"Young lady, excuse my disturbing you but I think you can help me"

The voice, deep-toned with a pleasantly modulated accent, aroused Penny from her light sleep.  She hadn't intended to doze off, but it was late and the swaying motion of the train was soothing as it trundled its way from London's bustling center to the comparative quiet of the suburbs.

Her eyes flew open, and momentarily disorientated, she blinked owlishly in the direction from which the voice had come.  Startled, she discovered that the previously empty seat opposite was now occupied by an elderly, well-dressed gentleman who was leaning towards her holding out a neatly folded newspaper.  Now that he had her attention he continued:  "I can't seem to think of the answer to number ten down in today's crossword; perhaps you might know."

Puzzled as to why he would waken a complete stranger for such an unimportant matter, she nevertheless took the proffered paper and glanced down at it.  To her consternation, written boldly across the newsprint, in blue ballpoint ink, was the command FOLLOW ME OUT AT THE NEXT STATION.

The turn of events was so unexpected, the blood drained from her face and for a split second her whole being was rigid with shock; the instant her mind registered the implication behind the message, she began to look wildly around for someone to whom she could run for help.  Dismayed she now realized that of all her fellow travelers, the only ones remaining were this man and three rowdy youths sitting together on a seat at the front of the carriage.

Although they had their backs to her, their bald heads announced that they were followers of a new and particularly vicious cult.  From their behaviour it was obvious that they were also very drunk; in fact, the one in the middle appeared to have passed out cold. 

Her heart sank.  Normally she would avoid their sort like the plague but with fear taking a firm hold on her from this apparent threat, they seemed the lesser of the two evils.

Throwing a fearful look at the man she half rose from her seat, opening her mouth to call out, but the expression she read on his face stifled the cry before it reached her lips.  Mutely he was pleading with her to trust him.  Though he made no move towards her, silently, almost imperceptibly, he inclined his head in the direction of the raucous boys.

Sinking back on her seat Penny trembled from an agony of indecision.  Some instinct she couldn't fathom was telling her to trust this respectable looking man; but in a flashback to her childhood she could hear her mother's voice warning her never to trust a stranger.

Scenes from breakfast that very morning flitted through her mind.  Her mother, on hearing that Penny intended to stay in town for a girl's night out, had harped about the dangers she could encounter on the subway late at night.  Dire warnings of rape, murder or I.R.A. bombs had been reiterated over and over.

Now she found it incredible that she had shrugged away her mother’s fears, believing them to be products of over-reaction.  She had considered that at twenty-one she was capable of taking care of herself on the subway at night, always sitting in a carriage with plenty of people in it, and checking under the seat for any suspicious brown paper parcels - just in case.  Bleakly she wished she had taken more notice of her mother’s warnings.

It would be several more minutes before the train arrived at the next station, giving her mind time to run the gamut of questions and emotions.  She stole another look at the man, catching his eye.  He smiled briefly, his grey eyes wrinkled and kindly.  He didn't look like a potential assailant.

Did she really know what a rapist or murderer looked like?  Conceivably, couldn't he be wearing an expensive suit and look like someone's benevolent Grandfather?  If so, she figured she was out of her mind to even contemplate obeying his instructions for no reason that she could comprehend.

It eventually occurred to her to wonder what other motive he could possibly have for writing the message.  It seemed incongruous for a would-be attacker to announce his intentions by requesting his victim accompany him somewhere convenient to facilitate his evil plan!

He couldn't possibly know that she was riding to the end of the line, so why had he taken such drastic measures to ensure that she left the train at the same time as he?

Before she could speculate further, the train was slowing down as it finally approached the station.  The man stood up and moved passed her, heading down to the door, swaying slightly as the train jerked to a halt.  He turned to look back at her, the appeal in his eyes stronger.  Then the doors slid silently open and wordlessly he stepped out.

She had seconds to make up her mind.  She threw a wild look in the direction of the three youths then without thinking more of the consequences she hurriedly followed him off the train.

The dank, musty smell that always pervades a station assaulted her heightened senses.  Peering around in the shadowy gloom she spotted him, a few yards ahead, walking slowly down the deserted platform.  The doors slithered to a close behind her.  She stood rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do.  Aware of the train gathering speed as it abandoned her to her fate.

Suddenly he swung round on his heel and her heart leapt with terror as he headed back towards her.  In the dim light of the station his face appeared white and strained.  She turned to run but he grabbed her arm.

"Young lady", he gasped at her, his voice hoarse, "you will live to be forever grateful to yourself for placing your trust in me tonight.  I had to get you off that train".  He paused, taking a deep breath.

"You see, from where you were sitting on the train, you could not possibly know that of those three boys, the one in the middle had a knife stabbed in his back.  He was quite dead!