The Midnight Encounter.

By Fatima Jawaid.

Liam was a city commuter who took the same train every night after work. He often found himself lost in thought, scrolling through his phone, or staring out the window at the darkening landscape. One fateful evening, he boarded the last train, barely noticing the strange vibe in the air. The usual crowd was thin, and the dim lights flickered as the train pulled away from the station.

As the train rattled through the tunnels, Liam glanced around and noticed a woman sitting across from him. She looked familiar but he couldn’t quite place her. Her eyes were sunken, and she wore an expression of deep sadness. Suddenly, the lights flickered again, and when they returned, the woman was gone.

Liam shook his head, dismissing it as fatigue. But the further they travelled , the more unsettling the atmosphere became. The train began to slow, coming to an unexpected stop in the middle of a dark tunnel. The lights dimmed to near darkness, and the silence was deafening. Passengers murmured nervously, exchanging anxious glances.

After a few minutes, the lights flickered back on, revealing the woman sitting next to Liam now. She smiled faintly, and he felt a chill run down his spine. “You’re going to help me,” she whispered. Liam, confused and unnerved, shook his head. “I don’t know you,” he stammered.

“Not yet,” she replied, her smile fading. “But you will.” Suddenly, the train jolted violently, throwing passengers from their seats. As Liam scrambled to regain his balance, he looked back at the woman, only to find her staring at him, her eyes wide with fear.

The train lurched again, and the lights flickered back off. In that darkness, Liam could hear faint whispers, voices weaving through the air like a chilling breeze. He could almost make out words—his name, and something about a “debt.”

When the lights returned, the woman was gone once more, but the atmosphere was different. Panic spread among the passengers as they realised they were the only ones left in the train. “Where did everyone go?” someone yelled. Liam’s heart raced as he glanced around, now fully aware of the growing dread.

Just then, the intercom crackled to life. “Welcome aboard the Midnight Express. Final destination: your fears.” Liam felt a surge of adrenaline. He couldn’t just sit there; he had to get off the train.

He rushed to the doors, pounding on them. “Let us out!” he screamed. The other passengers joined him, voices rising in a cacophony of panic. But the doors remained sealed, and the train continued down the dark tunnel.

In desperation, Liam turned back to the group. “We need to work together,” he urged. “We can find a way out.” They began to search the train for an emergency exit. As they moved through the dimly lit cars, Liam realised that the woman’s presence was now haunting him. He felt her watching him, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was somehow connected to whatever was happening.

Finally, they stumbled upon a small door marked “Emergency Exit.” With all their strength, they pushed against it, but it wouldn’t budge. The whispers returned, more insistent now, echoing through the cars. Liam took a deep breath and began to speak, confronting the darkness surrounding them. “Who are you? What do you want from us?”

Suddenly, the lights went out again, plunging them into darkness. The whispers intensified, and Liam felt a cold breath on his neck. “You owe me,” a voice hissed, unmistakably the woman’s. “You took something from me.”

In a moment of clarity, Liam remembered. Years ago, he had been part of a group that bullied a girl in high school—she had been the one who sat alone, always on the outside, until one day she simply disappeared. The woman before him was her spirit, trapped in this limbo.

As the lights flickered back on, he faced her, understanding flooding over him. “I’m sorry,” he said, tears brimming in his eyes. “I didn’t realise what I was doing. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

The train shuddered to a stop, and the doors creaked open. The woman’s expression softened, and for a moment, Liam saw a flicker of hope in her eyes. “You have a chance to set things right,” she whispered before fading into the shadows.

As the passengers hesitated, Liam stepped through the doors and into the dark tunnel. “We can leave!” he shouted back at them. “Let’s go!” One by one, the others followed, and they emerged into the night, gasping for air, alive and free.

But as Liam turned to look back at the train, he saw the woman standing there one last time, a bittersweet smile on her face. He realised that even in death, she sought justice, and he vowed to honour her memory by changing his life for the better.

The Midnight Encounter is another Honorable Mention from our Halloween contest 'Gothic Tales' written by Fatima - a writer known for finding creative ways to procrastinate.