more threatening.

"Derek!" Mike yelled. "Get out of there!"

"Get off the tracks," Tilly cried out.

Moments passed quickly and Derek raised his eyes to the blinding light that towered above his head as it rapidly bore down upon him. At that moment he knew that he was about to become spaghetti, and yet he was still incapable of saving himself. The fear being felt inside was mind-numbing and he now realized that even if he made a dash for it, he would not be able to get out of the way in time. And with his eyes widening he heard himself cry out right before the massive engine silently roared down upon him.

Selected text copyright 2010 by MT Shivers