Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

The survivors staggered into the night, the collapsing manor howling behind them. Draven was barely conscious, his body trembling from the Hollow Man's lingering grip. Mira led the way, the cursed book still pulsing in her hands, its pages whispering warnings.

"We need to keep moving," Zara said, glancing back. "That thing… it's not done with us."

The Forsaken Girl pointed ahead. "There's another way."

Mira followed her gaze—toward the train station, abandoned under the pale glow of the full moon. The tracks stretched into the mist, and waiting at the platform was a train too pristine, too untouched for the decay of the world around it.

Elias narrowed his eyes. "That's a bad idea."

Before anyone could argue, the train's whistle shrieked, splitting the silence. The doors slid open, revealing only darkness inside.

Then came the voice—low, raspy, inhuman.

"All aboard."

A figure emerged from the shadows of the station. The Ghoul Trainmaster.

He was tall and thin, his uniform stitched together from tattered fabric and dried skin. His face—what was left of it—was mostly bone, his hollow sockets burning with blue flame. In one skeletal hand, he held a rusted lantern that flickered with an eerie glow.

"You wish to leave?" The Trainmaster's grin stretched too wide. "Step inside. The fare is simple—a piece of your soul."

Mira's grip on the book tightened. "We don't have time for games."

The Trainmaster chuckled, his bones clicking as he moved. "This is no game, my dear. The Hollow Man's scent is on you. If you stay, he will take what he is owed." He motioned toward the train. "Or, you board, and I take only what is fair."

Draven groaned, his voice hoarse. "We… don't have a choice."

Zara cursed under her breath. "I hate this."

Mira took the first step forward, the book growing heavier in her grasp. The moment her foot hit the platform, the shadows inside the train stirred.

She turned to the others. "Stay close."

One by one, they stepped inside.

The doors slammed shut.

The train lurched forward, the outside world vanishing into an abyss of swirling mist. The air inside was thick with rot, the seats torn and stained with old blood. Shadows moved along the walls, figures shifting in the dim lantern light.

A whisper ran through the train. Passengers… trapped between worlds.

The Trainmaster's voice echoed through the car. "Welcome aboard the Ghoul Train. Next stop…" He chuckled, his skull tilting unnaturally.

"…The land of the dead."

And as the train sped faster into the darkness, a new horror stirred in the next car—waiting for them.