Chapter 1
It was 00:41.
Matthew stood alone on a quiet railway platform, listening to the distant hum of the tracks.
The station was almost completely empty. Most of the lights had already been dimmed for the night, and the departure board showed only a few late services.
Then it flickered.
Matthew looked up.
The board changed.
00:47 — UNKNOWN SERVICE — PLATFORM 3
He frowned.
That was strange.
He knew the local railway pretty well, but he had never seen a service listed like that before.
A few seconds later, he heard it.
The unmistakable sound of a train approaching.
Matthew looked down the track.
Headlights appeared in the distance.
The train was coming in fast.
But there was something unusual about it.
The destination display was completely blank.
No destination.
No service number.
Nothing.
The train slowed as it approached the platform.
Matthew glanced at the departure board again.
Still the same message.
UNKNOWN SERVICE — PLATFORM 3
The doors opened.
Matthew didn't get on.
Instead, he noticed a small sign pointing toward the station office.
Maybe someone inside knew what was going on.
He walked toward the office.
The door was unlocked.
Matthew pushed it open.
The lights were already on.
But nobody was there.
On the desk sat an old computer monitor.
Its screen displayed a single message:
SERVICE STATUS: UNKNOWN
Matthew stared at it.
Then another line appeared.
PLATFORM 3: DO NOT BOARD
Before he could react, the radio on the desk suddenly crackled.
“Passenger on platform…”
Static interrupted the message.
Then silence.
Matthew slowly looked toward the office door.
Whatever was happening tonight, it definitely wasn't part of the normal timetable.
