Midnight

Chapter Three

The metal shined brightly in the light. Luna was still not entirely used to this sourceless light that was much like the light of early day. It was sort of like witnessing a sunrise that never ended. The metal wasn't what she had once known as metal either. Matter didn't actually exist here like it did in the mortal realm. There was also no need for fuel on this side. The train station around Luna was not just large or gigantic. These were concepts from a material world. From a world were places had a finite and quantifiable size. No, the train station around her was literally infinite.

Luna had learned many years ago not to wonder around. It was really not a good idea. Once upon a time she had desired to broaden her horizons and explore but now Luna was happy at her station doing her job. As she gazed lovingly at her glorious beauty of a train, that somehow never had trouble with accommodating her passengers no matter how many of them there were, Luna thought that having a purpose that she could find enjoyment in was rather nice.

Her train was a classic Two-Axle Lead Pilot Mastodon. It was red, black and gold and it took the souls of the departed to their next location. This particular train took souls to heaven. Luna was grateful to not be driving one of the hell bound trains. She imagined visiting hell regularly and shuddered. But someone had to drive those trains. You had to be strong to make that journey.

"Miss." A voice interrupted her thoughts.

Luna turned to face an old man with silver hair wearing and old fashioned black suit. He was holding a black cane and even had a monocle. He wasn't really an old man anymore. Age had no meaning on this side. This was after all not the material world. This was a world of perception. The soul standing before her perceived himself as looking like this.

"Do you know where we are?" The man asked.

Luna had the appearance of a short teenage girl with red hair and freckles on her face and arms. She was wearing blue jeans and a simple red top as well as red sneakers. The only thing that broke this illusion of humanity was her black eyes that were like dark pits. The man looked into her inhuman eyes and appeared not to be even a little surprised. Maybe he just didn't care.

"What's your name?" Luna asked.

"Robert." The man said.

Luna conjured a leather bound book in her hands and opened it. A name appeared on the page. Robert Elijah Smith. Next to the name were written the station and train numbers. This passenger was indeed one of hers. Robert was looking at her with an expression of curiosity.

"Hey Robert." Luna said and extended a hand to him. The book vanished. "I'm Luna." The man shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Now as to where we are, this is a world between worlds. A place between places."

"Am I dead?" Robert asked.

"Yes." Luna replied. "This is where souls come to be taken to heaven or hell. Fortunately since you're a passenger on my train you're headed to the more pleasant destination. It is my pleasure and privilege to take you to your eternal rest."

"Your train?" Robert asked. "It's very nice."

He looked around him at the other trains from various eras. Luna had been told that the driver's trains appearance was in some way a representation of them. As was their physical appearance. Here perception was definitely reality. According to the eldest drivers this place had not always been a train station.

"Yes." Luna said. "It is, isn't it. It's my duty to drive it. I'm a type of angel of death."

"A train driving angel of death?"

"Not all of us collect souls." Luna said. "Some of us transport them. The collectors do their part and we do ours. They operate on the other side. They protect the natural order of life and death. They send you to us and let us deal with you. Not a very sociable bunch if you're asking me. Though they don't exactly have time to socialise."

"And you do?" Robert asked.

"Time has no meaning on this side." Luna said. "It doesn't really exist here. At least not in the way that you're used to. I'm not exactly the best person to explain it."

A female voice over a speaker system announced the number of a train and that it was about to depart.

"That's us." Luna said.

"Didn't you say that time has no meaning here?" Robert asked.

"I did." Luna replied. "Now get inside the train."

"So you can miss your train to your afterlife?" Robert asked. He sounded amused.

"No." Luna said."There is always a train here. And often passengers arrive on the train while it is moving."

"Then why stop here?" Robert asked. "Why not always stay in movement?"

"Because people expect trains to stop at train stations." Luna replied.

After a moment Robert nodded with a contemplative expression before entering the train. Where he would meet the other passengers.

Everything was going smoothly as always. Everything was as it was supposed to be. But for the first time Luna had the feeling that something was wrong in some way. She was sitting behind the train control system and Robert was standing behind her.

"How are you doing back there?" Luna asked as she was starting up the train.

"Fine thank you." Robert replied.

"Good." Luna said. "Greetings passengers." She then said using the communication system. "This is your driver speaking. We're going to start moving soon. I'd like to remind you that we are not in the material world. Things over here don't work according to the laws of physics that you learnt in school. Time and space don't really exist here. The world around you is created by perception. Individual perception as well as the collective unconscious. Please don't ask me to explain how exactly that works. What you need to know that sometimes what you see is not what everyone else is seeing."

The train started moving and the station around them vanished and was replaced by a tunnel and a light in the distance.

"Right now the collective unconscious is seeing a tunnel and the light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes passengers get on at this moment. Occasionally someone will catch a glimpse of the tunnel while near death."

Just as Luna had said this a few more passengers appeared on board. Luna conjured the book while she continued talking and checked their names. The train was moving towards the light.

"What comes next differs from person to person." Luna said.

One of the passengers was on the wrong train. Luna transported him to the correct one. No one had noticed his presence and so no one noticed when he vanished.

"At some point the tunnel will vanish and you will see something else. Some people will see moments from their lives. Some people will see a favourite place or one meaningful moment. Some see the moment of their death. This is usually people who died under circumstances that they haven't processed. For example murder victims. Feel free to talk to me if you're one of those. After this stage you will arrive at the pearly gates. Hopefully you will enjoy the journey."

The train was moving smoothly and was set on its course. Luna got up and started walking among the passengers. Many of them wanted to talk about what they were seeing. Then something entered the train that wasn't supposed to be here. A presence that was not one of the passengers or another angel. It didn't feel like a demon either. It was entirely alien to her and that was highly unusual. A part of Luna found the idea of encountering something new exiting. Another was not pleased by this disruption of the routine that she was used to.

She treasured the comfort of familiarity.

Luna tried to track the intruder but it was surprisingly difficult. It was like whatever this thing was it didn't quite fully exist. It didn't feel alive but it also felt very different from the souls of those who had departed from the mortal realm. It was like something stuck between life and death. It reeked of decay like something that was in a perpetual state of dying without actually dying and moving on. If its presence wasn't obviously spectral then Luna would suspect that some kind of a zombie had somehow gotten in. Whatever this thing was it was an abomination.

"Excuse me." Luna said to the person she was talking to. "There's something that I need to do."

She did not wait for a response.

Luna walked around the train and eventually she found the origin of the strange aura that she was sensing. It belonged to an ordinary looking girl with blonde hair and blue eyes who who was wearing a black top, a black skirt and black boots. Without the foul aura she was emanating she would not stand out. There was also the problem that Luna had seen the girl this thing was impersonating before. It had taken the appearance of a previous passenger. The creature noticed Luna looking at her and actually appeared nervous.

"What are you?" Luna asked and as she did the thing grabbed a nearby passenger and vanished.