Chapter 2: A: The Locked Door

👉 Previous Decision: You chose to rush back to your husband Julian in Berth 4B.

The heavy steel door of Car 7 clanged shut behind Maya. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the increasing rumble of the train. She raced through the vestibule, the emergency brake line still a chilling image burned into her mind, the conductor’s still form beneath it. Lily, her two-year-old, needed Julian, needed her father.

She reached Berth 4B, her hand already twisting the polished brass knob. It didn’t turn.

“Julian!” she called, her voice a ragged whisper, then louder. “Julian, wake up! Something’s happened!”

Silence met her from inside the compartment. She pounded on the door, a frantic rhythm.

“Maya?” Julian’s voice came through the wood, muffled but distinct. It sounded calm, even sleepy. “What in the world are you doing out here?”

“It’s Marcus, the conductor,” she gasped, pressing her ear to the door. “He’s dead. The brakes are cut, Julian. We’re going too fast!”

A soft laugh reached her, a dismissive sound. “Maya, darling, are you having another one of your dreams?”

“It’s not a dream!” Her palms flattened against the cold door. “I saw him. There was blood. Please, open the door.”

“You were so tired last night,” Julian continued, his voice maintaining its even, placid tone. “Remember? You were talking about shadows in the berth. Just a little sleep deprivation, sweetie. Come on, now. You know how you get.”

A cold certainty settled over her, colder than the metal of the train. He wasn’t just refusing to believe her; he was actively denying what she saw, twisting it into something familiar, something safe for him.

“Julian, please,” she begged, a desperate edge to her voice. “We’re heading for the Black River Trestle. It’s condemned!”

“You’re making things up,” he said, the sweetness in his voice now cloying, dismissive. “Marcus is fine. He just passed by our door ten minutes ago with a cheerful wave. You need to calm down and get some rest. You’re scaring yourself, and you’ll scare Lily.”

A small click echoed from inside, the unmistakable sound of the deadbolt sliding into place. Julian had locked the door from the inside. He intended to keep her out.