Chapter 7: B: The Locked Engine

👉 Previous Decision: You chose to run together with Ethan to the engine locomotive cabin.

“We have to get to the engine!” Maya yelled over the roar of the train, grabbing Ethan’s hand. “We have to stop it ourselves!”

Ethan nodded grimly, his face pale from the discovery in Car 7. Julian made no move to stop them as they sprinted toward the front of the train, past the rows of quiet berths. The floor vibrated beneath their feet, the speed almost unbearable.

They burst into the vestibule leading to the locomotive cabin. A heavy, reinforced steel door confronted them. Above it, a red light blinked, next to a small keycard slot and a digital keypad.

Ethan frantically tried the handle. Locked. He pounded on the door. “Hello! Anyone in there? We need to get in!”

No response, only the loud hum of the powerful engine beyond. The red light continued to flash. They were trapped between the passenger car and the locked engine, the Black River Trestle bridge now a visible, dark silhouette against the faintest hint of dawn in the distance. Its broken structure loomed, closer with every second.

“It needs a keycard,” Maya whispered, her voice filled with despair, her gaze fixed on the empty slot. “An engineer’s keycard.”

They didn’t have one.