Saigid was frozen in disbelief as the scorpion charged straight toward him. It was almost as if the creature had completely ignored Yushai's presence and locked onto him.
Fear and confusion overwhelmed him. He stood there, vulnerable and exposed, completely at the mercy of the menacing scorpion.
Saigid jumped into the carriage. He used one of the fallen-off seats as a blockage in the hole from the carriage.
People huddled in the corners of the carriages, hoping for something. Saigid felt disappointed in himself.
"first I'll get rid of the scorpion, and then I'll get all these people out of here," saigid thought.
Saigid's grip tightened around a broken metal pole he'd wrenched from the train's wreckage. His breathing was ragged, but his mind was sharp—cold, thanks to the pills. The scorpion's armored legs scraped against the floor as it circled, its stinger twitching with predatory patience.
Then it lunged.
Saigid ducked, swinging the pole like a bat. The impact sent a shock up his arms, but the creature recoiled with a metallic screech. It wasn't enough to kill it. Just piss it off.
"Move!" someone screamed behind him one of the survivors, wide-eyed with panic.
Saigid didn't glance back. His focus was locked on the scorpion's segmented underbelly. There. The gaps between the plates.
The creature struck again. This time, Saigid sidestepped and jammed the pole upward with all his strength. The metal pierced through soft tissue, and black fluid gushed out like oil. The scorpion thrashed wildly, its legs curling in agony before finally collapsing.
Silence.
Then cheers. Whimpers of relief. The survivors stared at him like he was the miracle now.
Saigid wiped his face, smearing grime and blood. His hands shook.
He turned toward the shattered exit, where the bridge stretched ahead and where Yushai had vanished without a second glance.
"Some hero…," Saigid muttered.
Then he looked back at the trembling crowd.
"Anyone here who isn't about to lose their damn mind?"
A few hesitant hands rose.
"Good. We're getting off this bridge."
Beyond the broken windows, the sea churned and the cracks in the sky pulsed like an open wound.
Something worse was coming.
But first they had to survive the fall.
"We need to unite and make sure that the train arrives at its destination. The police will help us there," Saigid says confidently to the uncertain, squeezed crowd.
Saigid's voice cuts through the panic like a blade. He stands firm, bloodstreaked and battered, but his tone leaves no room for hesitation.
"Listenthe train's still moving." He jerks his chin toward the front cars. "If we clear the wreckage blocking the doors and reinforce the weak points, we can stabilize it. But we need to move now."
A woman with a gash on her forehead clutches her child tighter. "The monsters!"
"They're avoiding the moving train," Saigid snaps. "Didn't you notice? They're focused on the bridge's supports, not us. If we stop, we're dead."
His eyes flick to the windows. The creatures are swarming beneath the tracks, climbing the pillars like ants. Not pursuing. Not yet.
A burly man in a torn suit staggers forward. "How do we even?"
"The emergency release." Saigid kicks aside debris, revealing a red lever near the door. "This manually overrides the locks. We pry open the next car, clear the path, and keep the damn engine running."
Silence. Then
"You." He points at a teen gripping a fire extinguisher. "Cover the windows. Anything gets in, blast it."
"You two" A pair of office workers flinch. "Start barricading with seats. Tight spaces funnel them. We control where they hit us."
The crowd stirs. No more weeping. Just teeth clenched, hands steadying.
Then the train lurches violently. A deafening crack echoes from belowone of the bridge's supports giving way. The carriage tilts. Someone screams.
Saigid grabs a metal pole, slams it into the emergency release. The door screeches open. "GO! NOW! Next carMOVE!"
The survivors surge forward, scrambling over twisted metal as the tracks groan beneath them.
Behind them, the scorpion's carcass twitches. Thenits eyes flicker back to life.
Saigid doesn't see it.