The door opened into a space that shouldn't exist—walls pulsed like breathing flesh, floors rippled like viscera, and the ceiling dripped black, glistening liquid.
The moment they stepped in, the carriage fed on their fear. Shadows, rot, fire, and twisted doubles of themselves erupted from the walls, floor, and ceiling. Each horror combined:
Skinned corpses with mouths whispering every hidden desire.
Dolls mimicking their voices, mocking them with impossible grins.
Shadows that clawed at their memories, twisting guilt into hallucinations.
Black flames licking their limbs, burning without leaving scars.
Sophie screamed as a doll double lunged at her, porcelain fingers scraping across her skin, forcing flashes of shame and temptation into her mind. Alex stumbled, grappling with skinned corpses that tried to drag him under a floor that was now liquid rot.
Leo's reflection shattered in the pulsing walls—a twisted, decomposing version of himself. Its grin widened impossibly as it whispered:"You are mine… all that you fear, all that you desire… belongs to me."
Evelyn gritted her teeth. Her lantern flared, searing a circle of white-hot light around them. The horrors shrieked, recoiling, but the carriage adapted instantly. Walls flexed, doubling the number of shadows and flesh horrors.
The Conductor's laughter echoed, omnipresent and omnipotent:"You thought the previous tests were the worst… but here… all nightmares converge. Fail… and become one with them."
Step by agonizing step, Evelyn forced them forward, dragging her friends through the living nightmare. Each pulse of the walls burned memories into their minds, forcing them to face every fear, every guilt, every suppressed desire all at once.
Sophie stumbled, collapsing into a puddle of black ichor that reflected her darkest secrets. Alex screamed as his skinned double lunged from the floor, fusing with him for a moment—he could feel its hunger, its malice, trying to take over his mind.
Evelyn slammed the lantern onto the floor. Light flared violently, cutting a tunnel through the horrors. Step by step, they advanced, ignoring screams, hallucinations, and writhing flesh.
At the far end, a faint sigil pulsed like a heartbeat. It promised fragile sanctuary. They lunged toward it, pulling each other up, fighting off shadows and illusions clawing at their sanity.
The Conductor hissed from the darkness:"You survive… but the train is eternal. Your nightmare… has only begun."
The sigil's light swallowed them, leaving the carriage writhing behind. Silence fell, but their hearts pounded—every survivor knew the horrors would return, worse than before.
And beyond the next door, a smell of fire, rot, and metal waited… hungrier than ever.