The sound didn't belong in a dream.
It was too sharp.
Too sudden.
Too real.
The husband's eyes snapped open.
For a brief second—
He didn't move.
His mind lingered somewhere between the riverside… and reality.
Between warmth… and something colder.
Then it hit him again.
A loud BANG.
Followed by shouting.
His body reacted instantly.
He sat upright, eyes scanning the compartment.
Everything had changed.
People were no longer seated.
They were standing.
Moving.
Panicking.
A man near the door struggled with a belt, his hands trembling as he tied it tightly around the handle.
Another pushed a suitcase against the entrance.
A woman clutched her child, whispering something over and over again, her voice barely holding together.
"What's happening?" the husband asked, his voice steady—but alert.
A young student turned toward him, his face pale.
"Something's wrong… people are attacking each other… they're not normal…"
Another THUD hit the door.
Louder this time.
Closer.
Everyone froze.
The husband turned toward the sound.
The metal door trembled slightly under the impact.
Something—
Was on the other side.
"Don't open it!" someone shouted immediately.
"No matter what happens—don't open it!"
Fear spread again.
Fast.
Uncontrolled.
But his reaction was different.
He didn't panic.
He observed.
His eyes moved across the compartment—
Taking everything in.
The barricaded door.
The shaking hands.
The fear in every face.
This wasn't confusion anymore.
This was survival.
And then—
Instinctively—
His gaze shifted behind him.
She was still there.
Head tilted slightly.
Earphones in.
Eyes closed.
Smiling.
For a moment—
Everything else disappeared.
The noise.
The fear.
The chaos.
There was just her.
Untouched.
Unaware.
A strange thought crossed his mind.
Maybe this is better.
Maybe she doesn't need to see this.
Maybe she doesn't need to see him—
Like this.
Another BANG.
The door rattled violently.
Reality snapped back.
He stood up.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Then he stepped toward her.
He didn't wake her immediately.
Didn't shake her.
Didn't rush.
Instead—
He just looked at her.
Carefully.
Quietly.
As if memorizing the moment.
Because something deep inside him whispered—
This might be the last time things feel normal.
"Hey…" he said softly.
No response.
He reached forward.
Gently pulled one earphone out.
Her smile faded slightly.
Her brows furrowed.
Her eyes opened.
Confusion.
"Wha—?"
Before she could finish—
Another scream echoed through the coach.
Closer.
Sharper.
Her expression changed instantly.
Confusion—
Turned into fear.
"What's happening?" she asked, her voice unsteady.
For a second—
He didn't answer.
Because how do you explain something you don't fully understand yourself?
Instead—
He said the only thing that mattered.
"Stay behind me."
Simple.
Calm.
Certain.
And without thinking—
She did.
For the first time in two years—
She listened without hesitation.