the tube station was full of people when i got there - a hundred, two? the air was still, and it was the next best thing to silent. i've not seen this before - there's always people talking, sounds of trains, something... but now there's nothing. a voice comes over the PA advising of a broken-down train down the line and resulting delays.
the next train is announced by a building breeze down the platform - air rushing ahead of the train coming down the tunnel. at the next station the line branches east-west, and this one's for the west line via London Bridge and Bank, so i wait. it's chockers - people squeezed against the doors. some get off, others get on. the next train arrives and it's the same, but what the hell? i only have 12 minutes to ride so i squeeze on with the rest of the cattle and get crushed in from behind as one or two more people try to crush on.
it's hot and stuffy in here. i'm in contact with at least 5 people that i can count and there's barely room to breathe while i stand there listening to Cog on my mp3 player. next thing i know the train's slowing... slowing... stopped in the dark between the stations. another train's pulled out ahead from a siding and there'll be a short wait. i'm standing, crammed like spam in a tin between stations on a train while i watch the people around me start to sweat and the doors are closed and there's nowhere to go and there's no way out and i can't get out i can't get out i can't i can't get fucking out i can't out out can't FUCK....
a couple of minutes that stretch to days and the train started moving. more people get out at Kennington than get on and there's some room. more get out at Waterloo and after a year's passed we're at Leicester Square. i walk around the wet streets for a couple of minutes to get my nerves back in order. i don't want to think about what i'd have done if there'd been a problem and i'd been stuck there much longer than that. i'm going to be wary of packed trains for the next little while, i think...
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