It was a man. A bum, actually. Judd squeaked again.
The man took a step forward and Judd nearly wet himself. The man said, “You here for the train, boy?”
Judd couldn’t speak.
“Answer me, boy.”
“Yes,” he finally said, although it sounded too high-pitched to be his own voice.
The man nodded and stepped forward again. “What’s your name?”
Judd bit down on his lips, stopping himself from saying his name, and wondered if that was a good idea anyway. It’s just your name, a voice inside his head said. How much harm could he do with your name?
“Judd,” he finally said.
“Nice to meet you, Judd. I’m Reggie.”
They both stared at each other some more. Judd was suddenly certain that something very, very bad was going to happen to him. Reggie stepped closer, his face still hidden mostly in shadows. Judd shifted his weight. He was ready to sprint in a heartbeat.
“Okay, Judd,” said Reggie, his voice sounding old and gravelly. “Let me guess: you’ve been hearing a train at night. Am I right?”
Judd couldn’t speak again. Indeed, he was having a hard time processing what he’d just heard.
Reggie stepped forward and spoke again: “And only at night, too?”
Judd still couldn’t speak, and so he nodded. He didn’t know if the man in shadows could see him nod or not, but he didn’t care.
Reggie continued, “And, further, you’re also the only one who can hear this train?”
More nodding. Leaves crunched as Reggie drew closer still.
“And not only do you hear it, but it sounds like it’s going to blast straight through your brain?”
Nod, nod.
The man stopped just before him. “You’re not the only one, Judd, nor will you be the last, I’m sure.”
“Then you hear it, too?”
“No, I’m afraid I can’t hear it, but others have. Come on. Let’s get into the light so we can at least see each other.”
The old bum stepped past Judd and led the way through the trees. Judd didn’t move. Not at first. His bike, he knew, wasn’t far off. And Reggie seemed really old. If worse came to worst, Judd would run for it, grab his bike, and high-tail it home.
For now, keeping some space between them, Judd followed the old man through the scrub trees. Shortly, the trees thinned and Judd found himself near the train tracks, which glowed dully in the moonlight.
What’s happening? he asked himself. What’s going on?
Reggie was heading toward an old, rundown building off to the side of the tracks. A light hung from the door. Judd stopped. There was no way he was going into that building. No way. Heck, that was the spookiest place he’d ever seen. Reggie must have sensed something was wrong because he turned and looked back at the boy.
“It’s the old train depot. This is where I spend most of my time, believe it or not.”
Judd believed it. A creepy old man hanging out in a creepy old building made sense to him. He still wasn’t going to go in.
“C’mon, Judd. This is where everyone waits for the train. You might as well wait for it here, too.”
That got him moving. Everyone? How many had come looking for the train? He didn’t know, but he soon found himself moving again, trailing behind the old, stooped man.
The train station seemed to be in a world of its own. From what Judd had gathered about upscale Orange County, it wasn’t a place that let old buildings like this exist for very long. Old buildings like this got destroyed in the name of progress.