Murderer on-board

Boarding a train alone was never easy for me. In addition to my loneliness, there was something...or someone...new. A murderer was on-board. His presence alone kills me.

Rumours of the said 'murderer' include tales of him wearing a black trenchcoat and carrying a large suitcase, where he, supposedly, stashes his victims him after brutally stabbing them to death.

I was sitting alone, looking at everyone. It had never occured to me that I could be in a train with a murderer. I gave the same glance and impression for the passengers around me: that they were the murderer. My hands were sweating and my feet were trembling in fear. I was nervous. The paranoia, combined with the shaking motion of the train, made me want to disembark the train. Eager to leave, I stepped off at the next station.

This station was different. It lacked lights and was heavily unilluminated, had fallen debris scattered all over, and was covered in a dense, dusty, fog.

Surprised, I noticed a man dressed in black. He had his hand tucked in his pocket and was holding what seems to be a suitcase on the other. I faced him, questioning myself,"Could he have followed me out?". Once the man noticed that he came to my attention, he withdrew a blade from his pocket and hung his head down, fidgetting with his knife. Without hesitation, I made a quick dash out of the station, hoping to be met by the next train.

I stood in the station, frozen in fear, waiting impatiently. I began walking in circles, horrified by what...or who I had witnessed minutes ago. I looked over my shoulder, anxious, and thought,"I could have died, he could have been the murderer...I could have died!"

I sighed in relief as I boarded the train, sitting down and looking outside at the city lights flashing by. After a while, I noticed that the only person in the cabin was someone wearing black. He was a few rows in front of me and appeared to be sleeping. I was quite sleepy too and my eyelids started to feel very heavy. It wasn't long until I began to doze off as well.

A few minutes later, I was jolted awake by the rattling of the train. When I opened my eyes, something seemed different. I wasn't sure, but it seemed as if the man in the black trenchcoat was one seat closer to me. I thought I was just imagining things and told myself not to be so paranoid. Not long afterwards, I began to doze off again.

After a few seconds, I got a strange and unpleasant feeling from the pit of my stomach. I opened my eyes and, this time, the man seemed to have moved even closer to me. Still, I couldn't be sure. It was extremely unsettling.

I decided to try and see if my suspicions were correct. My plan was to pretend to fall asleep again, but keep one eye half-open, just to see what the man would do.

He just sat there, not moving a muscle. I could feel his eyes staring at me, but he didn't budge an inch. Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, I heard him muttering something under his breath. Listening closely, I could make out what he was saying over and over:

"Don't be fooled. He's just pretending... Don't be fooled. He's just pretending..."

It made my blood run cold. My heart started pounding in my chest. Despite being scared out of my wits, I kept my head down, pretending to sleep and desperately hoping that the train would reach the next station soon.

When it finally stopped and the doors opened, I bided my time and waited for the right moment. Just as the doors were about to close, I scrambled out of my seat and jumped out onto the platform.

I heard the doors shut behind me and turned around. As the train pulled out of the station, I saw the man in the black trenchcoat standing up, his face pressed against the window. There was a look of fury on his face and, in his hand, a glistening knife.