"Ethan, pass the salt."
"No."
Lily looked up from her food.
"It's literally next to your hand."
"Then grab it."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because I'm comfortable."
Ethan stared at her.
"You are the laziest person I know."
Before Lily could respond, three knocks echoed through the apartment.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
The siblings fell silent.
The sound wasn't loud.
But it was strange.
Slow.
Deliberate.
As if the person outside wasn't in any hurry.
Lily frowned.
"Are you expecting someone?"
"No."
Another three knocks followed.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
"Your turn."
"What?"
"Go check."
"Why me?"
"Because I'm eating."
"So am I."
"Exactly."
Ethan rolled his eyes and stood up.
---
The hallway outside was empty.
No neighbors.
No visitors.
Nobody.
For a moment, Ethan thought someone had played a prank.
Then he noticed the envelope lying on the floor.
His name was written on the front.
Ethan Graves
Nothing else.
No sender.
No address.
No stamp.
Just his name.
A strange feeling settled in his stomach.
---
Back at the table, Lily immediately grabbed the envelope.
"Hey."
"Relax."
She examined both sides.
"No sender."
"Give it back."
"Fine."
Ethan opened it.
A single sheet of paper rested inside.
He unfolded it.
Only one sentence was written.
Platform Three. Midnight. Come Alone.
The apartment became quiet.
Lily read it.
Then read it again.
"Okay."
"What?"
"That's creepy."
---
Ethan laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was ridiculous.
Someone was messing with him.
That had to be it.
The timing was suspicious.
After all, he had spent the last week looking into Riverside Station.
Maybe somebody noticed.
Maybe it was a prank.
Maybe it was nothing.
That explanation made sense.
At least it made more sense than the alternatives.
---
That night he didn't go.
At 11:50 PM he was sitting in his room.
At midnight he was watching videos.
At 12:30 he was asleep.
Nothing happened.
The next morning he felt stupid for even considering it.
---
Then another knock came.
---
The second envelope looked identical.
Same paper.
Same handwriting.
Same message.
Platform Three. Midnight. Come Alone.
This time Ethan didn't laugh.
---
Days passed.
The letters kept coming.
Not every day.
Sometimes one day apart.
Sometimes two.
Always appearing outside his door.
Always arriving when nobody was around.
Always carrying the same message.
Platform Three. Midnight. Come Alone.
---
The letters slowly became impossible to ignore.
Ethan found himself thinking about them during class.
During meals.
During his commute.
Even in his dreams.
His concentration disappeared.
Teachers called his name and he didn't respond.
Assignments piled up.
He barely noticed.
---
One afternoon Lily threw a notebook at him.
The notebook hit his shoulder.
"What was that for?"
"You've been staring at the same page for ten minutes."
"So?"
"So that's weird."
Ethan sighed.
Lily sat down across from him.
"You want to tell me what's going on?"
For a moment he considered it.
Then shook his head.
"No."
"You look terrible."
"Thanks."
"I'm serious."
"I know."
The concern in her voice bothered him more than the letters.
Because it meant other people were noticing.
---
That night Ethan spread the envelopes across his desk.
Six letters.
Six identical messages.
No clues.
No answers.
Nothing.
He stared at them for a long time.
Then made a decision.
"Damn it."
He grabbed the latest letter.
If someone wanted him there so badly...
Then he'd go.
---
Saturday arrived.
The entire day felt tense.
Ethan spent hours convincing himself this was a bad idea.
Then spent another hour preparing anyway.
A powerful flashlight.
A pocket knife.
His phone.
A portable charger.
A notebook.
Nothing impressive.
Nothing heroic.
Just enough to make him feel less vulnerable.
The preparation made him realize something.
He was scared.
Actually scared.
And for once, he wasn't ashamed to admit it.
---
At 11:20 PM he left the apartment.
The city was quiet.
Most shops had closed.
The streets were nearly empty.
Only the occasional car disturbed the silence.
Each step toward Riverside Station increased the pressure in his chest.
By the time the station came into view, his palms were sweating.
---
The station looked ordinary.
Late-night passengers waited for trains.
Announcements echoed through the building.
Nothing seemed unusual.
Ethan walked toward Platform Three.
The abandoned platform sat exactly where it always had.
Hidden behind a rusted metal gate.
Dark.
Silent.
Forgotten.
He checked his phone.
11:58 PM.
Two minutes remained.
---
Part of him wanted to leave.
Actually, most of him wanted to leave.
This was insane.
He knew it.
Any normal person would walk away.
Forget the letters.
Forget the station.
Forget everything.
Yet he remained.
Waiting.
Watching.
Listening.
---
11:59 PM.
The station clock ticked forward.
A train arrived somewhere in the distance.
Passengers walked past.
Nobody paid attention to Platform Three.
Nobody even looked in its direction.
As if it didn't exist.
---
Midnight.
A metallic click echoed through the station.
Ethan froze.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
The rusted gate began to move.
The old hinges groaned.
The entrance to Platform Three opened by itself.
And from somewhere beyond the darkness...
A familiar figure stepped forward.
A man in a black coat.
Waiting.
To Be Continued...