Strange Train

3

The spreading unease engulfed me.

I felt like I had been thrown n***d into a frozen wilderness.

My body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Outside the door lurked that creature.

But would staying in the bathroom be considered breaking the law?

Images of Zhao Rong's terrified face flashed before me, intensifying the unease.

What should I do?

Just as my inner turmoil reached its peak, the indicator light suddenly went out.

The bathroom door swung open abruptly.

A steward in a dark blue uniform stood at the doorway.

His towering figure, at least two meters tall, wore a wide-brimmed hat, and his face was as rigid as marble. He stared down at me, his voice gravelly and low: "Hello, the smoking passenger has been taken to the police room for criticism and education. You can come out now."

Trembling with fear, I stepped out of the bathroom.

Indeed, as the steward said, the aisle outside was empty, with no sign of that creature.

I breathed a sigh of relief, my tense nerves finally relaxing.

"Apologies for the unpleasant journey. We will continue to enhance supervision," the steward said.

"But what's going on? What was that creature? And what about the message I received before boarding, with those regulations? What do they mean?" I bombarded the steward with questions once I calmed down.

However, the steward just stared at me coldly, responding indifferently, "For your personal safety, please obey the rules of the journey."

With that, the steward prepared to leave.

At that moment, I remembered the overweight man in the compartment and quickly stopped the steward, recounting the situation to him.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it," the steward said.

Turning on his flashlight, a dark trail snaked along the carpet of the aisle, disappearing at the connection to the other carriage.

The overweight man vanished once again, leaving behind a pool of dark red blood in the compartment.

Viscous substances continued to drip from the top of the carriage, emitting a nauseating smell.

"Sorry, your berth has been contaminated and is temporarily unusable. Please wait a moment while we clean it for you."

Contaminated?

My heart skipped a beat as I asked nervously, "Can you change my berth?"

The steward replied coldly, "Sorry, all the berths on the train are full. Please be patient."

Just as I was about to ask how long I had to wait, the steward added, "Also, for your personal safety, please stay in place and refrain from going to other carriages."

With that, the steward ignored me, locked the compartment door with a key, and followed the dark trail along the carpet towards the connection between carriages.

In the dim aisle, I was left alone with my thoughts.

I sat alone in the fold-up chair in the aisle, still without any signal on my phone.

Zhao Rong remained missing.

The dim lights in the carriage cast a sense of eerie silence.

I recalled the previous attendant's statement about all the berths being occupied, which I found hard to believe.

When I stood up and approached the compartment door beside me, I clenched my lips, summoned courage, and grasped the icy door handle.

It wouldn't budge.

The door was locked.

I moved to the next compartment.

Still, it wouldn't open.

Every compartment in the entire carriage was locked.

A nameless dread surged within me.

Recalling the attendant's words, a sinister suspicion arose.

Had every compartment in the carriage been contaminated?

And had the passengers inside turned into the likeness of that obese man?

My heart raced, and I couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.

Meanwhile, I sensed the train's speed slowing down.

I pulled back the curtain in the aisle, the fog outside obscuring the view, but I could still discern the train gradually decelerating, pulling into a station.

What was happening?

Wasn't this train supposed to proceed without stopping?

As if to answer my query, a broadcast sounded in the carriage.

"Dear passengers, due to unforeseen circumstances, this train will temporarily halt for maintenance at the station. Please adhere to regulations and refrain from disembarking."

Hardly had the broadcast ended when hurried footsteps echoed from the other side of the carriage.

I turned, seeing Zhao Rong approaching with a somber expression.

"Zhao Rong? Are... are you okay?"

I was both shocked and relieved, scanning her up and down. Apart from slightly disheveled hair and a somewhat pale complexion, Zhao Rong appeared normal.

"Luyao, something's off about this train," Zhao Rong gripped my shoulder, her voice tense, "We need to get off as soon as possible! Hurry, let's disembark!"

I was startled, finding it hard to believe Zhao Rong's words.

But she wasn't even bothering with her luggage, dragging me towards the connection between the carriages.

"Zhao Rong, what's going on?"

"A few words won't explain it. We'll talk after we get off."

"But the broadcast said passengers couldn't disembark midway..."

"That broadcast is a lie!" Zhao Rong's gaze turned fierce, her expression twisted, "If you stay on this train any longer, you'll end up dead!"

Zhao Rong's demeanor frightened me.

She clutched my wrist tightly, almost causing me discomfort, as if afraid I might escape.

Zhao Rong dragged me to the connection between the carriages.

By some method unknown to me, she actually managed to open the carriage door.

A rush of icy air swept in.

Outside the narrow door, the white fog still hadn't dissipated.

Zhao Rong insisted on pulling me out of the carriage.

In panic, a surge of strength welled up inside me, and I forcefully shook off Zhao Rong's grip, stepping back into the carriage several paces.

"Then you stay here and wait for death yourself!"

With those words thrown at me, Zhao Rong disregarded me, turned, and dashed out of the carriage, her figure quickly engulfed by the dense fog outside.

I stood frozen in place, surrounded by silence.

Could it be, as Zhao Rong said, that all those regulations were lies?

But before I could dwell on this thought, a hysterical scream pierced my eardrums, causing me to shudder.

Immediately after, the screams abruptly ceased.

From deep within the white fog, a burst of red erupted, even splattering a few drops of crimson onto the metal plate by the carriage door.

I swallowed hard, my throat constricting.

A steward dressed in a red uniform emerged from the white mist.