Chapter 5

The train hummed through the tunnel. Car 2 was quiet, a big change from the chaos behind them. The lights were off, but Jennifer's flashlight cut through the dark. She held it steady, shining it on the group. They sat on the floor or leaned against seats, breathing hard. Chloe rocked the baby, its cries soft now. Marie rubbed her belly, her face pale. Monsieur Dupont sat with his cane across his lap, tired but calm. Ken held his arm where he'd been bitten, blood soaking his sleeve. Jennifer stood near the door to Car 1, her metal pole ready. The banging from the infected was muffled, but it was still there.

"We need a plan. We can't just sit here," Jennifer said.

Marie looked up. "How far to Bordeaux?"

Ken checked his watch. "Eight minutes. Maybe nine."

"Eight minutes," Marie said. "Can we make it?"

"If they don't break through," Jennifer said. She shined the light on the door. It was scratched, but holding. For now.

Chloe hugged the baby closer. "What if they do?"

"Then we fight again," Jennifer said. "Or run."

"Where?" Chloe asked. "We're in a tunnel."

Jennifer didn't have an answer. She looked around Car 2. It was empty except for them. No passengers, no infected. Bags and trash littered the floor—suitcases, a sandwich wrapper, a water bottle. The seats were neat, untouched. It felt strange, like a ghost car. She shined the light toward the back. Something caught her eye—a big black suitcase, half-open, near a window.

"Hold this," she said, handing the flashlight to Chloe. She walked over, her pole still in hand. The suitcase was heavy, made of hard plastic. Papers stuck out from the side. Jennifer knelt and pulled it open wider. Inside were folders, a laptop, and a small metal box with a green logo—a circle with lines like a maze.

"What's that?" Ken asked. He stood up, wincing, and walked over.

"Don't know," Jennifer said. She grabbed a folder and opened it. Papers spilled out. She picked one up. It had a letterhead: "BioGenesis." Her stomach tightened. That was the company her boss sent her to investigate. She read fast. Words jumped out—test, virus, Paris lab, containment failure.

"BioGenesis," she said. "This is about them."

Ken frowned. "The company?"

"Yeah," Jennifer said. "I'm a journalist. My boss said they're hiding something. Looks like he was right."

Chloe shined the light closer. "What's it say?"

Jennifer flipped through the pages. "It's a report. Says they made a virus. Something to change people. For medicine, maybe. But it went wrong."

"Wrong how?" Marie asked.

Jennifer read more. "Test subjects got sick. Aggressive. They bit people. Then it spread."

Ken's eyes narrowed. "That's what's on the train?"

"Looks like it," Jennifer said. She found another page. "Says they lost control in Paris. Tried to move it—samples, maybe—to Bordeaux. To hide it."

Ken cursed. "That box in the cargo. I saw it loaded. Same logo."

Jennifer looked at the metal box in the suitcase. It was small, locked tight. "This could be it," she said. "A sample."

Monsieur Dupont tapped his cane. "So this is their fault?"

"Yeah," Jennifer said. "They messed up. Now we're paying."

Chloe's voice shook. "Why's it on the train?"

Jennifer scanned the papers. "Says here—emergency transfer. Paris lab got overrun. They sent it out fast. Didn't tell anyone."

Ken shook his head. "Stupid. They should've warned us."

Marie hugged her belly. "Can we stop it?"

Jennifer kept reading. "Doesn't say. Just says it spreads by bites. Fast."

Ken held up his arm. "Like this?"

Jennifer nodded. "Yeah. Sorry."

Ken sat back down. "Great."

Monsieur Dupont looked at the box. "We should destroy it."

"How?" Jennifer asked. "It's locked. And we don't know what's inside."

"Smash it," Chloe said. "With your pole."

Jennifer hesitated. "What if it spills? Makes it worse?"

"She's right," Ken said. "Leave it. We get to Bordeaux, give it to someone who knows."

Jennifer didn't like that. She wanted answers now. She grabbed the laptop from the suitcase. It was off, but the battery light blinked green. She opened it and pressed the power button. The screen lit up. A password box appeared. "Damn," she said. "Locked."

"Try something," Chloe said.

Jennifer typed "BioGenesis." Nothing. She tried "virus." Nothing. "Paris." Still nothing. She sighed. "No good."

Monsieur Dupont smiled. "Try 'password.'"

Jennifer rolled her eyes but typed it. The screen flashed. It worked. "You're kidding," she said.

"People are lazy," Monsieur Dupont said.

The laptop opened to a desktop. Files lined the screen—reports, videos, maps. Jennifer clicked a video labeled "Test 14." It started playing. A man in a white coat stood in a lab. "Day 14," he said. "Subject shows increased strength. Aggression up 200 percent. Bites transmit the virus in seconds." The video cut to a cage. A person—or what used to be a person—snarled inside, white eyes glowing. It slammed against the bars.

"That's them," Chloe whispered.

The video kept going. "Containment failed at 0900 today," the man said. "Paris lab compromised. Moving samples to Bordeaux for safety." The screen went black.

Jennifer closed the laptop. "That's it. That's how it started."

"When?" Ken asked.

"This morning," Jennifer said. "Hours ago."

Marie's eyes widened. "So it's in Paris too?"

"Probably," Jennifer said. "And now here."

The train shook. The banging from Car 1 got louder. Jennifer stood, grabbing her pole. "They're coming," she said.

Ken tried to stand, but his arm shook. "I'm slowing down," he said.

Monsieur Dupont looked at him. "You're sick."

"Not yet," Ken said. "I can fight."

Jennifer shined the light on his arm. The bite was red, swollen. Black lines spread from it, like veins. "You're not okay," she said.

"I'm fine," Ken snapped. "We need to move."

"Where?" Chloe asked. "They're behind us."

Jennifer thought fast. "Forward. Car 3. We keep going."

Marie stood, shaky. "I'm ready."

Chloe picked up the baby. "Me too."

Monsieur Dupont nodded. "Let's go."

Jennifer looked at the suitcase. She grabbed the metal box and stuffed it in her backpack. "Evidence," she said. "For Bordeaux."

Ken led the way to the door to Car 3. He pressed the button. It opened slow. Car 3 was dark, quiet. A few passengers sat near the front, looking confused. "What's happening?" a woman asked.

"Stay back," Jennifer said. "Trouble's coming."

The woman frowned but didn't move. The group stepped into Car 3. Ken shut the door behind them. It locked with a click. The banging from Car 1 was fainter now, but not gone.

Jennifer shined the flashlight around. Car 3 looked normal. Seats in rows, bags on racks. No blood, no mess. Yet. She turned to Ken. "How long now?"

"Six minutes," he said. "We're close."

Chloe sat on a seat, rocking the baby. "Six minutes feels forever."

Marie sat next to her. "We'll make it."

Monsieur Dupont leaned on his cane. "We must."

Ken slumped against a wall. His face was sweaty. Jennifer walked over. "You're getting worse," she said.

"I'll hold on," Ken said. "Got to."

Jennifer didn't push it. She trusted him—for now. She looked at the door to Car 2. It was still. Too still. She didn't like it. "They stopped banging," she said.

Ken frowned. "That's bad."

"Why?" Chloe asked.

"They're planning," Ken said. "Or moving."

Jennifer gripped her pole. "We need to be ready."

A loud crash came from Car 2. The door shook. Growls filled the air. The infected were back. The passengers in Car 3 stood up, scared. "What's that?" a man yelled.

"Run!" Jennifer shouted. "To the front!"

The passengers didn't wait. They grabbed bags and ran toward Car 4. Jennifer turned to the group. "We fight here. Hold them off."

Ken nodded, raising his wrench. Chloe set the baby on a seat and grabbed her seat arm. Marie stood with her bottle. Monsieur Dupont held his cane high.

The door to Car 2 burst open. Infected poured in—five, then six. Their white eyes glowed in the dark. They snarled, fast and wild. Jennifer swung her pole at the first one. It hit the head, and the infected fell. Ken smashed another with his wrench. Chloe hit one in the leg, tripping it. Marie swung her bottle, but it broke, spilling water.

Monsieur Dupont faced a big infected—a man with a torn coat. He jabbed his cane at its chest. The infected grabbed the cane and pulled. Monsieur Dupont stumbled forward. "No!" Jennifer yelled. She ran over, but it was too late. The infected bit his neck. Blood sprayed. Monsieur Dupont fell, gasping.

Jennifer swung her pole at the infected's head. It dropped. She knelt by Monsieur Dupont. "Hold on!" she said.

He smiled, weak. "Too late," he said. "Go. Live."

His eyes closed. Jennifer's throat hurt. She didn't know him long, but he was good. She stood, tears in her eyes. "We have to go," she said.

Ken grabbed her arm. "Now!"

The infected kept coming. The group ran to Car 4. Chloe carried the baby, crying. Marie limped behind. Ken swung his wrench one last time, slowing the infected. Jennifer hit the button to Car 4. It opened. They rushed in and shut it.

Car 4 was empty. The passengers had fled forward. The door locked. The infected banged on it, but it held. Jennifer sank to the floor, breathing hard. "He's gone," she said.

Ken nodded. "He saved us."

Chloe wiped her eyes. "He was nice."

Marie sat down. "We'll remember him."

The train kept moving. Five minutes to Bordeaux. The truth was out—BioGenesis started this. But the fight wasn't over. Jennifer held the box in her backpack tight. They had to make it. For Monsieur Dupont. For everyone.