The melody of the music box was like a thin thread spun by a spider, creating a sound that was both delicate and unsettling.
It wove its way through the heavy silence that filled the forest, adding an eerie quality to the stillness around. It was out of place, a small piece of tainted purity in a world that had completely abandoned any illusion of innocence.
The train's entrance, wide and dark, seemed to call out invitingly. It was an open space that drew attention, almost like a mouth waiting to swallow everything that approached it.
Rebecca felt a sudden tension in her body as she stood next to him. Without thinking, her hand moved to grasp the handle of her handgun, ready for whatever might come next. "That sound... coming from the train."
Jun nodded in agreement with Rebecca's words, even though his own senses were screaming in protest. Every cell in his body screamed, and his instincts urged him to create as much distance as he could between himself and that enormous, cold box that resembled a coffin.
He still remembers Rebecca's main mission, which has now become his own mission. This thought makes him let out a sigh. He takes a moment to steel himself for whatever challenges he is about to face.
"The source of all this could possibly be found in there," he said, his voice low and steady as he made the declaration. Then he continued, saying, "The answer, or perhaps all the things that you might need, Rebecca."
Upon hearing it, Rebecca nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, we need to check," she said in a soft whisper. Her strong determination was clearly visible, pushing aside the fear that lingered in her eyes. "If there happen to be any survivors..."
She started to express her idea but did not complete it. It is clear that the chances of finding survivors after everything they had gone through were very low. However, there is still a principle that remains important in this situation.
After that, they decided to leave the relative safety of the crevice. Jun picked up his rebar, which was covered in dried blood. The heaviness of it provided a dark sense of solace.
As they moved closer to the train, their pace was slow. With each step, the depth of the stillness around them grew even more significant. When they looked closely, they could see that the emergency lights had malfunctioned.
This left behind dark puddles of glass that reflected the surroundings. Several windows also were broken outward, suggesting that something had either pushed its way out or had been forced in.
The strange and unsettling sound of music appeared to be coming from the cars located in the middle section.
The door stood wide open, creating a large, dark rectangle that seemed to invite curiosity. It was a yawning gap, filled with shadows that stretched out into the surrounding space.
"Haa... I see." Jun finds himself needing to take a deep breath. He inhales slowly, allowing the air to fill his lungs, and then he exhales heavily.
This process helps him to calm his nerves and regain his composure. "Please stay behind me," he said to Rebecca, giving her clear instructions to follow.
His newfound strength made the way he commanded others feel completely natural. It did not come across as arrogant at all. He could sense the vibrant energy coursing through his muscles, like a live wire that was ready to be grounded in an explosion of violence.
Rebecca nodded firmly, her grip on the pistol strong and steady. She held it with both hands, and her knuckles were pale from the pressure of her hold. "I'll cover you."
Jun carefully placed his foot on the metal steps, feeling the cool surface beneath him. He then made his way up and entered the carriage. He was first struck by the smell.
It was a heavy and overwhelming combination. There was the scent of expensive perfume, the aroma of spilled wine, and the sharp, metallic tang of old blood.
Their skin had a waxy appearance and was very pale. However, upon closer inspection, there were no visible wounds or bites to be found on their bodies. It felt like... all the energy and vitality had just been completely drained from them, leaving them empty and lifeless.
Rebecca let out a sharp gasp, her composure slipping away like sand through her fingers. "What on earth happened here?"
Jun remained silent, his gaze fixed on the ground, the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air between them. He gazed at a delicate music box perched on the central table, its lid elegantly propped open, revealing intricate carvings that caught the light just right.
The delicate melody floated through the air, emanating from a small ballerina gracefully spinning within the confines of her ornate box.
Someone definitely placed it there intentionally. A striking centerpiece in this somber gallery of mortality.
He stepped closer, the sharp crunch of broken glass under his boot slicing through the silence. The melody swelled around them, its notes rising with a gentle urgency, wrapping the air in a warm embrace.
Tinkle… tinkle… tinkle…
A gentle rustling sound drifted from the far end of the car, close to the door that led to the next carriage. A shadow slipped away from a darker corner, moving quietly into the light.
Another conductor appeared, its uniform a bit more whole, but it moved with the same awkward jerks. Its face was a lifeless mask, void of any expression. It turned its head slowly, those cloudy eyes locking onto Jun.
It stayed quiet. It just wouldn't charge. It lifted an arm, a rigid finger aimed straight at the music box.
Then, its jaw opened wide, and a voice, dry like old leaves and completely empty, rasped out one strange word.
"Listen..."
Just as the word hung in the air, the music box began to play a shaky tune, racing into a wild, jarring peak, and then fell silent.
In the stillness, a new sound broke through. A soggy, ripping, squishing noise echoed from the bodies slumped in their seats. Their skin started to ripple and bubble, like something was shifting just under the surface.
Jun can feel something wrong, a sharp prick of danger stabbing right into his mind. He could feel it in the air, a heavy weight pressing down, warning him of what was about to unfold.
"Rebecca, back off! Now!" he shouted, pushing her hard toward the door.
It was too late.
With a series of wet, tearing sounds, the chests of the lifeless passengers split open. From inside each one, a shiny, black, leech-like creature wriggled out.
It was smaller than the ones outside but pulsed with the same disgusting energy, squirming as it emerged.
A whole bunch of them landed on the ground with soft, wet splashes, their bodies swiftly turning to look at the two people in the car.
The pointing conductor took a last, shaky breath and fell to the floor, its job done.
They weren't sitting in a dining car. They were tucked away in a cozy nest.
They had just stirred it from its slumber.
•••••
The quiet was broken by a flurry of sharp, chattering cries. The newborn leech creatures scuttled with a chilling, rapid motion, a dark wave of shiny flesh and razor-sharp teeth gliding over the plush seats and crimson-stained carpet.
"We can't let them close in on us!" Jun shouted, his voice slicing through the noise around him.
"We can't let them close in on us!" Jun shouted, his voice rising above the noise. He stood firm, the rebar moving quickly and powerfully in his hands.
He didn't swing wildly; with his basic strength and a keen sense of danger, each hit was a careful, powerful strike.
A leech jumped off the table, only to be squished in the air, leaving a messy mark on the wall. Another one hurried away from him, its head crushed by a sharp, downward strike.
Crunch. Squelch. Crack.
[Leech Spawn Killed. Points +2.]
[Leech Spawn Killed. Points +2.]
The notifications flashed at the corner of his eye, a dark reminder. But there were just too many. They poured down from the ceiling, creeping out from beneath the seats, a never-ending, buzzing tide.
The sound of Rebecca's handgun echoed loudly in the small room.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"I'm trying here!" she yelled, her voice tight.
She had a steady aim, hitting her targets with each shot, but the 9mm bullets only knocked the bigger ones back, needing several hits to finally take them down.
She was running low on bullets, and those monsters just kept coming at her.
Jun winced as a sharp, burning pain shot up his calf. A small creature clung to his leg, its tiny, sharp teeth biting through the fabric of his pants. He growled, bringing the rebar down hard, driving it into the creature and holding it to the ground. It thrashed for a moment, then lay still.
The pain was a sudden, clear feeling. They just couldn't win this time. They felt like they were drowning.
"Rebecca, we have to go now! To the next car!" he shouted, swatting away two more creatures that lunged at him.
"Okay!" She shot two more times, making a small way to the door at the end of the chaos. "I've got your back; go now!"
It was a complete turnaround from how they first came in, showing the trust they had built through tough times. Jun moved without a second thought.
He pushed forward, unstoppable, his rebar slicing through the crowd effortlessly. He reached the door and yanked the handle, but it wouldn't budge; it was locked tight.
"Ugh!" he grumbled, pushing against it with his shoulder. The metal creaked but stayed strong.
"Let me give it a shot!" Rebecca shouted, stepping back toward him, her gun making a clicking sound as it hit the empty chamber.
"I'm out of ammo!" she shouted, her voice trembling with fear as the creatures, sensing her vulnerability, rushed forward with a fierce hunger.
Jun felt a whirlwind of thoughts in his head.
System.
Okay, he overlooked the fact that he just made some solid points. Not too much, just enough.
He quickly opened the interface, scanning through the skills as he swung the rebar with one hand to keep the nearest enemies at bay.
> Basic Speed (50 Points)
> Tough Skin (30 Points)
> Lockpicking Skill (10 Points)
Lockpicking Skill. It didn't cost much, and it was their only escape. He concentrated and quickly made the purchase.
A sense of clarity hit him, reminding him of the tight grip of wrenches and picks, bringing back memories of how they felt in his hands. He felt something he had never felt before.
He swiftly placed the rebar in Rebecca's hands, ensuring she held it tightly. "Hold them off!"
He knelt down, ignoring the pain in his leg, and focused on the simple lock in front of him. He had no tools, but his talent gave him a strong grasp of what needed to be done.
He glanced around and noticed a broken piece of a woman's hairpin lying nearby. He glanced around and noticed a broken piece of a woman's hairpin lying nearby.
"I guess this is what we have to go with."
He snatched it up, bending it with his fingers, moving smoothly and with a sense of assurance. He snatched it up, bending it with his fingers, moving with a relaxed confidence.
Rebecca hovered above him, swinging the heavy rebar with a force fueled by her urgent need. She might not have been as strong as him, but there was a fire that lit up her determination.
Her movements were wild and full of purpose, like a protective dance. The shiny black figures stacked up around them, but more kept coming, crawling over their fallen friends.
"Jun, please hurry!" she begged, her voice shaky and filled with emotion.
The lock was easy to understand. He sensed it. As he turned the makeshift pick one last time, he heard a satisfying click. He pulled the handle, and the door creaked open with a loud, metallic sound.
"Come on!" he shouted, leaping up and nudging Rebecca through the opening into the next carriage. He quickly turned and slammed the door just as the swarm of creatures reached it.
The creatures slammed into the strong glass of the door, their small bodies leaving dark smudges behind. Their chattering cries were quieted, but still filled the air with fear.
They paused for a moment, catching their breath, while leaning against the walls of the new carriage.
They're now inside a quiet train car, filled with cozy little compartments.
The darkness wrapped around everything, but there was a strange, comforting quietness in the air. All they could hear was their heavy breathing and the wild beating of their hearts.
"Hish..." Jun glanced at his leg. The bite went deep, and blood flowed freely. He felt a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. Was it poisonous?
As she heard the hiss, Rebecca turned her head to follow his gaze, her eyes growing wide. "You're hurt!" She let the rebar fall with a loud clatter and hurried to his side, her instincts as a medic kicking in. "Sit quickly, let me see."
He sank onto a nearby bench, feeling dizzy from the rush of adrenaline fading away. Rebecca knelt in front of him, her hands calm as she ripped the fabric of his pants to see better.
Her touch was careful, yet being so near made it feel really intimate. Her head was at his knees, and her tangled chestnut hair brushed against his thigh. At the same time he catches a hint of her shampoo, fresh and clean, a stark contrast to the blood that marked them both.
"This is really bad," she said softly, her forehead creased as she focused hard. She glanced up at him, her big, brown eyes showing a fresh kind of concern.
"It's really deep." I've got a simple first-aid kit in my bag, but if that thing had any germs... She stopped talking, the fear lingering in the air between them.
Jun forced a small smile. "I'm fine, really... I'm tougher to take down than I seem." He put on a brave face, even though he didn't fully believe it himself. He just wanted to make her feel better.
Her eyes softened, a touch of that same amazement from the forest returning. "You were incredible in there," she said quietly, as if she didn't want to disturb the atmosphere.
"Like a... a monster," she said, but then she panicked and quickly corrected herself. "I-I'm sorry for what I said, but honestly, it's because of that that you saved us back there."
Just as he was about to say something, a new noise suddenly stopped them in their tracks. It wasn't making any noise. It wasn't just a moan.
There was a gentle, steady sound... creak... creak... creak...
It was coming from one of the closed sleeper compartments down the hall. The sound of someone, or something, slowly rocking back and forth in a chair.
They locked eyes. Fear returned, a chill gripping Jun's heart. They had gotten away from one bad situation, only to end up in the waiting room of another.
The train still had stories to tell, and they...
Found themselves stuck inside with them.
•••••
The rhythmic creak… creak… creak… felt like a clock ticking away the moments of their delicate break.
It was a sound that felt human, or maybe just a twisted version of it, and in the heavy silence of the sleeper car, it was somehow more unsettling than the wild screams of the leech spawn.
Jun sensed it, yet it continued to hum gently in the back of his mind. It served as a reminder that even though the threat had shifted, it was still very real.
The creature in that compartment was a hunter, but not like any other.
Rebecca's hands, which had been softly exploring his injury, stopped moving. Her eyes, bright and shining in the dark, met his gaze.
They looked at each other, and without saying anything, they both knew they had to leave this place.
The crowd kept banging on the door behind them, a clear sign that there was no way out. They had no choice but to move ahead, right toward where the noise was coming from.
"Can you stand?" Rebecca asked softly, her voice almost a breath.
Jun carefully put his weight on the hurt leg. A sudden, intense pain shot through him, but his bone stayed strong.
[Basic Strength] felt like it did more than just build his muscles; it gave his whole body a strong sense of resilience.
"I got this," he said, straining as he lifted himself up.
He then picked up the blood-stained rebar from the ground, its familiar heaviness bringing a strange sense of reassurance. "Just stay close to me."
They walked down the tight hallway, passing by shut doors, each one a possible grave. The creaking got louder with each careful step, and it was clear where it was coming from: Sleeper Compartment No. 4.
The door was a bit open, showing a narrow strip of darker shadows inside.
Jun paused, his senses stretched to their limit. He could hear something else now, underneath the creaking.
A soft, wet, chewing sound.
He looked over at Rebecca. Her face looked pale, but she nodded firmly, gripping her empty handgun like it was still full of bullets. It was a bold act of rebellion.
Taking a deep breath that barely eased his pounding heart, Jun carefully nudged the door open with the tip of the rebar.
The room was small, with a fold-down bed filling most of the space and a cozy chair squeezed into the corner. A figure was slumped in the chair, facing away from the door. It was a woman, or at least she had been one once.
She had on the worn-out pieces of a silk nightgown, which used to be beautiful but was now dirty and ripped. Her hair fell in a tangle of dark, messy curls. And she was swaying back and forth. The sound went on and on, creaking again and again.
She held something gently in her lap. It was tiny, bundled up in a blanket stained with blood. She leaned over it, her shoulders shifting a bit with the soft, wet sounds of chewing.
Then, she started to hum softly. It was a lullaby, strange and out of tune, a jarring contrast to the sweet notes of the music box. The sound felt empty, lacking any warmth, just a deep and heavy silence.
Out of nowhere... The woman stopped rocking, her chewing slowed down, and the humming disappeared. The silence wrapped around them tightly, and it felt more frightening than any noise could ever be.
With a slow, creaky movement, the woman turned her head to look over her shoulder. The way it moved was off, the angle too strange for a real spine. Jun held the rebar tightly, his knuckles turning pale.
He noticed her profile first. High cheekbones, pale skin pulled tight. Then her eye—a single, wide, bloodshot orb—locked onto him, showing a sharp understanding that the other creatures didn't have.
What he saw wasn't just a simple craving for food. It felt like being seen. And sadness. A deep, endless sadness that had turned into something terrible.
Her lips, coated with a thick, dark substance, opened slightly.
"...my...baby..." she whispered, her voice like dry leaves crunching beneath your feet. "...you woke up... my little one..."
She moved in the chair, facing them completely now, while uncovering what was in her lap.
It wasn't a child. It was a mass of squirming, dark stuff, a weird blend of leech-like creatures with tiny, moving limbs and a single, big, red eye that stared. It was also linked to her by a thick, fleshy cord that pulsed steadily, like a heartbeat.
She wasn't eating, or maybe she was just feeding it.
The woman, the Mother, stood up, her movements awkward and stiff, like a puppet being pulled by strings. She stood tall, her figure having a thin, almost fragile elegance beneath the tattered nightgown. The little one in her arms let out a soft, hungry cry, its bright red eye fixed on Jun.
[New Threat Identified: Plague Mother.] [Extreme Danger!]
The System's warning wasn't needed. The air turned chilly.
It was clear that this was the leader, the source of the infection that had spread throughout the entire train. Jun and Rebecca both felt a strange, unsettling sensation as soon as they stepped inside.
"Jun..." Rebecca took a shaky breath behind him, her voice filled with a fresh kind of fear.
The Plague Mother stepped closer, her dirty, bare feet silent on the carpet. She tilted her head, her one eye filled with sorrow as she looked at them closely.
"...you'll... make a nice... meal... for my little one..." she whispered, then she shifted her position.
She moved quickly. Way too quick. She lunged, aiming not for Jun but for Rebecca, her fingers stretched out like claws. Jun acted on pure instinct, pushing Rebecca back into the hallway and swinging the rebar in a broad, protective motion.
The Mother pulled back, hissing softly, but the mass in her arms struck out fiercely. The umbilical cord shot out like a whip, hitting Jun right in the chest.
It wasn't like getting hit; it felt like a heavy wave of sickness and sadness crashing over him. He clearly can see images of lost children, cribs falling apart, and a mother's deep, heart-wrenching cries filling his thoughts, almost too much to bear.
He stumbled, his sight blurring. The Threat Sense felt like a fire alarm ringing in his head.
"Come on, Jun! Fight!" Rebecca yelled as loud as she could, her voice slicing through the noise and pulling him back to the moment.
He shook his head, clenching his teeth as the mental pressure hit him. The Mother was getting ready to lunge again. They found themselves trapped in the tight hallway. She felt trapped, with no way to escape or get away from her.
He knew he had to put a stop to this. Right now!
He put everything he had into his next move. He chose not to hit the Mother; instead, he was going right for the source.
She lunged at him again, but he ducked down, avoiding her sharp claws, and pushed the rebar forward with all his strength. Not in her heart, nor at her head.
He steered it right into the throbbing, red-eyed "baby" she held close.
A scream burst from the Mother, a sound filled with raw pain that felt like it shattered the air around her. The biomass burst apart, sending dark goo and torn bits of flesh flying everywhere.
The psychic assault vanished instantly.
The Mother staggered back, holding the broken, twitching bundle close to her chest. Her wild eyes grew wider, the sadness in them turning real, final, and completely human for just a moment.
"...my...baby..." she said softly, her voice trembling.
Then, her body shook uncontrollably. The thin body started to swell, the skin pulling tight and tearing. Dark tendrils shot out from her, thrashing around wildly.
"Get down!" he shouted. Jun shouted as he tackled Rebecca to the ground, shielding her with his body just as the Plague Mother exploded in a chaotic burst of decaying flesh and shattered bones.
The quiet came back, interrupted only by the slow drip of thick liquid from the walls and ceiling.
Jun struggled to sit up, his body sore and his thoughts swirling. The compartment and the hallway were filled with a terrible stench.
[Plague Mother Killed. Points: +100.]
[Survival Objective Complete: Ensure Rebecca Chambers' Safety. Points: +100. Skill Get: Threat Sense.]
He actually did it. He was still breathing, and now he had over 200 points. But as he looked at the wreckage, the clear proof of the nightmare this train carried, he felt no sense of triumph.
This was just the beginning, and it was a tough reality to face.
(To be continued)