she sank back into the rusty red felt covered seat and watched as trees sped by across a crimson sky. alone in the carriage she listened to the rattle and thump of the wheels beneath her. she cupped a sleeve in her fist and passed a forearm across the yellowed glass to clear the condensation. winter crept in through a crack at the edge of the window and she pulled her scarf tighter around her chin. the carriage door opened and a barrage of outside noise filled the solitary space. an elderly man pulled the door closed behind him and crept down the carriage, clutching at the felt of every seat with gloved hands as he moved. she pulled her scarf up over her nose and turned to follow the speeding landscape.
he chose a seat across from her and bent to sit, gripping the armrests. he creaked with the seat as he sat and he sighed. she felt him face her. she turned her shoulders towards the window and pulled the scarf higher up her face. she stared at the sky streaked white and pink and followed the clouds with her eyes. the old man coughed into a handkerchief and wiped at the corners of his mouth. they passed into a tunnel and her ears dulled.
in the reflection on the blackened glass she watched him surveying her, chartering every inch of her body. she pulled her thick coat around her a little tighter and tensed her jaw. the old man coughed again and she arched her gaze towards his in an irritated glare. light passed over his paper face and cold white eyes stared at the space between them.
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