The storm came without warning.
Rain hammered against the roof in heavy sheets, thunder cracked like an explosion in the distance, and somewhere down the line a transformer groaned under the pressure. The lights in the station flickered once, twice, then everything went black. For a few seconds, the only sound was the storm pounding outside and the low, nervous creak of the building breathing in the dark.
“s**t,” someone muttered from the bunk room. “Power’s out.”
Emergency lights flicked on after a moment, weak red strips lining the hallways like veins glowing in the dark. The storm had turned the station into something quieter, something sharper. Every sound echoed. Every movement felt closer.
She slipped down the hall barefoot, the old floor cool under her feet. She hadn’t been able
