Chapter 16: Tracks End Here
754 Words
The mysterious voice that had been speaking in Zamora's ear disappeared the minute that the lights turned back on in the train.
She turned around immediately, but there was nobody behind her.
All the other people who were seated in the carriage had gone motionless as though nothing had happened at all.
Some of them had their eyes fixed straight ahead, staring into nothingness, while some were peering through the window into the darkness beyond the train.
However, one thing was sure the atmosphere inside the train had changed entirely.
The livestream chat flooded her screen too fast for her to comprehend.
[GhostSignal]: SHE HEARD IT TOO
[VOIDWATCHER88]: BROOOO THE TRAIN IS ACTIVE
[DistrictEyes]: don't answer voices on Route 9.
[dirty_grandpa]: Mommy looks scared now
PLAYER ZAMORA RECEIVED A DONATION: 5,000 CREDITS.
Her phone vibrated again immediately after the alert.
PLAYER BANK UPDATED:
CURRENT BALANCE: 20,000 CREDITS.
That stopped her thoughts for a second.
Twenty thousand.
The number seemed surreal after making it through Level One with nothing.
In the meantime, the train went further underground, with twisted tunnel lights flickering through the windows.
Until finally—
THUD.
The entire train carriage jolted wildly, while several passengers twitched in sync.
She was frozen in her seat, unable to move. Yet another THUD rang out from somewhere else further down the train.
The livestream chat immediately responded.
[AcidRainFan]: nope nope nope
[MemoryLeak]: SOMETHING MOVES BETWEEN THE CARS
[DistrictEyes]: don't go looking for it.
The train speakers crackled overhead again.
WELCOME TO TRANSIT ROUTE NINE.
PLEASE REMAIN SEATED.
SURVIVAL IS NOT GUARANTEED.
Static swallowed the rest of the message as her stomach tightened harshly. One of the passengers nearest to her slowly stood up. The woman's movements seemed very wrong, like a puppet that has forgotten how to move. A gray jacket was ripped and dripping from its sleeves, as dark hair obscured her face. There was no other response, not even from the other passengers. She started moving towards the next train carriage.
Step. Step. Step.
Then she stopped halfway through the aisle.
Without turning around, she spoke quietly.
"You shouldn't stay dead too long here."
Chills rushed down her spine instantly.
"What?"
The woman slowly tilted her head slightly.
"They start remembering you."
PLAYER COCKPRINCESS HAS BEEN ELIMINATED ON LEVEL ONE — GAME OVER
Just before Zamora could say anything further, the lights began flickering wildly again before finally going back to normal. The woman had vanished into thin air. And the doors to the next carriage were opening and closing wildly on their own. And the chat blew up into a frenzy as they watched, amused and horrified.
[VOIDWATCHER88]: NAHHHHH :'0
[SugarDaddy7]: damn cockprincess was my favourite
[GhostSignal]: SHE'S ONE OF THE RESETS
[TunnelRat77]: don't follow her.
[DistrictEyes]: too late.
[JokerFool]: who the hell names themselves COCKPRINCESS lol xD
Her phone vibrated again.
PRIVATE SYSTEM ALERT:
DISTRICT 9 ARRIVAL APPROACHING.
WARNING:
MEMORY INSTABILITY LEVELS RISING.
Then another notification appeared beneath it.
NEW FEATURE AVAILABLE: STREAM DONATION GOALS.
TOP DONATION REQUEST: OPEN THE NEXT TRAIN CAR.
Her eyes widened in pure shock. "What the hell…?"
PLAYER ZAMORA RECEIVED A DONATION: 10,000 CREDITS.
DONATION MESSAGE: open the door :)
PLAYER ERICA7 HAS OPENED A SECRET DOOR ON LEVEL THREE
And yet somehow, the smiley face made things even worse. As the train slowed, the darkness outside began to change dramatically, neon lights glowing in the distance beyond massive underground complexes and abandoned railroad stations.
Buildings seemed to extend forever underground, like an entire civilization hidden below Elysium.
District 9.
However, there was something odd about the scene.
Some buildings were distorted, stretching unnaturally high, while others appeared and disappeared from existence.
Digital advertisements flashed erratically on skyscrapers far away.
YOU HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE.
The message flashed for just one second before disappearing from every window of the train.
She couldn't breathe right anymore.
"No…" she whispered.
The chat exploded instantly.
[MemoryLeak]: DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT?!
[GhostSignal]: THE CITY IS GLITCHING AGAIN
[LyraKills]: wait, there's a secret door on lvl 3 :0
[DistrictEyes]: don't let District 9 convince you of things.
THUD.
This time, the sound came from the next train carriage, like something dragging itself closer.
Then again, the train lights dimmed wildly.
The viewers sounded completely entertained now, as the livestream count continued to rise.
VIEWERS: 18,441+
PLAYER ZAMORA TRENDING IN LOWER ELYSIUM.
Then another alert echoed overhead throughout the entire train.
WARNING:
UNAUTHORIZED ENTITY DETECTED ON TRANSIT ROUTE NINE.
Several passengers slowly lifted their heads simultaneously and smiled demonically——
- Writer
