The Terror Train

Chapter 3: The Ghost Train

Ajex stood guard by one of the train doors， coming face-to-face with the creature.

　　The monster’s presence felt even more bizarre than a zombie， leaving Ajex to wonder how such an eerie being had never been heard of before. The monsters， in their frenzy， assaulted the phantom train， their roars thundering through the air.

　　Suddenly， a piercing wail emanated from within the train， followed by a series of loud bangs. The open doors slammed shut with a violent force， catching everyone by surprise. One of the creatures leaped forward， its body halfway through the door when it slammed shut， bisecting it—blood splattered as the unknown beast was cleaved in two， its front half falling inside the carriage， the rear half outside. Many passengers behind the doors staggered back in terror， the more faint-hearted collapsing in a heap.

　　“What’s happening?”“What is this—”

　　Cries of shock filled the air as the once silent， shadowless ghost train seemed to come alive. Doors shut on their own， lights flickered on one by one. From the black locomotive， pipes extended， spewing thick white steam like a colossal steam engine.

　　“Whoo—” The train whistle howled， and the ghost train began to move with a clanking rhythm. An unmanned train， full of passengers， started to race forward on its own. The white steam billowed， startling the stone-skinned monsters into retreat.

　　The ground’s thick layer of fluff was disturbed， revealing the tracks hidden beneath as it fluttered into the air. The mysterious black train followed these tracks， plunging into the fluff-covered rocks， its clanking growing louder as it shot towards the distance. Ajex， Ethan， Henry， and all the other passengers who had boarded the train were stunned by the sudden turn of events.

　　The strangeness of the situation exceeded their comprehension， leaving many to doubt their reality， slapping their cheeks in hopes of waking from this nightmare. As the ghost train sped on， the passengers gradually calmed from their initial panic and confusion.

　　Ajex peered out the window into the darkness， seeing nothing.

　　“Ajex.” A man’s voice came from behind. Turning， Ajex saw Chris， Isabella， Emily， and James pushing through the crowd towards him.

　　“It’s you.” Ajex sighed in relief; thankfully， all seven of them were safe so far.

　　“We’ve been looking for you through several carriages，” Chris said， pushing up his glasses and taking a seat beside Ajex.

　　“Chris， tell me， what’s going on? Why did the ghost train suddenly start moving again， and where is it taking us?” Ethan asked urgently. Chris， known for his intelligence at the company， was Ethan’s go-to for unexplainable events.

　　“Ethan， calm down，” Chris said slowly.“Perhaps this is a new type of train developed and researched by our great America， intelligently controlled and dispatched here to take us to safety after the accident.”“Is that really the case?” Ethan asked， half-doubtful but visibly less frightened.

　　“Maybe it is，” said another man with a crew cut. Isabella added，“With so many of us here， there’s nothing to fear. Ethan， I’m not scared， so why are you?” Henry， his face shiny with grease， spoke slowly，“There are too many unexplainable things. For instance， why would our train， even if it had an accident， end up in such a forsaken place? We didn’t even see tracks on the ground， and those horned， stone-skinned monsters—who knows them? And to appear in such numbers all at once? And most peculiar of all， our current ride， this black train， was hit broadside and didn’t suffer a scratch. Isn’t that odd?”

　　“You’re right， the train seemed empty before， but then it started moving on its own. This… this is just too bizarre，” Ethan exclaimed， his face showing fear.

　　Chris turned to Ajex，“What do you think， Ajex?” Ajex looked out the window into the darkness， sensing shadows fleeing from the speeding ghost train.“There was indeed no one in the train carriages， but we didn’t enter the driver’s cabin， so we can’t be sure it was unmanned.”

　　As soon as Ajex finished speaking， Chris stood up abruptly， pushing his glasses up，“Right， let’s go to the front and see. If someone is driving this ghost train， we’ll catch them and get some answers.”

　　Ajex nodded， and the group of seven headed towards the front carriage. When they reached the locomotive， they found a crowd already there， banging on the door. It seemed many had the same idea， but the door to the driver’s cabin remained firmly shut despite their efforts.“What do we do now? We can’t open this door，” someone in the crowd shouted.

　　“Hmph， there must be something fishy in the driver’s cabin. Let’s all push harder; we have to break in and see who’s behind this，” another voice declared.“It’s no use; this train is too sturdy. Didn’t you see? Our previous train crashed into this one and broke into three pieces like it was made of paper， but this train didn’t have a scratch. It’s like a monster，” someone else grumbled. Seeing that the door wouldn’t budge， Chris spoke up，“Everyone， there’s no need to panic. This train won’t keep going forever; it will eventually stop at a station， and then we’ll know.”“That makes sense. Let’s not worry; we’ll find out when we get to the station，” someone in the crowd agreed.

　　“Let’s hope so，” another person said， less optimistically. Despite the mystery and eeriness of the ghost train， no further incidents occurred， and the passengers settled down， attempting to contact the outside world.

　　Unfortunately， neither phones， radios， nor laptops could get a signal; they were cut off from the world. Ajex found a seat in the carriage. With eight or nine hundred people aboard the mysterious train， spread across the carriages， it wasn’t crowded. With no other options， everyone sat and waited.

　　After a night of struggle and fright， everyone was exhausted， but sleep eluded them; the events were too strange. Remarkably， Emily managed to immerse herself in a book amidst the chaos.

　　Ajex shook his head; Emily was known in the company as a bookworm， always reading whenever she had a chance. Her backpack， unlike other girls’ bags filled with combs， mirrors， lipsticks， foundation， and tissues， was packed with books.

　　Chris’s guess was correct; about half an hour later， everyone felt the ghost train slowing down.“It’s slowing down; it seems like we’re going to stop，” many people noticed， their spirits lifting as they stood up. Ajex could see through the window that the sky outside seemed to brighten a bit， with vague shadows visible in the distance， no longer the impenetrable darkness where nothing could be seen.

　　“Moo—” With a long whistle， the mysterious black train finally came to a slow halt.“It’s stopped，” Ethan said， standing up nervously. Ajex， Chris， Isabella， Henry， and the others stood up in turn. Emily， still engrossed in her book， didn’t notice until Ajex tapped her head. Emily looked up， startled， rubbing her eyes，“Are we there?” Henry whispered，

　　“We’re there. Put the book away; who knows what strange things might happen next.” Ethan， hearing this， became even more anxious， clutching Ajex’s sleeve. Chris and Isabella held hands tightly， Chris feeling Isabella’s cold fingers.

　　Fear was in everyone’s hearts. The black train finally came to a stop， and the doors opened silently.

　　The lights that had lit up the carriages went out， and the passengers crowded at the doors， looking outside. The area outside was spacious， with a stone pillar not far away， a wooden sign hanging from it， inscribed with several lines of text. There was also a simple waiting shelter with a row of seats and walls on either side， covered by a rain shelter. Despite its simplicity， the passengers could tell this was a makeshift station.