THE SUBCRAWL

Bridge Street Subway Station, Glasgow

Chloe

"Oh for feck's sake!"

I only loosened my grip for a second.

I don't even think it qualified as a full second, actually. And my grasp had barely relaxed either.

But due to an unexpected gust of wind from the departing train we just alighted from, my barely used all-day ticket has been yanked brutally from between my fingers. It dances its way tauntingly along the platform beside me, before launching itself into the air again and fluttering down onto the tracks, where it's now completely useless to me.

My best friend and cousin, Becky, shakes her head at me, clearly trying hard to suppress her laughter.

That ticket was meant to get me an entire day's worth of travel around the Glasgow Subway. Instead it has only covered my trip from St Enoch's Station to Bridge Street. And technically it hasn't even done that as I need the ticket to get through the barriers in order to exit the station.

The ticket machines and desk are all, obviously, on the other side of the ticket barriers.

"I'm basically a prisoner here now, you realise that?" I whine to Becky as she drags me up the stairs behind our group of fellow subcrawlers. "I now live in this station. Will you promise to visit me?" I'm half-joking, but barely. Situations like this are not my forte and I'm feeling extremely anxious and a bit panicky, while trying desperately not to show it.

"I'll tell you what, Chloe," Becky grins, stopping at the barriers and looking back at me with a wink. "I'll bring you a drink back from the pub." She presents her all-day ticket and strides through to freedom, leaving me abandoned on the other side.

Holy shit, it's like one of my worst nightmares coming true. I mean, I've not actually had a subcrawl-related nightmare before but if I had, being trapped in a subway station alone would definitely be up there. I'm sure there's a movie about that very subject, and I'm fairly sure it isn't a romcom.

Not even close.

"Becky?" I find myself wailing. I might be a 28 year old independent woman but I can still feel that telltale prickle somewhere behind my nose hinting that tears are on their way.

"Oh relax, I'm kidding." She giggles, taking pity on me. My cousin knows me well enough to realise I can only be pushed so far. She pauses at the ticket desk and purchases me a new all-day ticket before passing it across the barrier to me. "I'm hardly going to leave you here; there's way too much fun to be had outside of the station!"

That, I think warily, as I slam my replacement ticket down to be scanned and escape through the barrier, is exactly what I'm afraid of.

Perhaps I'd be better off trapped in the station after all . . .