No Way Out
398 Words
: No Way Out**
Ryan staggered backward, his breath catching in his throat. The woman was now sitting in the seat beside him, her presence cold and suffocating. Her face was still hidden beneath her long, dark hair, but he could feel her eyes burning into him.
The train rattled through the tunnel, the overhead lights flickering sporadically. Ryan’s pulse pounded as he forced himself to move, to get away. He stumbled into the aisle, gripping the nearest seat for support.
The old man near the front of the train was still mumbling to himself, rocking slightly. Another passenger, a woman with headphones, was scrolling through her phone, oblivious. *Doesn’t anyone else see her?*
Ryan swallowed hard and turned back toward the woman in black.
She was still there. Sitting perfectly still.
Except for one thing.
Her head was slowly turning toward him.
Ryan’s breath hitched. He didn’t wait to see her face. He bolted down the aisle, his hands trembling as he reached the door leading to the next car. He yanked at the handle. It didn’t budge.
Locked.
A sharp chill crept up his spine. He turned his head slightly, just enough to see over his shoulder.
The woman hadn’t moved. But he could feel her. Closer.
Ryan banged on the door. “Hey! Is anyone there? Open the damn door!”
No response.
He turned back toward the rest of the car. The old man had stopped mumbling. His head was tilted forward, face hidden beneath a tattered hood. The woman with the headphones had gone completely still, her phone frozen on the same screen.
The train gave another violent jolt. The lights flickered, and the windows outside went black. Not dark—*black*. As if the world beyond the train had ceased to exist.
Ryan sucked in a breath, his heartbeat hammering in his ears.
The woman in black was standing now.
And she was facing him.
Her head tilted unnaturally to the side, her long hair shifting just enough to reveal the edges of her face. Pale. Hollow. Lips curled in a frozen grin.
The train entered another tunnel, and the lights sputtered out once more.
In the suffocating darkness, Ryan felt something—cold fingers grazing the back of his neck.
Then a whisper, impossibly close.
"You can't leave."
The lights came back on.
And she was right in front of him.
- Writer
