Story 959: The Midnight Crossing

The train station stood alone in the dead landscape, its tracks stretching into the darkness like veins through a corpse. A low mist rolled over the rusted rails, swirling at their feet. The moon hung high, unnaturally bright, casting long shadows over the platform.

Mira tightened her grip on the Cursed Book, feeling the weight of the knowledge within. “This isn’t a normal train.”

Draven stared down the tracks. “Nothing’s normal anymore.”

A distant howl echoed.

Elias sighed, flicking his lighter open. “Right on schedule.”

The Ghoul Trainmaster emerged from the fog, his skeletal frame clad in a tattered conductor’s uniform. His eyes burned like embers, and his teeth clacked in something between a grin and a warning.

“The Rotting King has offered you passage,” he rasped, voice like wind through a graveyard. “Do you accept?”

Zara scowled. “What’s the catch?”

The Trainmaster tilted his head. “You must survive the ride.”