The Train of the Dead

Chapter Twelve

Michael didn't know when him and Riku recovered their senses. One moment, he was staring in horror at the disturbing sight, and the next, they were running from the station at top speed. He briefly thought that it was a good thing that Riku at least had his backpack with him, before that thought was immediately eclipsed by the horrifying sigh that he had witnessed.

Michael kept his eyes squeezed shut as he ran through the bustling streets. Even the chattering people and bright lights weren't enough to distract him. He barely noticed where he was going, or when he got separated from Riku. His legs were trembling so much, he almost fell over. He kept imagining those sickly, lifeless corpses. It was even more eerie than a real graveyard. They weren't even buried properly. Just half of their bodies shoved under the dirt, stacked on top of or crammed next to each other.

He only came to a stop when he collided with somebody, sending him falling to the ground. His breath came out in panicked, frantic gasps as he lay there. His heart was beating so fast, it felt like it was going to burst out of his ribcage. He became vaguely aware of the heat on his face and the pain in his side. And then, the voice shouting down at him.

"Michael?" He raised his head to stare into the eyes of his confused and annoyed father. "What on earth are you doing?"

He reached down and helped Michael up, brushing him off. Michael leaned against him and clung tightly to his shirt, nearly falling over again. He had never felt more relieved to see him.

"What's wrong with you? You're trembling all over," Mr. Miyamoto put his arm around his shaking body. A trace of anger entered his voice. "How many times have I told you not to wander off?"

But Michael couldn't care less. He threw his arms around him, resisting the urge to cry. His father stiffened in surprise.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" he demanded, his voice gentler as he realized how distressed his son was. "We only noticed you were gone when we were almost at the hotel. I told the others to stay put while I searched for you. I was just about to call for help—"

Under other circumstances, Michael might've been annoyed that it took them so long to realize he was missing. But now, he was too relieved to be away from the train station. He glanced around, realizing that he couldn't see Riku anywhere. But he wasn't too fond of the other boy after how he had taunted him and shoved him onto the train tracks.

"What's wrong with you?" Mr. Miyamoto pulled away, frowning at him in concern. "Your heart's beating a mile a minute. What were you doing running around on the streets?"

"I'm so glad to see you, Dad," he professed, feeling his heartbeat slow down slightly. He only realized afterwards what he had just said.

His father's eyes widened in surprise. Michael felt sheepish. He had never called him that before.

He opened his mouth, ready to blurt out everything. He didn't know if he would believe him or not, but he had to tell someone. If only to make them feel at least a fraction of the terror that he had felt.

"You... you won't believe what I saw," Michael blurted out, breathing heavily. His words came out in a frantic jumble. "There was this... this graveyard. At least, I think it was. At the train station. There were all these bodies – well, not full bodies. Just parts of legs, buried under the ground. Under the dirt—"

"Michael! Slow down," Mr. Miyamoto scolded, putting an arm around him again. "I can't make out a single word you're saying."

Michael could tell that his father's anger had been replaced with worry. "You're shaking all over. I'll get you back to the hotel. And then, I want an explanation."

So do I, Michael thought darkly. He didn't think he could think of a plausible explanation for what he had witnessed... except one.

The Teke Teke was real. That thought made his stomach drop. There was no other explanation. He remembered the ghost story he had been told. About how the disembodied ghost with half a body sliced her victims in half, subjecting them to the same fate. And he had found the graveyard of her victims.

He shuddered as he remembered the sound he had heard on the train. The eerie sound that made his blood run cold. It came rushing back to him despite his hardest efforts to forget about it, repeating in his ears as he walked through the streets. Drowning out the footsteps and honking of cars. The sounds of the bustling city seemed to fade into the background.

Teke Teke... Teke Teke...