Roads To Hell: A Horror Anthology

Part 9 - Terminus

"The trains are all delayed," Lily said. "There's something in the tunnels."

It was true that lots of strange things had been happening recently, but Mary doubted that was the reason for train delays. There were delays long before the storm rolled in from the off the coast, covering Sydney Harbour and the city in a grey darkness. It had been there for a few weeks now, Mary couldn't remember exactly how long.

When the storm first came it was fairly dramatic. The meteorologists on the news said that dense currents of air had created the tens of waterspouts that sprung up beneath the storm. Lightning cracked and crawled along the oily clouds like living things, and thunder boomed from within, but it never rained. The beaches closed.

Scientists from the university had been studying it but couldn't explain it, except to say it was a 'meteorological event'. The Lord Mayor of Sydney was on morning TV, the evening news and talkback radio assuring everyone that there was nothing to worry about, nothing to fear. Mary watched her on the news one night. Her eyes were glassy, voice robotic. There was a pop of static – the storm was affecting radio waves, wifi, you name it – and for a moment the mayor's voice sounded like a hundred hissing serpents.

"There is nothing to fear," she said without blinking. "Just a weather abnormality as a result of climate change and rising sea levels."

That was also true. All along the Pacific coast the sea rose and rose with each tide, never retreating. Creeping forward and before you knew it you were under water. Forty-seven coastal towns in Japan were half under water and low laying islands in the middle of the ocean, like Kiribati, were begging for refuge. They called it the slow tsunami, the latest environmental disaster.

"Really," Mary said over the rim of her wine glass. "It's probably just a signal delay or something. The storm fucks with everything electronic, you know that."

"No, I definitely heard about there being something in the tunnels. I forget where, maybe online." The girl was earnest but Lily, real name Lillith, talked a lot of shit and seemed to believe every conspiracy theory she found.

"And you know that storm is affecting our electronics because it is alien in nature!"

Mary hummed and sipped on her wine while Lily tried to convince her yet again that aliens were responsible for the storm and that the mayor was a lizard person and the moon was an egg. She'd heard it all before. They'd gone out for a quick drink after their evening university class since her train was delayed by over half an hour. Lily lived in an apartment nearby, so she had no problem getting home. Mary would have to get on her train, change at St James and then continue on. She hoped she wouldn't have to wait long for the second train.

"Well," Mary sighed, looking at her watch, "I better head to the station. Catch you next week Lily!"

They said their goodbyes and Mary began the trek up the hill to the station. It was near empty, like most of the city these days. The storm freaked most people out, just lingering above their heads, blocking out sun and stars. Mary didn't particularly care and ignored it for the most part.

There were about thirty people on the platform by the time the train arrived, moving slowly, wheels squealing along the tracks. The doors slid open jerkily and everyone got on board. Mary got a seat and flicked through her phone, tucking a few stray strands of brown hair behind her ears. The train was silent. There were no announcements at each stop, the doors just opened and people got off. The train was old and the lights flickered alarmingly, so Mary doubted that she'd be able to hear an announcement even if there was one. Anyone could be driving the train, she thought, or no one.

By the time the train left Town Hall Station, the only two people left in her carriage, other than herself, were two men in long coats with scarves wrapped around their necks and lower face. Was it really that chilly?

The train jerked and trundled along the tracks for a few more stops until St James Station. Mary got up out of her seat, ready to make the change but the train didn't stop. She watched the empty platform go by through the door window, mouth hanging open incredulously.

"Hey!" she shouted at the carriage speaker, not that the driver could hear her. "You missed the bloody stop!"

While shouting at the silent train driver, Mary also missed when the train peeled off the main route and when down an old, disused tunnel. She stared out the window, sulking and shaking her head. She'd just have to get off at Museum Station and hope she could make her way home from there.

The tunnel outside the train was dark, with no lights. She peered closer, trying to see a sign for the upcoming station. The carriage lights continued to fizz and flicker, reflecting a view of the carriage in the glass window. For a moment the carriage was empty behind her then Mary nearly jumped out her skin when the two men in coats appeared behind her without a sound.

They stared at her, eyes glassy, and she pressed herself against the carriage doors. What did they want? The brakes engaged and the train slid to a stop, screeching. Mary clutched at a pole for stability and winced as the sound of the brakes pierced her ears. What the hell was wrong with the driver?

The doors slid open behind her with a soft hiss. Mary glanced out. It didn't look like Museum Station. The train speakers crackled and popped with static. The driver was saying something, but Mary could barely make it out.

"...delays...sincere apologies...please...accept"

So that was the excuse? More delays?

The two men were still standing, blocking her from returning to her seat.

"Hey," she began but they lurched forward.

"This is your stop," they hissed simultaneously.

"Okay!" Mary put her hands up and stepped off the train onto the dark platform. She had no intention of getting on the wrong side of anyone dangerous or deluded.

The men stood there will the doors closed and the train pulled away, the rhythmic screech echoing through the tunnel. Mary watched it go, angry that she was stuck in the middle of nowhere but relieved she hadn't been jumped by those two weirdoes. When the train was gone, she can only hear the sound of her own breathing and a steady trickling noise. Peering over the edge of the platform, Mary saw the tunnel was steadily filling with water.

"Right. Time to go!"

First she had to figure out where she was. Judging by the old-fashioned style of the platform, it was a disused station from the early days of the train line. The crumbling hand-painted sign on the back wall only said TERMINUS so she still had no clue as to how far from St James the train had taken her.

Still, there may be access to a maintenance tunnel or lift to the surface. There was definitely some electricity, judging from the single flickering bulb above the station sign. She pulled out her phone but there was no reception. Mary was on her own.

She wandered around the platform, shoes clicking on the damp tile floor, trying doors and windows. She tried a single door on the left, behind the ticket box. It looked more modern than the others, but the solid steel just wouldn't budge.

Before long she was sweaty and desperate. She was trapped, there was no phone reception, the tunnel was still filling with water and the strange thumping and slithering sound coming from one of the tunnels was getting louder.

She ran back and forth, trying every door again and again, just in case. The stairway was blocked by rusted mesh, soldered and drilled into the very brickworks of the station. She slipped her fingers through the tight gaps and shook it violently, hoping to dislodge it, hanging off it when it becomes clear it wouldn't budge. There was dust in her hair and stripes of copper rust on her hands. At the bottom of the stairs she saw a dark pool of water.

There was no escape. Mary pulled at her hair and punched the old wooden timetable which spelled out Final Stop in half disintegrated letters. She spun in circles, searching for a way out. Desperation and fear flowing through her veins, heart beating fast. There was no escape.

The sound of something large sliding and slithering was close, too close. Mary turned around and an involuntary sob escaped. Her knees went weak and she pressed a hand to her mouth. In the dim, yellow light of the flickering bulb she saw a thousand slitted eyes, the eyes of a predator, undulating tentacles, more of them than she could count and a maw that seemed to be entirely made of millions of tiny, sharp teeth.

"Oh,"she whispered, "so that's what's in the tunnel."