Platform 8

It was a dark cold night in the middle of a harsh winter, there was frost on the ground and crystals glistened on the bare branches in the moonlight. I had missed the last train back home so was now stranded on the platform waiting for the next early morning train, it was going to be a long wait. At the station there was a small wooden building which used to be a ticket office, it was now abandoned with broken windows which have been boarded up with old planks, and there was one door into the building with a worn sign above the door reading platform 8, it was locked so I won’t be able to get any shelter from the bitter cold. There is a lonely bench on the platform covered in frost, I considered sitting and try to get some sleep but somehow I didn’t think I would get any sleep with how cold it was, there is also something about this station that always gave me the creeps, it was a quiet platform in the heart of the countryside surrounded by trees with a single road going to and from the station, I think the station was about 100 years old , and everything was aged and worn, there are old rickety wooden fences running along the platform with icicles hanging on the remaining few panels that wasn’t missing. In the summer it was very beautiful with bushy green full trees and every variety of flower you could imagine, but in the winter, it was very different, the nights drew in quick, and it always reminded me of a classic horror movie with the bare trees as far as the eye could see. It was deadly quiet not even a bird or cricket could be heard, I suddenly felt even colder at the thought of how spooky it felt standing here completely on my own, so pulled my scarf up round my neck more.

As time passed it started to get gloomy, the thick fog was filling up the platform and sweeping across the tracks, it was very eery, then something caught my eye, I glanced and saw a faint yellow glow at the end of the platform it seemed to be getting closer, as I stared and watched the light draw nearer there was a dark figure emerging from the mist, I started to tense up and felt uneasy, as figure became clearer I noticed it was an old man, he was walking in my direction, he was a grey haired man with a dirty face which looked like soot, and had a long straggly grey beard, he was wearing an old fashioned blue flat cap which was very worn covered in dirt and more soot, along with dark grey, moth eaten dungarees with a dirty blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and in his left hand he was holding up an old rusty gas lamp which creaked as it swung in the breeze. The old man lifted the lamp up to his face just as he reached me and spoke in a huskie voice, ‘missed your last train?’

‘Ah…yeh I did’

‘Where are you headin?’

‘a small town called Cliffside, its about 1 hour away from here’

‘Yes, I have heard of Cliffside, there is a train that runs through here and should be here in 10 mins, that will be able to get you close to Cliffside’

‘Really! That would be great, I didn’t know there was another train so soon?’

‘Yeh, it doesn’t always run, but tonight it will be’

I couldn’t believe my luck on a night like this, I would be able to get home to the warm sooner and soak in a nice hot bath, I closed my eyes while imagining how nice it will feel to relax with a glass of my favourite whisky and a piece of left over fruitcake I had made from the previous night, as I

opened my eyes the old man had gone, he had completely disappeared, I couldn’t even see the light from his gas lamp, I didn’t even hear him walk away, I checked all directions on the platform, how could he have gone so quickly without a trace, did I imagine it, was it just the cold freezing my brain making me see things that weren’t there, no surely not, it is extremely thick with fog and very hard to see the end of the platform maybe he just walked out of sight, I will wait and see if what the old man said was true, and see if the train he spoke of actually arrives, I checked my pocket watch, 5 minutes to wait.

It seemed to be getting colder, the fog was even thicker and I could barely see my hand in front of my own face, I didn’t want to move in case I accidently walked off the edge of the platform and broke something like my arm or leg, I could hear something, it was very faint in the distance but it sounded like a train whistle, could the old man have been right, and it wasn’t a figment of my imagination, it whistled again but much louder, I looked towards the direction of the sound to see if there was any lights shining along the track, and sure enough there it was in the distance glowing through the fog, a bright white light, the sound of the train wheels clicking along the track followed, a huge steam engine pulled into the station, pulling four carriages along behind it, it was a magnificent train and looked very old fashioned. The engine was black with a hint of green, but there was something odd about the train, I couldn’t put my finger on what was niggling me so started making my way to the carriages, as I walked past the cab window on the engine I couldn’t see the train driver the cab was completely empty, strange, I didn’t think to much about it as possibly he might have stepped out off the train for a moment.

I got to the first carriage and opened the door, this must have been an old 1900s train from the look of the exterior and had vintage door, I watched the gap as I stepped into the train, it was still very dark, and there wasn’t much light from the interior of the train to shine the way, as I stepped onto the carriage I was hit by a strong smell of damp and what seemed to be rotting meat, I hoped the whole train didn’t have such an odour, I slammed the door behind me and made my way along the carriage to find a quiet compartment, the inside of the train had a Victorian look with dark mahogany wooden panels on the floor which looked worn and covered in a variety of stains which also what seemed to be blood, there were patches of mould in places which would explain the damp smell, it seemed like there hasn’t been a cleaner here for years. I made my way along the corridor looking for an empty compartment, trying to not breath in the disgusting fumes, there was a light hanging from the ceiling, which was flickering, there was a sudden jolt as the train started on its way again, it was deadly silent as it moved along the tracks.

I came to the first compartment and peered in there was one elderly woman sitting in there staring out the window, she had a green wool hat on with a matching green coat, she looked very stiff as she was sitting there clutching a small handbag on her lap, she looked deep in thought and took no notice of me as I passed by, I started to get a headache now from the intense smell and continuous blinking light. I got to the next compartment where there were two men sitting in there, again both men were just staring out the window, not sure what they could be looking at as it was pitch black outside. Both the men looked like office workers as both wore dark grey suits with black shoes, I couldn’t believe that no one on this train had any winter clothing, it was freezing outside and bitterly cold on the train, I was shivering, there was even frost on the inside of the compartment windows making it harder to see inside, what was even more bizarre I couldn’t see the cold breath from either of the men and now I think of it I didn’t notice it from the woman in the other carriage either, maybe I was just seeing things again, I was tired.

As I continued along the corridor, I felt even colder and was glad of my thick coat and scarf. Finally an empty compartment, I opened the door and walked in, it was so cold I could feel it to the bone, the carriage didn’t smell as strong as the corridor or I was just getting used to the smell, it seemed hazy within the room as if some of the fog from outside was leaking through the window frames, I sat down on the seat it was a dark red velvet which was very cold to the touch, it even felt damp. I was so drained and very tired I just had to sit down, it was the early hours of the morning, I would never sleep constantly shivering. I started to wonder how I would know when it was my stop as didn’t know how long the train would take, and couldn’t even try to recognise any landmarks with how dark it was outside, so I thought it might be a good idea to find a train conductor and ask, as I rose from my seat I noticed that my trousers were slightly wet from the seat, just what I needed to make me feel even chillier, I opened the door and peered round the corridor to see if any of the conductors were doing their rounds, but not a sole in sight, I was going to have to leave the compartment to find someone. I moved slowly through the corridor gripping the handrails trying to keep my balance while the train was moving, I am glad I didn’t remove my gloves while holding on to the copper rail I could feel the coldness through them, I passed more compartments which had the odd person sitting in there, again everyone was just starring out the window, nobody was engaging in conversation with each other and were all sitting in silence, as I passed I took more notice of the people and what they were wearing, everyone seemed to be dressed in very old fashioned 1900s style clothing, and no one had the visible breath you see with the cold, maybe it was warmer in their compartments compared to mine, maybe it was my eyes playing tricks on me again. As a strolled along the corridor there was still no sign of any conductor, where could he be? .The fog seemed to be lifting a bit and the moonlight began shining through the carriage windows into the corridor floors, but as it did the inside of the train started to glow a strange white and green, it almost looked transparent, it must just be the glow of the moonlight or trick of the light, I mean what else could it be?, I looked into the next compartment and stared in amazement at the passengers sitting in there, the two women sitting had the same mysterious shine as the rest of the train, they looked translucent, and had blood stains on their clothes, which wasn’t there before, as I gazed blankly at them in disbelieve I heard a noise behind me, I turned to see a man standing there holding a gas lamp wearing a dark blue blazer with gold buttons and matching trousers with black shoes, he had a dark blue cap with gold trim, but his outfit looked dirty and worn and seemed like it hadn’t ever been washed, there was a tear on his right sleeve near the shoulder, which hadn’t even been attempted to be mended, plus there was a large brown stain on his cap on the right side of his head, maybe this guy didn’t even notice or maybe he doesn’t care how he looked. ‘Can I help you sir?’ he asked

‘Yes, I am not sure what station I need to get off at’ I said continuously focusing on his cap,

‘Ok where are you heading to?’

‘I am heading to a small town called Cliffside’ I said finally meeting his gaze

The conductor watched me and replied ‘um I haven’t heard of Cliffside, this train is heading for Southbrook’

Things were really getting strange, he said the train was going to Southbrook but from remembering my history the station at Southbrook was destroyed by a tremendous train derailment about 85 years ago killing everyone on board, including some of the passengers waiting on the station platform, my grandfather always told how devastating it was, and was in all the papers, the station was shut down after that and never reopened, as far as I had thought anyway.

‘I thought that station had been closed?’ I said with a confused look,

‘No sir, that station is fully functional and has been for many years’ he replied

‘Oh, ok sorry my mistake’ maybe I got it wrong I thought,

‘Ok I will get off at Southbrook’ I said, I think I just need to get off this strange train now, everything about it was making me feel uneasy, something was irritating me but not sure what. Another beam of moonlight came through the window and directly onto the conductor, and as I looked at him the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, I felt a chill to the bone, the conductor had a trail of blood from the right side of his head moving down the side of his face as if he had been struck with something across his temple, but the blood was dry as if it had been there for a while, his face looked completely drained of colour and his eyes had sunk into the back of his skull, he even looked like he was decomposing, I felt sick to my stomach, as he was holding up the gas lamp I noticed his skin on his hand was peeling away revealing the bones underneath, he almost looked like a skeleton, I need to get off this train, I turned around and headed in the other direction without looking back, maybe I should look just to see if I was losing my mind or hallucinating but as I turned back the conductor had vanished, I stopped and fully turned, where was he, how could he have disappeared so quickly, I walked along to see if he had gone into one of the compartments but no signed of him, I didn’t hear him waking away not a single sound, I was sure that now I was definitely going crazy, either way I needed to get of this train straight away. I hastily walked back along the corridor trying to find my compartment to sit and try to compose myself in, I hurried along the corridor towards my empty compartment glancing into the other booths as I passed, they were all empty, the passengers that were sitting in there previously had gone, I didn’t see anyone pass me in the corridor or even hear any of the doors open, what was going on here, I was convinced that something unusual was going on, it seemed supernatural, I opened the door to the nearest empty compartment and sat down without trying to panic and tried to think of a way I could leave the train, maybe there was an emergency stop button, maybe I was being dramatic but I definitely felt spooked by all of this. Do I wait it out until the train stops or look for an emergency stop button but risk running into more horrors along the way, I decided to sit and wait it out, it can’t be much longer to the next station?

There was a sudden whistle from the front of the train, I looked out the window to see if there was any sign of any oncoming train stations, but nothing visible, it was still too dark to see anything. The train seemed to be slowing, I got to my feet and opened the door to the cabin, I slowly peered round the door and looked both ways, checking for signs of anyone in the corridor, I started to feel panicky and anxious but needed to head to the nearest door so I could depart the train as soon as it pulled into the station. I quickly closed the door behind me and moved along the corridor looking for the nearest exit, finally I found an escape route, do I dare just jump from the moving train and risk serious injury or try and hold my nerves and wait until the train stops, but where was this train going to stop, I decided not to wait and find out, I opened the window to the carriage to see if I could get a better view from outside and an icy gust of wind blew through carriage, although is was so cold, it made a nice change not to smell rooting meat and damp carpets, I looked behind to see if there was anybody around but the carriage was deserted, as I glanced through the carriage the corridors looked different, the wooden frames and beams through the corridors were dripping in a transparent slime and had a white and green glow, puddles of blood pooled on the wooden floor boards, and smoke started to fill the corridor, I thought it was the fog filling up the carriage but it had a charcoal scent, something was on fire. I closed the window and walked towards the direction of the smoke, I needed to see if anyone was hurt and needed help, as I slowly moved along the corridor the smoke began to get thicker and I found it hard to see where I was walking, the smoke started to make me cough, I wrapped my scarf up over my nose and mouth to block it out, which helped a little, I couldn’t see anyone else around, nobody, but I could hear screaming, it seemed to be coming from all directions, I carried on ahead still looking for anyone who was in distress, but still no one, the screaming continued and I looked into the compartments as I walked not a single soul in there, where had everyone gone, these compartments were occupied, they must had gone to safety on a different part of the train, but strange how I had passed anyone yet, lots of smoke but no sign of any fire, not even a flicker, the walls were still dripping with the mysterious ooze and I was trying not to get any on my coat as I walked through the corridor, the screaming was becoming disturbing and starting ringing in my ears, why could I not find anyone, I couldn’t see where the cries where coming from, I was feeling claustrophobic with the smoke so I started opening the windows along the carriage to let some of the smoke out, I made my way through each carriage with no sign of other passengers, I got to the end of the carriages and reached the back of the engine, I hadn’t come across anyone, and still couldn’t find the source of the smoke, I turned and started heading back on myself, still listening to the terrible screams and cries from within the train, this was freaking me out, I have no idea what is going on here, where is everyone?, what is happening to the train?, is there a fire?, I walked quicker now along the corridor with one main focus, how do I get off this train, the train started to rock and shake like a plane in bad turbulence, the screams got worse and more pools of blood appeared on the floor, and the corridor looked like an explosion had gone off within, the wooden door frames were battered and broken, and the windows had all been blown out, the floor panels were damaged and splintered, screeching noises were echoing from the front of the train, and train carriage started to rattle and click, I got to the nearest carriage door and forced it open, the door began swinging from the power of the wind, I gripped onto the door frame as tight as possible and leaned out to look towards the trains engine, the engine was on fire with smoke bellowing across the top of the train carriages, this was it, I had to jump for it, I looked at the ground, just grass and soil, it should be a soft enough landing with minimal damage, there was a sudden explosion from the engine in which caused the carriage to nearly derail, I took one last look into the train carriage before takin the plunge and leaped out of the door into the night, I crashed to the ground with a thud and rolled into the grass scuffing up my trousers and coat, thankfully I didn’t break anything, properly just some bruises, I stared towards the direction of the train and froze with disbelief, the train had disappeared, no sign of it at all, what was going on, I quickly got to my feet and ran to the train track, nothing ,no smoke or flames nothing, I was standing in the middle of the country side completely alone staring into the darkness, I couldn’t feel the heat from the fire anymore only the bitter winter air, and I couldn’t smell the smoke or rotting flesh, just the crisp aroma of the trees and grass, as I started my walk along the tracks brushing the dirt off the sleeves of my coat I kept wondering what had happened, did I completely lose my mind, was I just imagining all the events of tonight, or was it something else, something more sinister, something supernatural, I guess I will never know for sure and I doubt anyone would believe my story, all I know is I have a long walk back home.