They kept moving north, the miles dragging on as the weight of the night's horrors clung to them like a suffocating fog. Their muscles ached from the climb, their bodies bruised and battered. The cold seeped into their bones, and their stomachs growled in protest, but they kept moving. The escape, the creature, the eerie stillness of the port—it all felt like a distant nightmare, but one that could reach out and drag them back at any moment.
Allexis stumbled, fatigue catching up with her, but she forced herself upright, not wanting to fall behind. She didn't dare stop. Neither of them did. The exhaustion was worse for Kez, who lacked Allexis's training; he wasn't used to this kind of strain. Only adrenaline kept him moving now, dulling the burn in his legs and the ache in his chest. The world around them seemed empty, almost too still, as if they were the last two people on earth. The wind howled, but there were no signs of life anywhere. No distant voices, no sounds of animals. Just the hollow echo of their footsteps on the cracked earth beneath them.
Eventually, the land began to shift—less industrial decay, more wilderness. The road narrowed, winding through patches of dead trees and brush, the dim moonlight casting long shadows across their path. The further they moved, the more the desolation seemed to stretch out endlessly. No other landmarks, no signs of civilization—just the quiet emptiness that threatened to consume them.
But then, just as Allexis was starting to think they might be completely alone in this forgotten world, she saw it. A faint glimmer of metal through the trees.
"Tracks," she muttered, voice hoarse from exhaustion.
The realization hit them simultaneously—like a breath of fresh air in the suffocating silence. Tracks?
Allexis exhaled sharply, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "These tracks… we can follow them back to the station," she muttered, eyes scanning the endless stretch of metal gleaming under the pale moonlight.
Kez's face tightened, the lines of fatigue deepening. "Right. The station." He turned, glancing west where the tracks led.
They moved towards the tracks without a second thought. The railway lines stretched into the distance, vanishing into the night, offering no signs of where they might lead. But it didn't matter. The familiarity of the tracks, the thought of finding civilization again—it was a lifeline, no matter how frayed.
Allexis took a step forward, the scrape of her boots against the metal sounding too loud in the heavy silence. She kept walking, her body stiff with weariness but determined. Kez followed, his eyes scanning the landscape as though the nightmare was still creeping behind them.
The night air was thick and unyielding, the cold biting at their skin, but they pressed on, each step taking them further away from the port, from the thing watching them, from the terror that still clung to their minds. The railway tracks were their bridge back to safety, their thread out of the madness.
After what felt like an eternity, they reached a bend in the tracks, and in the distance, they saw it: a dim light flickering in the horizon, the faint silhouette of the station emerging from the shadows.
"We're getting closer," Allexis muttered, though her voice was barely a whisper, as if saying it out loud would somehow jinx their progress.
Kez didn't answer. He didn't need to. They both knew what the station meant. The night grew deeper and he realized he didn't consume any food or water for the past 10 hours. Also, he was freezing cold. He could just imagine the comfy perfect temperature inside his train compartment.
They kept walking, their pace quickening as the station grew closer, the promise of safety edging them on. The sounds of the night grew muted around them, the wind softening, the eerie feeling of being watched dissipating with each step forward.
The station was almost within reach when Allexis stumbled, her foot catching on a broken tie, and Kez's hand shot out instinctively to steady her. She shot him a quick, irritated look but didn't say anything.
"You alright?" he asked, voice gruff but with a note of concern buried deep.
She nodded, her gaze sharp despite the exhaustion. "Just tired," she muttered. "Let's keep going."
Together, they crossed the last stretch of the track and reached the station.
It was smaller than they had expected, a crumbling structure bathed in the faint glow of the distant lights. The train station had seen better days, its paint peeling and its windows cracked, but it stood, a reminder of a world that once was.
Allexis stopped at the entrance, staring at the rusted doors. For a moment, neither of them moved. It wasn't just the station that felt like a threshold—it was the final step into something that wasn't this nightmare. They were so close to the end.
But they weren't there yet.
Kez shifted his weight, his hand tightening on the grip of his weapon. "We're almost there," he said quietly.
Allexis nodded, eyes scanning the shadows around them one last time. The night still felt heavy, but with the station before them, the tension was finally starting to lift.
Finally, they reached the platform and stopped.
It looked just as they remembered—cracked floor, flickering lights, the faint scent of burnt oil in the air. The only difference was that this place seemed even more desolate and creepy compared to previous noon.
Allexis scanned the platform. "This is it," she muttered. "The statio—"
Before she could say more, a voice called out from the far end of the platform.
"Hey!" a voice barked, sharp and close.
A flashlight beam cut through the darkness, blinding them. Heavy boots approached fast, gravel crunching underfoot.
"Who the hell are you?" the man demanded. "You're not supposed to be here."
Allexis instinctively stepped in front of Kez. "We were on the train. It stopped here hours ago. We...got stuck."
The light didn't move. Just hovered on her face. "Train left a long time ago. No one comes back here."
Kez raised his hands slowly. "We're not here to cause trouble."
The guard stepped closer, narrowing his eyes. Late forties maybe, gaunt face, scar under one eye, jacket one size too big and a holster that looked disturbingly well-used.
"Then where the hell've you been?" he asked. "People don't just wander off in this town and make it back."
There was a silence. Not tense—expectant. Like the station itself was listening.
Allexis didn't answer. She didn't owe him anything.
Finally, the man grunted. "Fine. Don't talk. Just don't move funny."
He lowered the flashlight slightly, though his hand hovered near his belt. "Station's empty. Cold as hell. But I got a heater in the office. And canned soup."
Kez blinked. "What kind of soup?"
Allexis gave Kez a weird look, but her shoulders eased just slightly. Warmth and food were more than they'd had in what had seemed like days.
The guard stared at them for a little while and then muttered. "Follow me. Slow."
They exchanged a glance—no trust yet, but enough necessity. Then they followed, their footsteps echoing in a place that felt like it had seen too many ghosts.
The guard led them through the station's darkened corridor. The emergency lights cast sickly glows across the cracked tile and peeling posters, most too faded to read. A busted vending machine flickered in the corner, humming like it still wanted to be relevant.
Kez squinted at a map on the wall. "We sure this place isn't haunted?"
"No," the guard said flatly, not turning around.
Allexis gave Kez a sharp look. "Stop talking."
They reached a metal door with a dent in the middle and a faded "SECURITY" sign above it. The guard punched in a code, muttering something under his breath—then opened the door with a creak that echoed like a warning. Kez silently memorized the code in his mind.
The office was cramped, cluttered, and reeked of instant coffee. But it was warm. A small space heater glowed near a desk stacked with papers and half-burnt candles. A radio sat on the windowsill, static humming low, like it, too, was trying to listen.
The guard tossed a few blankets from a shelf onto the floor, then pointed to a pair of chairs.
"Make yourselves uncomfortable," he said, dropping into his own seat. "I'm Officer Mace. Don't care what your names are unless you make trouble."
Kez sat slowly and smiled like they'd just walked into a dinner party. "Hello, I am Kez, and this is my good friend Allexis. Before we get further acquainted, what kind of soup are we talking about?"
Allexis shot him a look that could've frozen the heater. "We're not friends."
Mace ignored them and opened a small cabinet, retrieving two dusty cans.
"Chicken noodle or... I think this one used to be minestrone," he muttered, holding it up to the flickering light.
Allexis stepped forward, still alert. "When's the next train coming through?"
Mace snorted and shook his head. "What train? This station's been half-abandoned for years. Officially shut down, but they still list it on the maps in case of emergencies. Trains only stop if something's wrong—or someone pulls the brake."
She stiffened.
"But you guys are in luck, since you aren't the only ones that got off," Mace said, cracking open a can. "Apparently, someone on the train incited fear about the gates. Said they saw signs or whatever. Got a small crowd worked up enough for them to get off and enter the town."
Kez blinked, feigning innocence with an exaggerated gasp. "Wow. Sounds like a real maniac. Wait, I think I remember seeing the guy."
Mace snorted. "Some short guy, dark hair, shifty eyes, and a face like it was assembled in a rush. Sound familiar?"
"I'd say he had ideal proportions," Kez corrected smoothly, "and had a handsome face. Real trustworthy eyes."
Allexis, still standing, froze mid-reach as she was about to grab a blanket. Slowly, she turned to look at him.
Suspicion flickered across her face.
Mace didn't notice. He was too busy stabbing a can opener into a stubborn lid.
Kez wrapped himself in a blanket whose scent spoke of years untouched by water, warmth, or anything remotely clean and leaned back against the wall, very pointedly avoiding eye contact with Allexis now.
"You wouldn't happen to know this guy, would you?" she asked, tone casual but loaded.
Kez stretched his arms with a lazy yawn. "I meet so many people. They blur together."
She narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything else.
Mace finally pried the can open and set it on a dented hot plate. "Whoever he was, lucky for you two he made a mess of things. Otherwise, you'd be struck here for the whole week."
Kez nodded. "Sounds like a misunderstood visionary."
"Or just a jackass" Allexis muttered.
Kez gave a small shrug, unbothered.
Mace stood up and stretched. "They should send a back-up train to pick everyone up. I think it might come through around midday. But thanks to the gate incident, it might take longer" He gave a half-shrug. "In any case, you two are stuck here for next 10 hours."
He passed them each a can and a dented spoon, then tossed over two bottles of water. "Heat's iffy, but the stuff's edible. Probably."
Kez stared into his can, giving it a slow stir. "Define edible."
Allexis sniffed hers and frowned. "Smells like metal and... sadness."
"Adds character," Mace said flatly.
They ate in silence, the occasional scrape of spoon on can the only sound aside from the low hiss of the radio. The soup was lukewarm and tasted vaguely of artificial chicken and time. Neither of them asked what year it had expired.
After finishing, Kez muttered, "Better than crumballs..."
Allexis blinked, unsure if that was a joke or a real food, then gave a small shake of her head. She stared into her empty can for a moment before setting it aside with a quiet sigh—grateful she managed to finish it without gagging. Hunger really did lower standards.
Mace turned the radio down until only the faintest hiss remained.
Kez stretched out on the floor again like it was routine. Allexis wrapped her blanket tighter and leaned against the wall, alert even as her eyelids drooped.
Mace settled into his chair, watching the hallway through the glass pane like he expected something to step out of it at any second.
Minutes passed. Then hours. And slowly, despite the lingering tension, the exhaustion won.
They slept.