The Midnight Express

An abandoned railroad station was located far from the town, hidden away in the middle of a forest. However, a strange train would occasionally arrive at the station at the stroke of midnight once a month. The Midnight Express was so named because it was supposed to grant its passengers whatever that they wished.

Sarah, a keen teenager with a fascination for the paranormal, heard rumours about the Midnight Express. She made a terrible decision to go to the isolated station that fateful night because she was intrigued and lured by the possibility of getting her greatest wish.

The wind howled through the desolate train station, rustling the leaves and sending chills down the spines of those who dared to wait on the cold, dark platform. The only source of lighting was a flickering lamp hanging over the solitary ticket counter. In the tiny, remote hamlet of Black Hollow, the Midnight Express was known for arriving late, and tonight it was doing what it always did. The distant sound of an arriving train rang through the dense fog that engulfed the station as the clock struck midnight. The townspeople murmured stories about the Midnight Express and travellers who had suddenly vanished on their journey. Some claimed it was cursed, others claimed it was haunted, and yet others claimed it was only a fabrication of a restless imagination.

Sarah, a young woman with unhappy eyes and a heavy heart, was among those waiting on the platform. Her trembling fingers held a worn-out ticket tightly, her breath visible in the freezing air. Sarah had heard of the Midnight Express legends but dismissed them. She had reasons for needing this train that exceeded any superstitions. With a thunderous screech of brakes, the train arrived at the station. Under the moonlight, its shiny black cars appeared terrifying, and its windows reflected the shimmering, ghostly fog. 

Sarah hopped onboard with a deep breath, her heart pounding like a drum. The train was strangely empty inside with just a few mysterious people sitting in the corners, covered in darkness. Sarah settled into an empty seat by the window, her fingers still gripping the ticket. The passengers remained silent while the train roared to life, their faces hidden by darkness.

As the train rushed through the barren countryside, minutes turned into hours. Sarah's worry grew with each passing moment, and her gaze nervously ran from passenger to passenger. The repetitive clatter of wheels on rails lulled her into a trance.

The lights in the cabin suddenly flickered and dimmed, sending the train into an uncomfortable darkness. Panic rushed through Sarah's veins as she realized the shadows were closing in on her. The images in the car's corners appeared to shift and deform, their eyes shining with an evil glow.

Sarah held her ticket and screamed for help, desperate and afraid. As she moved, the lights re-emerged, showing the passengers in their actual, horrific shapes. They were twisted, floating creatures with sunken eyes and horrible grins, definitely not humans. Sarah's pulse accelerated as she realized the Midnight Express was not a magical train. It was a ship that carried tormented spirits and cursed souls to the realm of the damned, and now they want her soul. Sarah, now crying, started praying, she focused her attention away from the horrific people and on her ticket, using every ounce of power she had left. She grasped it hard, whispering words of resistance and hope. Trying to remember her mother and wishing she could go back to her. 

A powerful energy engulfed her as the ticket began to shine with an otherworldly glow. Sarah was pulled from the grasp of the wicked spirits and thrown from the train, falling hard on the empty platform of Black Woods. The Midnight Express departed into the night, leaving only distant echoes of sorrowful wails in its path. Sarah got lucky today, she struggled to her feet, her heart still beating, as the first rays of morning broke through the fog. She'd survived the train, but the horrors she'd witnessed would haunt her for the rest of her life. The rumours were real, and the Midnight Express was a horrific voyage into the unknown that no one should ever attempt.

The Midnight Express legend passes on, a cautionary tale told among those night travellers.

It is said that, even today, on dark, foggy nights, the Midnight Express appears at train stations and takes away unwary night travellers.

So, the next time you board a late-night train, bear in mind that it is not the Midnight Express.

Bon Voyage !