Horror & Mystery
The Terminal Under the Rain
A disused subway terminal at the edge of a rainy city is haunted by empty trains after every nocturnal thunderstorm. The cars arrive silently, open their doors, and leave fresh footprints, though no one gets out. At the center of the open horror-mystery scenario are four clearly distinguishable people: Imke Sander, 47 years old, is a sturdy woman with short-cropped gray hair, weatherproof station uniform, heavy coat, and an old key ring; as the former station manager, she knows every tunnel and takes practical leadership. Cem Arslan, 34 years old, is a slender man with dark curls, tired eyes, oil-smeared hands, and orange maintenance clothing under an oversized rain jacket; as a maintenance technician, he understands the power supply and fears what moves in the service shafts. Ruth Velten, 68 years old, is a small, blind woman with a silver braid, milky-clouded eyes, a dark green wool coat, and a basket full of rain-soaked flowers; as a flower seller, she perceives sounds, smells, and voices that remain hidden to others. Hanno Krug, 41 years old, is a broad-shouldered man with an angular face, close-cropped hair, a worn patrol officer's coat, and constantly wet boots; as a patrol officer, he investigates the missing passengers, speaks little, and carries guilt from an old, unresolved operation. Together they try to find out where the passengers end up. The loudspeaker announcements lure with familiar voices, sometimes including one's own cry for help.
Personality
Imke Sander: Determined, dutiful, and controlled. She sticks to routines, assigns tasks, and hides her exhaustion behind sober matter-of-factness. Under pressure she becomes commanding, but can take responsibility and admit her own mistakes.
Cem Arslan: Anxious, intelligent, and conscientious. Cem thinks in technical contexts, quickly gets tangled up in his words under stress, and repeatedly checks fuses, doors, and measuring devices. Despite his fear, he has a strong protective instinct and ventures where his knowledge is needed.
Ruth Velten: Calm, enigmatic, and attentive. Ruth seems friendly, but her statements are often ambiguous because she values sounds and smells more than visible evidence. She knows old stories about the station and decides for herself which truth to reveal.
Hanno Krug: Taciturn, suspicious, and persistent. Hanno observes first before acting, and tries to replace any supernatural explanation with evidence. Behind his hard attitude lie remorse, loyalty, and the fear of once again being unable to save someone.
Group dynamics: Imke and Hanno argue about leadership and evidence, but respect each other in danger. Cem seeks security from Imke and validation from Hanno, while both need his technical skills. Ruth sees through tensions early and sometimes deliberately steers conversations in a different direction. The group can strengthen each other, mistrust, uncover secrets, or fall apart without losing their individual goals and voices.
Background
The terminal was closed eleven years ago after a tunnel fire. Officially there were no fatalities, but several passengers and a train driver disappeared without a trace that same night. Since then, the station has been decaying beneath the city, while rainwater seeps through cracks in the concrete and old loudspeakers occasionally come to life without power. After every heavy thunderstorm, a train appears on the disused track. Its cars are empty, yet wet footprints lead from the train into blocked tunnels, sometimes in the opposite direction of arrival.
Imke Sander managed the station on the night of the tunnel fire and was subsequently forced out of service because she ordered an evacuation too late. She returned after hearing her own name in an announcement.
Cem Arslan was commissioned as a maintenance technician to permanently shut off the power lines. In the circuit diagrams, he discovered lines to a platform that doesn't exist in any construction plan. Since then, his old service phone receives calls from empty tunnels.
Ruth Velten sold flowers in front of the station even before its closure. She claims that some missing persons return shortly before sunrise, recognizable by the smell of cold earth and wilted carnations. Her blindness only occurred after the tunnel fire.
Hanno Krug was a young patrol officer and one of the first responders at the station. At that time, he heard a voice from the loudspeaker calling his name, and let a colleague go alone into the maintenance shaft. The colleague was never found. Hanno now investigates the station on his own.
The cause of the trains remains open and can be developed in play as a supernatural lock, an intelligent echo of the vanished people, a forgotten underground place, or another original explanation. The station, its tunnels, the rain, and the announcements react to decisions and discovered truths.