Stories From the Dark

The Signal

Shikarpur had developed a new railway system. In certain areas the routes went through old sewage systems. This is where David worked. He had acquired a newly made post, being called the “Signalman”. He worked in the underground station next to the eastern rails, constantly waiting for signals from the main grid. He would change tracks and turn on the light from a tall pole to make it easier for the train conductors to see. Every day would be the same for him, at times it would get boring but there would always be a train filled with people waving at him wildly that would cheer him up.

He wasn’t very picky about his living standards but he lived in a sewer with rats as neighbours, making him complain slightly. Today had been a hectic day, the signal seemed to never stop flashing red and making an annoying beeping sound. Tired, David went to his room, which was no bigger than a portable toilet, and laid down to sleep. It was deathly silent, helping David sleep peacefully. The tracks were now part of his life and he had already given them ten years of his life, being the youngest one to sign up at the age of sixteen. He knew the tracks as well as his own facial features and was well accustomed to it.

From the far end of the tunnel, there was a low rumble of a train, vibrating the track. David woke up hurriedly, wondering if it was morning already. He looked at his clock to see it was just past midnight, “What the hell?” he mumbled to himself, looking at the signal at the wall. It wasn’t flashing or beeping, he checked if it was broken but it wasn’t.

He ran out to hear the train was getting closer, its headlight was now visible. “Why didn’t they give the signal?” he yelled in exasperation. Quickly thinking he ran towards the pole and turned on the light. He took out the flag, for signalling trains and waved it wildly at the train, yelling for it to stop. David knew that this route was barricaded because no trains were meant to go that night, the train would crash if went out of the tunnel.

The train got closer and David got a clearer view of it. It wasn’t the normal trains the city used, it was an old-fashioned steam engine. It didn’t even look that it was made of metal. As the train got closer David’s mouth gaped open as he saw that train was made of steam.

Behind him, the signal sounded, beeping violently. He ran across the tracks towards the lever to change the tracks. He pulled the lever changing the tracks to make the train go left instead of straight. He leaned back on the wall, sighing in relief. However, the train didn’t go left, it went right where David was standing.

David shut his eyes and screamed on the top of his lungs. The train didn’t crush him, he was still alive. He opened his eyes and saw that he was inside the train. It had the same features of the vintage train he saw at the museum, but it was more transparent. He saw people sitting on the seats, they all looked at him simultaneously. They weren’t people they were skeletons, all of them laughing manically at his with their jaws jiggling. This really frightened David and he screamed and ran away.

He ended up on the tracks and saw a dark figure in front of him. “What is your name?” the figure asked in a deep voice. David answered him and asked him who he was. “I am Death.” a simple answer that froze David, he was glued to the spot. He heard a train horn, he looked to his left and saw a train coming straight at him. Death disappeared and David was put to an end.

His job was the death of him.