Part 1: The Last Passenger
The train was supposed to be empty.
It was the last ride of the night—11:58 PM. Rain tapped softly against the windows as the city lights blurred into streaks of gold and white. Most people avoided this late train. Too quiet. Too slow. Too forgotten.
That’s why conductor Daniel Hayes noticed him immediately.
A boy.
Maybe 9 or 10 years old.
Sitting alone in the last carriage.
Still.
Too still.
Daniel walked down the aisle slowly, his boots echoing against the metal floor. The train hummed beneath him, steady and mechanical, but something about that silence… felt wrong.
“Hey, kid,” Daniel said gently. “End of the line soon. Where are your parents?”
The boy didn’t look up right away.
When he did…
his eyes were red.
Not from crying.
From not sleeping.
“They’re not here,” he said quietly.
Daniel frowned. “Alright… then where are you getting off?”
The boy looked back out the window.
“I’m not.”
