The screeching of metal on metal echoed through the train as it hit a curve. Car 8 groaned in protest, and everyone inside flinched. Tension coiled tighter with every second, and the stale, recycled air felt like it could choke them all.
They had made it through so much already. They had seen people torn apart, had faced the unthinkable. And yet, there was no end in sight.
Asher sat in the far corner of Car 8, gripping the strap of his bag so tightly his knuckles had gone white. His eyes kept drifting to the closed door that led to Car 9. Every bump in the track made it rattle slightly, like a monster waiting for its moment.
Across the car, Ethan stood near Jason, the ex-army man whose presence had become both comforting and commanding. He was drawing rough plans in a notebook, trying to estimate how many cars stood between them and the driver's cabin.
"We're running out of options," Jason said, closing the notebook with a frustrated sigh. "The radio in the rear car is useless. Our only hope is the emergency broadcast line in the engine car."
Leo piped up, trying to lighten the mood. "Maybe when we get there, we can press a big red button and summon the Avengers."
No one laughed.
The silence was broken by a sudden screech.
The train lurched.
Everyone was thrown sideways as it shook violently. Asher crashed into the side wall, and Ethan instinctively reached out, catching him by the arm just before he hit the floor.
Their eyes locked—briefly, but deeply. Asher's breath caught.
"You good?" Ethan asked, voice low.
Asher nodded, his voice lost somewhere in his throat.
Jason looked toward the front of the train. "We need to move now. That wasn't a track bend. Something's wrong."
Before anyone could react, a panicked shout came from Car 9.
A survivor—bloodied, clothes torn—sprinted through the door, banging hard.
"THEY'RE COMING! THEY GOT THROUGH THE BACK!"
Jason didn't hesitate. "Everyone, move to Car 7. NOW!"
Chaos erupted. People scrambled for bags, kids were picked up, the elderly couple helped along. Asher reached for his bat while scanning for Leo and Sienna.
"Stick together!" Ethan yelled, grabbing Jordy's arm. "Don't stop!"
They opened the door to Car 7, spilling into it with their group just as the door behind them burst open—and the first zombie came through, screeching with hunger.
Jason slammed the door shut again, locking it with the steel rod from the floor, but the weight from the surge of infected behind it made the frame groan.
"They'll break through soon," he said. "We can't all stay in one place. The train's too long."
Casey looked pale. "What are you saying?"
"I'll take half the group through the roof," Jason said. "We'll go car by car from the outside until we reach the front."
"That's suicide," Malik muttered.
"It's that or die here when that door gives in," Jason snapped.
There was a heavy silence.
Jason turned to Ethan. "I need someone fast, someone who knows how to handle chaos. You've got guts, kid. Come with me."
Ethan hesitated. His eyes flicked to Asher.
Asher felt his heart clench. He wanted to say something, but the words jammed in his throat. What would he say? Stay with me?
"Go," Asher said quietly, surprising even himself. "You'll make it."
Ethan hesitated, like he hadn't expected that. "I'll come back for you."
And then Jason was climbing the ladder to the train roof, helping Ethan up after him. A few others followed—Malik, Jordy, the boyfriend from the couple in Car 8, and one of the older men.
Asher stood frozen.
The last thing he saw was Ethan's head turning for a split second—his eyes meeting Asher's one more time before vanishing over the top.
Then, the door behind them cracked.
The zombies were almost through.
"Asher!" Sienna called, dragging Leo forward. "We have to move!"
The remaining passengers rushed through to Car 6, trying to outrun the infected. Screams rose again as the doors barely closed behind them. Asher and Sienna were the last ones through.
Blood was on the floor.
Hope was getting thinner.
Above the train, Ethan fought to keep his balance as the wind howled in his ears. The roof was slick with condensation, and every step was a risk. Jason moved ahead like he'd done it a thousand times before, checking each car junction, giving hand signals.
They were halfway to the engine.
But Ethan's mind wasn't on the path.
It was on Asher.
He could still feel the weight of him in his arms from earlier—the way he'd nearly fallen. The quiet fear in his eyes. That hug had lasted only seconds, but it burned into Ethan's memory like a scar.
Jason ducked low. "There's a break ahead. A cart gap. We'll have to jump."
"What if we miss?" Jordy asked behind him.
"Then you fall under the wheels," Jason said simply.
They lined up. One by one, they jumped.
Ethan went last. He paused, stared into the darkness behind them, and whispered, Hold on, Asher, before leaping across.
Back inside, Car 6 was a nightmare.
Someone had turned on a flashlight, casting eerie shadows on the walls. The little girl was crying in her mother's arms. The pregnant woman—Lena—was breathing hard, clearly in distress.
Jason's wife, now alone, kept asking if he was safe.
And Asher sat in the corner again, biting down the scream in his throat.
He pulled out his phone.
Honey ♥
Are you safe?
The message was sent.
No reply.
Five minutes passed.
Nothing.
Ten.
Still nothing.
The silence on the other end hurt more than the undead.
Just when Asher thought he might break, the train hit something.
The sound of twisting metal and a sudden jolt threw everyone off their feet.
Outside the window, smoke began rising.
The train wasn't just stopping—it was crashing.
On the roof, Ethan barely kept his footing as the train skidded. Sparks flew beside the tracks, and Jason yelled over the noise: "WE HAVE TO JUMP!"
"WHAT?!"
"THE TRAIN'S GOING OFF THE RAIL!"
Jason leapt onto a gravel embankment, tumbling into the brush. Jordy followed. Ethan looked back one last time—toward the cars behind them.
Toward Asher.
And then he jumped too.
Back in Car 6, people screamed as the train finally derailed. The side twisted, metal snapped, windows shattered. Bodies were flung sideways.
Asher grabbed Leo and Sienna, shielding them.
Then—impact.
Darkness.
When Asher woke up, it was silent.
Dust floated through a beam of sunlight from a shattered window. Blood smeared the floor.
He sat up slowly, head pounding.
"Sienna?" he rasped.
No answer.
He saw her a few feet away, groaning, alive.
Leo sat up too, dazed but intact.
Most others were unconscious or injured.
Asher stumbled toward the door. It had collapsed inward, blocked by debris.
He was trapped.
And worst of all—
He was alone.
He pulled out his phone.
No signal.
Still no reply from Honey.
Asher leaned his forehead against the cold metal.
"Please," he whispered. "Be safe."