Midnight Train The station clock struck twelve with a dull metallic echo that seemed louder than it should have been. John stepped onto the platform just as the midnight train hissed to a stop, its doors opening like a reluctant mouth. It was the last train of the night—the kind people boarded only when they had nowhere else to be. He hesitated before getting on. The platform was empty. No announcements. No footsteps. Just the hum of the train and the faint flicker of fluorescent lights overhead. John checked his phone. No signal. He slipped it back into his coat