The platform was empty, the green tiles stained with dirt.

“There she is!” a voice shouted from the top of the stairs.

I looked back and saw the man in the dark coat.

He was pointing a silver pistol at me.

I ducked behind a thick concrete pillar.

A bullet chipped the corner of the pillar, sending a shower of gray dust into the air.

I held my breath, clutching the infants close.

The train roared into the station, its headlight blinding me for a second.

The screech of the brakes was deafening.

I had to make a choice.

If I boarded the train, they would trap me inside.

If I stayed here, they would shoot.

I noticed a small wooden door marked *Employees Only* just a few feet away.

The lock was rusted.

I threw my shoulder against the wood.

It gave way with a loud crack, and I stumbled into a pitch-black maintenance corridor.

I closed the door gently behind me, pulling it shut until the latch clicked.

I stood in the darkness, listening.

The train doors opened and closed on the other side of the wall.