Chapter 18: Forced Alliance

The chill inside the train crept up from the cold carriage floor. Rebecca Chambers gripped the handgun at her waist, her fingertips still retaining the tension from having just killed the zombies and zombie dogs.

Edward's cold corpse behind her, the lingering stench of rot, and the cold warning from Captain Enrico over the walkie-talkie echoed in her mind over and over, pushing her already taut nerves to the breaking point.

She did not look back, nor did she dare to. The death of her comrade was a heavy blow, but at this moment, she didn't even have the luxury of drowning in grief. This mountainous area shrouded in thick fog, this dead and eerie train—everywhere was filled with lethal danger.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the bitterness and anger welling up in her eyes, and gazed firmly at the narrow staircase leading to the second floor at the front of the carriage.

The first floor of the train was already shrouded in death and strangeness. The mutilated bodies, the pungent smell of blood, and the omnipresent aura of danger made her not want to stay for even another second.

She remembered the structure of old-fashioned trains; the second floor was usually an observation carriage or VIP seating. Perhaps she could find a path to the front of the train, or perhaps discover more clues about why this train was suddenly abandoned and why those monsters had appeared.

The metal handrail of the stairs was icy and bone-chilling, covered in a few damp water stains. Every step she took on the stairs produced a faint metallic clinking sound, which seemed exceptionally clear in the terrifyingly quiet train.

Rebecca Chambers walked up cautiously, the beam of her flashlight locked firmly ahead. Her heart rate increased with every step; she could clearly hear her own rapid heartbeat, which, mixed with the ceaseless rain outside the window, became the only sound at this moment.

Though it was only a few steps, she found the walk exceptionally difficult. The moment she reached the second-floor carriage, she stopped and listened for a moment. The second floor didn't have the intense stench of rot like the first floor; instead, there was a faint, indescribable, damp, fishy smell. There was no roaring, no unusual movement—it seemed much calmer than the first floor.

Rebecca Chambers slowly stepped into the second-floor carriage. It was more spacious than the first floor, with seats arranged more comfortably. The huge observation glass windows were soaked by rain, and the fog and rain outside blurred into one, letting in a faint light.

The carriage remained deathly silent. Luggage was scattered, and the seats were neat, yet it was still completely empty. Only the faint sound of wind blowing through the gaps added to the indescribable eeriness.

She gripped her flashlight tightly and walked deeper into the carriage, step by step. The beam of light swept slowly through the cabin, carefully checking every corner. Just as she reached the middle of the carriage, the beam suddenly locked onto a position by the window ahead—there was a figure sitting there!

The person had their head lowered, their frame looking very thin. They were wearing a dark suit that had long been soaked by the rain, leaning motionless against the seat, as if lost in thought.

Rebecca Chambers' heart skipped a beat. There was a moment of joy, which was immediately replaced by vigilance. On this train filled with death, the appearance of any living person seemed highly suspicious. She slowed her pace and approached slowly, her finger tightly hooked on the trigger of her handgun, ready to deal with any sudden situation.

"Hello? Are you a staff member of this train? Do you know what happened here?" Rebecca Chambers lowered her voice, speaking with a hint of probing, her tone still carrying the caution of a rookie.

"I am Officer Rebecca Chambers of S.T.A.R.S. This train is dangerous. If you are still alive, please respond to me."

There was no response. The figure ahead remained in its original posture, motionless, as if it were a lifeless statue.

Rebecca Chambers frowned and walked a few steps closer, leaving less than two meters between her and the person. She could see the other person's wet hair and stiff sitting posture. A feeling of unease welled up in her heart again, even stronger than when she had first seen the entire train.

She stopped and spoke again: "I'm coming over, please don't move!"

As she finished speaking, she slowly reached out, wanting to gently tap the person's shoulder, attempting to wake this seemingly unconscious person. But the moment her fingertips were about to touch the person's clothing, a bizarre scene suddenly occurred.

Without any warning or sound, the head that had been steadily resting on the neck suddenly rolled straight off without any omen!

With a soft "thud," the head hit the cold floor and rolled far away. The lifeless face was turned upward, eyes wide open, with an expression of extreme terror frozen on it, staring fixedly at Rebecca Chambers.

"Ah!"

Rebecca Chambers froze in terror at this sudden, horrific scene. She subconsciously let out a short cry of alarm, stumbled backward two steps, and nearly dropped the flashlight from her hand.

Her face turned as pale as paper instantly. Her mind went blank, and her blood seemed to freeze completely at that moment, even her breathing stalled.

This was not a living person at all, nor was it even the kind of zombie she had seen before!

Before she could recover from the extreme shock, an even more terrifying scene followed. After the head fell off, the headless torso remained sitting steadily on the seat. The next second, that seemingly intact body suddenly began to convulse violently.

The flesh under the clothing squirmed and expanded continuously. Then, dense swarms of dark red, slick, glossy leeches surged out frantically from the gaps in the clothing and the severed neck like a tide!

Countless leeches tangled together, emitting a hair-raising, sticky "hissing" sound. They crowded and climbed over each other. In just a few seconds, the originally intact human body completely decomposed, turning into a writhing mass of leeches emitting a strong, fishy stench.

The mass of leeches rolled and gathered frantically on the ground, then slowly twisted and reorganized, piecing together into a deformed, twisted, tall humanoid monster!

The zombie made of leeches was covered with slick, soft-bodied creatures. It had no clear facial features, only a writhing mass. Its limbs were twisted and strange, and it moved slowly toward Rebecca Chambers. The strong, rotten, fishy smell hit her face, even more nauseating than the zombies on the first floor.

"Monster!"

Rebecca Chambers was terrified out of her wits, her legs trembling uncontrollably. Her spirit, which had been scared away just moments ago, finally returned, and the instinct for survival instantly occupied all her thoughts. She turned around abruptly and ran frantically toward the stairs, wanting to escape this terrifying second-floor carriage.

But her speed was, after all, a step too slow.

The mass of leeches seemed to have a self-consciousness of its own. As the humanoid zombie moved, it instantly dispersed, and countless tiny leeches swept toward Rebecca Chambers like a black tide.

They were extremely fast, instantly wrapping around her ankles and calves, climbing up along her pant legs. The cold, slick sensation spread against her skin, making goosebumps rise all over her body.

In the blink of an eye, a large number of leeches completely wrapped around Rebecca Chambers, tightly constricting her limbs and neck, and even attempting to crawl into her mouth and nose.

Rebecca Chambers struggled desperately, her hands tearing wildly at the leeches on her body, but those things were sticky and persistent. The more she pulled, the more there were. The heavy pressure and feeling of suffocation made it almost impossible for her to breathe; fear and despair instantly engulfed her.

"Let go of me! Get away!"

She screamed desperately, her voice filled with unconcealable sobbing. The handgun in her hand had already been dropped in the panic; she was completely unable to resist this bizarre and terrifying attack.

Just when she thought she was about to be completely devoured by these leeches, a series of crisp and precise gunshots suddenly rang out from behind her!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The bullets shot precisely at the leeches wrapped around Rebecca Chambers. The leeches that were hit instantly burst, turning into pools of foul-smelling liquid and falling off her body one after another. The restraints on Rebecca Chambers instantly lightened. She gasped for air, opened her eyes with difficulty, and looked back.

She saw Billy Coen had appeared at the top of the stairs at some point. He held a gun in both hands, his expression cold, his eyes focused and sharp, without a hint of panic. He held his gun steadily, his movements crisp and neat, precisely shooting off the remaining leeches on Rebecca Chambers while shattering the swarms of leeches trying to sneak up on him from the side.

The slick sounds gradually diminished. The floor was covered with the viscous liquid of the shattered leeches. The humanoid monster made of leeches was also hit in its core by his few shots, completely dissolving into pools of blood that could no longer reorganize, and it stopped moving altogether.

With the crisis resolved, Billy Coen slowly put away his gun and walked quickly to Rebecca Chambers. Looking at her disheveled, pale, and shaken appearance, he frowned slightly. His tone lost some of its previous flippancy and added a hint of imperceptible concern: "Hey, are you alright?"

Rebecca Chambers leaned against the cold carriage wall, still gasping for air, her body trembling uncontrollably. The terrifying scene just now had left her almost exhausted. She looked up at Billy Coen, the lingering fear still in her eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she raised her hand with difficulty and gave Billy Coen a thumbs-up, using the simplest gesture to indicate that she was unharmed.

Seeing this, Billy Coen breathed a slight sigh of relief. Just as he was about to say something, a sudden, extremely bizarre, ethereal, and chilling song drifted in through the open window along with the sound of the wind and rain, piercing through the deathly silence of the train.

The singing was a soft female voice, but it carried an indescribable eeriness and desolation. In this dense forest filled with wind, rain, and death, it sounded exceptionally hair-raising, making anyone who heard it shiver.

Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen froze at the same time and immediately became vigilant. The two of them walked quickly to the huge observation window in unison, staring intently into the rain and fog outside.

At that moment, a pale bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the sky, instantly illuminating the rain-filled air. Under the light of the lightning, by a slope not far outside the train, a young man with a slender build and long hair stood vaguely in the thick fog.

He had his back to the train, his long hair soaked by the rain and clinging to his back. His whole body seemed to be shrouded in a layer of eerie mist. His features were unclear, but he exuded a chilling, sinister aura that made one shudder.

The lightning vanished in an instant, and the man's figure was once again swallowed by the thick fog and darkness, but that eerie figure was deeply imprinted in both their eyes.

Billy Coen stared in the direction where the man had disappeared, his eyes becoming extremely grave. He lowered his voice and asked Rebecca Chambers beside him in a deep voice: "Who is that guy?"

Rebecca Chambers shook her head, her face still pale. She had never seen such a bizarre person, nor had she ever heard such a sinister song. The unease in her heart grew even stronger.

Just then, the entire train suddenly shook violently without any warning. Luggage in the carriage fell one after another, making a clattering sound. The carriage body emitted a harsh metallic screeching sound, as if an invisible force was controlling the train.

"What's going on?" Rebecca Chambers staggered and quickly grabbed the seat beside her, looking at Billy Coen with an expression of shock, "Who is controlling the train?"

Billy Coen stood firmly, his eyes sweeping sharply toward the front of the train, his tone firm: "Someone must be controlling this train from the shadows. The one who can do these weird things is most likely that guy outside just now. Let's go to the front of the train to check the situation. Only by finding the person controlling the train will we have a chance to leave this place."

Rebecca Chambers immediately collected herself, suppressed the fear in her heart, bent down to pick up her handgun from the floor, adjusted her first-aid kit, and prepared to follow Billy Coen to the front of the train.

Just as she was about to take a step, Billy Coen suddenly reached out and stopped her. He turned around, his expression extremely serious, devoid of his previous flippancy and mockery. He looked at Rebecca Chambers with determined eyes and said word for word: "Listen, from now on, we must cooperate with each other, okay?"

Hearing this, Rebecca Chambers subconsciously frowned and immediately retorted: "No, I don't need to cooperate with you, I can do it myself…"

"Enough!" Billy Coen interrupted her directly, his tone carrying an unquestionable firmness. He stared fixedly at her, "Get the situation straight, girl! This train and this mountain area are full of man-eating monsters, plus that weird man. You won't be able to get out alone; you'll only become a feast for those monsters! Only if we join forces will we have a chance to survive!"

Rebecca Chambers opened her mouth, wanting to continue arguing, but looking at the thick fog outside the carriage, remembering the despair of being wrapped in leeches just now, and remembering Edward's death, she knew in her heart that what Billy Coen said was the truth.

After all, she was just a rookie who had just joined the team; on her own, she was simply unable to deal with all these dangers.

She was silent for a moment, her hand gripping the gun tighter and tighter. Finally, she gritted her teeth, looked up at Billy Coen, her eyes filled with the stubbornness and determination of a police officer: "Fine, I agree to cooperate with you. But remember this, Billy Coen: if you dare to pull any tricks, if you dare to make any dangerous moves, I will shoot immediately, and I won't show any mercy!"

Billy Coen looked at her serious expression, a faint curve appearing at the corner of his mouth, and he nodded slightly: "Understood, I promise you. We are in the same boat now; I won't joke with my own life. If there is any situation, notify me immediately, okay?"

Rebecca Chambers didn't say anything more, just nodded solemnly.

The sound of rain outside the window remained dense, the eerie singing still faintly drifting, and the train was still shaking slightly. The front of the train was full of unknown dangers. Two people who were originally on opposite sides, in this desperate situation, were forced to reach an alliance and walked together toward the front of the train.