The Last Train

It was almost 11:30 PM. The last train at Kamalapur Station was preparing to depart. The red-green lights flickered like a final farewell. The station, once bustling with life, had now quieted down, except for the occasional announcements and the murmurs of a few late passengers.

Tanni rushed through the platform, her heart pounding in her chest. She had been stuck in traffic for hours and feared she would miss the train. The sharp whistle echoed through the night air as she sprinted towards the moving train. With one final leap, she barely managed to grab hold of the rail and pull herself inside. tPanting heavily, she collapsed into an empty seat, trying to steady her breath. A middle-aged man sitting nearby looked at her curiously. His face was lined with age, yet his eyes held a youthful gleam.

"Traveling alone at this hour?" he asked with a polite smile.

tanni nodded, still catching her breath. "Yes, I’m going to Kusumpur. My grandfather's house. I haven’t visited in years."

The man nodded knowingly. "Ah, Kusumpur! A beautiful village. I grew up near there."

As the train chugged forward, they continued talking. The rhythmic clatter of the tracks and the gentle swaying of the train made the journey feel almost dreamlike. The man shared stories of his childhood, describing the lush green fields, the old banyan tree by the river, and the ancient temple that stood at the village entrance. Tanni listened with fascination, her mind painting vivid pictures of the place she was headed to.

The night deepened, and a strange silence settled over the train. The passengers around them had either fallen asleep or were lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, the train shuddered violently. The lights flickered once, twice, and then went out completely.

A deep sense of unease crept over Tanni. The train groaned to a halt in the middle of nowhere. Outside, there were no station signs, no lights, only dense, looming trees. The air felt heavy, as if weighed down by something unseen.

Tanni turned to the man, her voice laced with concern. "What happened? Why did we stop? This doesn’t look like a station."

The man remained silent for a moment, staring into the darkness outside. Then, in a low voice, he said, "This... is the Old Kusumpur Station."

Tanni frowned. "Old Kusumpur? But there is no old station in Kusumpur. The current station was built decades ago."

The man let out a small, sad chuckle. "Yes, that’s true. The old station was abandoned after a terrible accident many years ago. It was said that a train derailed here one night, killing dozens of passengers. After that, no train ever stopped here again."

A cold chill ran down Tanni’s spine. She looked outside again, her breath hitching as she noticed a rusted sign barely visible through the overgrown weeds. The faded letters read: ‘Kusumpur Old Station’.

Her pulse quickened. "But why did our train stop here?"

The man’s expression turned grave. "Perhaps it wasn’t the train’s choice."

A sudden gust of wind rattled the windows. A distant sound—like whispers—echoed through the empty night. Tanni felt a suffocating dread crawl over her skin. She turned to the man, hoping for reassurance, but her breath caught in her throat.

His face was changing. His features blurred and faded, like mist dissolving in the morning sun. His eyes, once warm and full of life, now held a hollow emptiness. Slowly, he rose from his seat, his form becoming translucent.

Tanni’s entire body froze in horror.

"You shouldn’t have come here," his voice was no longer warm—it was hollow, distant. "They don’t like visitors."

The whispers outside grew louder. Shadowy figures began to take shape beyond the train’s windows, their silhouettes shifting in the darkness. A soft, eerie glow illuminated their faces—faces frozen in eternal expressions of fear.

Tanni let out a silent scream as she stumbled back, her heart hammering against her ribs. The train suddenly lurched forward, as if breaking free from an unseen force. The lights flickered back on, and everything returned to normal.

Breathing heavily, she turned to where the man had been sitting.

He was gone.

Her seatmate had vanished as if he had never existed.

Shaken, Tanni clutched her bag tightly, her mind racing. Had she imagined it all? The train was now speeding through the countryside, the station left behind in the darkness. Other passengers stirred from their sleep, oblivious to what had just happened.

Tanni swallowed hard and glanced outside one last time. In the distance, the shadowy figures stood still, watching as the train disappeared into the night.

And then, just like that, they were gone.