The 8:30 PM Train

Work had me drowning in my own thoughts. I couldn’t fathom getting all the bullshit done and dealing with a mid-life crisis. Feeling completely overwhelmed, I wanted to shut the world out. Finding some form of escapism seemed far-fetched. I was searching for my ideal platform; somewhere I could call home and feel at peace. The silence I was searching for seemed like a myth. I was down, depressed, and felt like I had nothing left for me. What was I supposed to do? Every quick fix was just that, a quick fix. I couldn’t find my remedy, and the more I searched for it, the further the reality. On this particular day, I was over it; I was over life and everything it had to offer. I was done.

It was late, probably around 8 pm that evening, when I decided to give up. I left work earlier than usual and made it onto the subway platform. During the time spent waiting for my train and looking at the clock, I just knew it was going to happen soon. The death train was what I dubbed it. I had it all planned out. I knew that as soon as the eight-thirty train approached, I would seal my fate. I was going to make the jump. It was fast approaching, and I knew there was no room for hesitation. I was either going to jump or chicken out. My adrenaline was pumping, and my palms were sweaty. I had about five minutes left.

Each time I looked at my watch, the minutes went by, and I realized my five minutes were over. Where the heck was the train, I thought. Of all the days for the train to be late, it had to be the day I decided to end my life. It seemed like everything was out of whack, and the universe told me, “not today.” So instead, I hopped on the late train, sat down, and went on with my life like any other day. The train was oddly uncrowded, and the people all seemed quiet. Although very strange, I kept to myself and tried to wish the world away.

I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up, I found I was the last passenger on the train. I knew I was exhausted, but I didn’t know to what extent. I looked out the window to see what stop I was at, but the lights in the tunnel kept flickering, making it difficult to read the signs. There must have been some technical issues because the lights inside the train also started to flicker. The thought that crossed my mind was that with all the money spent on these trains, you would think they would invest some money to get all the electrical stuff fixed or maintained. I was seriously over it. I just wanted to be home already.

Suddenly I heard a low muddled female groan. “What the hell was that?” and of course, like something out of a horror movie, the lights inside the train started to flicker uncontrollably. “This is ridiculous,” I thought to myself. Suddenly the light stuck, and the train was semi-lit. I could see a young woman with long black hair seated at the far end of the train. Then the sounds of the low muddled groan, “what is this? where did she come from?” then the lights began to flicker again, and the groaning got a little louder and closer. I grabbed my purse and started to get up. The lights came back on, but this time, the young woman was closer and had her back to me. Instead of the low groaning sounds, I heard the soft sounds of the young woman sobbing, “hello?” I called to her, “are you ok?” I received no response. Then suddenly, the muddled female groaning returned, and the lights inside the train began to flicker. My eyes locked on the young woman, who slowly began to get up from her seat. I started to back away, “something’s not right” then suddenly, she raised her right arm and pointed towards the far end of the train.

In the reflection of the train doors, I could see myself and a tall, dark hooded figure behind me. “NOOOOOOO!!!!!!” screamed the young woman, and as she cried, I could see in the reflection the black hooded figure floating upwards, arms stretched out towards me. I quickly turned around, but to my surprise, no one was there. “What’s happening?” I muttered aloud, and then a mysterious female voice whispered in my ear along with the stench of rotten flesh, “DEATH,” she whispered, “Death is here” As I slowly turned around, I was faced with the young woman, a few inches from me, her eyes and mouth hollowed. As I attempted to escape her, a dark smokey mass emerged behind her and suddenly engulfed her. “No! I screamed” I quickly turned around to run but tripped. As I turned over, the black mass hovered over me and began to wrap me in its darkness, and just like that, my world disappeared.

8:30 pm May 27, 2014, I jumped in front of the train and killed myself.

THE END

Written by: Linda Ly

AI Art generated via Picsart

The 8:30 PM Train

THE END

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