Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

The Ghoul Train rattled through the void, the outside world vanishing into an endless abyss. The windows, once showing a misty landscape, now revealed only darkness shifting like a living thing.

Mira tightened her grip on the cursed book, its pages humming with unnatural energy. Across from her, Zara sat with her machete resting on her lap, eyes scanning the dimly lit train car. Elias leaned against a rusted pole, his revolver drawn but useless against whatever whispered from the shadows.

Draven, still weak, sat hunched over, his breath ragged. The Hollow Man's touch had marked him, and though he was physically free, something unseen still clung to his soul.

The Forsaken Girl stood near the door leading to the next car, her hollow gaze fixed on the flickering lanterns.

"This place is wrong," she whispered.

Mira exhaled sharply. "No kidding."

Then, the whispers grew louder.

The air thickened as the darkness shifted. Shapes began to emerge—distorted figures, their eyes hollow, their mouths sewn shut. They sat in the train's torn seats, dressed in tattered clothes from different eras. Some wore Victorian garb, others in bloodstained military uniforms. A few clutched luggage that oozed with black rot.

Passengers. Trapped souls.

A raspy voice came from nowhere and everywhere.

"Tickets, please."

The Ghoul Trainmaster stepped into view from the next car, his skeletal grin stretching wider than before. His lantern flickered with blue fire, casting eerie shadows that moved on their own.

Elias stepped forward, aiming his revolver. "We're just passing through."

The Trainmaster chuckled, his bones clicking as he shook his head. "No one merely passes through the Ghoul Train, gunslinger." He tilted his head. "Fares must be paid."

Zara scowled. "And what exactly is the price?"

The Trainmaster gestured toward the trapped passengers. "A memory. A piece of yourself. Or perhaps… a soul." His hollow eyes settled on Draven. "He is already marked. He may be the perfect fare."

Mira stepped in front of Draven instinctively. "Not happening."

The Trainmaster's grin never wavered. "Then, perhaps a deal. A game, if you will." He gestured toward the next car, where the door creaked open. "One of you must walk through alone. If you survive, you all may continue. If you fail…" He gestured toward the passengers. "You stay."

The air grew colder. The whispering deepened.

A choice had to be made.

Before anyone else could speak, the Forsaken Girl stepped forward.

"I'll go," she said softly.

Mira's heart clenched. "Wait—"

But it was too late. The door shut behind her, sealing her in the next car of horrors.

The Trainmaster chuckled.

"Let the game begin."