Inside the train that had departed Segwang Station.
Dudududuk….
The sound of the cars running along the rails echoed through a modern, ordinary space, the hanging straps swaying with the vibration.
Only after we had thrown ourselves in just before the screen doors closed did we finally lift our heads and properly take in our surroundings.
“……”
The inside of the train was clean.
As if that were some kind of lie.
And…
People were sitting in every seat.
“……”
Every typical subway seat running down both sides was packed with ordinary-looking people dressed in everyday clothes.
There was not even the slightest sign of contamination.
That peaceful atmosphere—earphones in, eyes on smartphones—was enough to make us momentarily mistake things and think that, by boarding the train, we had returned to reality.
But.
Dudududuk….
This suffocating silence.
‘…No reaction.’
If five or six masked people suddenly came pouring into a car, you would expect at least one glance in their direction.
Yet nothing but stillness flowed.
Those sitting down, and those standing with their hands on the straps.
All of them simply stayed where they were, expressionless.
As if they had seen nothing at all.
“……”
“……”
The group exchanged glances and quietly stepped back.
‘Another car.’
Since we had jumped in through the train door right in front of the stairs, there was a good chance the car we were in happened to be unusually crowded.
And in a Ghost Story, the wise choice was not to blunder into a situation that would create trouble for no reason.
‘Let’s not bump into anything.’
With an unspoken agreement that we should move to a car with fewer passengers, we headed into the next car without anyone making any sudden moves.
Taking extreme care not to touch the passengers.
‘Whew.’
At the…