Yassin sat on the rickety wooden bench on the station platform, glancing at his wristwatch, which showed two-thirty in the morning. The place was deserted, except for a few flickering lamps casting a pale light that barely pierced the darkness of the night. The wind carried a faint whistling sound that seemed to come from afar, or perhaps from the depths of the station itself.
While waiting for the train that was scheduled to depart at exactly three o'clock in the morning, he muttered to himself, "I should have listened to my mother. What on earth is taking me to the edge of the world for a job, only to spend all my money on transportation? No one does anything worthwhile in this freezing cold."
While he was grumbling about his situation, he saw train number 1313 approaching the platform. Overjoyed, he exclaimed, "Thank goodness for your prayers, Mom! The train's early! Let's hop on, warm up, and enjoy a cup of tea too."
Then he heard it... the sound of the train's whistle. It was faint at first, then gradually grew louder until its echo filled every corner of the deserted station. Yassin stood up quickly, clutching his small bag, and gazed into the distant horizon. The train suddenly emerged from the darkness, as if materializing out of nowhere.
It was different... its old carriages were painted in a dull black, and its windows were dark, like curtains drawn to conceal something that shouldn't be seen. The train came to a slow halt in front of him, and the door creaked open with a metallic groan, like a heavy, mournful sigh.
There were no passengers disembarking... not even a station worker announcing the stop. For a moment, Yassin hesitated to board, but he forced himself to step into the first carriage.
As soon as he stepped inside the train, he felt the air grow heavier, carrying an antique scent reminiscent of old books mixed with something metallic. The seats were empty, except for a few dusty bags that looked as if they had been abandoned long ago.
As the train started moving, Yassin began to feel as though unseen eyes were watching him, even though the carriage appeared completely empty. He brushed off the feeling and glanced at his wristwatch to check the train's departure time. Then, he exclaimed in surprise, "Strange! The train's leaving earlier than scheduled." His watch read 2:47 a.m.
"Ticket, please?"
A hoarse voice pierced the silence. Yassin turned around to find a tall, slender man dressed in an old gray uniform, holding a small cap. His face was not entirely visible, as if shadows cloaked it even under the glow of the lamps.
"Where are you getting off, sir?" the man asked in a cold tone... But Yassin couldn't find the words to respond. He felt a strange unease and a tightness in his chest at the sight of this man.
"Sir, I'm asking where you're getting off," the man repeated
Yassin regained his composure and answered, "Luxor, God willing."
The man looked at him for a long moment before a faint, ghostly smile appeared on his face. He handed Yassin a ticket, saying, "Here you go, sir. Have a pleasant journey."
"Thank you," Yassin replied. Suddenly, the man gestured beside him.
"Ticket, where are you getting off, sir?"
Yassin looked beside him and saw someone sitting there. He jolted back, falling to the floor, his face a mixture of astonishment and fear. A strange warmth filled his ears, and a chill ran through his body, making every hair on his skin stand on end.
"Peace be upon you, from a Merciful Lord! When did you sit here?" Yassin exclaimed in surprise.
The ticket inspector replied, extending his hand to help Yassin up.
"Calm down, sir. Get up and sit back in your seat. There's no power or strength except with God. The gentleman next to you has been sitting there since you first boarded the carriage."
Yassin looked at the inspector with a frown, then replied, holding his hand, "Strange! I don't remember anyone being next to me, or even in the entire carriage. I don't even remember seeing you when you came in."
The man sitting next to him spoke up, "What do you mean, sir? Where do you think the people in this carriage came from?"
Yassin looked around and noticed a few people scattered across the train carriage, all of them staring at him with bewilderment.
He returned to his seat, glancing alternately at the inspector and the man sitting beside him. "But honestly, I didn't notice anyone in the carriage."
Inspector: "It's all good, sir. You must be new to traveling by train. What's your full name, if I may ask?"
Yassin: "Yassin."
Inspector: "Ah, a good name! It's only 3:30, the journey's still long. But I promise you, you'll enjoy it with us. Would you like some tea?"
Yassin: "I'd love some, sir. By the way, what's your name?"
Inspector: "I'm Azeddine Al-Qasri."
Yassin: "A fine name, Mr. Azeddine. Now, about that tea!"
Azeddine: "Don't worry, the guy who runs the buffet will be here soon. I'll go check the rest of the train. You just keep your nerve, alright?"
Yassin: "Don't worry, I'm tough, Mr. Azeddine." Azeddine smiled at him, saying, "We'll see. Excuse me for a moment." As Azeddine turned to leave the carriage, Yassin noticed that Azeddine's hand was severely burned.
Yassin turned to look out the train window, letting his mind wander. He imagined himself at home, relaxing in his cozy bed, enjoying his mother's delicious food. This thought lifted his spirits a little. However, after a while of staring out the window, he began to feel as though the same scene outside was repeating endlessly. He quickly shook off the thought, pushing it from his mind.
"Is my heart really that weak, or what?"
As Yassin sat next to the mysterious man, he began to feel the air inside the train grow heavier. The metallic screech of the train blended with strange whispers that echoed in his ears, as if invisible figures were discussing something in the darkness.
Yassin stopped looking out the window and focused on the man sitting next to him, who was staring at him with gleaming eyes, as if they reflected some strange light. Yassin wondered to himself, "What is going on here?"
Yassin asked the man, "Where are you from?"
The man smiled a mysterious smile and replied, "I'm from here, but not in the way you think." Then he looked ahead and began speaking in a strange tone, "We're all from here on this journey, and you need to be ready to be one of us."
Suddenly, the sound of the train cut off for a brief moment, as if the engine had stopped. The lights flickered, plunging the carriage into darkness for an instant before coming back on intermittently. During that time, Yassin felt something strange creeping into his heart, as if something unfamiliar was hovering around him.
Yassin looked around and noticed that the scattered faces in the carriage were slowly shifting into distorted shapes, as if they weren't real. He could see expressions of fear and anxiety on their faces, but no one was speaking. The atmosphere was thick with tension.
Yassin wanted to scream, but his voice was trapped in his throat. He remembered Azeddine, but before he could speak, he noticed that the man had disappeared. Panic began to seep into his heart, and he started searching for him.
When Yassin turned quickly toward the seat, he found himself face-to-face with the same man who had been sitting next to him. But this time, his face was distorted, and his eyes glowed red. "You're here because you'll stay here!" the man said in a terrifying tone.
Yassin's heart raced, and he began to feel that the train was no longer moving on the tracks but sinking into the depths of darkness. "What do you want from me?" Yassin shouted.
"All we want is for you to be a partner in this journey," the man said. "You're trapped in a never-ending time loop, just like all of us."
Suddenly, screams erupted from the passengers in the carriage, while the lights flickered intermittently, as if the train were experiencing a malfunction. In that moment, Yassin realized that everything happening around him was not real.
Yassin tried to exit, but the doors were sealed tightly. He felt as though the train was speeding toward an abyss, drifting away from reality.
His eyes turned to the windows, and through them, he saw unusual scenes: shifting landscapes, strange faces that appeared for a moment and then vanished, and the sound of screams rising in the background.
"Someone help me! I need to get out of here!" Yassin shouted, but no one heard him. They were all lost in their silence, as if they were living in a parallel world.
Then, Yassin suddenly realized that Azeddine was standing near him again, but this time with a more menacing expression. "Looks like you still don't get it, son. You won't be able to escape from here, Yassin. We're here forever."
Yassin felt a grip of fear tightening around him, almost choking him, and he wished he had never boarded this train. As everything began to spin around him and the passengers' screams faded into a vortex of terror, he realized he was trapped in an endless nightmare.
As the train continued its relentless speed toward the unknown, his mother's words echoed in his mind: "Don't go too far, my son." But there was no turning back now.
Thus, the train pressed forward, and the shadows began to take on even more terrifying shapes. Yassin was condemned to live in that nightmare forever, aboard train number 1313.