"Move, move!"
The crowd surged forward as the train doors opened.
Ethan stepped aside to avoid getting shoved and waited for the passengers to exit before boarding. By the time he got inside, most seats were already taken.
Not surprising.
Friday evenings were always like this.
He grabbed a handrail and pulled out his phone.
Three unread messages.
One from his sister reminding him to buy eggs.
Two from classmates complaining about an upcoming exam.
Ethan ignored both.
The train started moving.
Outside the window, rows of buildings flashed past.
Gray apartments.
Convenience stores.
Traffic lights.
The same route he'd taken hundreds of times.
Ten minutes later, the train slowed as it entered Riverside Station.
A recorded announcement echoed through the carriage.
"Now arriving at Riverside."
The doors opened.
Passengers flowed in and out.
Ethan glanced outside absentmindedly.
Then paused.
Across the tracks was Platform Three.
It had been abandoned for years.
Most people didn't even notice it anymore.
The lights barely worked.
Dust covered the signs.
A rusted fence blocked the entrance.
Yet someone was standing there.
A man.
Black coat.
Dark trousers.
Hands in his pockets.
Motionless.
Ethan frowned.
For a moment he assumed the man was a maintenance worker.
Then he noticed something odd.
The figure wasn't standing near the fence.
He was standing near the edge of the platform.
Directly beside the tracks.
Nobody was supposed to be there.
The train doors closed.
The carriage began moving again.
Without thinking, Ethan looked back.
The man was still there.
Watching the train leave.
Watching him.
A strange chill ran down Ethan's neck.
He looked away.
"Get a grip."
Probably security.
Or some homeless guy who found a way inside.
There was nothing strange about it.
Still...
The image lingered in his mind.
---
By the time Ethan reached his stop, he had almost forgotten about it.
Almost.
The convenience store near his apartment was crowded.
Office workers picked up snacks on their way home.
A mother argued with her son over candy.
Two delivery drivers stood near the refrigerator section drinking energy drinks.
Normal.
Comfortably normal.
Ethan grabbed a carton of eggs and headed toward the register.
While waiting in line, he glanced through the front window.
A bus stop stood across the street.
Several people were waiting there.
An elderly couple.
A student.
A man in a suit.
And a figure wearing a black coat.
Ethan blinked.
The same coat.
The same height.
The same posture.
His grip tightened around the egg carton.
The traffic light changed.
Cars moved.
A truck passed between them.
When it was gone, the figure had disappeared.
Only the other passengers remained.
Ethan stared for several seconds.
Nothing.
The line moved.
The cashier looked up.
"Sir?"
"Huh?"
"Your total."
"Oh."
Embarrassed, Ethan paid and left.
The whole walk home felt strangely uncomfortable.
Not frightening.
Just irritating.
Like trying to remember something important and failing.
---
His apartment building was old enough to creak whenever the wind picked up.
The elevator hadn't worked in months.
Ethan climbed four flights of stairs and unlocked the door.
"I'm back."
His younger sister appeared immediately.
"Did you get the eggs?"
He held up the carton.
Lily nodded approvingly.
"Good. You're useful after all."
"Thanks."
"Don't get emotional."
Ethan threw a cushion at her.
She laughed and ran into the kitchen.
The rest of the evening passed quietly.
Dinner.
Homework.
A few videos online.
Nothing exciting.
By eleven, he was ready for bed.
---
Sleep came quickly.
The dream arrived even faster.
He stood in the middle of a train station.
The lights overhead flickered.
The air felt cold.
No passengers.
No announcements.
No sound.
Rows of empty platforms stretched into the distance.
Ethan looked around.
Something felt familiar.
Then he realized why.
Riverside Station.
Except it was deserted.
A metallic screech echoed somewhere far away.
He turned.
A train slowly rolled into Platform Three.
Its windows were completely dark.
The doors opened.
Nobody stepped out.
Nobody stepped in.
The train simply waited.
Then a figure emerged from the darkness inside.
Black coat.
Pale face.
The same man.
For the first time, Ethan saw his eyes clearly.
They were completely colorless.
Not white.
Not gray.
Just empty.
The man opened his mouth.
As though he wanted to say something.
Ethan couldn't hear a sound.
Everything blurred.
The station dissolved.
Darkness swallowed everything.
---
Ethan woke abruptly.
His room was dark.
For several seconds he lay still, staring at the ceiling.
His heart beat faster than it should have.
The dream felt unusually vivid.
More like a memory than imagination.
He reached for the glass of water beside his bed.
As he drank, something caught his attention.
A faint glow outside.
One of the streetlights below.
Without thinking, he glanced through the window.
The street was empty.
Quiet.
Still.
Then he noticed someone standing beneath the lamp.
A black coat.
Motionless.
Looking up.
Directly at his apartment.
The glass slipped from Ethan's hand.
It hit the floor with a sharp crack.
The noise echoed through the room.
Startled, he looked down.
Water spread across the floorboards.
"Damn it."
He grabbed a towel and wiped the mess.
The whole thing took less than ten seconds.
When he looked outside again, the street was empty.
No figure.
No movement.
Nothing.
Ethan remained by the window for a long time.
Finally, he closed the curtains.
Maybe he was tired.
Maybe he was stressed.
Maybe the strange man at the station had simply gotten stuck in his head.
That explanation made sense.
At least, it made more sense than the alternative.
Unfortunately, as Ethan climbed back into bed, he couldn't shake a single thought.
What if the man had been real?