Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

The train screamed through the void, its rusted wheels grinding against the warped rails. Inside, the air felt wrong—thick, suffocating, alive. Shadows twisted along the walls, whispering secrets in tongues long forgotten.

Draven gripped his shotgun, eyes darting to the ghoulish passengers seated in eerie silence. Their heads twitched in unison, vacant eyes locked onto the newcomers.

"Someone needs to explain what the hell is happening," Zara hissed.

Mira clutched the Cursed Book, flipping through its brittle pages. "This train isn't just haunted. It's bound by a curse… one that's still feeding."

A metallic laugh echoed from the far end of the car.

The Conductor stood motionless, his skeletal grin widening. "The Book speaks truth," he rasped. "But your ticket has been punched. There is no getting off."

Elias took a step forward, gripping his lighter. "We'll see about that."

A deep tremor rattled through the train as a door at the far end slammed open, revealing a long corridor of shifting, grotesque faces embedded in the walls. They moaned in torment, their hands clawing at the air, desperate to escape their eternal prison.

And then—footsteps.

A figure emerged from the dark, dragging behind it a massive rusted chain that scraped against the floor.

The Engineer.

Once human, now something else—something wrong. His flesh was fused with metal, gears jutting from his spine, eyes nothing more than glowing pits of molten iron. His jaw had been wrenched open, revealing a furnace burning deep inside his throat.

"The Engine runs on souls," Mira whispered, horror dawning on her face. "That's how the train keeps moving."

The Engineer's mangled hand shot forward, snatching Elias by the throat.

The flames in his mouth roared to life.

Elias screamed as his skin blistered, smoke rising from his flesh. The Engineer's furnace-mouth gaped wider, ready to consume him whole.

Draven fired his shotgun—the blast hit the Engineer's side, but he didn't even flinch. His gears whirred, body twisting unnaturally as he lunged again.

Zara yanked a metal pipe from a broken seat and swung it at the Engineer's head, the impact sending a spray of molten sparks into the air. He staggered, his grip loosening just enough for Elias to collapse to the floor, gasping for air.

Mira's eyes darted to the control panel just beyond the Engineer. "We need to stop the train!"

Draven didn't hesitate. He charged, shouldering past the Engineer and slamming his fist onto the emergency brake.

The train shrieked.

The world lurched as the ghoul passengers began to dissolve, their bodies turning to dust. The Engineer let out an unearthly wail, his form flickering like a dying flame.

With one final, deafening crash, the train derailed into oblivion—

—And the survivors found themselves standing in a field of bones, the wreckage of the ghostly train smoldering behind them.

Mira swallowed hard. "We're not done yet."