She’s out there. Looking for someone.
It doesn’t matter if you’re going somewhere special. It doesn’t matter if you’re going nowhere special. It doesn’t matter if you’re going home. Because once you’re on the Underground this Hallowed Eve, the sly and sinister have you marked.
But she’s the worst of them all.
So, watch your step…and mind the gap…
Dark bleatings, my lovely tribe? Hey…do you guys hate taking the train? No? You probably will after reading this collection. I first had the pleasure of reading this when it was originally released by Sinister Horror Company (see the cover below!). Luckily for everyone that didn’t catch it upon its original run, it’s been re-released by the good folks at Demain Publishing.
The concept for this book is ambitious, in my opinion. Every story is set during the same Halloween, and on a separate train in the London underground. If the whole story doesn’t take place on a train, then that’s where it starts or ends. Regardless, it all centres around this location. There’s an obvious risk here in that the danger of the stories feeling samey or the location becoming tiring is high. After all, how do you keep a collection interesting overall when every story is about someone on a train? Let’s take a look, shall we?
Someone is Late
Man, this one is a strong opener, and very stress inducing! A man on the train is heading out for a date. Looking forward to his night, he arrives to his platform and then things go weird. One minute, he’s on the escalator and the station is packed and then the next, he’s completely alone and he’s trapped inside because the whole place is closed. He has no memory of what happened. Luckily, he does actually come across his date, though she isn’t…right.
I loved this story and I think it’s my favourite in the collection. It goes from normal to weird to outright scary.
Delightful
Raymond is riding the train when a stranger called Tobias strikes up a conversation that he doesn’t really want to have, but initially politely obliges him in. However, it seems that Tobias has some unsettling tastes…
Freaked me out.
Cracks in the Silence
A homeless man on the train begs for change in a completely polite way. Of course, he’s shunned and outright ignored by almost everyone. When the flies arrive, he becomes a bit harder to dismiss…
I liked this one too and felt like it was an unfortunately realistic reflection of how the less fortunate are treated, and I consider it a somewhat karmic tale.
Things on the Periphery
Althea interacts to a woman on the train that is clearly sick and reacts to her with visible disgust and fear, for which she is judged by the other passengers. And then the shadows start closing in…
This one made me think about how panicked I was about getting sick during the time of the pandemic. I’m high risk and was absolutely convinced that if I even saw another person, I was going to get infected and die. I could understand Althea because of this, though I did think she was a dick for how she behaved. I couldn’t totally cut off my empathy for her though because automatic repulsion and fear of sickness is something I’ve related to at varying degrees throughout my life.
Loud Chameleon
A sax player is busking in the London underground when a man that can only be described as putrid approaches her.
A similar theme to the last story that made me wonder if all these stories might be connected…
Why
Giles isn’t doing so well and is on the underground weighing up a decision.
This one first made me feel a bit sad and then quite creeped out.
The Silhouette
A man meets a mysterious woman in a sleek, black bodysuit (even her face is covered), carrying a large jack-o-lantern.
I wanted more!
Uneasy Prey
A man is bitten by a snake, and once this happens, they can communicate. The snake is a bad influence! It whispers not-so-sweet suggestions to him.
There’s a clear biblical link here, though this collection as a whole doesn’t feel like a religious metaphor. Or at least it didn’t until this story, and now thinking back, I’m wondering about other parallels, such as Jesus taking pity on the sick…
You Let it Get Close
Tobias encounters something medieval (the same something, I’m pretty sure, that appeared in an earlier story!). Also, we’ve seen Tobias before, only the last time, he was the aggressor. I should have noticed earlier that though these stories can be read as standalone’s, it’s not just the location that connects them.
Not Everyone is Strange
Charlie (who we last saw talking to a snake in a previous story) leaves the station and heads off to a Halloween party, where he plans to take his friend’s girlfriend, whatever it takes. He’s so consumed with how to get rid of his friend that he misses the biggest red flag of all time…
I loved this story. Such fantastic, classic horror. What’s happening with Charlie is kind of disproportionate to his “crime”, in that he hasn’t actually done anything, and also, he’s been influenced by a devious snake – if you take his first story literally. Once again, I was drawn back to the Bible and how literally one should take those fables.
Dancers Like Nishka
Kyle goes for a very private dance with Nishka, who is not your average stripper. This one is also a bit “she ain’t right!” and it was very entertaining.
Eyes of the Silhouette
The lady in the black bodysuit is back, and she’s talking to Charlie! Who is she? WHAT is she? Is she also the snake? What is happening?! I’m unsure, but I don’t have high hopes for our protagonist…
Where this Train Terminates
Glenn reflects on his past as he nears the end of his journey…in more ways than one…
The Exit
In this one, we get an organised whirlwind of the collection’s characters and indicates some of their final fates.
Overall, I’d recommend this collection to horror fans, especially if you enjoy subtlety in your themes. I have my own ideas and interpretations of all this as a whole, but I think I’d like to leave it up to you to decide for yourselves. I’m sure there are many ways that this collection can be read!
If you’d like to check out the book or the author, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Bleeeeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
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