Destination desolation

Light from the two-carriage train spilled from its windows and momentarily painted the ground outside a yellowish glow. After the train had passed, the ground was returned to the stark blue of moonlight on snow. Moving cautiously in case of thick drifts, the train obediently followed its rails through laden pine trees.

Some passengers scrolled through their phones, a few looked out at the scrolling winter scene, comfortable in their little bubble of civilisation and looking forward to Christmas Day tomorrow. Outside, the temperature had dropped to the point where ponds cracked with ice. But the unnatural creatures which lived in this forest didn’t feel the cold. They watched the train go by, their sense of desolation compounded by this brief glimpse of human life.

The train followed an ancient route, which had first been trod centuries ago by people moving livestock. It was a lonely route, the nearest road having been built over a mile away and taking a path determined by modern equipment.

Tonight there fell exceptionally heavy flurries of snow. A drift had blown across the tracks and the wary driver decided to halt the train. Passengers grumbled; this particular location had no phone signal through which the internet could keep them entertained.

From the trees a creature rose from the snow. Its white tube body soundlessly pushing through the thick white flakes, its infant-like face focused on the motionless carriages. The creature was joined by more of its kind, all slowly approaching the oblivious passengers who were beginning to become aware that, immobile, their comfortable little world of light and warmth was increasingly vulnerable to the haunted forest.

Nobody could deduce how the two-carriage train had ended up on this lonely stretch of track, completely empty and devoid of driver. Perhaps someone had managed to break into the yard and steal it, although that seemed unlikely. Hours after being discovered, it was moved away so that services could resume.

The 23:09 was the final train to pass through the forest tonight. Unimpeded by abandoned carriages ahead, it rolled through the snowy scenery at a steady, but cautious pace. Onboard were just a dozen passengers, one of whom glanced out the window and into the depths of the pine trees. He thought he saw a strange, white tubular figure out there, but the train was moving too fast for him to focus on it. Just a snowman, he thought, but wondered what it was doing so far away from human habitation.

Turning to watch the 23:09 disappearing into the night, the creature’s strange face shone in the moonlight. The number of creatures had grown just a little that Christmas Eve, the newcomers consumed by horror and a longing to be onboard that train, which continued safely on.