It was a strange thing to wake up and find that someone was using your shoulder as a pillow. She was a younger girl, still in secondary school if Akina were to take a guess. Her hair was long and dark, pulled back and tied in place by a cute red ribbon, the features of her face easy though marred by a scrunch in her brow and a pale complexion. A bad dream perhaps? It was a stressful time of year to be in school, and stress had a way to turn dreams sour. In all, it seemed the girl had more need of her shoulder than Akina did, so she made no motion to wake the girl.
Instead Akina lifted her gaze. The train car was dim, no light shone through the windows as it sped past featureless walls. The evening crowd had dispersed, and including herself and her sleeping companion only three remained in the car. In the far corner a man sat, though Akina couldn’t make out his face in the gloom. How strange. Had she slept through her station? There were usually more people heading back home at this time of day, so she supposed she had to be nearing the end of the line.
What about the girl? What station did she need to get off at? The rail car slowed as it found a bend in the tracks, and the overhead lights flickered. Momentary darkness. Better to wake the girl now and ask what station she needed, or just wait until they stopped again to know where in the line they currently were? After a moment’s deliberation Akina settled on the former and raised her left hand.
“Don’t move.” The girl’s voice was low and soft. A whisper. Akina carefully lowered her hand back to her lap.
“Why?” She asked, in a similar tone.
“There’s a man, he’s been moving one seat closer every time the lights flicker.” The girl said. Carefully, Akina allowed her gaze to return to the corner of the car. Hard to say if he was closer or not. A bump in the tracks brought about another flicker of the lights. She didn’t see motion in the dark, but the man was.
“I see him.” She said, closing her eyes.
“I was going to wake you so we could run off the train together at the next stop.” The girl said.
“How long has it been?” Akina asked.
“What?”
“Since the last station.” Akina said. The girl was silent for a moment. The wheels of the car ‘thunked’ over a bump. Was that the sound of cloth rustling?
“Maybe ten, fifteen minutes ago.” She said, finally. Akina frowned.
“Did you recognize the name of the previous station?”
The girl was quiet for another moment. The lights overhead buzzed faintly, a murmur which existed just above the rumble of the wheels. How many empty seats had there been? Seven or eight perhaps.
“No.” The girl said quietly. “I don’t remember the name, but I didn’t know it.”
“And did other people get off there?” Akina asked. She could feel the girl’s head shift on her shoulder. ‘Thump, thump.’
“No, I-“ she swallowed, “I uh, when I woke up the car was already empty.”
“Ah.”
Things in the back of her mind clicked into place, like the frame of an incomplete puzzle with just enough done that you could make out the picture. Akina allowed her eyelids to crack open. It was dimmer now in the car, and in the edge of vision she could see the shape of the man. Four seats and he would be across from them. An unlucky number, that.
“What is it?” The girl whispered.
“What is your name, if you don’t mind me asking.” Akina said. The girl was quiet for a moment.
“Mizuki” she said. ‘Thump, thump.’
“A pleasure to meet you Mizuki-Chan.” Akina said, “now, I ask that you trust me, okay?”
“Okay.” Mizuki said. There hung a particular tang in the air, something like wet earth which had turned sour. “But what-“
Akina felt her body sway with a sudden change of momentum. The rail car was slowing. She could feel Mizuki tense.
“First, don’t open your eyes.” Akina said. The man didn’t scoot between seats. One moment he was two away, then he was one. She could hear his breath wheezing in the empty car but she didn’t dare to lift her gaze above his waist. The gray slacks of an office worker, it had once been meticulously pressed by an iron to achieve the perfect creases, though the fabric was covered with oddly shaped splotches. “Second, do not stand when the train stops.”
“What?” Mizuki breathed. The rail car rumbled as it drew into the station, and Akina closed her eyes despite how tempting it was to keep them open. There was a rustling sound as the man across the way stood. A hiss of air as the rail car’s doors slid open. Silence which lasted for a few flitters of the heart, then a tap, tap of the man’s feet. The smell of soured earth came near, and Akina again felt Mizuki tense. She could feel his presence, the sound of him drawing a breath, followed by something cold against her cheek as he released it.
“This is your stop.” The man said. His manner of speaking seemed somewhere between a demand and a simple statement of fact.
“Ah, but we are riding to the end of the line.” Akina said. She could feel Mizuki shaking.
“This is the end.” The man said.
“Is it?” Akina asked.
Tap.
Her skin prickled as if anticipating that the man would place his hand on her shoulder. Akina did not move in her seat.
“We’re tired you see, so we were planning to rest a little longer.” She said, there was an odd clicking sound, and it took Akina a moment to realize it was the sound of teeth.
“This is your stop.” The man repeated. Again Akina felt her skin prickle and she heard Mizuki take in a sharp breath. The girl shifted.
“Don’t move.” Akina hissed.
“But my wrist, he’s-“ Mizuki said.
“Hold my hand.” Akina said, placing her hand against Mizuki’s knee. The girl fumbled for a second before her hand caught Akina’s and she squeezed.
“You must hurry and leave this train.” The man said urgently. His breath was thick, it clung to the skin like the air after a long shower. Overhead two tones played, simple warning notes. “I am trying to help you.”
“You’re going to miss your stop, sir.” Akina said. Again the man’s teeth chattered. He hung there for a moment, for long enough to let doubt creep into the back of the mind before she heard his footfalls hurry out of the train. The doors closed with a familiar hiss, and the rail car smoothly moved away from the platform.
The two girls were quiet, Mizuki shaking against Akina’s shoulder as the dim lights brightened. Akina opened her eyes and glanced this way and that. No shadows remained to hide strange figures.
“Okay, okay.” She said. “We’re safe now.” Mizuki lifted her head from Akina’s shoulder, but she didn’t release her grip on the older girl’s hand.
“What was that?” She asked quietly.
“Someone who didn’t want to move on alone, I think.” Akina said. She frowned. “But they usually aren’t so forceful.”
“What?” Mizuki said.
“He really seemed to think…” Akina was quiet for a moment, “Mizuki, do you see spirits often?”
“Do I- what? No that’s not…” Mizuki sputtered. She drew a breath and blew it out. The girl opened her eyes and looked to Akina. A beautiful blue. “Do you?” She asked. Akina smiled.
“You could say that I have.” She said. Mizuki held her gaze earnestly.
“I, it’s not that I see them, but, I think my school is cursed.” She said, Akina’s eyes brightened.
“This is the end of the line, please gather your belongings and exit.” The intercom overhead clicked.
