Scary Horror Stories by Dr. NoSleep - My Younger Brother Rode a Missing Train

Episode Date: December 16, 2022

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Welcome to aboard Via Raille. Embarked and profite. Embarked and relaxes. Syrotay. Bookine. Oh, that also. And profite.

Via Rae. The voice that we love that we love. Talk to nicely. If you want to support the podcast and help me continue to provide the best horror stories, feel free to sign up to my Patreon. Here you will receive early access

to all of my podcast episodes. You will also get access to my archive of over 50 bonus episodes. Thank you. Now back to the story. I woke to a horrible mechanical buzzing beside my ear. The phone screen was blinding in the 3 a.m. darkness of my bedroom. It was a text from my younger brother, Luke. He was on vacation in Spain with his girlfriend Ellen, and it didn't surprise me that he would forget about the time difference, or just assume that whatever he had to say was more important to me than sleep. What did surprise me was the message from

Luke. Hey man, anything weird in the news? I scratched my head and read it again. It didn't make sense. The last time my brother had cared about current events was when he was trying to sleep with a poly-sci major during his sophomore year. I groaned. I had to be at work in four hours and there was no way I'd be getting back to sleep now. I scrolled listlessly through the front page of a few major papers, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I sent Luke a curt reply. lie. No, why. It was the beginning of a bizarre conversation that left me terrified for my brother. IDK, Luke responded. But our train's been stuck in the middle of nowhere for like two hours. Ellen's pissed. Can you check the schedule for me? I'd do it myself, but the internet is all

buggy out here. I groaned again. Classic Luke. I do it myself, but could have been his personal motto. Just like always, I started helping him even when I wanted to strangle him. He sent me the identification number and departure time of the train, but when I searched for it, I noticed something odd. Train departures at the time Luke mentioned were listed for every other day, but for some reason, today that time was missing. As far as I could tell, my little brother was on a train that didn't exist. Not finding anything, I texted back. By the way, do you know what time it is here? I know it's late, Luke wrote almost instantly. Look, man, I'm really sorry. Can I call you? That one little word, sorry, convinced me immediately that something was really truly wrong.

Luke never apologized, not for anything. Impatient as always, my little brother didn't wait for a response. He called right away, and I picked up on the second ring. The connection was bad, and there was a lot of background noise, banging, creaking, and loud arguments in Spanish. Worried tone was completely unlike my brother. Luke was keeping his voice low. We left town about four hours ago. So filthy, he made the red, but it sounded like...

And Seth, the biggest rat you ever saw climbed out of the trash can. It bit the first lady and saw. The thing was all oily and black, and it had one of those pink, warmly, tails as thick my thumb. I cringed. I could hear my little brother hyperventilating. Rats were his worst fear. A few minutes later, another rat fell out of the damn ceiling. It bit this punk kid on the neck. It was screeching and clawing while he was trying to get it off. Then it scurried away, into the vents. Luke let out a ragged breath. I can hear him, Seth. Now look, Luke. Just calm down. The call dropped almost as soon as I began to speak. Even if Luke was exaggerating,

and he probably was, there was still cause for concern. My little brother didn't handle stress well. It was easy to imagine him losing control and getting into a shoving match with the train security officer, breaking something in frustration, or even jumping off the train. And then, when Luke got locked up in a Spanish jail but was laying with his leg broken in a Spanish hospital, I'd be the one who'd have to sort it out.

I made myself some coffee while I waited for a callback. Instead, I received a barrage of messages from Luke. My calls aren't going through. Got to stick to text. Remember the dirty guy at the end of the train? He's totally lost it. He's swinging his arms like he's trying to fight his shadow. We've all gotten as far away from him as possible.

And the woman and kid who the rats bit, they've gone all pale and clammy. People are trying to use the intercom, but we can't get through. Maybe the rats chew through the wires. Seth, they're squeaking and scratching right next to me. inside the walls. Luke, I typed frantically. Why don't you and Ellen move into a different train car? There's no room, my brother replied.

They're all packed. I punched the table in frustration. Classic Luke. All excuses, no solutions. But maybe that wasn't it at all. Maybe my little brother was just afraid to leave a seat, afraid to abandon the safety of the wagon for that dark little space between train cars, where more rats might be hiding.

If there's no room, I punched the keys angrily. Then you and Ella need to make room. It's not safe for you there. If you're worried about rats between the wagons, use your phone light to check first. Use your backpack to swat them away. Anything. Just get out of there. Sure, man.

I could almost hear Luke's sarcastic sneer in my head as I read the text. Easy for you to say. I sighed. He was sulking. I finished my coffee and made another cup. I checked the local news in Spain for any mention. of Rattas, then check the timetables for proof that my brother's train actually existed with no luck. I could already feel the headache coming on when my phone buzzed with a new message

from Luke. Okay, we're in the second wagon. It's pretty tight in here, man. Smells like sweat and bad cologne. Oh shit. What? I wrote back frantically. The power just went out. Luke responded. Everybody's screaming. Jesus. Just stay calm. Things are going to get sorted out. I quote the sign that my grandmother cross-stitched for us, the one that had hung in our room when we were kids. This too shall pass. But Luke was already panicking. It's so dark and hot as hell. People keep shoving us. Seth, I don't know how much more of this I can take. Didn't you find anything online? Anything about how much longer we're going to be stuck here? Not yet, I reassured him. But I'm looking into it, all right? Okay. Luke had calmed down a little.

Hey Seth, thanks for the advance earlier. All the people from the wagon we were on, they're trying to get in here now. But there's no more room. That dirty psycho back there must be really freaking out. We can't fit any more people in here. They keep yelling something like, Maywarday, Maywarday, Maywarday.

Can you translate it? Two guys slammed the door and they're holding it shut. Keeps out the noise at least, I guess. It's so fucking hot in here. It hurt to imagine him there. pressed between all those sticky bodies, all those angry people, scared, frustrated, alone. All of them just waiting, like a feast for rats. The disgusting thought came to my mind, but I realized that it was true.

Even if one of those freakish rats my brother was describing got loose in such an overloaded train car, there'd be a stampede. My little brother had never been very athletic. He'd get pushed down onto that disgusting floor and trample, by their running feet. I sent him another message. I think you and Ellen ought to keep moving. That's going to piss a lot of people off, man. Luke was reluctant. I don't know if we can. It's like a goddamn wall of skin. We're packed so tight in here. Can you move? I wrote, exasperated. Or can't you? I guess there is one more wagon, Luke admitted. Up ahead. It's dark, though. I can't

see what's inside. You two need to get to it, I told him. Look. No matter what anyone says, no matter if people push you or scream at you, no matter what, you and Ellen just keep moving, okay? Okay, Luke wrote back, grudgingly. We'll try. In the east, the sky was beginning to brighten. While I waited for a reply, I tried my hand at translating the phrase Luke had sent me. May were day, didn't get any results.

But what if he meant, me, oh, I hear him? That didn't make sense. I just hoped it wasn't. Me moirde. Because that would mean he bites me. The sudden vibration of my phone made me jump. A call from Luke. Hello?

Hey, Seth. There was a long pause. The reception had gotten a little better. I could tell by the number of voices that Luke and Ellen were still surrounded by people. But at least, it didn't sound like they were losing their heads. They were muffled conversations and the sound of work, duct tape being stretched.

Nails were being hammered, and someone was sawing through plastic. ...forter's voice. Lazzang sur-goled, puissance-moyance-molyne for 15 minutes. We're saying that's the hour dojo. Prere to play. Vive the pleasure with Leo Jo. The casino in-line that proposes the more recent machine-asoo

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the concour's applicable. You what? I tugged on my hair exasperated. Luke. How much did you give the guy? There was another silence. Sometimes I got so angry with my little brother

that all I could do was growl his name. A female voice whispered. It had to be Ellen. Hey, uh, Seth. We were going to suffocate in that last train car. Off of us. Seth, machine workers in here had their tools with them, and they're working on sealing off the wagon.

Did you talk to the guard? Does he have any idea of what's going on? He wasn't very, uh, conversational. He was holding him. the door shut with one hand and had a nightstick ready and the other one. And I'm pretty sure he's been like that for the last couple hours, twitching. What about the windows? Can you see anything outside? Now that the power's out, we can, but there's nothing to see.

We're stuck in this ditch with gravel on either side. Shit! What? I practically screamed. Sorry. A rat just fell off of the roof in front of the window. Ellen whispered, probably so that Luke wouldn't hear. These aren't normal rats.

Seth, it was the size of a small cat. It was trying to claw. What are you two whispering about? Luke asked, and Ellen fell silent. Nothing, just trying to figure out what's going on. I covered for her. There was a sudden series of loud bangs, shouting, scuffling. The people from the other wagons!

Ellen screamed. They're trying to break in! A different kind of shrieking reached my ears. The kind born of pure animal desperation. It was followed by the hard-packing sounds of human flesh being beaten with something hard and heavy. Then a slam so loud I wince. Luke was saying, the connection was breaking up.

Luke! Luke! I shouted into empty air. The connection had dropped again. No! Usually, it was my younger brother who lost his temper. But in the heat of the moment, I was ready to fling my phone across the room. I had to get control of myself again, for his sake.

I called my embassy. I called the local police. All I got for my efforts were two nail-biting hours on hold. No one would admit that the train my brother was on actually existed, even though I could see on the railway's website that the line had been shut down for repairs since Luke's train had left the station. My embassy could only confirm that Luke and Ellen had checked out of their hostel that morning. Although a cheerful young woman assured me that the matter would be investigated thoroughly.

I had just finished calling into work with a family emergency when I received another text for my little brother. Or actually, a whole barrage of them. His phone must have just reconnected. Seth? Seth? You there? It's fucking crazy. The people in the second wagon just smashed out their own train window. I don't know what was happening in there,

but they wanted to get out real bad. A few made it. But then the glass broke. The rats got inside. It was like, I don't know, a black tide. They swarmed them. and the people who didn't get out in time? Oh, God, Seth, I don't even want to think about it,

but I can hear them groaning and screaming. And this train, it's covered, I mean covered with rats. If you look out the window, you can see them, scratching and gnawing and eating each other. But that's not the worst of it. The worst is what happened to the people who got bit. Seth, they're going crazy. Eyes are all bloodshot, drool running down their chin.

They're slamming against the door to our train car. They're... God, Seth! They're biting it! The last message had come through nearly an hour ago. I frantically began to type. There was a connection problem, but I'm here now. It's going to be okay.

The truth was, I didn't know that for sure. In fact, I doubted it. However, as Luke's older brother, I felt duty-bound to tell him so. What I had to say next was hard. It would be even harder for Luke to... to read. You and Ellen need to start thinking about what you're going to do if they get in. Both of you need to get ready to make a break for it. My little brother responded almost immediately. Out there? With those psychos? With the rats? No, hell no. I can't. No way.

What are the vents sealed with, Luke? I demanded to know. Duck tape? How long do you think it will take several hundred rats to chew through that? How long until the bite victims outside break down the door or find some other way in? Luke's response was a hysterical. No, no, no, no, don't tell me that. You said it was going to be okay. It will only be okay if you make it so yourself. Listen, you're my brother. You can do this. When I started typing the words, I didn't believe them, but by the time I'd finished, I did. The truth was, I was impressed. Luke had gotten out of the first wagon in time, forced his way through the crowd, even sacrificed everything he owned to protect Ellen and himself. I'd underestimated him,

and maybe I always had, but there was no time for that now. Get yourself into position by a window. Once the glass shatters, you need to jump as high and far as you can. Start running the moment your feet hit the ground and don't look back. Oh, God! Luke wrote a few moments later. I can hear them! The rats! They're in the trade toilet. They're coming up the pipes.

They're clawing and biting at the rubber beneath the door. Ellen is trying to warn everybody. We're going to make a run for it just like you said. Okay. We're getting ready to break the window now. I love you. I love you, too. It was the last text I ever sent to my brother.

But according to the messaging service, he never read it. My mind was all over the place. I couldn't decide what I needed to do. I was halfway through booking a plane ticket to Madrid, while also reading an article on a conspiracy site about a sudden military buildup along a certain railway line in Spain when I received a call from an unknown number. My brother panted into the receiver.

At you? Luke! I couldn't believe it. It was like talking to a ghost. I'd been so sure I'd never hear from him again. My little brother was running. He was wheezing with effort. Sticks and leaves crunched beneath his feet.

This is Alan's phone. My brother gasped for air. Memorize it just in case? I guess it actually worked. Yeah. I couldn't keep the smile off my face, imagining Luke squinting at the digits, trying to force them into his brain.

I guess it did. It was crazy. Two guys with hammers broke the glass and we all jumped down and started running. I didn't look at him. Just like you said, I just kept running and... Is Ellen all right? My question was met with a long silence. No.

No, she's... I don't want to talk about that now, okay? Wait! I shouted. Luke, where are you now? Are there any other survivors? I don't know, man. I'm somewhere in the forest.

I just picked a direction and started running, you know? I'm going parallel to the railroad tracks, so I guess I'll hit civilization eventually. To be honest, I'm avoiding the others, just in case they're, you know. Bitten? Luke. I began, as I scrolled through the blurry aerial photos and Spanish-language articles on the conspiracy site. I'm glad you called, but are you sure it's safe for you to be on the phone with me like this?

Aren't you worried that something might hear you? Don't worry about it, man. This battery's going to die any second now, and not worse than I thought. Luke chuckled. I'll be fine. It's just a long walk in the woods, and then... Then you'll be on your way back home. I couldn't hide my smile.

We'll pick up where we left off, and you can tell me about it. Right, man, right. Hey, Seth? Luke paused. Thanks for talking me through this. I know I haven't exactly been brother of the year, but... I stopped listening. The grainy, night vision image I was looking at on the conspiracy website,

showed a perimeter being set up by military, or paramilitary, forces. It was centered on the location of a stopped train. In the last few hours, locals had written into the site about being turned back at gunpoint by soldiers in black combat armor whose names and insignia were hidden. Using a translator, I scrolled through their talk of searchlights, hazmat sites, and what one commenter described as kill zone. Luke! I repeated more loudly, don't go near! The line went dead. That was several weeks ago.

I haven't heard anything from my little brother since then. Every agency I talked to gives me a runaround or puts me on hold until I give up. And when I went back to that Spanish conspiracy website to print out the photos and comments, it was all gone. The site had been taken down. I've paraphrased my thoughts during our conversation, but the texts I've copied verbatim, they're the only proof I have that something awful happened to my brother.

Something awful that might be spreading.