A high school senior heads to Boston to visit his sister for Halloween. A twist of fate reveals something they would never have admited alone... and it proves to be the one thing that may keep them alive when the best laid plans of a group of college students are lain waste by a force of terrible evil and corruption that has thrived for centuries... Can Charlie Kane be strong enough to live? or will the River of Shadows claim yet another victim...?

“What do you mean ‘Abandoned’?” asked Hannah slowly, “is this some bullshit stunt of yours?” she asked, eying Kyle with suspicion.

“No.” he said flatly, “There’s no one here… I even checked the engine; the driver isn’t there either.” He added raising his hands in exasperation.

“Well where did everyone go?” Andy chipped in, a sceptical expression on his face. “People were on this train… we saw them; people don’t just disappear. Were any doors open?”

Kyle shook his head. “None, and I couldn’t see any light outside, surely we’d have known if there was an evacuation? Right?” he asked, a tinge of doubt clouding his words.

“We should stay here.” Heather said firmly. “Someone will come and find out where the train went, and we will be rescued.”

Dominic spoke up quietly, for the first time in the conversation. “We should get off the train.” He said bluntly. “I for one don’t want to be on this when the next train down this track stumbles upon us, and we aren’t moving.”

His words made eerie sense. What would happen? Did the rail company know we were here? Would other trains? Sure the lights were on, but trains didn’t stop that fast…

I stood up, clutching my bag to my chest, “I’m with Dominic.” I said with an edge of uncertainty, “We might find some place nearby too.” I offered, “ and find people if they got off too…” I added noting the sceptical faces those around me.

“We can go have a look around, perhaps come back here, it is warm…” Heather said testing the water.

Nods of agreement seemed to filter around the group, people became more accustomed to the very real danger of sitting in a train, parked in the middle of nowhere, and no way to call for help.

Wrapped up in the relatively unsuitable clothes, we made our way to the back of the car, and the doors. Andy reached out and turned the handle, pushing the door out into the blackness. “Anyone got a torch?” he asked tentatively, peering out into the blackness.

Kyle returned carrying three large battery operated flashlights..

“Where did you find those?” Andy asked accepting the offered flashlight.

“Under the luggage rack at the back there,” Kyle said pointing in the direction of an emergency locker. “Not much else useful though,” he admitted with a shrug.
Andy aimed the beam of light down at the track before jumping to the gravel track bed. The crunch echoed….

As he raised the torch to get a better view of where we were, the beam reflected off solid stone walls.

“The hell.” He muttered, “We’re in a tunnel.” He added playing the beam up and across the stone roof.

Slowly the rest of us climbed down from the coach, and walked cautiously across the track.

“Where are we?” Heather asked in a small voice, hugging the thin coat to her body.

“Under a mountain somewhere.” Dominic replied slowly, playing his torch down the length of the train.. “It’s a good job we got off. Another train would never have seen us.”

“Yeah, you’re telling me.” Kyle mumbled aloud as he reached out to touch the tunnel wall.

“So what do we do now?” asked Hannah with a note of impatience. “Are we just going to stand here and marvel at the brickwork?”

“No” Kyle replied. “We’re going to find a way out of here.” He added with more resolution. “Andy, you take a quick jog down that end, and check how far we are from the mouth, and I’ll go this way,” he offered pointing the torch beam down the tunnel. “Dom, you cool to look after the girls?” he added with a sly grin.

Without waiting for a reply, the two boys turned and made their way down the track in opposite directions. Before long, they were only discernable by the beams of their flashlights.

“You ok?” I asked Hannah, squeezing her arm. “You look scared.”

Hannah shook her head. “Cold mostly, and pissed off, but what can you do?” she shrugged. “I guess the party’s off huh?” She added with a chuckle.

I grinned, “Might be, but I guess they put on a replacement for us here huh?”

“What? Spooky abandoned train in dark grimy tunnel?” she scoffed. “What’s next? Zombies?”

“Don’t jinx us! Heather added with a faux stern expression. “I really don’t want to meet any zombies.”

Hannah and I rolled our eyes at each other at practically the same moment before bursting out in a fit of giggles.

“What’s so funny?” Dominic asked looking across at the three of us.

“Nothing.” I said quickly shaking my head. “Nervous tension I guess.”

“Yeah, it’s not the best way to begin the weekend is it?” He replied smiling sarcastically.

“Doesn’t this feel weird to you?” Heather asked quietly. “I mean… where is everyone?”

“I guess we will find out at some point, unless they were all eaten.” Dominic shrugged with a straight face.

Heather was about to scold him when lights moving in the tunnel caught our attention.

In short order, Kyle and Andy returned.

“Well what did you find?” Hannah asked rubbing her hands together.

“Nothing.” Kyle admitted looking crestfallen, “Tunnel is a dead end that way, just rock face, there’s some buffers and the track ends.” He shrugged.

“You’re shitting me,” Andy said with surprise. “No way, it can’t be.”

“Can’t what Andy?” Heather asked, flinching slightly.

“This end is bricked up,” he said slowly. “There were no turnings; I figured the same as you.” He said gesturing at Kyle with his flashlight. “It’s just tracks leading out underneath and a solid brick wall…. Really old too… not recent.” He added. “Are you sure you didn’t miss a turning?” he pressed Kyle.

“No, its solid rock pretty much.” Kyle admitted, “Only bits that weren’t were alcoves and a door to a transformer room or something,” he offered with a frown.

“This isn’t an electric line….” Dominic said “Why would there be a transformer anywhere near here? Do you see any lights?” he added sweeping his flashlight over the tunnel walls.

“So what is it then?” I asked feeling somewhat annoyed at the blunt indifference Dominic was displaying… “You seem to know everything, so what the hell is it?”

“I don’t know.” Dominic admitted blankly. “But right now it seems like the only option we have doesn’t it?”

“But how the hell did we get here?” Heather asked. “It’s impossible to have just appeared here…. Where did the people go? How the hell did a train just drive through solid brick?” Heather screamed in frustration. “I’m terrified!”

Hannah squeezed her friend’s hand; “Shhh sweetie, it’s ok,” she soothed. “We’re all scared.”

“I know,” Heather admitted in a whimper, “It doesn’t change the fact though.”

“What are we going to do?” I asked looking at Dominic. So far this evening, he seemed the most calm, the most level headed, and the most mature of us; I wanted to trust him.

“We’ll go check out the door in the tunnel wall.” He stated flatly. “It’s the only option we have short of starving to death in here.”

“I’m with Dominic.” I said resolutely, hoping to sound more confident than I felt. “We have to do something, staying here is futile…. Perhaps everyone on the train went through there….?” I offered with a shrug. “It could be our answer.”

Slowly, the six of us collected up things we wanted from the train. The only things I had were in my handbag, so I waited by the track.

“You’re not like the other two.” Dominic said as he jumped down from the coach door.
I looked around, mouth agape about to respond when he held up a hand to silence me. “You think and reason before you speak, you don’t flap like your friends,” he continued leaning against the bogey the coach sat on. “It’s a refreshing change.” He offered with a sly grin.

“Why is it so different?” I asked, still feeling very aware of my beating heart. “Are girls not allowed to be brave or intelligent?”

“Of course,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “It’s not that… It’s something about you is so… relaxed.”

I shrugged a shoulder and looked down at the gravel underfoot. “I’m not…. I’m scared too,” I added looking up at him. “I just grew up having to suppress fear and be strong…. after a while, it becomes force of habit.”

Dominic looked like he was about to respond when the moment was shattered by the sound of Kyle’s boots hitting the gravel bed behind us.

“You guys ready to head out?” he called wrapping his arm around Dominic’s shoulders. “Commando Dom will lead the way!” he laughed before leaving his friend to go call for the others.

“Commando Dom?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

Dominic grinned embarrassedly; “Old nickname from my freshmen and sophomore years,” he admitted. “I was with the RTOC for a while…. Marines.”

My eyes widened. “That’s why you’re mister cool huh?” I smiled, “The natural born leader huh?”

“Don’t you start.” He grinned, “I was just beginning to like you.”

His words ignited a strange feeling within me…. It didn’t feel right…

The six of us began to walk slowly up the tracks, Kyle and Andy leafing the way with their flashlights. Andy led us back to the spot on the wall where he had passed the door.

He had understated somewhat….

Our flashlights lit up a recession in the tunnel wall. Possibly about two foot deep, and about eight foot high. Within, two large steel doors stood immobile, orange rust highlighting the rivets and lines of the metalwork.

“Wow.” I breathed slowly.

“Wow is about right.” Hannah whispered beside me.

“Come here, give me a hand Kyle.” Dominic called approaching the doors.

He felt around the edge of one, and yanked at the large handle on the door before coordinating his pulling efforts with Kyle.

For several moments, the two fought with the door, before it jumped several inches, then began to grind slowly open under their effort. Before long, the door was open and we stood back looking apprehensively into the oppressive darkness before us.

“Who wants to go first?” Andy asked holding out the flashlight in his hand. “Anyone?”

Kyle grinned and shook his head before pushing past his friend and stepping across the threshold.

No thunderbolts or crazy weapons swung down and decapitated Kyle. He just stood inside the doorway, playing the beam of light across the surface of the room.

“What do you see?” Heather asked, her fear masked by curiosity.

“Nothing.” Kyle replied. “It’s empty, but there’s a door through here.” He added stepping forwards.

Slowly, the rest of us walked past the doors, and entered what appeared to be a small atrium.

The room was roughly five meters wide, by ten meters deep, A single set of double doors on the far wall, with two slits either side were the only features on the bare concrete walls of the room.

I stepped forwards into the beams of light focused on the door ahead. I stepped closer to the door, and placed my hand against the metal. I could feel the cold steel, and the texture of the rust flaked paint. I slid my hand down to the handle, and turned. Unlike the outer door, this one had been protected from the damp outside, and the hinges were not as damaged as the previous set. I pulled the door open with a tug, and stood staring at what I saw beyond…. What shouldn’t be here; wherever here was.

It certainly wasn’t a transformer room...

From the Author:

Here we go guys! the marathon race to the end! I'll endevor to post up a chapter a day till closing time.... I WILL finish! RRRAAA!
Alyssa xxx