Pulse Magazine

If there was one thing Maria hated, it was waiting alone in the dark for the train to come. She had just gotten off her 24-hour plane ride and the only thing she wanted to do was fall asleep in the comfort of a hotel room.

But it seemed like that wouldn‘t happen tonight because Train 34 was delayed.

After she finished her college degree in Japan, she never imagined coming back. It wasn’t because she didn’t enjoy her stay. It was more like she had nothing tying her down to Japan. Her friends had become distant, so when she received a call from one of them inviting her to her wedding, Maria accepted reluctantly.

It was snowing heavily. There was only her waiting for the next train arrive, which was strange. She was in Tokyo heading to Kōbe. There should be more people at the train station, but she didn’t mind it too much. Last time Maria was here, she was in a similar situation. However, for some reason, she couldn’t remember how that night ended. She was going to her friend’s house … and then what happened?

Maria’s thoughts were interrupted as the sound of engines reached her ears. She wanted to let out a sigh of relief as she could finally rest inside the train’s warm coaches. However, her relief was short-lived when she noticed that the train was a JR train. A Japan Rail train, which provides unlimited travel throughout the JR network.

Shin-Koiwa station was also known for its multiple suicides, and JR trains were not Maria’s favorite. She couldn’t help but think about how many had jumped onto the train tracks and JR trains crushed their bodies. Maria wasn’t one to believe in ghosts, but her Mexican background made her believe in superstitions such as negative energies.

But seeing that it was the last train of the night, she couldn’t let it pass. As the train stopped in front of her, Maria was relieved to see her friend, Yuki, waiting inside for her.

Yuki, greeted her with a smile. “Ah, Maria I am so glad you could make it!” She looked the same. Her hair black and short and even her style of clothing had not changed.

As she entered the train, Maria thought it would be warm inside. But to her surprise, it was as cold as outside, maybe even more. It wasn’t a full train, which was nice but Maria felt strange as the noticed the fixated looks on her.

Though she wasn’t uncomfortable, Maria felt that she had seen theses before. Multiple times.

“Oh, but where is your backpack?” Yuki asked as she sat in one of the many empty seats. Maria sat next to her, a bit surprised by her question.

“It’s right here,” Maria replied. But there was nothing next to her. How strange. What happened to the black backpack she was carrying?

“Oh no! I must have left it somewhere at the train station,” Maria said as she felt the train move. “My hotel reservation was there too!”

“Don’t worry! You can sleep at my house tonight,” Yuki said as she smiled at her friend. “Just don’t push me off into the train rails like last time.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t you remember?” Yuki asked, her smile never disappearing. “Last time you were here, you pushed me into the train rails … I always wondered why you did it.”

Maria thought that her friend was going crazy because she didn’t remember anything that Yuki was saying. Actually, she didn’t remember anything but being at the train station a few minutes ago.

“Was it because I was going to marry the man you loved?” Yuki asked again, her smile becoming more distorted. Her eyes became bigger with each passing second and Maria couldn’t move. She felt the stares of the other passengers on her, but no one seemed to care.

“I have to admit that you are smart. You left your backpack at the train station so we could go back to pick it up,” Yuki said as she laughed a little. “And on the last train, you pushed me and made everyone think it was suicide.”

The train’s lights began to flicker. On and off. On and off. More people began to gather around them as the light illuminated their faces. Some of them with no eyes, no arms or hands. Others bled from their noses and mouths.

Suddenly, she remembered how much she hated her friend Yuki. She had always been so perfect, beautiful, smart, and even dated the boy Maria was in love with since freshman year. When she received the news that Yuki was going to get married, she didn’t hesitate to fly to Japan and kill her.

She should have done it a very long time ago because now she was here in this endless loop.

Maria pushed the deformed people around her and ran across the train’s coaches, one by one. They seemed to have no end. The train stopped moving as they had finally reached their destination. Maria frantically knocked and kicked one of the train’s door, hoping doors would open quickly. Then she noticed that Yuki walking towards her, the other passengers following closely. She panicked and her heart beat faster.