How many people were still alive on this train?
At least Harrison had managed to survive—barely.
The floor was soaked in pools of dark red blood, mixed with the sickly green slime oozing from the monsters.
A serpent-like creature slithered across the disgusting, gelatinous mess.
Ssssk—
Ssssssk—
The wet, scraping sound of something crawling across the floor sent shivers down Harrison’s spine.
What the hell was that thing?
Holding his breath, Harrison dropped to the floor and crawled forward slowly.
A corpse came into view, sprawled between the seats.
The monster, still lurking at the back of the car, was inching through the aisle, desperately searching for anything alive. And just ahead was the door to the next car.
Gripping the dead body’s ankle, Harrison yanked it toward him with all his strength and hurled it down the aisle.
Screeeeech—
The monster let out a screech of triumph as it pounced on the body.
Seizing the opening, Harrison shot to his feet and bolted.
He slammed the door to the car shut just as the monster reached it. Without hesitating, he sprinted through the next car and sealed that door too.
Finally, he had made it to the cargo hold.
It had taken him an entire day just to get this far. Luckily, the cargo hold wasn’t far from where he’d started. The space was packed with boxes and crates, making it a good place to hide.
Frantically rummaging through the cargo, Harrison at last found the bag of firearms he’d stored here. But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he came face-to-face with someone hiding among the boxes.
Bright pink hair, vivid blue eyes, and a soft, almost puppy-like expression. Prettier than most women, honestly.
Jose Cambron.
The very weapons expert Cherry had hired to teach her how to handle firearms.
Jose’s wide blue eyes locked onto Harrison’s. He formed his lips into a silent “O” and whispered,
“Attorney Harrison?”
Jose wasn’t the only one surprised. Harrison’s face mirrored the same disbelief.
“What the hell are you doing here? You should’ve already been in Brunel by now!”
Harrison’s voice was sharp. He had been suspicious ever since Cherry claimed no one had come looking for her.
“I came as fast as I could, okay? I’m a busy guy too, you know?”
Jose pouted, looking every bit like a sulky child.
Then again, he was basically a kid.
Harrison was reminded that Jose Cambron was only eighteen years old.
Despite his age, there weren’t many people who could match Jose’s expertise with weapons. That, combined with his friendly personality, had made him a perfect fit for Cherry.
But what was the point of hiring him if he hadn’t even reached Brunel? If he hadn’t been able to protect Cherry?
And the fact that he was here meant Cherry was completely alone in Brunel right now.
“If I’d known you were this unreliable, I wouldn’t have hired you in the first place. I sent you ahead so you’d get there before me—how the hell did we end up on the same damn train?”
Even as Harrison scolded him, Jose just smiled and replied,
“Come on, that’s on you for not checking my schedule properly.”
“Are you seriously blaming me right now—”
“Shh.”
Jose raised a finger to his lips.
A sound echoed through the cargo hold—the unmistakable hiss of something entering.
Ssshhh—
Ssshhh—
Chilling, raspy breathing.
It was the sound of the unknown monsters that had caused this disaster.
Harrison and Jose quickly ducked behind the crates.
Peeking through the gaps, they caught sight of the creature.
Its skin was rough and green, covered in reptilian scales. It stood on two legs, but a long tail dragged behind it. Blood stained its sharp, jagged mouth.
“What the hell is that thing?”
Jose whispered, his voice barely audible as he lay flat against the floor.
Harrison didn’t know either. What the hell were these creatures?
And why the fuck hadn’t the imperial authorities or the police done anything two days after this nightmare started?
Had this place already been abandoned?
A sinking suspicion crept into Harrison’s mind. Maybe the authorities had lost control of the situation and quarantined the entire train station and surrounding area.
“Are you still planning to go to Brunel?” Jose asked in a whisper.
Harrison nodded at Jose’s question. Without hesitation, Jose unlocked the latch of the bag sitting in front of him.
Inside, it was packed with weapons and firearms. It seemed Jose had already found Harrison’s stash before he did.
Jose pulled out a long Winchester rifle—typically used for hunting large game.
“Well, what kind of luck is this? Having this many guns at a time like this.”
As Jose muttered to himself, Harrison couldn’t help but recall Cherry’s bizarre request from a few days ago.
“I want weapons to kill. All kinds—swords, crossbows, axes—everything!”
“And, Harrison, I don’t need a teacher...”
“But make sure we’re stocked with extras. If we’re going to do this, we’re doing it right. I even want to build an armory. You know how I am.”
The timing was way too convenient. Not to mention how suspicious Cherry had been acting the entire time.
Maybe—just maybe—Cherry had known this would happen.
If that was the case, then she was probably holed up safely in the newly purchased mansion in Brunel, prepared for all of this.
Harrison looked at Jose. He needed to survive and make it to Cherry if he wanted to get any answers.
Jose loaded bullets into the magazine, chambered a round, and handed the rifle to Harrison before grabbing another similar gun and preparing it.
“I’m more of a sniper, you know. Using something as crude as a hunting rifle feels wrong.”
Jose muttered, squinting down the iron sights as he checked the weapon. Once he finished his inspection, he reached out a hand to Harrison.
“Brunel’s closer than the capital now, so we don’t really have a choice. Let’s stick together.”
Harrison gripped Jose’s hand and stood up, nodding in agreement.
They had three weapon bags in total. One of them was filled with ammunition. Harrison took two, leaving Jose with the last one as they prepared to move out.
Jose raised the long barrel of his rifle and aimed at the reptilian creature that had just passed by earlier.
Bang!
The gunshot echoed, and the monster’s head exploded on impact.
But the sound immediately drew more of them.
Jose and Harrison quickly took down the two monsters blocking the entrance and bolted outside.
As they jumped off the train, Jose kept firing at the monsters swarming toward them while shouting over his shoulder to Harrison.
“So, how the hell are we getting to Brunel?”
“First, we follow the tracks. After that, I’ll lead the way—I memorized the map, so just stick close!”
Harrison reloaded his rifle as he climbed down onto the railway.
“Damn, you really are a genius, Attorney!”
Jose trailed behind him like a shadow.
Grrr...
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Screeeech!
The problem was that the deafening gunfire had drawn monsters from all directions. Using firearms was proving to be both a blessing and a curse.
“Attorney Harrison, I think we need to run—now!”
Jose’s panicked shout was the last thing Harrison heard before they both broke into a sprint, hauling the weapon bags as they ran for their lives.
*****
Ethan and I climbed down from the watchtower to prepare for our trip to the village.
The sun had fully set, and the inside of the mansion was steeped in darkness. I lit the wall-mounted lanterns with an oil lighter, and the faint glow made the house feel a little warmer.
Even though late spring had already passed, the nights were still bitterly cold. It seemed I’d have to light the fireplace to make it warmer.
I returned to my room and sat in front of the fireplace, flicking the lighter. But no matter how many times I tried, the logs just wouldn’t catch fire.
The flames sparked briefly before dying out again. Were the logs too old?
“What the hell? Is it not ventilating properly...?”
I glanced up at the chimney, but it was too dark to see anything clearly.
“Is it blocked?”
It definitely felt like the fireplace wasn’t working the way it should.
Inside the iron grate, the remains of shredded cloth and pieces of chalk still lingered.
I sat there, staring at them like I was hypnotized.
Then Ethan’s voice called out to me.
“Cherry?”
Only then did I manage to snap out of it and push myself up off the floor.
I turned to leave the room, but just as I was stepping away, another voice whispered from behind me.
“Don’t go.”