The Tunnel (short story)

The student seeks out the train conductor for answers, but initially receives evasive responses.

Eventually, the conductor leads the student to the empty locomotive and reveals that the engineer had already jumped when he realized what was happening to the train.

After a failed attempt to pull the emergency brake, the train accelerates and tips into an abyss.

The racing train could be interpreted as every life that inescapably approaches a catastrophe (death, the unknown).

Another interpretation is the story is a social commentary on the ignorance of society in the face of imminent disaster, as people place unquestioning trust in leaders without concern for where they are being led.