The train station loomed ahead like a rusted carcass, its broken clock frozen at an hour that no longer mattered.
Cracked glass littered the ground, crunching beneath Ray's boots as he slowed his pace.
The laughter faded from his throat, replaced by a sharp, eager focus.
The blade pulsed harder.
"Careful. This place is not empty," it whispered.
Ray inhaled deeply. The air smelled different here, filled with old oil, dust, and beneath it all, fear. Fresh fear.
"Oh?" he murmured. "Good."
Inside the station, the world shifted. Dim blue light flickered into existence as translucent panels snapped into place around the ticket hall.
Vending machines stood untouched, their metal warped, while overturned benches formed crude barricades.
A handful of people were inside, armed with pipes, knives, and one trembling pistol. They froze when they saw him.
A man shouted first. "S-stay back!"
