Film

Gilan stared at the flickering screen, listening to the projector's hissing static.

For some reason, his vision suddenly blurred, making him reflexively close his eyes.

The next second, he froze.

Gilan had felt a cool breeze brush across his face.

Where did that wind come from?

He caught the sharp, earthy scent of grass and soil on the breeze.

Then came vibrations he could feel throughout his body, rhythmic vibrations accompanied by a tremendous clattering at his ears.

Clatter, clatter...

That's the sound of a moving train... could it be?!

Suppressing the unbelievable suspicion in his heart, Gilan opened his eyes—

The screening room he had been in was gone!

He was sitting on a leather bench along the left side of a train carriage. The window beside his left hand stood open, offering an unobstructed view of the lush countryside, though the sky was gloomy and overcast.

Did I... enter the movie scene?!

His pupils shrank sharply.

Everything was far too real, so real that he could hardly believe it.

Gilan reached out and touched the metal frame of the window. It was cold and smooth. When he raised his hand, his fingertips and palm were covered in dust.

He suppressed his shock and looked up.

Ahead of him were the other eleven prisoners. They were anxiously examining their surroundings, seemingly unable to understand why they had suddenly appeared in this unfamiliar carriage.

The sense of déjà vu this scene brought instantly made Gilan think of something, and his expression changed slightly.

The dream! That strange dream is far too similar to what's happening now!

Though he did not know what the people at the police station had done to bring him and the prisoners onto this train, he knew that if events truly unfolded as they had in that dream, they would soon face an utterly terrifying danger!

"Damn it! What is this place?!" A broad, muscular prisoner with a buzz cut and sleeveless shirt stood up and looked around in alarm. "What did those 'Bobbies' do to us? Some kind of evil hypnosis?!"

The "Bobbies" the prisoner mentioned was a derogatory term used by commoners for police officers, roughly meaning stupid dogs.

"P-perhaps it's some kind of experiment." Another prisoner, a short, dark-skinned man as skinny as a monkey, curled up on the bench and trembled. "I heard the Empire has terrifying departments that specialize in capturing death-row prisoners for inhumane experiments. We must have become test subjects!"

"Quit spouting bullshit!" Several more people rose from their benches. A stubbled man with medium-length brown hair barked, "Take a good look around. This can't possibly be hypnosis or an experiment. Redwood Street Police Station probably knocked us out and secretly moved us, planning to exile us somewhere else."

"That's very possible." The short man seemed to come to a realization and could not help whispering, "They sentenced us to death on the surface, but they're actually sending us somewhere else to work the mines."

"Working in the mines is still better than dying." The buzz-cut man seemed more inclined to believe that explanation. After letting out a breath of relief, he added, "Then where are the guards?"

As he spoke, his eyes searched the entire carriage for police officers.

Yet in this high-class passenger carriage, there were no living things besides the twelve people present.

It was empty and strangely eerie.

"Come on, let's check the other carriages."

After thinking for a moment, the long-haired, stubbled man called to several people beside him and headed through the aisle toward the carriages ahead.

The remaining prisoners wore varying expressions. Some poked their heads out the windows, some felt around the carriage, while others nervously whispered among themselves.

Gilan sat quietly on the comfortable yet chilly leather bench, inconspicuous among them.

He had no intention of speaking to or associating with these prisoners. He merely gripped the windowsill, bent over, lowered his head, and thought.

What should I do next? If things really follow the dream, then once the train stops, we'll have to face the terrifying monster in the forest...

If I die here, will I really die?

Gilan was not certain, but his instincts told him it was best not to gamble.

This hard-won second chance at life—so long as there was even the slightest hope, he would fight for it with everything he had.

But the gunshot wound in my leg is gone.

Gilan looked at his left leg and squeezed the spot where he had been shot. It was completely uninjured.

He was full of doubts, but also somewhat relieved.

If he still had a leg injury, it would be difficult to resist when danger came.

Whooo—

At that moment, everyone in the carriage heard a loud train whistle.

Then, for no apparent reason, the train slowed down until it came to a complete stop.

"What's going on? Why did the train suddenly stop?" the buzz-cut prisoner asked uneasily.

Gilan, who had been looking down, narrowed his eyes. Just as I thought.

Just then, the group led by the long-haired, stubbled man, who had gone to investigate the carriages ahead, returned. One square-faced man spoke anxiously.

"No one! There isn't a single person!"

"We couldn't find any of those 'Bobbies,' and there aren't any other passengers. There's not even a driver or conductor!" As he spoke, his body began to shake. "We're the only ones on this train!"

"How is that possible?!"

The other prisoners' eyes widened upon hearing this.

An eerie, uneasy atmosphere immediately spread through the group.

"Fuck! Stop worrying about all that!" The buzz-cut man turned around. "The train's stopped, and there are no guards. If we aren't running now, then what are we waiting for?!"

With that, he hurried forward, yanked open the carriage door with a clang, and scrambled outside.

Seeing this, the others also realized it was a good chance to escape and began jumping out through the carriage door one after another.

Gilan watched it all coldly.

He did not rush off the train. Instead, he got up and made a circuit of the quiet carriage, eventually finding a wrench in a corner.

Gilan hid it in his sleeve, then became the last person to jump down from the train.

His feet landed on soft earth. All around him lay a dense forest shrouded in mist.

Exactly like the dream.

As Gilan looked at the scene before him, his heartbeat quickened.

The eleven prisoners were running forward without any guard up. Only Gilan knew that these people were doomed.

The surrounding grass was filled with animal traps, and those headless Monsters were lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.

He had no intention of warning them. For one thing, it would be pointless. For another, he wanted to survive.

These people can buy me time.

A cold glint flashed through Gilan's eyes.

Snap!!

"Ah!!"

A sudden scream shattered the silence.

The other prisoners were startled and hurriedly turned toward the sound.

The buzz-cut man, who had been running fastest, had suddenly fallen to the ground. Both hands desperately clawed at the serrated iron jaws clamped around his foot, while pain and terror twisted his face beyond recognition.

His bloodshot eyes were wide, and veins bulged across his forehead.

His taut hands were covered in blood. One leg had been viciously caught in an animal trap, with bone and white tendons faintly visible.

"There are animal traps!"

The short man screamed in terror.

"Help me! Please, help me!" the buzz-cut man pleaded in agony. "My leg! My leg!!"

The prisoners around him held their breath and hurriedly scanned the ground beneath their feet. Sure enough, they spotted numerous animal traps hidden in the grass.

At the sight, they all sucked in a breath, shaken with lingering fear.

Yet after a long while, not a single person was willing to help the buzz-cut man caught in the trap.

"You, walk in front." At that moment, the long-haired, stubbled man, who was surrounded by several prisoners, raised his hand and pointed at the short man. The latter's expression changed. Just as he was about to speak, several people shoved him forward. "If you don't want to die, move faster!"

Then the long-haired man turned to look behind him, his gaze landing on Gilan at the rear.

"You too. Walk in front."

His face darkened as he revealed a menacing grin.