Hello everyone! Today I’ve posted PART 1 of my short Horror Series:
The Train Ride From Hell.
The inspiration for this story comes from an account I read on my friend Ashwin Kumar’s Blog (My World… My Words) about a terrible train ride he had taken not long ago–Sunrise Shots From Train. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know your thoughts.
WARNING: Do Not Attempt To Read This Series At Night!
The Train Ride From Hell – PART 1
The piercing note of a horn woke me. I sat upright in my seat, then started when I heard the roar of an engine. I checked my surroundings. My pulse raced as I realized I was aboard a train. I shook my head trying to shake away the fog in my brain. Why am I on this train? Where am I going? I sprung to my feet and searched for a sign or map––anything that would indicate where I was. I saw nothing. There were no advertising billboards or maps, no neon signs telling me what the next stop would be.
I looked out of the grimy window nearest me. Smoke. Maybe fog? I could hardly see anything at all. I noticed the train’s walls. This train was not like the ones I’ve taken many times. The walls on this train were black like wrought iron, covered with a slimy film. Ugh! I looked at my seat. I screamed and recoiled. The seat was covered in grime, and there were roaches crawling all over it!
I stared at the people quietly sitting in their seats. My stomach churned painfully. The walls of the train seemed to shift up and down. I became dizzy and nauseated as I witnessed cockroaches crawling over some passengers’ laps, chests and even heads! Rats fiddled around their feet. Certain areas of the train’s floor moved. No––there were hundreds of slimy worms wriggling about. I retched repeatedly. I couldn’t understand why these people remained calm in their seats while insects and vermin crawled all over them. Who were these people? Where was this train going? How did I get here?
I scuttled down the aisle glancing at the different faces. Some were in a trance––they seemed to be in some sort of stupor. A large worm slithered halfway into a man’s ear while he sat motionless and stared ahead, his eyes glazed. With unsteady hands I pulled the worm out of his ear, slammed it on the ground and stomped on it. The man turned his head and smiled at me. It was not a grateful smile. The smile was evil and grotesque. Right before my eyes, his face shifted into a demonic form, then back to that of a man. Disconcerted, I tottered away.
There was a whirling sensation in my head and my breathing became shallow. I saw a woman with cockroaches crawling in and out of her hat. I pulled the hat off her head and threw it to the ground. Dozens of roaches spilled out and crawled all over her face. Her head whisked in my direction and she cackled as insects crawled into her mouth! I was overcome with feelings of queasiness. My heart was pounding loudly in my ears. My eyes jumped from passenger to passenger. Suddenly, they all stared at me at once, some grinning, others laughing, and yet others sobbing. Some faces flickered from human faces to that of demons. I clutched my hair and screamed again and again. I ran up and down the aisle. I couldn’t find a way out. Besides, the train was moving at an alarming speed. I couldn’t escape.
“Where am I?” I sobbed into my hands.
“You’re on a train,” a young voice responded.
“I know I’m on a train, but where am I . . . ” My voice trailed off when I saw her. She was a girl––no more than sixteen. She appeared almost angelic. There were no bugs crawling over her pretty face. She looked as out of place here as I did.
“Do you know where this train is going?” I stared still in disbelief.
“I’m not sure, but I have an idea.” She had an agonized expression. I continued to look at her for a while. She was definitely not like some of the others.
“Do you know how you got aboard this train? Because I have no idea how I got here!” My body trembled. She looked at me askance.
“Take your seats the train will make its first stop shortly!” A conductor showed up out of nowhere. I ran to him.
“How did I get on this train? Did you see when and how I got on? Someone must have brought me onboard. Do you know whom? Where is this train stopping?” The conductor only stared at me with a look of revulsion on his face.
“Sit. Down. You will see soon enough. You won’t be getting off here.” He laughed. He had a malevolent, doom-laden laugh that sent chills up and down my spine. I glanced at the girl; her face was pale––her eyes wide. When I turned to speak to the conductor again, he was gone. Having no choice, I sat by the girl’s side. Her hands trembled and she gazed at me with doleful eyes. I sobbed quietly.
The train was about to stop. I heard the squeal of steel wheels on steel rail. I tried to look out the window, but the glass was too dirty, and a thick wall of fog blocked my view. I glanced behind us. There was a gap between our row of seats and the row behind us. That’s usually where doors would be located, but there were no doors.
The train stopped with a jolt. The black, slimy wall between the two rows began to open. A round opening appeared, growing larger as if a flame were eating away at it. Passengers began to get out of their seats and file out of the train. I was not sure I wanted to go anywhere these people went, but I was compelled to see what was out there. I stood. The young girl gasped and held onto my arm.
“Don’t!” Her eyes were large with fear.
“I need to see.” I wrested my arm from her hold.
I rushed to the round opening and stared out. There was a sign right outside the train on the platform that read Limbo.
SAD – Illustration by Sebastian Ruhs
The Writer Next Door | Vashti Q 
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