Chapter 3: The Conductor
The footsteps echoed down the aisle, slow and deliberate.
Souta's breath caught in his throat as he turned toward the source of the sound. The blindfolded passengers remained still, their heads slightly tilted downward, their breaths eerily in sync.
The air in the train car felt suffocating.
And then, he saw him.
A man in an old-fashioned conductor's uniform stepped forward from the darkness beyond the door. His uniform was pristine, but his skin was deathly pale, stretched thin over sharp bones. His lips were colorless, pressed into a thin line. His hat was tilted slightly, casting a shadow over his hollow eyes.
But the worst part?
He was smiling.
A thin, unnatural grin that didn't reach his empty eyes.
Souta's legs refused to move. Riku and Mayu stood frozen beside him.
The conductor slowly raised his gloved hand and adjusted his pocket watch—a polished silver timepiece that gleamed despite the dim lighting.
Then, in a voice too smooth, too calm, he spoke.
"Tickets, please."
Souta's blood ran cold.
Tickets?
Before any of them could respond, the conductor's smile widened.
He took a step closer.
"Passengers must have a ticket."
His fingers curled slightly, and something unseen shifted in the train car. The lights flickered. The blindfolded passengers let out a faint, collective sigh—like exhaling in unison.
Mayu's hand tightened on Souta's wrist. "What do we do?" she whispered.
Souta forced himself to think.
They had no tickets. They weren't supposed to be here.
What happens if you don't have a ticket?
Riku finally spoke, his voice tense. "We don't have tickets."
The conductor tilted his head, his grin never faltering.
"Ah," he sighed, almost disappointed.
Then, he raised his other hand and snapped his fingers.
Instantly—
The train car shifted.
The walls pulsed like something organic, and the air grew heavier, pressing down on them like a weight. The blindfolded passengers all turned their heads slightly, as if reacting to something unseen.
Souta's stomach twisted.
Something was changing.
The seats darkened, the fabric warping. The train itself felt older, its polished surfaces peeling away, revealing rusted metal and something darker—something that pulsed beneath the surface.
Then—
The door at the far end of the train car creaked open wider.
Beyond it, a black corridor stretched into the unknown.
The conductor took another step forward.
"If you have no ticket…" His voice was softer now, almost gentle.
"…then you must earn your right to ride."
Souta's heart pounded.
"How?" he demanded.
The conductor's grin stretched impossibly wide.
"Survive."
And then—
The lights went out.
---
Darkness and Whispers
Total blackness swallowed them.
Souta's breath came in short gasps. He could feel Mayu trembling beside him, could hear Riku cursing under his breath.
Then, something moved.
Not the conductor.
Not the passengers.
Something else.
A sound slithered through the darkness—a wet, dragging noise, like something pulling itself across the floor.
Then, a whisper.
A voice too close, too cold.
"Run."
The lights flashed back on.
Souta's stomach dropped.
The conductor was gone.
But the door at the far end of the train was now wide open—revealing a corridor filled with shadows that moved.
And the blindfolded passengers?
They were standing now.
Every single one of them.
Heads still tilted downward.
Blindfolds still covering their eyes.
But their bodies were now facing Souta, Riku, and Mayu.
As if waiting.
As if listening.
The air was thick with something indescribable.
Then—
The train car lurched forward.
The force nearly knocked Souta off his feet.
And from the open door ahead, something crawled into view.
A shape not human.
Not alive.
But waiting for them.
Mayu grabbed Souta's arm, her voice barely a whisper.
"We have to move. Now."
Souta's pulse thundered in his ears.
They had two choices.
Stay here with the blindfolded passengers.
Or step into the corridor.
The place where something was waiting.
He took a deep breath.
And then, without looking back—
He ran.
---
End of Chapter 3