Gunshots tore through the silence of the stranded train.
Kabir pulled Aanya forward as they rushed into the next coach. Passengers screamed and ducked behind seats. Someone cried for help. Someone else froze in shock.
"Keep moving!" Kabir said firmly.
They pushed through the narrow aisle, the train shaking slightly under hurried footsteps above.
"They're on the roof too," Aanya whispered, breathless.
"I know."
Another gunshot echoed from behind.
A bullet struck the metal wall near Kabir's shoulder, sparks flying.
He grabbed Aanya and pulled her into the small space between two coaches — the narrow, flexible connector that swayed dangerously over the tracks below.
Wind howled through the cracks.
Darkness stretched endlessly on both sides of the train.
Kabir quickly shut the connector door behind them and locked it from inside.
For a second, there was only the sound of their breathing.
Aanya leaned against the wall, trying to steady herself.
"They were supposed to arrest me," she said. "Not kill everyone."
Kabir looked at her sharply. "Who are 'they'?"
She swallowed.
"The men chasing me aren't just criminals. They work for people inside the system."
"Government?"
"Higher."
Before he could ask more, loud banging hit the door behind them.
They were close.
Kabir scanned their surroundings quickly.
"We can't go forward through the aisle," he muttered. "Too exposed."
He looked up.
An emergency hatch.
"You're not serious," Aanya said.
Kabir was already climbing onto the small railing.
"Do you want to live?"
She hesitated only a second before nodding.
He pushed the hatch open.
Cold night air rushed in violently.
The roof was slick from recent rain. The train was still motionless, but wind across the open tracks made balancing difficult.
Kabir climbed up first, then extended his hand.
"Trust me."
Aanya grabbed it.
He pulled her onto the roof.
Below them, the doors to the coach burst open.
Armed men flooded into the connector area.
"They went up!" one of them shouted.
Kabir pulled Aanya low against the roof.
"Stay down. Move when I say."
They crawled carefully toward the next coach. The metal surface was slippery. One wrong step could send them falling between carriages.
Aanya's heart pounded wildly.
"This is insane," she whispered.
Kabir glanced back at her briefly.
"So is chasing a journalist with armed men in the middle of nowhere."
The train suddenly shuddered.
The engine roared back to life.
It began moving.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
Aanya nearly lost her balance, but Kabir caught her wrist instantly.
Gunshots fired from the rear coach roof.
Bullets sparked against metal inches away from them.
Kabir pulled her behind a raised ventilation unit.
"They won't stop," she said, panic rising.
"No," he agreed calmly. "They won't."
The train picked up speed, wind now slicing against them like blades.
Kabir looked ahead toward the engine.
"If we reach the front, we control the train."
"You know how to do that?"
"No."
She stared at him.
"Then what's the plan?"
Kabir gave her a faint, almost reckless smile.
"Improvise."
Behind them, shadows climbed onto the roof.
The hunt wasn't over.
It had only moved higher.