The door swung open with a screech, and Evelyn immediately felt her skin crawl. The carriage wasn't dark this time—it was too bright. Walls of glass and mirrors stretched endlessly, reflecting their every movement, multiplying their faces until it felt like thousands of eyes stared back.
Sophie shuddered. "I… don't like this."
Every step echoed a thousandfold, bouncing off the glass until the sound itself became unbearable. Evelyn stared at her reflection—except it wasn't quite her. The Evelyn in the mirror tilted her head a second too late, eyes gleaming with a hunger that wasn't hers.
Alex cursed under his breath. "They're not just reflections."
One by one, the mirrored versions began to move differently—smiling when they shouldn't, twisting their features, baring teeth that were too sharp. The glass pulsed like it was alive, and the air turned suffocating.
Evelyn's reflection stepped forward, pressing a pale hand against the glass. Her double's lips moved:
"Why do you fight me? I am you. Stronger. Better. Free."
Evelyn's chest tightened. The reflection's eyes glowed crimson, and for a moment she felt it clawing at her mind, dragging every buried thought into the open—her fears, her doubts, her anger.
Sophie screamed suddenly. Her reflection reached out, pulling her halfway into the glass. Her body thrashed as she was dragged between two worlds. Evelyn lunged forward, grabbing her arm. The glass was cold, cutting into her skin as she yanked Sophie free. Blood smeared across the mirrored floor.
"Don't look too long!" Evelyn shouted. "They're feeding on us!"
But it was too late for Leo. His reflection grinned wickedly and stepped out of the glass, identical except for the jagged teeth and black, hollow eyes. It tackled him, forcing him down, fingers curling around his throat.
Evelyn didn't hesitate. She grabbed a shard of broken glass and drove it into the doppelgänger's back. It let out an inhuman shriek, collapsing into smoke. Leo gasped for air, trembling.
The reflections began pounding against the walls, their movements frantic and violent, eager to break free. Cracks spiderwebbed through the glass.
Evelyn's instincts screamed at her. She spotted a glowing sigil at the far end of the carriage—half hidden behind a wall of mirrors. "That's the way out!"
They sprinted, weaving through the labyrinth as the reflections shattered their prisons one by one, clawing their way into the real world. Evelyn's reflection followed close behind, whispering venomous promises in her ear:
"You'll never escape. I'll take your place. I'll live while you rot in the glass."
Evelyn forced herself not to falter. With one final push, she reached the sigil and slammed her hand onto it.
A blinding flash erupted. Every reflection shrieked as their glass prisons shattered inward, sucking them back into the abyss.
When the light faded, Evelyn collapsed to her knees, drenched in sweat. Her own bloodied reflection flickered one last time before vanishing.
"This train…" Evelyn whispered, her voice trembling. "It's not just killing us. It's trying to replace us."
And somewhere, deep within the carriage, a mirror cracked silently… but didn't mend.