Night Train

Darren's light green eyes opened to view a small metal wrapped room with a window to his right. After sitting up and turning to his left he realized there was a door in front of him. The door suddenly slid to the right.

"Hello sir," The man said, "Welcome to the night train. The only train you need."

The man, still unnamed, smiled at Darren.

"Where am I?" Darren asked.

The man slumped forward before saying, "The Night Train," And ended with an awkward stare, "The only train you need."

"Okay," Darren said, "But train to where?"

"Where else?" the man smiled with a creepy grin, "Hell."

"No …," Darren paused, "Seriously, where are we going aboard this Night Train?"

"I would never joke about our destination."

"Since we're going to hell, do I have to stay in my room?" Darren played along.

"You're free to move about," The proper gentleman informed him, "But be cautious of the rooms you enter."

With that the man stepped backward, out of the room and waited the half second for the door to close. Darren sprang forward and demanded the door to open. It took him a second to realize there was a pad on the left side of the silver metal door. He waved his hand and the wall disappeared into itself and left Darren staring at an empty hallway. He looked both ways but the gentleman was nowhere in sight. He looked left and right, nothing. He repeated, left and right, nothing. He stepped back into his tiny space and sat down. His body wasn't even done sitting when there was a knock on the door. This time it was a short plump woman in a black dress that stood in the hall. She immediately took a step inside.

"Okay, we just need to verify you real quick." She said as she sat next to Darren on the bed.

"And what does that mean?" Darren asked as he slid away from her.

"Are you Darren Samuel Perkins?" The woman quickly continued, "Born January 26th 1975, to Pamela Christine Merritt and Jonathan William Perkins?

A few seconds dragged by before Darren responded, "Yes, that is me."

"Here is your ticket," The woman handed him a slip of paper and started to retreat from the small room, "Be careful, Mr. Perkins."

Once the sliding door closed Darren asked himself, "How am I supposed to be careful on a train to hell?"

Several minutes passed as Darren weighed his option. He could stay here, but he couldn't figure out how to lock the door. He could also go venture through the train, maybe find a weapon? Another person?

His curiosity got the better of him and he decided to open the door and step out into the hallway. He looked both ways and only saw doors. Above his sliding door was the number 1008. He was still unsure of what was going on; was this a fever dream?

There were two doors through the left of him and seven to his right. Each door looked as dull as the last. Darren turned to his left. At the end of the hallway was a door that led to the next train car. If he was right in his thinking and this next car was the 11th, it would be especially horrible. Darren opened the door with a push of a button. The glass allowed him to look into the next train car. It seemed like a bar or restaurant dining room from what Darren could see. When he opened the other door everything went dark.

The rhythm of the train, click clack, spun its web and enveloped Darren. Until a blood curdling scream echoed in front of his face. A figure loomed in front of him in the pitch black. Click clack! The lights came on and he was standing in an empty car with tables and chairs all around with a fully stocked U-shaped bar in the middle.

Darren was frozen. He knew there was something there, he could feel its presence, but not see it. The odd feeling gradually went away. Click clack. It took a few long moments before he approached the bar. He reached for a bottle of beer when the now familiar sound of the door opening went off behind him.

"Are you sure you should be drinking something on this train?" A smooth voice wafted into Darren's ears.

When Darren turned around, beer in hand, he saw the man that asked. He was dressed in an expensive looking black suit with a blood red tie. Darren looked from the green bottle of beer in his hand to the well dressed man and back. He took a swig before looking back at the man.

"Did you not get welcomed aboard?" The man asked.

"I did." Darren answered before taking another drink.

"So you know what this is?"

"A train to hell." Darren answered.

"And yet you have no problem ingesting what you find aboard this train?" The man smiled.

"I'm going to hell. What else can they do to me?" Darren responded back with a smile.

"Oh, you would be surprised," The well dressed man started, "Most people don't leave their rooms, let alone try the food and drink. Would you be interested in joining me for lunch?"

"Lunch?"

"Yes, the meal between breakfast and dinner." The man smiled.

"It is pitch black outside. I figured it was the middle of the night."

"Well that one is new."

"Who are you anyways?" Darren finally thought to ask, "A passenger?"

"Using your analogy," The strange man replied, "I would be the conductor."

"You are Charon then?" Darren asked, intrigued.

"No, the man that greeted you in your room is Charon," The man replied, "I control the train."

"Hades?"

"One of many names," The god said with a charming smile, "I actually like that one. Closer to the truth ... How about something to eat?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind?"

"Order whatever you want," the god smiled again, "What else can I do to you, right?"

Darren silently approached the seat opposite his host and took a few more gulps of the ice cold liquid. The wooden chair was comfortable and Darren finished his drink. Despite the chair, he was feeling an unnatural unease began to build. One look into his host's ice blue eyes and his heart was speeding up. Sweat was collecting on his brow and freely falling under his shirt. The god's facial expression changed from an amused smile to a disappointed frown.

"Where is he?" Hades asked aloud before waving his arm.

The man that greeted Darren, Charon, appeared next to the table with his hands behind his back.

"My apologies, sir, I was tending to the beast," The man bowed and then noticed someone else at the table, "Oh, hello Darren, what can I get you two?"

"What is the special?" Hades asked.

"We have clam shelter and a spicy shrimp scampi."

"Ooh, I like a good scampi. What about you Darren?" Hades asked with a devilish grin.

"I guess I'll have another beer." Darren replied.

"Very good sir." The older gentleman declared before a tray appeared on his open palm. After placing each order in front of the right person he retreated out of the car.

After finishing the second beer a third one appeared. The god, however, was using a fork to transfer the pre peeled shrimp to his waiting mouth.

"I don't feel so good." Darren said before resting his head on the table.

"I would say not," Hades replied after swallowing a mouthful of shrimp, "You've had three of those. And they are strong. Also not alcohol."

"What do you mean it isn't alcohol?" Darren's head jumped up.

"It's a hallucinogen," Hades grinned, "And you are in for a ride."

Darren's head slapped the table when it fell and he was no longer able to move this body. That was when Charon returned and picked up the dead man. Charon promptly deposited the passenger back into his room, 1008. Darren woke up, covered in sweat, and sat up. He didn't know where he was, the last place was aboard a train. He hated trains. And he was allergic to seafood. It was a nightmare. He started to fan himself with his hands. He quickly looked around the room before his eyes found his target, a fan. He turned it on and pointed it at his face. The fanning helped increase the heat. Then he thought of water. He threw the fan and ran towards the open bathroom. His skin was on fire. Any pressure change on his skin, even from walking forward, caused a serious pain to spread over his skin.

Sweat was soon free falling onto his hands. His chin erupted in heat and when he foolishly pressed on his skin the heat only increased. He shut his eyes and began to cry. The tears traveled down his cheeks and fell onto his hands. Something felt different, wrong. The sweat that he could feel dripping down his cheek was thick. It didn't run like the sweat from before, instead it slowly crawled down his face. When he looked up into the mirror, he saw the most disgusting sight he had ever seen. His face was melting off. He could now see his skull in the places where his skin had already fallen. He lit up the wild, blood curdling, blood curdling, screen before collapsing on the cool tile bathroom floor.

When Darren awoke he was once again on the train, back in his room and covered in sweat. He quickly got to his feet and walked out into the hallway. He saw the door leading to the bar and rushed through it. The lights went out and Darren walked into what felt like a wall.

When the lights came back on Darren realized he had walked into a large person. The man was more than two feet taller than Darren and had three red eyes. When the three eyed behemoth slightly smiled Darren noticed the man's teeth were razor sharp. The lights went out again. This time, when the lights came back on, Darren was alone in the car.

Darren remembered to stay away from the drinks when he walked to the middle of the room. He quickly maneuvered around the empty bar and remaining tables before stopping in front of the door on the opposite side of the train car. He peered through the sliver of glass and could barely make out the next train car. It would be the twelfth car. His first thought was the kitchen, but he thought back to when Charon manifested the tray and orders.

He opened the door and a sudden rush of hot air hit him in the face. This next car seemed to be a large laundry room. Clothes were hanging in the corners and steam flooded the ceiling. It was far hotter in here than in the previous room and Darren instantly started to sweat. He tried to quickly walk through the room, but soon stood right behind someone, maybe the laundry attendant, bending over a large pot of boiling water. The person was bent and extended over the pot with an equally large paddle stirring and pushing what appeared to be white clothes in a dark bubbling liquid. When he looked closer he could see faces at the top of what appeared to be a shirt. It wasn't until he noticed nipples on the shirt. They weren't clothes, but skins.. Darren didn't know what to do. He stood there for a few seconds before squeaking out.

"Hello?"

The person bent in front of him jumped up, almost into the pot, and dropped the paddle into the sloshing water. The scream that accompanied the movement was high pitched and echoed in the cavernous train car.

"What is wrong with you?" The person began screaming as they turned, "You almost killed me. Do you know how hot this is?"

"No …"

"What do you want?" The green woman asked as she materialized another paddle into her hands, "You have to remove the article before I can wash it."

"Wha …" Darren barely understood her as he stared at the green skin, "I don't need any clothes washed, but thanks. What is the next car?"

"You are a passenger? ," The woman asked before saying, "It is the coal room, the last room you can go."

"It's the last car?"

"For you, yes," she answered, "The next is employees only."

"What is back there?" Darren asked another question.

"Our quarters," the brown eyed green skinned woman said, "And I do not recommend trying to get in there."

"Okay." Darren said flatly before making his way around the woman.

Once to the next door Darren could see a dancing light beckoning him inside. The door opened and the air was even hotter than the laundry room. It was a dry heat that sapped sweat and energy off of him. As he walked further into the room the enormous three eyed man stood up. He stepped around the thing that was producing the light, the furnace, and advanced towards Darren. The giant made everything he passed seem miniature and fake as it shook from his steps. Darren was able to jump to the side as the man-thing dove for him.

"YOU NOT ALLOWED!" The shriek was barely understandable, but Darren knew he was not wanted.

"Okay," Darren yelled, "I will leave!"

"YOU NOT ALLOWED!"

Darren was unsuccessful in trying to dodge the behemoth a second time. It grabbed Darren's leg. It swung Darren around in the air before slamming him into the back of the furnace. The pain from being smacked up against something metal intertwined with the pain from touching something that was at least a few hundred degrees and the sound that echoed out of Darren was one of pure agony. His scream didn't seem to have even registered to the giant as he picked him up again.

After swirling Darren in the air he threw him into the opposite corner. His collision with the two walls drew his attention away from the pain duo of before, but the burning sensation soon prevailed. Darren looked up and saw the door to the next train. The quarters to the employees. He shot a look back down the train car in time to see the three eyed giant pick up and rip apart a heavy metal box, which caused the contents to fly everywhere.

As the coal showered down Darren mustered his remaining strength and dashed for the door. His hand landed on the button to open the door and the man-thing started screaming. He wasn't screaming words, just a loud growl. Darren was able to get inside the cooler next train car just before one of the metal boxes full of coal splintered on the other side of the door. Breathing hard and in immense pain Darren crawled into the corner and held his legs as he sat on the floor.

This compartment was nice and cool. It was a hallway with windows to his left and rooms to his right. He didn't see anyone, but thought the large man would be coming through the door, somehow, any second. Darren pulled himself together, pushed the pain as far down as possible, and got to his feet. His left leg, the one grabbed by the giant, was broken which caused Darren to limp. He limped along by using the windows to support him.

The scenery outside was still pitch black. Darren couldn't make out anything on the other side of the window. That was unnerving by itself, but adding the click clack rhythm made his spine crawl. He continued to inch his way down the hall when one of the doors opened. It was Charon.

"Mr. Perkins, what are you doing out here?" The man questioned Darren as he approached him, "You do not want the beast to catch you this far up the train."

"Does the beast have three eyes, razors for teeth and the size of a house?"

"So you have already met him?" After seeing the state Darren was in, Charon added, "By the looks of you that answer is obvious."

Before either could say anything else the lights went out. A low growl pierced the silence and Darren knew he was in trouble. The lights flashed back on and standing in front of Darren was the beast. Darren audibly gulped and stared at Charon for help. Charon only shrugged and retreated back into his room. Darren tried his best to appear helpless in the hopes the beast just told him to leave.

"YOU NOT ALLOWED!"

Darren dove around the behemoth just in time and rolled towards the next door. He was inches from it when his leg was grabbed again. The giant swung him around and threw him into the closed door. Darren didn't realize until it was too late and his good leg was yanked into the air. A new pain diverted his attention to his shin, but his burns soon crept back to the top.

Darren was slammed onto the floor two more times before the giant tossed his limp body inches before the door. The giant man-thing seemed to lose interest as Darren stopped moving. With his back to the monster man Darren didn't know if it was watching him anymore. He rolled towards the door and when he wasn't grabbed again he opened his sealed shut eyes. He looked up towards the button and slowly got to his feet.

"Cerberus?" Darren asked himself as he pressed the button and stepped through the open door.

Darren turned back in time to see the mythical beast realize he was no longer on the ground. The door was shutting right when the giant dove towards it. The door shut without even a sound as Darren knew the beast had to have hit the wall. Darren turned forward and saw the same type of car as the last one, but instead of the left side being nothing but windows this one had a door at the very end.

As Darren hobbled down the hallway his worry that Cerberus would catch him again started to climb. He was halfway down the hall when the lights flickered. Cerberus had his back to Darren, which Darren used to his advantage. He could now see the door in all its splendor. It was an emergency exit. The roar of the giant was strong enough that it actually pushed Darren forward.

Darren's hand hit the door handle and he did his best to throw his weight into the door. It opened, but only barely. Thankfully the rush of the wind outside caught the door and yanked it the rest of the way. Darren stared out into the void before peeking back at the advancing giant. He didn't know what was going to happen, but knew it was probably going to be less hell in the void. He tried to jump but he really just crumbled out into the speeding nothingness.

***

Darren's light green eyes opened to view a small metal wrapped room with a window to his right. After sitting up and turning to his left he realized there was a door in front of him. The door suddenly slid to the right.

"Hello sir," The man said, "Welcome to the night train. The only train you need."