The Last Train of the Night

The night was foggy and chilly. With the exception of the dim flicker of a dying light in the corner, the train station was hauntingly still. Sarah waited for the final train to come while standing on the platform.

She was stuck at this lonely station by herself because she missed the earlier train. She could feel the heavy, almost tangible silence all around her, as though there was someone or something invisible living in the air.

Her watch indicated 11:58 p.m. The train was expected to arrive any moment now, but it was nowhere to be seen. It had rolled in with the fog, making it hard to see over the tracks. She felt the chilly air bite at her skin and send a shiver down her spine.

She heard it all of a sudden, a far-off, echoing sound. The sound of a train approaching, gentle and rhythmic. A odd mixture of relief and dread surged through her heart.

A shiver went through her as the sound got louder. Something felt... strange. Why did the sound appear both far away and nearby at the same time?

The train's headlights were faint when it emerged from the mist, leaving the platform covered in eerie, lengthy shadows. Sarah saw something odd about it, and her eyes widened.

The train appeared excessively aged. It was an old model, corroded and rusted, looking as though it had been left for many years. There was no view of anyone inside thanks to the gloomy windows.

In front of her, the train screeched to a stop. Though the doors squeaked open, nobody came out. Everyone else left the stage, leaving only Sarah. She paused for a brief while. Should she get on this train?

A deep inner voice cautioned her to avoid the area, to leave the station, and to never turn around. However, where else might she go?

Her hands shaking, she entered the coach. The interior air was dense with the smell of rust and aged wood, and it was even colder than the outdoors.

The walls were coated in flaking paint, and the benches were ragged and old. With her heart pounding in her chest, she took a seat. The train jerked forward as the doors closed with a loud thud.

Sarah cast her gaze about, expecting to spot other travelers. But there was nobody there—neither travelers nor conductor. The train hummed softly along the rails, and that was the only sound. Telling herself it was merely a late-night train, perhaps from another age, she tried to calm herself. However, something was bothering her. Why was it so bare? Who was where?

All of a sudden, the carriage was filled with a gentle murmur. "Sarah."

Her blood became icy. When she turned back, nobody was there to follow her. Her voice trembling, she cried out, "Who's there?"

Not a response. The murmur returned, more insistently this time. "Sarah, please leave."

Anxiety swept through her. How was her name known to it? The lights flickered as she got up to go to another carriage. She briefly caught sight of a shadowy figure sitting in the corner in the faint light; it was merely a silhouette, hardly discernible through the encroaching fog.

The figure vanished as the lights flickered once more.

Sarah's respiration accelerated. She hurried to the door and attempted to force it open, but it remained stuck. With the fog outside the windows acting as if it were a live thing, the train was now traveling quickly through the pitch-black night.

Sarah was thrown into the door when the train suddenly came to an abrupt stop. She stared outdoors, dazed. They were in an isolated area. There was no trace of any station, no sign of life at all, and the tracks vanished into the fog.

Once more, the whisper appeared directly beside her ear. "It's time to leave."

Sarah hurried to the next carriage without thinking, but her heart fell as she opened the door. There was no empty carriage. Seated in rows like ghosts, the vacant eyes of the people stared blankly forward. Their faces were lifeless and colorless, and they were all dressed in traditional clothing.

She staggered back, her thoughts racing. "This isn't possible... This cannot be taking place.

The train's doors creaked open once more, and she saw the dark figure approach her slowly from the end of the carriage. Sarah was unable to move her legs. She was never getting off this train was the horrifying notion that had her locked in place.

She heard a gentle whisper saying, "You shouldn't have taken the last train," as the figure raised a hand and gestured toward her before everything darkened.

The train slid silently away into the mist once more, leaving the platform empty in its wake.