(Not sure if this quite fits in this thread - apologies if not )

The Last Train


John Davies was late. He didn’t realise just how late he was at the time. Getting out of the office had been a nightmare today, and he knew that if he was late for the date to celebrate their first anniversary of meeting each other, then Janine would never forgive him. As he was crossing the road outside the station at a gallop he had almost been knocked over by a speeding mini.
"Women drivers !" he cursed, but put it to the back of his mind , as he decided that he could still make it in time. Nevertheless he was already starting to panic. The automatic doors to the station concourse seemed to take an eternity to grudgingly slide open. Where was his ticket ? He searched his pockets. Nothing. The sickening realisation that it was sitting on his desk, in his office, hit him like a shower of wet cement.

"Buy another ticket, you fool !" He cursed under his breath,
"First sign of madness, that, Johnno, talking to yourself. Now, answering yourself, that’s the second bloody sign. "
Now that he came to think of it , John wasn’t sure that he actually knew where the ticket office was, and the station lighting, so inadequate for the gloom of a late November evening, was doing nothing to help him find it. Moving somewhat uncertainly, he reached the one lit window just as a black blind was pulled down, killing the light from within. Attached to the blind was a brief, impersonal notice which read,

"Closed. Buy your ticket on the train."

Closed ? What sort of time was this to be closing for the day ? Actually, thought John, that was a good point – what time was it ? He was annoyed to see that his watch had stopped. Janine had given him the watch. She would be livid, and there was no way on God’s Earth that she’d accept this as an excuse if he was late. By his reckoning they had had seven arguments already this month over his failure to pick her up on time. She, of course, was never late for anything. Which was all the more reason for him to stop messing around and find the train.

The overhead digital display board seemed to provide the answer.

"THE 17:45 SERVICE TO CHESTER WILL DEPART FROM PLATFORM 9".

Apparently it was the only train leaving in the foreseeable future. No other departures or arrivals were heralded on the boards for the other platforms. John looked at the shuffling, grey figures of his fellow commuters and snorted,
"Tough ! My need is greater than yours, I guess." Not one of them answered,
"Miserable devils."

Platform 9, like the rest of the station, was dull and indistinct. The miserable twilight was barely pierced by the pale amber glow of the lamps along its length, and its general cheerlessness was exacerbated by the cold unfriendliness of grey concrete and dark green steel beams. No wonder the platform was deserted, he mused. Frankly, it gave him the creeps. This was partly due to the unnatural quiet which seemed to have enveloped him as he walked the length of the platform. There literally was no noise. None. No quiet hum of chattering commuters. No revving of angry diesel engines. It was so quiet he would have almost expected to be able to hear his own heartbeats. He couldn’t, of course.

"Damn." He cursed quietly. "I’ll be scared of my own shadow next." The night swallowed his voice and consigned his words to oblivion. John raised his hand to his forehead, more as an embarrassed reaction to his own nervousness than anything else. He hadn’t realised how cold it was, but his fingers felt frozen. He sincerely hoped that the heating was working on the train.

The train. He could see it more clearly now. Somehow he was more resigned than disappointed when he noticed its generally drab and uncared for appearance. In the inadequate glimmer from the lamps he didn’t even notice that there were no markings on the sides, or the doors. He wouldn’t have cared even if he had. Janine was still very much on his mind. What would she say if he was late ?

"Will you be getting on this train , sir ? I would if I were you. It’s the last one. "
"Where the hell did he come from ? " John asked himself, swivelling round to make out the outline of a porter. The porter’s back was to the light, and even the small glimmer made it difficult for John to see much more than the uniform, and the vague outline of a mouth moving.
"Yes –er, thanks , pal." He stammered, and hauled himself up, eager to get up into the light. The door closed behind him, and within seconds the train began to pull out of the station.

John liked the window seat. He knew it was silly, because there was nothing to see in the pitch darkness outside, but he always sat in the window seat. It gave him a feeling of comfort, and slight superiority to the other commuters. Except that there didn’t seem to be anyone else in the carriage. He had almost forgotten that he didn’t have a ticket when he felt, rather than saw the porter behind him. As he turned round he was sure that it was the same porter that he thought he had left behind on the platform. He cleared his throat.
"Can I have a single to Chester , please ?
"You are late, John Davies."
" Yes, I know-" he replied," - hang on. I’m sorry. How do you know my name ?" The porter’s voice ignored him.
"You are late, John Davies. The late John Davies. Born February 12th, 1960. Died November 19th, at 5:21pm. Knocked over by a mini, driven by Miss Janine Duvall. She was coming to your office to tell you that it is all over between you. It is now."
John began to splutter,
"This is nonsense ! What are you talking about ? " His voice trailed off as he thought for a moment about Janine. Janine in her silver mini. A wave of denial engulfed him. " Besides, Janine would never have been there at that time. Whenever she comes to see me at work she always gets there by five at the latest."

John began to realise that the seats all around him were full; full of grey, skeletal figures, grinning at him. Mocking him. One of them stood up and pointed an accusing finger at him. Janine. The porter’s voice had just a hint of cold laughter, as he replied,
"For once, it seems , she too was late."