I hurl my luggage along the corridor.
Compartment #20
After confirming that this is indeed my compartment, I open the door and walk in.
I look around my carriage.
It's a normal 6-person sleeper carriage. All the beds are vacant except mine (a top bunk; I can't stand sleeping beneath someone) and the other top bunk occupied by a 6-year-old girl. She was reading a book before turning her head to see who came in.
Was she here all alone?
"Where are your parents, girl?"
"…"
…ignored...
"The young lady's with me."
A smiling, kind-faced middle-aged man walked in carrying an unnecessarily large amount of luggage for two people.
"I'm sorry if she didn't respond- she doesn't talk to strangers."
The man introduced himself.
"I'm Dr. Blight, how do you do? This is my daughter, Mia."
He put down his luggage, held out his hand and I took it.
He looked like he had just ran a marathon, his face all red, his breathing out of order. Probably from carrying all that luggage.
"My name is- "
Just as I was about to introduce myself, two boys and a girl who all looked a bit older than me walked in.
"Heya."
"Sup?"
"Hello!"
The boys took the bottom bunk, and the girl settled into the bunk beneath mine.
I continued my introduction.
"My name is Ark-"
The teen boy interrupted.
"Oh! And my name is John-"
"Mine is Jack, how do you-"
"Mine is Amy!"
"Stop interrupting me, Amy!"
"You interrupted the Ark guy first!"
"--!!! You didn't have to punch me, you-"
The trio erupted into a squabble.
Dr. Blight chuckled and excused himself to the bathroom.
Maybe I'll introduce myself later…
I laid down on my bunk, closed my eyes and tried to ignore the three of them fighting over who's parents named them the best.
Eventually the trio decided it would be a better use of time to go get some food, and they left.
I can finally relax…
That's when he decided that it was the perfect time to start talking.
// A lively fellow, isn't he, that doctor? //
It was my imaginary friend, Soma. I've been hearing his voice for as long as I can remember. Other children used to look at me strangely when I talked to him. But I know he isn't just a thought in my head- he's an entirely separate entity. He suggests ideas I couldn't have conceived, knows facts I've never heard... it's terrifying.
// I don't have a good feeling about those punks though. //[1]
"Why?"
// They don't look nice. //
…That's the reason?
He really is terrifying sometimes.
The train starts to move.
I yawn and look up at my wristwatch. Its an old Fossil FS5530, my older brother used to wear it before he passed away. The glass is a bit cracked, but it gets the job done.
The time is 7 PM.
I reluctantly drag my sleepy self to the restaurant for dinner. I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast. I walk into the restaurant carriage at the back of the train, which fortunately happens to be right next to my carriage. I grab some food, look for a table- only to realize that there are no empty seats.
// Should've thought of that before you filled up your plate, hmm? //
…just shut up already…
I spotted the doctor waving at me, inviting me to sit with him. I grabbed a seat and walked over to his table, careful not to hit anyone with my chair.
"All the food you took is junk, shouldn't a skinny man like you eat more vegetables?"
I was surprised to hear this from Mia, who had a plateful of custard.
// Shouldn't the doctor be looking over his child's diet a bit more…? //
"Yo! Can we come over?"
Without waiting for a response, Jack, John and Amy pulled up with their chairs.
It was a really lively dinner.
John and Jack were taking gym advice from Dr. Blight, Amy and Mia were talking about some fashion stuff, everyone was enjoying themselves.
// Everyone except you. //
Way to ruin the mood.
"So where are you headed for, doctor?"
The doctor hesitated before replying.
"I'm going to visit my wife. She went over to visit her ill mother, and the three of us couldn't travel together because Mia had exams. What about you, Jack?"
"Me, John and Amy are on our way to university."
"Which one?"
"SLO National University."
I practically choked on my food- no way these people got into the most prestigious university of the country. I'm pretty sure the doctor was skeptical about this too.
"What about you, Ark?"
// Should you really tell them? //
I hesitated a bit.
"…I'm going to- "
"Aaaaaaaahh-!!!"
All of us turned towards the direction of the scream.
There was a crowd of people standing around something, or someone- it was impossible to tell.
Before we could get a better look, the security came.
"Everyone get out! There is nothing to worry about! Please leave in an orderly queue!"
The security was definitely worried about something.
I felt a heavy weight on my shoulders and almost fell down. I looked behind to see Jack with his hands on my shoulders.
"What are you doing!?"
"Trying to get a better look."
This man- !
Soon, all of us were pushed out of the restaurant.
Exhausted, we decided to call it a day and go to sleep.
The door suddenly slammed shut.
I woke up with a jerk and looked down from my bed. Amy walked in, looking tired. Noticing my half-awake self, she put a finger on her lips, and tried to drag in a comically large bag as silently as she could.
The two boys and Mia were sleeping too, and the doctor was up reading a book facing the wall.
I sigh and fall back into the darkness, irritated.
An annoying beeping ring began to sound.
…can't I just sleep in peace…?
The others were also grumbling, half-asleep.
I wouldn't have bothered looking up had he not decided to knock me into my senses.
// Wake up, damn it! Do you even want to live? //
I sit straight up and bang my head into the ceiling.
What do you mean 'live'?
// … I've got a bad feeling about this… //
…Why???
// Those teenagers were definitely planning some prank... //
That's his reasoning!?
The beeping continued.
The others also began to wake up, confused.
"What's going on?"
"Where am I?
"Is it morning already- "
[ALL PARTICIPANTS' ATTENDANCE CONFIRMED]
…?
An announcement played over the loudspeakers.
---
[GAME ONE]
[NUMBER OF VICTORS: 1]
[WIN CONDITION: BE THE ONLY PLAYER STANDING]
[After the time limit expires, poison gas will fill in the carriage and kill everyone- unless the win condition is met!]
[TIME LIMIT: 1 HOUR]
[PUNISHMENT FOR LOSING: DEATH]
---
// I told you didn't I? Those kids really were up to no good- //
A shotgun fell from the ceiling.
A shotgun!?
// …what the- !? Look out- !! //
A small cylinder fell down from the ceiling too.
The room was clouded in smoke.
There was an intense commotion and chaos.
// Get back! //
I immediately pressed myself against the corner.
BANG
"Aaaahh----!!!"
BANG
Two gunshots and a scream.
And then everything went silent.
The smoke cleared out.
I slowly peeked over the edge of my bunk.
I could barely make out what was going on.
Jack was in the corner, his eyes rolled back into their sockets, clutching the gun like a lost child.
Dr. Blight was calm but shaken.
Mia was just starting to wake up somehow.
…and Amy was on John's bed crying and trembling while holding John, who looked limp.
I couldn't properly make out what was going on amidst the smoke, but the large amount of a dark liquid all over Amy's clothes and John's head made it obvious that John was dead.
Dead...? It can't be...?
"Everyone relax. The smoke had a chemical infused into it to make you all lose control. If everyone calms down for a second, and makes no sudden movem-"
Dr. Blight was cut short by Mia's scream who had just then fully processed the scene.
Jack went rabid; he yelled and pulled the trigger.
"Get back, Mi-!"
Even through the smoke I could see the doctor's cranium being blown.
Fortunately, Mia had huddled into the corner of her bunk and wrapped herself in a blanket before she could see it.
Jack looked up at where Mia was.
Amy took this opportunity and rushed towards Jack and tried to grab the gun out of his hands.
Just a second too slow.
Jack yelled while he pressed the trigger again.
Blood sprayed, and Amy fell, and so did Jack after slipping on the smoke grenade from before.
I shrunk back as well. Mia was sobbing, and I too was having trouble breathing.
What is going on!?
If I stay put, he'll calm down, right?
Everything was still for a few moments.
// He's stood up again. //
Did Jack finally regain his senses?
// He's coming to kill you. //
!?
But the doctor said that if we stayed-
// He's not doing it because he's drugged. //
What?
Why would he kill me?
// It's not Jack. //
What the hell?
The heck!? Is this a joke to you!?
// …It's not. Fight back before he gets you. //
Fight back!? Have you finally lost it?
How will I fight a man with a gu-
BANG
The bullets hit the ceiling above me.
Soma sighed.
// If you won't fight, get back. //
Soma pushed me aside.
…Pushed me aside?
I felt myself falling out of my body. No- it was like my soul was pushed out of my body. I looked back, shocked, and saw him- Soma- inside my body.
It was like I became an entirely new person. My body was completely different. It looked the same, but the posture, the expression, the demeanor was completely different!
Soma's red eyes stared down Jack.
Jack raised the barrel.
Soma smiled like a madman.
Jack flinched after looking at such a crazy face.
That one second was all Soma needed.
He moved faster than I noticed. He jumped of the bed and slammed the butt of the gun into Jack's face, pushing him backwards. Soma snatched the gun out of Jack's hands, threw it onto the ground and then slammed Jack's head onto the bed's pole multiple times until Jack's face was unrecognizable.
Before I knew it, I was back in my body.
The first thing I felt was sudden exhaustion as I collapsed onto the floor. I couldn't move; my muscles hurt.
// Relax. Your body is tired. //
What the hell did you do to it?
// You're too weak. Your body has never moved this fast. //
I knew I was weak, but then how did he use my body that effectively?
// Don't worry. You'll get used to it... eventually anyways... //
"F-father…? Can- can I come d-down now…?"
Mia's voice breaks the silence.
I rolled my weary eyes toward Dr. Blight's dead body.
Dead body.
I tried to yell to Mia to not look, but my mouth was to tired to move.
I could do nothing but watch.
Watch as Mia peered over the bunk's edge.
Watch as she looked at the bunk below.
Watch as she released an ear-shattering scream.
Watch as she lost her balance.
Watch as she plummeted downward.
Watch as her head struck a bed railing.
I blacked out before she could hit the ground.
[WIN CONDITION CLEAR]
[1] I'm pretty sure you've noticed it by now, but the text in enclosed in // represent the words of Soma.