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I panicked, flailing. Was every station experiencing the same strange phenomena? Why?! Shouldn’t even a single person be aboard this train? It was always so packed.

I stood at the door, holding a pole. I considered the mystery before me. Doing so made me recall something that had little meaning to me. There was an obscure western holiday which was celebrated in October, near to the end. It’s called Halloween. I’d never celebrated it before, but I had learned about it back in school. Come to think of it, Halloween was becoming pretty popular in Japan.

Any escape became impossible when the door slid closed behind me. The voice and jingles played again, announcing the stations along the line.

Why is this happening? Is it because of a strange foreign holiday? I laughed aloud as the train started moving. I clung to the pole as I racked my brain. Could it possibly be that? Why would Tokyo be affected by Halloween?

I checked my phone and it confirmed the date. October the thirty-first.

I further considered what I knew as the train sped up. The dark tunnel zoomed past. Lights along the tunnel whirred. I drew fingers along my lip line.

It’s the day of the dead. Do they celebrate death? Worship monsters? Oh... and they exchange candy on this day too, right? Wait. What does candy have to do with anything?! I unsteadily slipped around the pole to the nearest seat.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Of course, people in Japan dressed like Yokai, whereas westerners dressed like demons, monsters, fairies, cartoon characters... Well, pretty much anything they felt like. Dressing up on Halloween in costumes was catching on here too. Leaving my apartment except for going to my job was unusual for me. I must have gone to work on October 31st before, but I’ve certainly never experienced anything as creepy as this...

Goosebumps rose on my arms as I slipped my cell phone from my pocket to browse in an effort to try to relax. More popped up as I started searching through the headlines. I was terrified that I’d see something else like the article which had covered Reiko-chan’s untimely end.

Feelings of paranoia seized me. I thought I might see something far worse. I wondered if I’d read that fateful article aboard this very train... I banished the thought, realizing it was a foolish thought. There were many trains in service.

Yet, I couldn’t dismiss the possibility. Ugh... am I crazy? I’m not sure it makes sense, and yet... I clutched my head. I was so anxious I felt like I needed to escape. M-Maybe I should just ride the train as far as the next stop. If the next one going the opposite direction is filled with people, I... I... Damn it! NO! I can’t run away from this! If I did, I’d be rolling over and dying of starvation of homelessness. I must go to work today. I can't surrender so easily! My instincts were shrieking at me despite my determination.

I had a feeling that my day was going to get only worse. My suffering increased as I tried harder to put it out of my mind. All I could do was mess with the settings and randomly browse, and my concentration failed further when I began to feel as though I was being watched.

“Hello,” I called out aloud, springing up to my feet. “Is someone there?” The sounds of the train rattling along the tracks beat a faint rhythm in the background. The only noise accompanying the orchestra of the running train were the echoing words I’d shouted.

No one answered. I considered running along the train from car to car to see if I could find a single other person aboard. Just a single other person riding with me would make me feel safer. But, I was too afraid to search all the cars. I was anxious about what I’d find if I went. Weakly trying to return my attention back to my phone was all I could do while I waited things out. Inside, I shrieked, I want off this train, immediately!

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