The door creaked open to a room bathed in a golden, seductive light, warm and inviting, yet somehow wrong. The walls shimmered like molten gold, reflecting desires too deep and private for words. Evelyn's chest tightened. She knew instinctively that this carriage would not just test courage—it would test temptation, and their very will.
"This… feels different," Maya whispered, stepping cautiously. "It's… inviting."
Evelyn's gaze scanned the room. Each object shimmered with promise: a coin lying on a velvet cushion, a mirror reflecting the person one longed to be, a chair that promised comfort like no other. Shadows lingered at the edges, whispering soft, coaxing words:
"Take it… you deserve it… no one can stop you…"
Leo hesitated, staring at a golden chalice on a pedestal. "I… I could just…," he murmured, his voice barely audible.
Evelyn grabbed his arm. "Don't touch anything! It's a trap. The train is feeding on what we want most."
The floor shifted beneath their feet, elongating into paths that twisted impossibly. The objects' glow intensified, each one promising safety, pleasure, power—everything they had ever secretly desired. The shadows moved closer, urging them to surrender.
Evelyn felt the pull in her own mind—a fantasy of escape, freedom from fear, and the chance to rewrite every nightmare she had endured. Her fingers trembled, her breath quickened. She forced herself to take a step back.
"Focus on reality," she whispered. "Remember what's real—don't let it seduce you."
Alex's reflection in a nearby mirror wavered, showing him as a hero, fearless, untouchable. He reached toward it instinctively. Evelyn grabbed his shoulder, shaking him. "Stop! That's not real!"
The shadows shrieked, swirling violently around them. The air became hot and thick, pressing against their skin like molten iron. Their hearts pounded, minds teetering on the edge.
Evelyn closed her eyes, concentrating on the symbol etched faintly in the corner of the carriage—a triangle within a circle, glowing dimly. She traced it with her fingers, chanting the sequence they had learned from the previous carriages. Slowly, the glow spread, consuming the shadows.
The objects dimmed, losing their allure. The shadows recoiled, shrieking into silence. The floor stabilized, and a door appeared at the far end of the carriage, black and foreboding.
Evelyn exhaled, muscles trembling. "We resisted… but the train is learning. It knows exactly what tempts us."
She glanced at her friends. "The next carriage… it will be worse. We have to be ready for anything."
A whisper echoed from the darkness behind them:
"Desire is weakness… and weakness is yours to lose."
Evelyn's jaw tightened. One step at a time. One carriage at a time. She gritted her teeth and moved forward, leading her friends toward the door.
The Midnight Train was relentless—and the worst was still ahead.