The scream didn't stay contained.
It couldn't.
It moved.
Like a ripple.
Then a wave.
Then a storm.
From one compartment to another—
Through narrow corridors and connecting doors—
Fear spread faster than logic ever could.
"Open the door!"
"Let us in!"
"They're attacking people!"
Passengers rushed forward, banging against compartment doors, their voices cracking with urgency.
Some doors opened.
Out of instinct.
Out of humanity.
Those who opened—
Regretted it.
Because the moment the infected crossed into new spaces—
Order collapsed.
Inside one compartment, a group of college students huddled together near the seats.
One of them held up his phone, hands shaking uncontrollably.
"I—I recorded it…" he stammered.
The others leaned in.
Blurry footage.
Blood.
Screams.
Faces—
Twisted beyond recognition.
"This isn't normal…" one of them whispered again, as if repeating it might make it less real.
"No…" another said, voice trembling.
"…this is something else."
No one wanted to say it.
Because saying it—
Made it real.
But someone did.
Quietly.
Almost involuntarily.
"Zombie…"
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Unbelieving.
And then—
A louder scream echoed from the next coach.
Closer now.
Reality shattered completely.
In another compartment—
People began acting.
Not thinking.
Not reasoning.
Just reacting.
"Block the doors!" a man shouted.
"Don't let anyone in!"
Belts were pulled out.
Bags were shoved against handles.
Suitcases dragged across narrow spaces.
Anything that could create a barrier—
Was used.
"Even if they beg—don't open!" someone yelled.
The words hung in the air.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Because everyone understood what that meant.
Not everyone could be saved.
A woman covered her mouth, trying to hold back sobs.
A child cried loudly, confused and terrified.
An elderly man sat frozen, unable to process what was happening around him.
Fear had taken over.
Completely.
And in the middle of all this chaos—
There were still pockets of silence.
Moments untouched.
In one such compartment—
A man slept.
Unaware.
And behind him—
A woman smiled faintly in her sleep.
Lost in music.
Detached from reality.
Unaware—
That their world had already ended.