The businessman walked to the light. The pedestrian signal was blinking, an annoying clicker chirping away. He hit the button to let it stop as the green figure appeared again. An impatient driver swore. When the man arrived on the opposite curb, he pulled out his cell phone and made a call. It was 4:32pm; the train had left two minutes ago. He looked up, up at the bell tower. His watch was 5 minutes slow.
At the station, passengers had not yet boarded. It was announced on the speaker system that the train had been delayed due to undisclosed complications. A short distance away was the stalled train- people evacuated- emergency crews on scene, lifting car #2750 to reveal a mangled form below. The torn cloth binding her feet to the tracks had been violently ripped. Just beyond the bloodied woman's reach was a ringing cell phone.