Flicking the turnstile switch

Jeff tries to wriggle free. He cannot. Not only is he stuck from the top of the turnstile, but also the bottom. He looks down the mezzanine to the token booth. Tommy is in the booth. Any second now the machine would unlatch.

Jeff watches the door to the token booth slam shut. Oddly, he sees Tommy jump. Then he sees the startled look on Tommy’s face. He isn’t surprised, the sound had been loud in the mezzanine. It must have been like a rifle shot in the small confines of the token booth.

Jeff waits for the turnstile to be released. Furthermore, he keeps a close eye on Tommy. If anything looks out of the ordinary, barring the empty station, Tommy would run first. Of course Jeff wasn’t going to be doing much running stuck in a turnstile. He pushes against the steel contraption again. It doesn’t budge.

Flicking the Turnstile switch

The door had slammed hard. Tommy wonders if his ear drums are ruptured. He shakes his head and tries to focus on the switch. Jeff will be near a panic by now. Finally, he sees the switch on the wall, next to a set of cabinets. Crossing the floor quickly, he smacks the switch.

He turns and looks out the window of the token booth. However, he can’t tell if the turnstiles have moved. Therefore, he presses the button again. This time he quickly looks out the window. Likewise, he should see Jeff. But he sees no one. Especially not Jeff.

With this in mind, he decides to check on Jeff for himself. Furthermore, he was sure that Jeff would have come to the token booth. At the very moment he was free. He walks to the door. After trying the knob he discovers it’s locked. Locked tight. He pulls on the doorknob. Then he kicks the door.

He’s locked in. In a panic he looks back out the window for Jeff. He doesn’t see him. Could he have just left? Would he do that? Tommy thinks back on his friendship with Jeff. Now he really feels panicked. He crosses over to the turnstile switch and depresses it again. Solidly. He looks out the window for Jeff.

In the turnstile

Jeff looks back down the mezzanine to the token booth. He hasn’t been able to see Tommy since the door slammed. What was taking him so long? Furthermore, time was slipping away. It would be dawn before long, and the station would be filled with people.

He strains his eyes to see inside the booth. He can’t see Tommy at all. Now he wonders if something happened to Tommy when that door slammed. What if Tommy had been knocked out? Or worse?

Pushing against the turnstile does no good. Therefore, he tries to peer into the distant window of the token booth. It appears to be deserted. This was not looking good.