The Train

The door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit corridor lined with rusted metal walls. The air inside was thick and cold, with a musty odor that made Yuuto's skin crawl. A long, narrow set of train tracks stretched out in front of them, vanishing into the darkness.

"What… is this?" Aya whispered, clutching her pendant tighter. The sight before them was so out of place. After everything they'd faced—the crumbling temples, shadow-filled voids, and monstrous trials—this felt almost ordinary. But that only made it worse.

Yuuto stared ahead, his heart thudding in his chest. He had read about this part in the novel—a scene where the protagonist boards a train, but it was vague. The novel didn't go into much detail about what happened inside.

Kazuki grunted, stepping forward. "A train, huh? So, what? We're supposed to ride it?"

Akari shivered as she looked down the tracks. "I don't like this… It feels wrong."

Yuuto swallowed hard, flipping through the book, hoping for some kind of clue. But the pages were blank. This had never happened before. The novel had always given him at least a hint about what was coming next, but now there was nothing.

The sound of grinding metal echoed through the corridor, and suddenly, the train appeared. It came out of the darkness like a ghost, its long, black cars clattering down the tracks toward them. The train's headlights pierced the gloom, casting eerie shadows on the walls.

Yuuto instinctively stepped back, eyes widening. The train was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Its body was a patchwork of rusted metal and broken glass, with flickering lights inside the windows. The engine roared, filling the air with an unnatural hum. But there was no conductor, no passengers, just the train itself—waiting.

Aya trembled, her voice barely audible. "Do we… have to get on?"

Yuuto looked at the others. They were all afraid, and he couldn't blame them. But there was no other way. They had to keep moving forward. Whatever this train was, it was their only path ahead.

"We don't have a choice," he said, trying to steady his voice. "If we stay here, we're stuck. The only way is forward."

Kazuki cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, let's get it over with. I'm not sitting around waiting to die."

The train came to a screeching halt in front of them. The door to the first car slid open with a hiss, releasing a puff of cold air. Inside, the cabin was dimly lit, with rows of empty seats that seemed to stretch on forever.

Yuuto took a deep breath and stepped inside. One by one, the others followed, though their fear was palpable. The train's doors closed behind them with a loud thud, sealing them in.

"Stay close," Yuuto whispered. His breath was visible in the freezing air. "I don't know what's coming, but we have to be ready."

The train lurched forward, the motion nearly throwing them off their feet. The lights flickered as the train picked up speed, plunging deeper into the darkness. Outside the windows, there was nothing but a black void, as if they were traveling through the heart of some abyss.

Kazuki crossed his arms, standing near the front of the car, his eyes darting around. "So… now what? We just sit here?"

Before Yuuto could respond, the lights inside the car went out completely, leaving them in pitch blackness.

"Yuuto?" Akari's voice trembled in the darkness. "What's happening?"

Yuuto's heart pounded in his chest. He could hear the others breathing, but he couldn't see anything. He reached out, grabbing onto one of the cold metal seats for support. "Stay calm. We—"

The train jolted violently, and the sound of screeching metal filled the air. A loud thump echoed from the back of the car, followed by a low growl. Yuuto's stomach twisted as he realized something was with them.

"Did you hear that?" Aya whispered, panic rising in her voice.

"Yeah, I heard it," Kazuki muttered, his tone deadly serious. "It's coming this way."

Yuuto fumbled with the book in the darkness, hoping for any hint, any sign of what to do. But again, the pages were blank. They were on their own.

A soft clicking sound echoed through the car, like the tapping of claws on metal. It was getting closer.

Yuuto swallowed hard, his mind racing. "Whatever it is, we can't let it reach us. We have to move."

Without thinking, Yuuto grabbed Akari's hand and started pulling her toward the front of the train. The others followed, their footsteps barely audible over the noise of the train hurtling through the void.

Another jolt shook the train, sending them stumbling. From the back of the car, a guttural snarl echoed, louder now, and the sound of claws scraping against metal grew more frantic.

"Move faster!" Kazuki growled, pushing them forward.

They rushed toward the door at the end of the car, their hearts pounding in their chests. Yuuto reached the door first, yanking it open. The next car was just as dark, just as cold. But they had no choice. They had to keep moving.

They dashed into the next car, slamming the door behind them. For a moment, there was silence, save for the sound of their heavy breathing.

"What was that?" Akari gasped, clutching her chest.

"I don't know," Yuuto said, his voice shaking. "But it's not done with us yet."

As if on cue, the door behind them rattled violently. Whatever was on the other side wanted in.

Kazuki grabbed a nearby metal bar, his expression grim. "We either fight or we run. What's the plan?"

Yuuto glanced at the door, then at the rest of the train ahead. His instincts told him to keep moving, but there was something else nagging at him—something about the way the train felt, like it was pulling them deeper into its web. Running might not be enough.

The door rattled again, harder this time. The creature was getting closer.

"We need to find the engine room," Yuuto said, his voice firm. "If we can stop the train, maybe we can get out."

Aya looked at him, wide-eyed. "How do you know?"

"I don't," Yuuto admitted. "But it's the only chance we've got."

Kazuki nodded, gripping the metal bar tighter. "Then let's do it."

They turned and sprinted toward the next car. Behind them, the door exploded open, and a monstrous snarl echoed through the train. Whatever was chasing them was no longer just a sound in the darkness—it was real.

And it was hunting them.