Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

The night was thick with the scent of rust and decay as the survivors stood on the abandoned train tracks. The moon hung swollen and eerie, casting silver light on the rails that stretched into the void. Mira ran her fingers along the Cursed Book's spine, feeling it tremble in her grasp.

"This is where it happens," she murmured.

Draven adjusted his shotgun. "Where what happens?"

Elias flicked his lighter, eyes scanning the mist-covered tracks. "The Ghoul Train. People say it only appears to those already marked for death."

Zara tensed. "Great. So, we're standing in the exact spot where a haunted train full of undead nightmares is supposed to pick us up?"

A distant whistle cut through the air.

The tracks shuddered beneath their feet.

The mist thickened, coiling around them like skeletal fingers, and then—a train emerged from the darkness.

Its metal was corroded and blackened, the windows shattered, revealing shadowy figures moving within. The engine roared, spewing out thick, green-tinged smoke that smelled of sulfur and rotting flesh.

Mira's grip on the Book tightened. "It's here."

The train screeched to a halt, doors hissing open.

Inside, figures sat hunched in the seats, their skin stretched too tightly over their bones, their eyes hollow, their mouths moving in silent screams.

A conductor stepped out.

His uniform was tattered, his face gaunt and elongated, skin pulled taut over his skull. His eyes glowed with unnatural light, and when he smiled, his teeth were jagged metal, rusted and dripping black sludge.

"Boarding for the Departed, final call." His voice was a grating echo, vibrating through their bones.

Zara took a step back. "We are not getting on that thing."

But behind them, the dead began to rise.

Figures crawled from the earth, their flesh rotted, their hands reaching. The moans of the undead grew deafening, the tracks vibrating with their approach.

The conductor's grin widened. "Nowhere else to go, I'm afraid."

Draven cursed under his breath. "Fine. We get on."

They stepped inside, the door slamming shut behind them.

Inside, the air was thick and choking, filled with the whispers of the damned souls trapped within. The passengers turned their lifeless eyes toward them, their heads twitching in unison.

"Why are they staring?" Elias muttered.

Mira flipped through the Book, scanning the pages in panic. "Because… this isn't just a train."

The lights flickered, revealing a massive, gaping maw at the far end of the car. It pulsed, its rows of needle-like teeth dripping with bile.

Elias' face went pale. "It's a feeding ground."

The train lurched forward, gaining speed.

The conductor laughed.

"Next stop… eternity."