Screams still echoed in the distance. The metallic clanking of the train wheels was no longer comforting—it was like a countdown to something no one could name. Every player from both baseball teams—Eastbrooke Lions and Westmont Falcons—huddled together in Car 7, tense, eyes wide, breath shallow.
Someone had tried to make a joke a few minutes ago. Jordy, probably. No one laughed.
"Z-Zombies?" Leo whispered, pressing his back against his sister Sienna.
"This has to be a prank," Malik muttered, arms crossed tightly over his chest. "Like... a sick government experiment prank. Right?"
But no one answered.
Because the bloody smears on the floor weren't fake. The scream they'd heard hadn't been from a movie. And the half-face they saw lurching at the train window wasn't wearing makeup.
Asher sat silently, staring at the locked sliding door leading to Car 6. His baseball bat was still gripped tightly in his hand, knuckles pale. He didn't say anything, didn't let his face show what he felt. But his knee bounced. His eyes didn't blink.
Ethan noticed.
From the opposite bench, Ethan sat slightly sideways, half-listening to Malik and Casey argue in hushed tones, but his focus was on Asher. The guy looked like a statue—cold, motionless. But Ethan wasn't fooled.
He saw the tremble in Asher's fingers.
He saw fear.
And for some stupid reason, that made his chest ache.
Before he could speak, a BANG slammed through the car.
Everyone jumped.
The door at the far end of the car rattled violently. Someone—or something—was banging on it.
"Shh!" Sienna hissed, crouching lower, shielding Leo behind her.
"Shit, it's one of them," Casey whispered, gripping a fire extinguisher.
The door banged again.
Then—
"Hey! Open up! I'm normal! I swear, I'm not one of them! Please!" a panicked voice shouted from the other side.
Everyone froze.
"It could be a trick," Malik warned. "You've seen movies. They talk sometimes. They mimic."
"But what if he's really just... trapped?" Jordy asked. "We can't leave someone out there."
Asher's eyes hadn't moved from the door.
He heard the desperation in the voice. Something in it—something raw and terrified—made his heart twist.
He stood up.
"Asher, no!" Sienna snapped.
"Bro, seriously—don't," Ethan said, stepping forward.
But Asher was already moving.
He reached the door and hesitated only a second.
Then he slid it open.
The man on the other side shoved past him immediately, slamming the door shut again. He was young—maybe twenty—blood on his hoodie, panic in his wide eyes.
And anger in his voice.
"What the hell took you so long to open this bloody door? I could've been torn to shreds!"
Asher stumbled back, blinking.
He'd expected gratitude. Relief. Instead, he was shoved and scolded like a child.
Something inside him dimmed.
"I—I was just trying to help..." he murmured.
The stranger scoffed and turned to the rest of the car. "You all better lock every door. There's more of those freaks coming. I barely made it out."
No one answered. The tension was thick. The new guy—who still hadn't given his name—paced like a caged animal.
Ethan's jaw clenched.
If he'd been at the door, that guy wouldn't have gotten away with shoving Asher. Wouldn't have gotten away with talking to him like that. But now, Asher just sat down, quietly, staring at the floor.
Sad.
Ethan hated it.
His fingers itched. He wanted to say something, but just then, Asher's phone buzzed.
He pulled it out with slow hands, expecting bad news.
But instead, he saw a name flash on the screen.
Honey ♥
Babe, are you okay?
A soft smile broke through the weight on Asher's face. A real one.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Asher:Still breathing. Scared as hell. But seeing your text? Makes it better.
He stared at the message, then sent it.
Across the car, Ethan tilted his head slightly, watching the way Asher's entire face softened at the text. It made him feel... weird.
Like he was jealous of someone he didn't even know.
The train screeched as it hit a turn. Everyone stumbled.
"We need a plan," Sienna said, stepping into the center of the car. "If this outbreak is spreading, and we're stuck on a moving target, we need to work together. No more fighting. No more secrets."
Her eyes passed over the stranger.
"And we need to know who we're trusting."
Outside, the countryside blurred past. But danger wasn't out there anymore. It was inside.
And every moment, the train carried them deeper into the unknown.
To be continued...