Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

The door slammed shut behind the Forsaken Girl. The rest of the survivors were left staring at its rusted metal, the Ghoul Trainmaster's grin stretching impossibly wide.

"She made her choice," he mused, adjusting his skeletal fingers around the flickering lantern. "Now we watch and see if she survives the Dark Car."

Mira clenched her fists. "What's in there?"

The Trainmaster chuckled. "A test."

Inside the next car…

The Forsaken Girl stepped forward, the floorboards creaking beneath her bare feet. A thick, black fog curled around the room, twisting unnaturally. The walls seemed to breathe, as if something enormous lurked just beyond them.

Then, the whispers began. Low. Guttural. Hungry.

A shadow shifted in the fog—long, jagged limbs scraping against the walls. A thing neither dead nor living, twisted by the train's curse.

It spoke with many voices, each layered atop the other.

"You do not belong."

The Forsaken Girl stood still. "Neither do you."

The fog swirled violently, and then it attacked.

The creature lunged from the darkness—a warped mass of arms and broken faces, crawling on all fours. Its mouths screamed without sound, its fingers like rusted knives.

The girl barely dodged as the thing clawed at her, its touch making the air itself rot.

She scrambled backward, eyes darting for a way out. The train's windows were covered in moving shadows, dozens of hands pressing against the glass from the outside.

There was no escape.

The thing rushed her again.

At the last second, she reached into her pocket, pulling out a small silver pendant—the only piece of her past she still carried. The symbol on it pulsed faintly, reacting to the dark.

The monster halted, shuddering as if in pain.

The Forsaken Girl's breath was ragged. It fears it.

She tightened her grip and stepped forward. "You're not real," she whispered. "You're just… a memory someone left behind."

The creature convulsed, its limbs twitching unnaturally. The whispers turned into agonized shrieks.

Then, it collapsed into dust.

The train car shuddered. The fog pulled back. And in the distance, a door unlocked.

She had passed the test.

Back in the main car…

The rusted door swung open, and the Forsaken Girl stepped out. Her face was pale, but she was unharmed.

The Trainmaster's grin faltered—just for a second. Then, he tipped his hat. "Impressive. Few walk out of the Dark Car unchanged."

Mira rushed forward. "Are you okay?"

The girl simply nodded. "We need to move."

The Trainmaster's grin widened once more as the train rumbled forward.

"Next stop," he announced, voice dripping with amusement, "the kingdom of the Rotting King."