The rain hammered against the windows as Emma hurried down the empty platform. The station was nearly deserted, just a flickering light above and the distant hum of the last train approaching. She checked her watch: 11:47 PM. If she missed this one, she’d be stranded until morning.
The train doors slid open with a hiss. Emma stepped inside, relieved to be out of the cold. The carriage was almost empty, just a tired-looking man in a wrinkled suit and a woman reading a book. Emma chose a seat near the middle, rubbing her hands together for warmth.
As the train pulled away, the lights flickered. Emma frowned. Then, thud. The train jerked violently. The lights went out.
Darkness.
Emma’s breath quickened. The emergency lights flickered on, casting eerie shadows. The other passengers looked just as confused.
Then the intercom crackled.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we apologise for the delay. A technical issue has been detected. Please remain calm.”
Emma exhaled. Just a delay.
But then, the woman with the book gasped. “Did you hear that?”
Silence.
Then, tap, tap, tap.
Something was moving between the carriages.
The man in the suit stiffened. “Probably just the conductor.”
Emma wasn’t sure. The sound was too slow. Too deliberate.
The train lurched again. The lights died completely this time.
In the blackness, Emma heard it, scraping. Like metal dragging against metal.
Then, a whisper.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Emma’s blood turned to ice. The voice wasn’t from the intercom. It was inside the carriage.
The emergency lights flickered back on.
The woman with the book was gone.
Emma’s heart pounded. The man in the suit was sweating. “Where, where did she go?”
A cold breeze swept through the train. The doors at the far end of the carriage creaked open.
Something stepped inside.
Tall. Thin. Wearing a conductor’s uniform, but its face was wrong. Too pale. Too stretched.
Its lips curled into a smile.
“Tickets, please.”
The man in the suit fumbled in his pocket. “H-here.”
The conductor took the ticket. Then, its fingers lengthened, wrapping around the man’s wrist.
“This ticket… is expired.”
The man screamed as the thing pulled, dragging him into the darkness between the carriages.
Emma was alone.
The conductor turned to her.
“Your ticket.”
Emma’s hands shook. She reached into her bag, and froze.
She’d lost her ticket.
The conductor’s grin widened.
“No ticket? Then you’ll have to pay… another way.”
Emma bolted. She sprinted down the carriage, throwing open the emergency exit. Cold wind blasted her face as she leapt onto the tracks.
Behind her, the train let out a screech, like something angry.
Emma ran. She didn’t look back.
When she finally reached the next station, gasping for breath, the attendant frowned. “Miss, are you alright? The last train was cancelled hours ago, there was an accident further down the line.”
Emma’s blood ran cold. “What… what accident?”
The attendant sighed. “Train derailed. No survivors.”
Emma turned.
On the platform behind her, wet footprints led from the tracks.
But they weren’t hers.
Vocabulary Notes
Hammered (verb, past tense)
Meaning: To hit or strike repeatedly (often used for heavy rain).
Example: “The rain hammered against the windows.”
Similar words:
Pounded (The rain pounded the roof.)
Lashed (The wind lashed against the trees.)
Beat (The storm beat down all night.)
Deserted (adjective)
Meaning: Empty, abandoned, with no people.
Example: “The station was nearly deserted.”
Similar words:
Abandoned (The old house looked abandoned.)
Vacant (The streets were vacant at midnight.)
Uninhabited (The island was uninhabited.)
Flickering (adjective/verb)
Meaning: Shining unsteadily, going on and off.
Example: “Just a flickering light above and the distant hum of the train.”
Similar words:
Fluttering (The candle flame fluttered in the wind.)
Glimmering (A faint light glimmered in the distance.)
Blinking (The warning light kept blinking.)
Lurched (verb, past tense)
Meaning: Moved suddenly and violently.
Example: “The train lurched again.”
Similar words:
Jerked (The bus jerked forward.)
Swayed (The ship swayed in the storm.)
Staggered (He staggered after being pushed.)
Whisper (noun/verb)
Meaning: A very quiet, soft voice.
Example: “Then, a whisper. ‘You shouldn’t be here.’”
Similar words:
Murmur (She heard a faint murmur in the dark.)
Mumble (He mumbled something under his breath.)
Hiss (The wind hissed through the trees.)
Expired (adjective)
Meaning: No longer valid; past its end date.
Example: “‘This ticket… is expired.’”
Similar words:
Invalid (Your passport is invalid now.)
Outdated (This coupon is outdated.)
Void (The contract became void.)
Bolted (verb, past tense)
Meaning: Ran away suddenly in fear.
Example: “Emma bolted. She sprinted down the carriage.”
Similar words:
Fled (He fled from the attacker.)
Dashed (She dashed across the road.)
Escaped (The prisoner escaped at night.)
Derailed (verb, past tense)
Meaning: (For a train) to come off its tracks.
Example: “Train derailed. No survivors.”
Similar words:
Crashed (The truck crashed into a wall.)
Overturned (The car overturned on the icy road.)
Went off track (The train went off track in the storm.)
Gasped (verb, past tense)
Meaning: A sudden, sharp intake of breath (often in shock).
Example: “The woman with the book gasped. ‘Did you hear that?’”
Similar words:
Panted (He panted after running upstairs.)
Wheezed (She wheezed in the cold air.)
Sucked in breath (He sucked in a breath in surprise.)
Screech (noun/verb)
Meaning: A loud, harsh, high-pitched sound.
Example: “Behind her, the train let out a screech, like something angry.”
Similar words:
Shriek (The owl shrieked in the night.)
Squeal (The brakes squealed loudly.)
Wail (The wind wailed outside.)
Story written by DeepSeek AI
Image created by Designer AI
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