The door creaked open, revealing a carriage bathed in pale, flickering light. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, swinging without wind, casting long shadows that stretched and writhed along the floor. The air smelled faintly of smoke and iron, making Evelyn's stomach churn.
"This… looks different," Alex said, voice tight. "I don't like it."
Evelyn's eyes scanned the room. The lanterns' glow shifted unnaturally, highlighting shapes that didn't belong. She could see reflections in the polished floor—not just their own, but figures standing just behind them, faces distorted, eyes hollow.
A whisper crawled into her ears, soft and seductive:
"Take what you want… no one will stop you… if only you surrender."
Evelyn's chest tightened. The voice seemed to reach inside her mind, probing for desires she had never admitted, never even thought aloud. It promised freedom, power, safety—but at what cost?
Leo staggered, staring at a lantern that glowed brighter than the rest. "I… I could just… leave it all behind," he murmured.
Evelyn grabbed his arm. "Don't listen. It's a trap."
The shadows twisted closer, forming long, clawed fingers that stretched toward them. Each lantern now reflected not what was real, but what they wanted most:
Alex saw a future where fear never touched him.
Maya saw someone she loved, alive again.
Evelyn saw herself safe, untouched, free from every nightmare—but it was a hollow vision, promising comfort for surrender.
The voice hissed through every shadow, every flicker of light:
"Choose. Desire. Take it… or be consumed."
Evelyn forced herself to look away, focusing instead on the symbols etched into the lanterns. Circles, triangles, broken lines—like the puzzles in previous carriages. The correct combination would open the next door, the wrong choice… she didn't want to imagine what would happen.
Hands shaking, Evelyn touched the first lantern, then the second, tracing the pattern from memory. The shadows lunged, reaching for them. The floor beneath her seemed to ripple like liquid.
"Almost… there!" she whispered, heart hammering.
The final lantern blinked violently. Evelyn pressed it, and the glow collapsed inward, shadows shrieking and retreating. A door slowly opened at the far end of the carriage, revealing darkness deeper than before.
Evelyn exhaled, sweat sliding down her temples. "One step at a time," she said. "Always forward. Don't trust anything the train shows you—its promises are lies."
As they stepped through the door, the lanterns extinguished, leaving the carriage empty and silent, except for the distant whisper:
"The next carriage… will strip you bare. And show you what you fear most… about yourself."
Evelyn's hand tightened on the railing, eyes forward. The Midnight Train was far from done, and she could feel its true hunger lurking just ahead.