Chapter 5: A: Ethan Awakens

👉 Previous Decision: You chose to scream for help, waking her brother Ethan Lin in Berth 2A.

Julian’s words coiled around her, suffocating. “No one will believe you.”

Her chest tightened. She needed someone, anyone, to break through Julian’s manufactured reality. With a guttural cry, she screamed, “Ethan! Help me! He’s going to kill us!”

The sound ripped through the quiet carriage. A moment later, the door to Berth 2A flew open. Ethan, her older brother, stood there, disoriented, his hair tousled from sleep, his eyes wide and blinking against the dim emergency lighting.

“Maya? What’s going on?” he demanded, stepping into the corridor, his gaze darting between Maya, pinned against the wall, and Julian.

Julian released Maya, his expression instantly shifting. He put a hand on Ethan’s arm, his voice dropping to a tone of practiced concern. “Thank goodness you’re awake, Ethan. It’s Maya. She’s having another one of her… episodes.”

He glanced at Maya with a sorrowful look. “She’s convinced the conductor is dead and that I’ve done something to the train. The poor thing’s completely disoriented and delusional. We need to calm her down.”

Ethan looked at Maya, his brow furrowed. He remembered the difficult months after Lily’s birth, the doctors, the anxious nights. A flicker of doubt crossed his face.

“Julian, you have to believe me!” Maya cried, her voice raw. “He has a paternity test for Lily hidden in his briefcase. He’s not her father. He’s doing this for the inheritance, before my birthday!”

Julian shook his head sadly, pulling Ethan slightly further away from Maya. “See? This is what I mean. Completely detached from reality. We need to restrain her, for her own good. She could hurt herself, or Lily.”

The train accelerated, its wheels singing a frantic song on the rails. The floor vibrated beneath their feet.