The void stilled.
For a heartbeat, the survivors thought their resistance had worked—that the train was retreating. The whispers faded, the walls quieted, the pulse grew faint.
But then, the silence broke. Not with screams. Not with shadows.With memories.
Evelyn's eyes snapped open as she heard a familiar voice. "Mama?"
The black parted, forming the image of a kitchen bathed in warm sunlight. Her mother stood at the counter, humming as she baked, the smell of bread filling the air. Evelyn's chest ached—she hadn't seen that smile in years, not since the accident. Tears burned her eyes before she could stop them.
Alex gasped as his childhood bedroom appeared before him, toys scattered on the floor, his little brother laughing, alive. Alive. The guilt that had haunted him—his brother's death, the one mistake he never forgave himself for—was gone in this perfect illusion. His knees buckled.
Leo froze as he saw himself, years younger, standing on a stage, the crowd cheering. Not a failure, not a coward—everything he had wanted to be. His lips trembled, his body leaning forward, desperate to touch the version of himself that had never existed.
The train had learned. If it couldn't feed on their fear, it would feed on their longing.
The heart thundered, whispering through their loved ones' voices:"You don't need to fight anymore. Stay. Be whole. Be happy."
The illusions reached for them, warm hands brushing cold skin. Evelyn's tears fell freely as her mother's arms spread wide. Alex sobbed as his brother called his name. Leo laughed brokenly as the cheering crowd roared for him.
And for a moment—just a moment—they almost gave in.
But Evelyn bit her lip until blood ran down her chin. She whispered through gritted teeth: "It's not real. It's bait."
The words cut the illusions like glass. The warmth shattered, the voices twisted into screams, and the kitchen, the bedroom, the stage—all collapsed into writhing veins and rotting flesh.
The survivors reeled, shaking, broken. But the truth was undeniable:The train would never stop. It would tear their souls apart, piece by piece, until something finally broke.
And in the silence that followed, Alex whispered the thought none of them wanted to say:"What if breaking… is the only way out?"