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**The Last Train at Midnight**
The train station was unusually quiet that night, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Only one train remained on the schedule — the last train at midnight. Maya stood alone on the platform, clutching a small leather bag, her fingers trembling despite the warm air.
She wasn't supposed to be here.
Three hours ago, her life had been perfectly ordinary. A small apartment, a modest job, and a phone call that changed everything.
*"Your father is alive."*
The words still echoed in her head.
Her father had died fifteen years ago — or so she had been told. A closed coffin. No explanations. No questions allowed. And now, a stranger's voice had instructed her to take this train, sit in the last compartment, and say nothing to anyone.
The train arrived with a low metallic scream. Its doors opened like the mouth of some ancient beast. Maya hesitated, then stepped inside.
The last compartment was dimly lit. Only one man sat there, his back turned toward her. As the train began to move, he slowly turned around.
Her breath caught.
He looked older. Thinner. But those eyes — she knew them instantly.
"Papa?" Her voice broke.
He stood up, pain and relief battling on his face. "I hoped you'd come."
Tears streamed down her cheeks as years of anger, confusion, and longing exploded inside her. "You were dead. You let me believe you were dead."
"I had no choice," he said softly. "If I stayed, you would have died instead of me."
He explained everything then — the threats, the enemies, the night he disappeared to protect her. He had watched her from a distance, unseen, ensuring she was safe.
The train suddenly slowed.
"What's happening?" Maya asked.
Her father's face darkened. "This is where it ends."
The compartment door burst open. Armed men flooded in, their faces cold and merciless.
"Run," her father whispered, pushing her toward the opposite door. "Whatever happens, don't look back."
"I won't leave you again!" she cried.
He smiled — a sad, familiar smile. "You never did."
Before she could stop him, he stepped forward, blocking their path. The gunshots echoed like thunder as Maya ran, her heart tearing apart with every step.
The train stopped.
She jumped onto the empty tracks, collapsing onto the ground as the train disappeared into the darkness.
Morning light eventually found her there — alive, broken, but free.
Weeks later, a package arrived at her apartment. Inside was a letter and the leather bag she had seen her father carrying.
The letter read:
*"Some people live long lives. Others live meaningful ones. I lived mine for you."*
Maya held the letter to her chest, tears falling silently.
The last train had taken her father away forever —
but it had finally given her the truth.
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