The subway is a pretty busy place. People board and get off the wagons every day. The tunnels are dark, except that one abandoned station between Heighsenberg Lane and Churchill, which has emergency lights. I always pass that stop every time I go to school in Churchill, and I've always wondered what was in there. It was blocked off one hundred years ago, way before I was even born. My grandfather doesn't even know why it was removed from the subway's trail. It was once called Woodville.
On the surface, Woodville was flooded with buildings, my grandfather once said, but now, it's all trees, creating a vast forest. And the subway entrance was destroyed and patched up.
Now as an adult, I can explore the old station for myself. Even if it's illegal, for unknown reasons, I still what to venture into the dark tunnels of the subway until I reach Woodville's old station. I pack my backpack filled with stuff I need: extra batteries for my flashlight, a power bank for my phone if I take a while, two water bottles, and some trail mix. Before I leave the house, I bid my mother goodbye and kiss her cheek. She told me to be careful, I responded that I will.
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I make my way to Heighsenberg Lane's subway station at night when barely anyone is around the platform, and wait for a train to get to Churchill since it's closer to Woodville's old station, so it buys me time before getting hit by a train.
Once I arrive, I wait for everyone and the train to leave, that's my window of opportunity. I get down at the tracks and make my way towards Woodville with my flashlight in hand. I miscalculated my timing, the next train came sooner than I thought, I sprint towards Woodville's platform and get on, just in time not getting hit.
I take a moment to catch my breath, once I do so I get up from the floor and reopen my flashlight. The conductor must have seen me, this means he will dial the cops, which means I have a limited time to fully explore the abandoned station.
I make my way towards the arched hallways, the architecture is old, 1919 old, besides that, the place looks like a labyrinth with its hallways, which I think lead to old subway lines. One can get easily lost if it weren't for the old adverts on the walls. Besides that, there's an awful stench on my right turn. I go investigate where it's coming from. I cover my nose with my sleeve and make my way to the end of the hallway to finally make the turn. And when I do...I couldn't believe the horrors I saw. Dead bodies all over the floor, devoured by something...Their heads were bitten off...I hear something at the end of the hallway, an eating noise. It be dumb for me to point my flashlight towards whatever is at the end of the hallway. But I'm too curious to know what has eaten all these poor people.
When I shine my flashlight at it, my heart jolted. The creature seemed to be around five feet. It was slouching over another body. Another victim I supposed, I've heard reports of people disappearing from the subway, the press said they must have committed suicide, but they never found the bodies.
The eating noise fills me with disgust, not even sugarcoating the dead bodies around me. The monster notices my light and turns to me, I back up slowly, before running out of there, no turning back. I can only imagine that the creature captured my scent. The labyrinth-like station makes it hard to navigate, but soon enough I find the exit and jump down on the tracks. And run towards Churchill, and back home. I open my house door and quietly close it before showering to ease my mind. But all I see when I close my eyes is the horrible creature. I get out of the shower and get dressed ready for bed, but I couldn't sleep at all.
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It's early in the morning I make my way to the kitchen where mum was cooking breakfast. Weird, I didn't smell food from my room, maybe cause of the stench I smelled last night. I greet mother good morning, but she didn't respond back, shes's probably mad at me for coming home late. I see her make a meal for one. Weird. Really weird. "Still mad?" I asked. Still no respond. I go out to get something for myself, the sunlight seems to burn my skin. I pull my jacket's sleeve down and pull my hood up. But before I left the house I see cops come to my door. I ask them what's wrong, but the pass through me, literally, I felt a weird sentation and looked at them knocking on the door.
My mum opened and asked them on how she could help them, and before my own very eyes and ears. They tell me that I passed away. In shook I back up and run towards Heighsenberg Lane to visit the tracks of where I've last been. I see blood. I don't believe this, how...I made it to the platform. Was it all a dream? A...hallucination of the dead? What is happening. I don't wanna die...Not yet...I guess curiosity did kill the cat.
FIN
