Death's Train

"Wait! Wait!"

Myla yelled as she ran after the train, her long black hair blowing in the harsh wind and rain.

"Wait!" she screamed desperately as she raced onto the platform, just as the doors closed and the train pulled out of the station. Myla stood there in defeat, watching the train barrel through the tunnel ahead as the rain soaked through her shirt and jeans. Myla hurled her stuff down, engulfed in rage and threw herself on the bench where her belongings had landed. 

Okay, this is fine, Myla thought, assessing the situation. 

Yeah, I'll just get the next train, Cindy will understand if I explain it to her. 

Myla had finally gotten some time off from her University and studies to visit back home for her sister Cindy’s 14th birthday, but she had misread the time the train was going to leave, and now she had missed it. She sighed in despair and continued to wait for the next train.

Finally, just when Myla thought the train was never going to arrive, it rattled into the station. Myla smiled in relief as she picked up her bags and boarded the train, not noticing how the train was faded grey and so old that the windows were broken, chairs were torn up, and was missing a driver. The train doors closed and the train pulled out of the station and  began its two hour long journey, and only then did Myla realise she was the only one on the train. 

Everyone must've been on the first train, Myla thought. 

The train started to shake and the lights flickered violently, then plunged Myla into complete and total darkness. 

Must just be technical difficulties... Myla assured herself, but a dark feeling had wormed itself into her stomach. The lights blinked back on and Myla sighed, pushing her bad feeling down, and then noticed the new passengers on the train. All the seats that had been completely empty before were now filled with dozens of people. 

No, not people, Myla realised, ghosts. A scream clawed its way up Myla's throat, but she held it in, not wanting the ghosts to know she was there. As she looked around in horror, she realised they were all from different times, some as far back as the 1800’s right up to looking like they could’ve been her classmates back at high school. She caught a little boy who looked like he was from the early 1900’s staring at her.

"Mama..." he said worryingly, tugging at the hem of a dress belonging to the woman who was apparently his mother.

"Shh" His mother said, trying to silence him, "It's rude to stare."

"But Mama..." he said, pointing at Myla. The mothers eyes followed where he was pointing and she noticed Myla sitting there.

"Good gracious me!" The mother shouted, terrified. "You- you're- you're alive!" Every passenger snapped  their head towards Myla at these words, and looked at her in horror before erupting into a flurry of questions.

"Who are you?"

"Where did you come from?"

"How did you get here?"

They all surrounded her, badgering her with more and more questions,

"Is there a way out?"

"You need to get off this train!"

“Run, miss!”

“Get out!”

"Don't let him find you!"

“If he finds you it’s too late!”

"Who?" Myla screamed to be heard, "Who's gonna find me? Who’s ‘him’?"

The lights started to flicker again, this time more rapidly than the last, before cutting out completely. When the lights came back on, Myla was alone.

What the hell was that? Myla thought, staring at the spot where the last ghost had been. 

What did they mean? Who can’t I let find me? Her breathing became quick as she recalled what had just happened.

Myla… an eerie and haunting voice called.

 Myla… 

It was coming from the back of the train, “W-who’s there?” Myla called out into the darkness. 

Myla… It called, closer now. Myla stood up and shouted towards the voice, “I’m not scared of you!”

Myla… The voice called, even closer. Myla trembled, actually terrified. 

MYLA! The voice screamed, filled with fury. The train started to violently shake.

MYLA! It screamed one last time before the train stopped shaking and the voice disappeared. 

What’s going on? Why is this happening? She thought, nearly brought to tears. Her eyes fell to the ground and she saw a second shadow next to hers. Someone was standing behind her. She whipped around and saw a man wearing a black hooded cloak and holding a scythe. Myla's hands shot up to her mouth as she realised who he was.

"Hello Myla," The Grim Reaper said in an icy voice, "I've been expecting you."

"No," Myla said shakily, as the dark feeling returned "There- there has to b-be a mistake! I- I'm going to see my little sister!" This is what the ghosts had meant. This was who she couldn't let find her. But he had, and now there was no escaping. The Grim Reaper raised his head and stared into Myla's soul,

"There are no mistakes. And It seems your time is up." he raised a skeletal hand and pointed to the front of the train. Myla turned her head and looked to where he was pointing, and saw that the train had gone off course… far off course… and was heading to the edge of a cliff where the tracks had cut off. Myla dashed to the front of the train, desperate to stop it from plummeting off the edge, but it was too late. As the train flew in the air she hit her head on the roof and blacked out.

When Myla woke up, she was back on the train, in her seat. She raised her hand to her throbbing head and saw her arm was in a haunting blue light. "No," Myla said as she remembered what had happened, "No, no, no, no, no!" She screamed as more ghosts started to fill the train. They looked at her in despair, saddened that she was back, as she had become one of them.