The Terror Train

The train’s whistle roared past， accompanied by the thunderous clatter of wheels on tracks. The C2123 high-speed train from Wildefay to Cansay Key Island surged along the rails， resembling a mighty eastern dragon as it howled by. 　　Ajex Smith closed his book， rubbing his temples， feeling somewhat weary. He looked up to see the scattered passengers throughout the carriage. Taking advantage of the company’s year-end holiday， Ajex and six others boarded the train， bound for a vacation on Cansay Key Island. 　　Beside Ajex sat a pristine girl named Emily Brown. Her auburn hair flowed like silk， and her porcelain face was dotted with freckles. She was engrossed in a book， her face reflecting the sadness of the story， completely immersed in the fictional world. 　　Across from Ajex， a couple sat closely together. The man， Chris Li， appeared to be of Eastern descent， around twenty-seven or twenty-eight， with black-rimmed glasses and dark hair. His companion， Isabella Miller， was petite and adorable， about twenty-four or twenty-five， snuggled into Chris’s embrace as if no one else existed. Chris whispered sweet nothings into Isabella’s ear， his face radiating happiness and tenderness. 　　The group of seven， including Ajex， Emily， Chris， and Isabella， was completed by three men sitting across the aisle. Ethan Johnson was lean and dark， in his mid-twenties. Henry Martinez was short and stout， and James Rodriguez was tall and imposing， all around Ethan’s age. Henry’s head rested on James’s shoulder， already asleep， his snores like thunder. 　　James nudged him awake several times， but Henry’s head lolled， and he fell back asleep.“Hey， Henry， wake up， you pig. Your snoring’s going to deafen me，” James muttered， pushing him again. 　　Ajex massaged his forehead， feeling a bit groggy from reading. He turned to gaze out the window， hoping to awaken his senses with a view of the passing landscape. But then， through the sealed glass， he saw an enormous bolt of fiery red lightning streaking across the sky. 　　“Boom!” The earth-shattering sound reverberated. The high-speed train， hurtling forward， suddenly jolted violently. 　　“Scream!” 　　Caught off guard， everyone in the carriage struggled to maintain their balance. Isabella， sitting opposite Ajex， let out a piercing scream. Emily， lost in her novel， swayed and tumbled into Ajex’s arms. 　　“What’s happening?” 　　“What’s going on?” 　　Chaos erupted. People staggered， and the entire train lurched violently once more， as if tossed by a colossal explosion. A young boy nearby was flung sideways， crashing into the window. Blood sprayed， mingling with white brain matter. 　　The dragon-like train， now a plaything of the gods， careened wildly. The thunderous roar echoed， shaking the very foundations of reality. 　　Instinctively， Ajex shielded Emily with his body as the world spun around them. The entire carriage tumbled like beans in a blender， passengers colliding with one another. 　　“Boom!” Another explosive roar shook the train violently. Ajex felt himself tossed in all directions， bumping into a man’s stomach one moment and brushing against a woman’s back the next. After the intense shaking， the carriage finally ceased its somersaults and gradually came to a halt. 　　Ajex gasped for air， realizing he was surrounded by people—beneath him， on top of him. Blood was everywhere. Emily， whom he had held tightly， was now flung away， lost in the chaos. The cries and screams of others filled the air. 　　Desperate to rise， Ajex struggled against the human tide. The once-crowded space now resembled a battlefield， where survival meant crawling out， escaping this nightmare. 　　His mind raced， replaying the terrifying experience. Could it be that the lightning strike he’d witnessed earlier had hit the train， causing the derailment? Train travel was supposed to be the safest mode of transportation， yet here he was， with only a scraped arm to show for it. 　　The carriage was severely deformed. About twenty meters ahead， a massive crack split open， revealing the outside world. Survivors， still able to move， crawled toward the gaping fissure， desperate to escape. 　　On the other side， shattered window glass allowed people to squeeze through. Those nearby disregarded the risk of being cut and pushed frantically outward. 　　A woman stood near one of the broken windows. She could have easily climbed out， but instead， she fought her way deeper into the crowd， screaming，“Xiaoli， Xiaoli!” 　　“Mommy， Mommy!” A child’s plaintive cry echoed from the depths. 　　Ajex noticed a little girl， her face covered in blood， lying on the ground. She couldn’t be more than five or six years old. In the chaos， she was at risk of being trampled by the panicked crowd. 　　He scooped her up， shielding her with his body， using his arms to fend off the crush of people. Desperate to reach the frantic woman， he struggled forward. But the crowd was overwhelming， and the short distance of seven or eight meters seemed impossible to traverse. 　　Suddenly， a chilling scream pierced the air， followed by another， and another. Panic spread among the survivors. 　　“What’s happening?” 　　“Help!” 　　“Oh my God!” 　　Ajex’s face paled. He turned to look at the massive crack about twenty meters away. The screams seemed to emanate from there. The crowd surged toward the fissure， creating chaos. 　　“Don’t—” 　　“Save me—” 　　“Dear God—” 　　Amidst the cacophony of screams and desperate cries， the passengers inside the carriage remained blind to the chaos outside. Panic gripped everyone， and the surging crowd forced Ajex to brace against a seat， struggling to maintain his balance. 　　“Bang!” 　　“Bang!” 　　Through the fogged glass of the window， Ajex glimpsed vague shadows moving outside. Something was tapping against the glass. The mist obscured his view， but he noticed several shadows intertwining， and eerie， sharp cries pierced the air. 　　Shielding the unknown little girl， Ajex pressed against the foggy window. He saw the outside world—a blur of shapes. The shadows seemed to writhe and twist， like torn cowhide. Then， liquid sprayed onto the glass， trickling down—a vivid crimson. 　　Ajex took a deep breath. Blood. 　　The turmoil outside persisted for over ten minutes before gradually subsiding. Survivors， still able to move， crawled out through the ruptured fissures or shattered windows. Ajex carried the little girl， handing her over to her frantic mother. 　　“Lily!” The girl’s mother embraced her tightly. 　　“Mommy!” The child wailed， tears mixing with blood. 　　Ajex climbed out through the window， surveying the scene. The train lay broken into three sections， twisted and sprawled across the ground. The destruction was severe. 　　Strange rock formations surrounded them—piles of colorful， whimsical debris. Some resembled oversized blueberries， while others were as small as glass marbles. These formations created mounds resembling lurking creatures. 　　A gust of wind swept through， releasing the various-sized tufts into the air. In mere moments， the three derailed train cars were covered in this kaleidoscope of floating fluff.