Short stories

Death train

Every 3 a.m., it begins. Those shouts and cries coming from afar. But always felt as if they were calling me and I have known them for a long. I, Sean moved to this place 6 weeks ago, but still, this place feels familiar for some reason. Like I have been here not in reality but in dreams. One of those dark and vivid dreams. Life works interestingly, and it can change itself in a blink. I was working fine with my job as a forecaster until that one mistake took my job and my happy life, and now I am back in my hometown. For some reason, I couldn't go back to my parents' house. They died a long time ago, and being an only child you can say that I have no family. I started working as a forecaster for a smaller organization. And I had rented a place, a cheaper one. Also, there was a station nearby. It was both an advantage and a disadvantage. I could travel easily but the noise from the train all night makes it hard to sleep. And my insomnia helps it.

Every night at 3 o'clock, I woke up to weird noises, it sounded like a train engine and an animal barking. It upsets me as I was getting low hours of sleep. I was sure those sounds were from the train engine but they still haunt me for some reason. I travelled by train to go to the office. But one day, I got late on my way back. It was late midnight. I reached the station, and the train was about to leave. And by luck, I catch it up. There was only one person, an old man. I sat there, completely tired. The man looked at me and said;

"Good for you. This is the last train, going that way." I looked at him and I simply nodded. Lately, it's been hard for me to sleep as I have some weird nightmare, where I am running on runtracks behind a train and I want to get on it but I can't and then there I am, exhausted. And I heard the bell, the one that was used on the train ages ago, And that train arrived. And then the noise becomes louder like someone is crying and asking for help. And then there are multiple voices. Hundreds of people crying and shouting for help.

I looked at the old man and said, "This is not the last train, I may be new to the town. But I heard train engines till 3 every night." and I got off at my station. The old man looks stunned. I thought he was pulling a joke with me. A few days went by and the nightmare was constant. Again I was late working and I got the midnight train home, the old man was on the train.

He looked at me, "You are working late again?"

"Yes, work has been hard these days." "I see, still you shouldn't work past midnight and if you do don't travel by train after midnight. Just an old man's advice."

"Sure, I will keep that in mind. But if you don't mind can I ask you? What happens after midnight?"

"After midnight, the train starts for them."

"For who? Alien?"

"NO, The deaths.

The Dead Ride,"

"Woow!!! That's funny."

"You don't believe me? Do you? There was an incident on these tracks, a passenger train caught fire, The reasons were unknown but every single one of its passengers died on that train that night. And people say afterwards, death ride on these paths."

"I see. So it's a passage for death."

A few days went by, nothing happened except the voices at night were constant. I was curious, cause if it was true, it made me curious to check. So one day I stayed late till the last train and hopped to see the old man again. But this time he was not there. I did this for 2 to 3 days. But one day I fell asleep at the station and when I woke up. And I missed the last train. I remembered what the old man had said to me. Then I saw a man right across the corner, dressed up in a suit. I went up to him asking if there would be any other train for the night. But the man said 

"There will be no more trains and the station will be closed soon. Nobody stays here after midnight, you should leave too."

"Do you work here?" I asked him, 

"Yes, and I am off work now. You should leave too. Take a taxi."

For some reason, I want to stay here and check if what the old man said is true then what are those engine sounds at night?