The iron maw of the train groaned its final breaths, spewing a geyser of steam that bled into the unnatural fog rolling over Ghostia Town.
We disembarked, each reluctant step echoing hollowly on the deserted platform. Moonlight, usually a beacon, was a mere sliver struggling to pierce the thick, pea-soup air.
"This is unsettling," Ellie muttered, pulling her worn cloak tighter.
The festive decorations, once vibrant pumpkins carved with playful grins, now resembled grotesque leers under the sickly light.
Their flickering flames cast long, menacing shadows that danced erratically across the deserted station.
A twig snapped, sending a jolt through us. A figure emerged from the swirling mist, a child – no older than ten – his crimson eyes glowing like embers in the gloom.
He wore a tattered black hoodie, the hood pulled low, obscuring most of his face.
In his hand, he held a single lantern, its flickering flame casting an eerie glow on the intricate patterns etched onto its tarnished metal.
"Lost, are we?" he rasped, his voice a mere whisper that seemed to slither into our ears. "Without a light, you'll find no solace in this town."
Jin, ever the pragmatist, knelt to examine the lantern.
"Intricate design," he murmured, his fingers tracing the swirling patterns. "But five pennies? A bit too convenient, wouldn't you say, Silver?"
Silver, ever the gambler, smirked.
"Convenient indeed," he said, his gaze flickering to the child's crimson eyes.
He reached into his pocket, his fingers brushing against a hidden sphere that pulsed with a faint blue light.
He pocketed it discreetly, then tossed a few coins onto the table.
We each claimed a lantern, the meager light a small comfort in the oppressive atmosphere.
Stepping past the rusted iron gate, we entered the town proper.
Derelict houses loomed like skeletal giants, their windows gaping voids staring sightlessly into the fog.
The silence was broken only by the mournful creak of a swinging sign and the unsettling rustle of unseen things in the swirling mist.
"This place," Ellie whispered, her voice barely audible, "it's... dead."
Sir Jock, ever the historian, consulted a tattered journal by the flickering light of his lantern.
"This town," he rumbled, his voice a low growl, "was once a bustling tourist destination. Rich history, vibrant culture..."
"But now," Sena interjected, her voice laced with unease, "there's not a soul in sight."
The path narrowed, twisting and turning like a serpent's coil.
The air grew colder, a prickling sensation crawling beneath our skin. A tumbleweed, a ghostly wisp of gray, materialized from the fog, swirling past Silver's feet.
A sardonic smile played on his lips.
"Just the kind of place for a good spooking, wouldn't you say?" he drawled, his voice a touch too loud in the oppressive silence.
Jin and Kuby huddled closer, shivering despite the oppressive heat.
As if conjured by Silver's words, the boy from the station materialized from the fog, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling amusement.
YOU ARE READING
King of Monkarts (OC insert)
FanfictionSilver also known as the King of Monkarts goes around visiting towns to challenge their torments with his monster Lyca the rock wolf. As the train clicks and clacks for a couple more minutes, he wrote something in his journal He looked up from t...
