Devin's wide smile decreased as he lifted her chin to look her in the eye. "It's okay... I'll permit you... Don't act as you cry... Stop the drama, you queen! You're going on that trip." He teased her playfully, trying to break the heavy tension.
Daisy's lips tugged into a smile, but she immediately turned to the opposite side, hiding her true excitement.
Meanwhile, in the next carrier, "Yes! I got seven," Finn said, showing his result.
"Mine is six," another voice rang.
"I got three, bro!!!"
Sara showing her phone, "Seriously...I got only one correct!!!" She shrieked, tossing her phone onto the seat like it was trash.
"Haha ... Edward, what about you?" Kylie asked.
Edward looked into Sara's eyes, seeing the mock-fury there. He quickly refreshed his browser. "Oh, man... I didn't even see my result," he lied, forcing a smile to keep the mood light.
"Wow!! What a lie!" Sara hissed and clenched her jaw tight with full irritation and whispered, "Assh*le"
"Seriously!" Kylie hummed and grabbed his phone. "Then try again." She clicked the link again, but the link didn't work.
Instead, bold white letters appeared on a black background: ERROR 404.
Kylie's brows furrowed together in sudden doubt as she checked her own phone too, which showed the same error text. "Oh, Honey... You escaped. Actually, the link expired," she grinned softly and leaned back.
Edward let out a deep, relaxed breath, pressed a small, easy smile and leaned against the seat, looking at the ceiling fan. "Thank god! Finally, you proved you have some mercy on this humankind..." He thought as he closed his eyes to seek rest.
Now, the laughter, teasing, and funny jokes, every moment faded into a silent, sorrowful night.
They backed reality. One by one, everyone slowly pushed themselves up, with heavy eyes and sighs of exhaustion, and walked towards their preprepared room for rest.
Only one remains in the firewood, flames were producing nearly low heat, Nate's eyes glittering with regret and sadness,
"Nate, seriously! I have tried countless times to reach you, but you've never bothered to call me back. "
"I am done with this whole fucking relationship"
"I am so exhausted from getting attention from you. Please, I no longer want to continue the relationship."
August's suffering words rang into his ears. "I should have spent more time with her. It's all my mistake, I miss her so much, now I can feel the pain of waiting for a person. I am sorry, August. If we meet back, I will apologise for everything I did, and I won't leave you a single second apart. " He thought as looking into a last dim flame and remembered their last train moment.
Nate's eyelid fluttered slowly to open in his half-exhausted sleep, and his phone from his lap fell. He silently took a phone, and his sleepy gaze noticed August's pale face and her finger around the blanket. He pressed a small smirk, and his phone blinked once to disturb the silent atmosphere.
Gling.
The sound snapped him fully awake. His focus shifted to the bright screen and the link display above the screen, "Link?" He thought as he clicked it.
"Welcome to the Quiz world."
"SMALL QUIZZES MAKE YOUR LIFE THRILLING AND INTERESTING... ARE YOU READY TO PLAY?"
[PLAY] [PLAY]
"Quiz?" He murmured, a confused drive in between his gaze as he clicked to play the game, but before that, Nate's friend from the nearby compartment, playing around and jumping, walked into the hallway. " Finally, we arrived at our junction", Finn shouted, laughing together in happiness.
The train starts to slow down with a ragged engine sound.
Towards the compartment steps, all other friends were dragging their luggage on their hands and eagerly waiting to stop.
Outside the window, the platform lights began to flicker past. The engine slowed down Infront the junction with a metal crackling sound, but inside the coach, August remained in deep sleep, and her shivering long finger was wrapping her bedsheet tightly in heavy coldness.
"Come on!! " the others shouted, hauling their luggage into the narrow corridor.
"She must be so tired, but we have to leave...." Nate thought. He reached up, grabbed her luggage and his, and arranged them properly.
The train finally stopped at the right track, "August... We have arrived. Wake up. "Nate shook her hands gently, but she only groaned and turned on the opposite side.
" August! We have to step out! Our junction arrived...." He hissed and tried to wake her up.
He pulled her hands and helped her steady herself to sit. "The train is going to move again soon! Come on, I've got your bags!" He whispered calmly as he grabbed the handles of the heavy suitcases and led the way towards the steel steps.
She moved like a zombie in the midnight, tiredly dragged another suitcase, and hunched her handbag as if trying for a steady grip. She paused behind Nate and waited in the narrow corridor for her friends to step out one by one.
Nate jumped down first. He lifted her heavy luggage onto the platform and turned back, offering his hand for support. August, still stubborn even in her daze, rolled her eyes and refused to hold. Then she slowly stepped down the steel steps to land, and she almost lost her balance when she placed her shoes on the platform.
"Ugh!!!" She slipped down and was trying hard to stand up.
She scrambled to find her footing, waiting for Nate's concerned voice. But instead, everything became silent, and no one was there.
Everything remains empty and silent, her friends and their joyful laughter, everything vanished in front of her.
She couldn't even balance to stand in one place, her hands became numb, and she started shivering as she looked all sides. " Wait, where are they? Nate!" She called out in a lower, scared tone.
Again, she swept her gaze around the whole junction. A crooked smile appeared on her pale face. "Don't try to scare me, Sara!!! Where are you guys gone?" She shouted in a low broke tone.
Her gaze landed below her suitcase, "Why is my suitcase here!! But where's Nate gone!!" She thought as she immediately unzipped her handbag with fumbling fingers and pulled out her broken glass smartphone.
She dialed Sara's number, but the phone replied, "The number you have dialed does not exist. Please check the number and try again."
Again, she dialled Nate's number, but it ended with the same automatic tone. "The number you have dialed does not exist."
She dropped her handbag, a slight chill ran over her spine, a morning 3 am breeze touched her skin, and the temperature changed to too cold; the silence made her tremble.
"Gling"
The train began to lurch forward, its wheels screeching against the tracks. August stood frozen, a hopeless figure in the mist, her gaze landed on Devin, who stood at a distance looking at the same hopeless and confused figure.
"This is not real! " She whispered in a lower tone. The world began to spin, and dizziness took over her as she collapsed onto the cold station floor.
She was lying there like a broken doll, her eyelids starting to close as she watched Devin running toward her. In just a moment, everything went blank and dark.
"Beep"
The notification rang on Astrid's watch with blue light as she woke up from the dream to reality, looking at her watch and clicking the message.
[CONGRATULATIONS: TASK COMPLETED]
[REWARD: 25,000 POINTS]
[TOTAL BALANCE: 26,000 POINTS]
"Again, that same nightmare!" She hummed with exhaustion and let out a deep, relaxed, shaky breath after last night's horrific moment. "Finally, we earned today's entry point, Devin. "Sorry, Max," she said as she looked nearby.
But no one was there. "Where's he? Already gone?" She questioned as she rose and walked out of the room.
Outside, everything was clear; there was no more fog or dust in the building. Instead, bright sunlight warms up the surface and shows the entire outer space. She squinted her eyes in sudden light and silently stepped down to the stairs.
"Max!"
"Max!" She called out as she paused, her eyes widened in pure shock and relief; immediately, she ran towards the person, wrapping her arms around him like a child hugging his parents. "Devin, I was so scared; I thought I was going to lose you," she said, rushing her words in pure happiness.
However, Devin remains cold, stiff and expressionless. He gently removes her hands from him. "It's alright," he said, his voice flat. "I thought you guys were going to die... I am sorry I found out the secure room, but I don't know if a person went inside; it's automatically locked. Luckily, there were two rooms! He pressed a small smile and looked at Max, "Thank you for your help, Max"