“……”
Seeing me take such a firm stance seemed to shake them. I could see their internal struggle.
[The doors are closing…]
Meanwhile, the doors shut.
“Ah…”
I stepped aside. A few people who had been staring at the closed doors in disbelief clung to them.
But no one was yelling at me for blocking them anymore.
‘Is this enough…?’
I was feeling somewhat satisfied when I suddenly heard a panicked shout.
“Hey, everyone in the front car got off!”
“……!”
They all got off?
I immediately looked beyond the train window.
Not everyone, but about five or six people seemed to have gotten off at once.
“……”
Sigh.
Honestly, I didn’t want to watch what was going to happen next.
But I needed to see it to make a coherent argument later. Damn it…
Holding back a curse, I squinted through the window, my vision blurring slightly.
“Huh? They’re running!”
The people who had gotten off seemed to have quickly decided to move. I saw five or six figures running toward the platform’s exit, heading for the stairs.
But they were too late.
“Agh!”
The platform floor began to boil with a yellow hue, and the runners’ feet started sinking into the ground as if melting.
“G-Gold…?”
It was a bizarre sight, as if their lower bodies were turning into gold and fusing with the floor.
They screamed and struggled to run, but their movements grew slower and slower…
Until finally, their bodies collapsed, leaving only their upper halves, which tumbled forward at the base of the stairs.
Even those were turning into shining gold.
The easiest way to experience happiness.
“Heuuuk—”
“Mmph—”
[The train is now departing from Euphoria Station.]
Inside the departing train car, only the sounds of people gasping in shock and sobbing filled the air.
One of the people who had been about to get off grabbed me in desperation and asked,
“Y-You said you’d take responsibility. Can you really guarantee we’ll find a safe place? Huh?”
“Yes.”
I answered firmly.
It was ridiculous how the conversation had jumped to me guaranteeing the correct answer, but honestly, that was the only answer I could give.
‘This is crazy, really.’
My legs were shaking so badly I thought I’d collapse.
The image of their lower bodies disintegrating kept replaying in low resolution in my mind, making me nauseous.
One thing was certain.
Even if I were to survive this, I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
During all this, Baek Saheon spoke to me in admiration.
“You’re amazing, Teacher.”
“…Teacher?”
“Oh, I tend to call people ‘teacher’ when I meet them.”
He awkwardly smiled and added,
“There aren’t many people like you these days. You know, who can firmly say what’s right or wrong, instead of speaking in vague terms like ‘I think it might be…’”
“……”
“I hope the outcome matches your confidence.”
Uh… thanks for the encouragement, but this isn’t the kind of situation where vague words or detached speech will help.
‘If we don’t get a good result here, you’re dead too, you know…’
Wait.
No, that’s not right.
I had missed something while whining about how scared I was.
‘If there’s a record of Baek Saheon working as an employee in <Dark Exploration Records>, that means he passed this entrance exam, right?’
If that’s the case, couldn’t I just follow Baek Saheon when he gets off at a station?
If I convince myself and Go Yeongeun, that makes three of us. When someone actively supports getting off, there’s a higher chance others will follow as well.
‘Is it really this simple?’
“Baek Saheon.”
“Yes?”
“Is there a particular station you want to get off at? I mean… is there a word or name that, when it appears, makes you think, ‘I should get off here’?”
“…Huh, suddenly?”
“I’d like to hear everyone’s thoughts.”
“Ah.”
Baek Saheon seemed to ponder for a moment before shrugging.
“Not really. I’m not very knowledgeable about this stuff.”
“I see.”
So, he hasn’t gotten a clear idea yet.
I nodded casually. In any case, this seemed like a decent idea, so I was going to keep an eye on it…
Ding, ding.
[Attention passengers, this is an announcement from Abyss Transpo to ensure a pleasant journey. Please pay attention.]
“……!”
The announcement started again.
Everyone stopped talking and immediately looked up.
[The train is about to pass through a curved section, which may cause noise and shaking.]
[Please be seated to prevent accidents.]
Ah, fucking hell.
“Everyone, let’s sit down.”
Without any objections, everyone quickly took their seats.
It was as if my earlier remarks about the announcements had sunk in.
Even the person who had been adamant about getting off earlier sat down quietly and was one of the first to find a seat.
But not everyone seemed to follow the same logic.
“Oh no! The people in the front car!”
“Those people…”
The passengers in the front car were still standing, seemingly too caught up in a heated argument.
Although I couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying, their raised voices must have drowned out the announcement.
It was clear just by looking at them. They were in complete panic after witnessing the unimaginable deaths of those who had gotten off earlier.
“Shouldn’t we say something to them?”
“Hey! Can you hear us?!”
“Sit down!”
The new hires closest to the front car shouted, but the people there barely acknowledged them. One person who happened to make eye contact with us even walked over.
“Sit down!”
“No, don’t come over here, just sit…”
It was too late.
[Entering the curved section…]
The lights went out.
“……!”
In the Darkness, the train began to shake violently with a loud rumble.
And amidst the rumbling, a sharp noise rang out.
Screams.
– Aaaaaah!!
– Agh, ah, ahhh…
The sound of something wet bursting.
Like squeezing a ripe grape too hard.
Then, a dull thud.
…As if it were happening just on the other side of a door.
“……”
“……”
The people in this car held their breath, trembling faintly, trying to stay silent.
Then the lights came back on.
– ……
Through the small window on the front door of the train, we could see into the front car.
It was covered in blood and filth.
It looked as if only living organisms had been thrown into a blender. There were no traces of people left.
Everyone was dead.
[You may now stand up safely. Thank you for your cooperation.]
In stark contrast to the calm announcement, the train was filled with the sound of people panicking.
“Let me out! Let me out!”
“Gaaasp, gaaaasp… what the hell is this? What is this… Mom…”
Even in that state, the new hires tried to cover their mouths and listen closely to the announcement, desperately trying to stay quiet.
After all, it had been proven to be their lifeline!
‘Damn.’
While the situation was clearly favorable for my survival, the reality was so horrific that cold sweat formed on my forehead.
I wiped it away with my trembling hand and clenched my teeth.
I mustn’t look at the front car anymore.
‘Just focus on convincing them…’
A few stops later, when the right station comes up, I’m sure people will get off together…
[Attention passengers, this is an announcement from Abyss Transpo to ensure a pleasant journey. Please pay attention.]
Another announcement.
“Again?!”
“Hiic, hiiiic…”
Cutting through the sobs of the exhausted passengers, the crisp, mechanical voice continued with its strange message.
[There is a lost item.]
Wait a second.
I looked up sharply.
[If you’ve found the lost item, please disembark at the next station and hand it over to the station staff.]
I knew this scenario.
‘…A rare escape case!’
========================
Dark Exploration Records / Ghost Story /
/ Welcome to Abyss Transpo
3.4 Miscellaneous Records (Escape)
A document recording irregular survival cases where the individual successfully escaped by getting off at a station.
Several methods were repeatedly observed. (The most frequent cases involved ‘temporary stops for train intervals’ and ‘lost item announcements’.)
========================
A guaranteed escape ticket.
As long as you had the announced lost item, you could safely get out!
But…
‘Only one person can escape.’
For someone like me, who can’t go alone, it’s a survival ticket that’s useless from the start.
I clenched my fists tightly.
‘So, who should I send out?’
No, is sending someone out even the right answer?
And then…
[The lost item is the left eye of a type-A male in his twenties.]
The lost item was something I couldn’t have imagined.