The door to the next carriage groaned as they entered, revealing darkness thicker than any night Evelyn had ever known. The air was heavy, almost suffocating, carrying a scent of damp earth and decay. Each breath burned her lungs, and the shadows seemed to breathe with her.
"Stay close," Evelyn whispered, glancing at her friends. Alex and Leo nodded, but even their attempts at bravery were faltering.
The whispers returned, sharper, closer—this time inside her mind.
"You will never leave… you will always be alone."
Her heart raced. Every step forward made the shadows around them twist, stretch, writhing like living ink. Then Evelyn noticed it—her own shadow had separated from her feet. It slithered along the floor, forming shapes she didn't recognize: a faceless figure, a screaming mouth, hands reaching out to drag her into the darkness.
"Evelyn…" Sophie's voice trembled. "Your shadow—it's… moving on its own!"
Evelyn's stomach twisted, nausea burning her throat. "It's feeding on fear. Don't let it touch you." She clenched her fists, focusing on the cold metal railing beside her.
The shadows surged. Alex's shadow lunged at him like a black liquid, curling around his legs. Leo's shadow split into jagged teeth, snapping at his feet. Sophie's reflection in a broken mirror twisted into a screaming version of herself.
Evelyn's mind screamed: Fight it… fight it…
She remembered the first puzzle—the mirror. The answer had been reflection.
"I am more than fear!" she shouted, slamming her hands against the floor. "I am alive! I am not yours!"
The shadow around her recoiled, screeching like metal on stone. Her friends mimicked her, facing their twisted shadows, screaming defiance. Slowly, the shadows shrank, retreating into the walls.
A panel glowed on the wall, silver letters carved with unnatural precision:
"I trap without walls, I follow without moving, I exist only when you fear me. What am I?"
Evelyn's voice was steady. "Fear… it's fear itself."
The shadows dissolved into nothing. A chill ran through the carriage as the lights flickered, steadying at last. Ahead, the next door creaked open, revealing a dim corridor lined with mirrors, warped and fractured.
Alex exhaled shakily. "We… survived… somehow."
Evelyn's eyes scanned the endless reflections. Each one whispered secrets she had never spoken aloud—her doubts, her fears, her darkest desires. The train had already begun to probe her mind, testing not just courage, but everything she was.
And Evelyn knew—this was far from over.
Somewhere, a low, mocking voice whispered through the mirrors:
"The next puzzle… will see what you hide from yourself."