[Welcome to the Jolly Train!]

For the second time in less than a few hours, I found myself on the ground. The floor was hard and cold, the powerful scent of coal filling the entire space. For once, there was actual light pouring into the space.

There were five people with me in that cabin, which seemed to be the train operation room.

There were a few buttons and levers and a wheel. On top, there were three monitors with their screens turned off. I was starting to doubt that was a real train when its whistle echoed loud and clear, its sound shrilling and haunting.

There was a huge window , an open door behind me, and one that gave access to the second cabin, and it appeared to be locked tight. My skin crawled, a sense of doom running over me as I felt a chilling breeze reach my arms and legs, almost as if it was trying to have a grasp on my limbs to drag me out of the train.

A few meters from me were two women, one of them quite young. She could not be older than seventeen, her red hair shining against the light, her face covered with freckles. The other was older than me, some wrinkles already showing on her face, alongside some gray hair.

As for the other two men, one of them was shorter than anyone in the cabin: dark and grayish hair, a shallow beard, his body more on the sturdy and plump side. The last guy looked like someone who had just walked away from the military: his posture, the buzz cut, his gaze. It took one glance from me to know, even with no uniforms or badges, he was a soldier.

[You are in the Top 5]
[You are an Operator!]
[The best new Self will be rewarded by the Court]

That was enough to make us exchange glances among ourselves. The soldier stared at me the longest, while the teenager kept looking at her feet.

Apart from the stares, that message made me wonder what, or who, this Court was. And if this Court was the responsible for all of this.

[Operators Duties:]
1- Control Jolly's speed
2- Control Jolly's direction
3- Control Jolly's maneuvers
[Points are based on choices and maneuvers]

Maneuvers? The fuck did that mean—were we able to make drifts with the train? Did that even make sense?

And just what, about any of this, makes sens?

[sAcRIfiC-]
[Passengers will be chosen based on lowest ranks]

I blinked twice, making sure I had seen it right. I could not be that insane, right? That had been a glitch, right there.

The system changed the word.

[If a Self wishes to be chosen, jump out of Jolly Train to be moved]
[Passengers will vote and gain points based on the path chosen by the Operators]
[Jolly Train's final destination is Station Île de Bâton ]
[Reach the final station without harming Jolly Train]
[Countdown: 7:00]

I had to message my temples in order to process all those new rules—someone got excited with that last stage.

Time to organize my thoughts...

There were likely two groups inside Jolly Train: operators and passengers. Passengers could only receive points through voting, yet the amount of their points was based on the morality determined by operators. What did that mean exactly…I was reluctant to guess.

"So…should we start the train?"

That shy voice surprised me. The teenager spoke while looking straight at the panel, her hands grasping her arms as if it was the only comfortable position for her.

"I think we can only control the train once it starts moving." The other woman spoke, her voice rough and raspier than I would assume.

The train's whistle blew once more and the entire structure trembled and shook. Then nothing. Before any of us could do anything, the smaller man walked towards the panel and pulled the lever all the way up. In a matter of seconds, the train started to move, faster by the second.

The man turned to us then, shrugging with a faint smile touching his lips.

"Guess it worked." We said nothing in reply. "So, we are the five best competitors in this place, right?"

The older woman eyed him with a cold gaze, her arms crossed. "This appears to be the case, yes."

The man laughed, exchanging glances with all of us. "I'm Giorgio. What about you lot?"

The red-haired teen put her hair behind the ear, her voice low and weak. "I'm Grace."

"Dunya."

"I would rather not share my name with people I don't know."

The soldier's reply was short and dry—and to be honest, I was inclined to say the same. Yet before I could open my mouth, the three screens got lit.

The screen in the middle showed the estimated time of arrival, while the other two showed empty tracks. We all heard a scream coming from the other cabin, the sounds muffled by the closed door.

Grace walked toward the door as the screams continued, her steps reluctant, gasping and covering her mouth with horror flooding her eyes.

We didn't need to ask what was going on.

The two screens flickered, and suddenly they were people emerging from within the tracks with iron constraining their legs and wrists. On the right track, there were three men, three women, and one elderly woman. On the left, two boys who could not be older than twelve.

[Time Left: 6:11 / ETA: 5:02]
[MAKE YOUR CHOICE]

The middle screen's letters changed colors from bright white to a scarlet red, blinking a few times as if to call our attention. As if it needed to go that far.

"Should we save the children?" It was Dunya who asked, her voice shaken yet carrying enough strength to make her sound confident. However, the others didn't seem so certain. As if they were all searching for a new foul play. I couldn't say I was in a different position.

One thing was bugging me...yet I was not sure what it was.

"Well, saving the children would be the 'best' option, right? So let's go with that." Giorgio pressed a button on the left, and from the window I saw and heard the tracks changing, the Jolly Train swiftly turning towards the men and women.

It did not take that long—maybe less than ten seconds—for the train to reach its first destination. I kept looking at the screen, unsure if I wanted to witness the scene from the huge window. As I watched, for a brief moment I saw something shine beneath the people, right before the train hit them. Then the train arrived.

It was not their screams that made me flinch, but the crushing and squishing sounds as I felt the train's wheels ran over them. Beside me, the soldier had his eyes closed as if he was in a silent prayer, both fists clenched at his sides.

[Congratulations! You earned 700 points.]

I furrowed my brows. The system had never mentioned how many points we got before.

"They are taking more people…" Grace's shaking voice reached us from behind, although I did not need her to know that. I could already see the screen changing, more people appearing from within the tracks. On the left side, there were three women. On the right, two men.

...how many people the train had just run over?

Maybe… The reason for telling us the points…

"Let's save the women." Nobody contradicted me as I walked over to the panel, seeing all those buttons and levers up close for the first time.

There were four buttons and two levers. The buttons were; Save Left Track, Save Right Track, Activate Sensors, and Emergency Stop. I pressed the button, watching the screen without even blinking. I had to check it. If I was right…

It took a bit more than fifteen seconds, and once again I saw something shining below the tracks, right before the train hit them.

And almost like "magic"…

[Congratulations! You earned 200 points.]

Even though I was smiling, with a dry laugh stuck up in my throat, I felt sick. We didn't have to choose the most righteous choice—

We were being rewarded by our kill count.

Giorgio was looking sideways in my direction, a smirk on his lips. He had realized that too, apparently.

"Pe-people are pushing each other off the train…" Grace stuttered, her face still glued to the small window on the back door. It was almost as if she was too shocked to walk away, too indecisive to join us in the front, too afraid to make a choice.

In the back of my mind, I recalled one of the rules. Passengers who 'jumped' out of the train would "be chosen". From the looks of it, that choice could be made for them.

Giorgio leaned into the panel, watching the landscape through the window. "They can only blame themselves; it was pretty obvious what we had to do to get the points."

Dunya opened her mouth, turning toward the man with a raging gaze, yet no sound came from her mouth.

"What? Are you going to say I'm wrong? The rules were clear—they made their choice, and we made ours. That's why we are here."

Dunya said nothing in reply, only looked away. Yet I noticed the way the soldier glared at Giorgio, a silent anger boiling from within his eyes.

"Wait! I think it's stopping… The passengers are not fighting anymore, maybe the system is done choosing them?"

I glanced towards the screens. It didn't take much for new people to appear. However, the moment the new passengers appeared on the tracks, I lost my breath. I could also hear Grace gasp and see how Dunya and the soldier clenched their fists, the older woman cursing under her breath. The real problem was—

They were all children. The difference was that there were five on one side and two on the other.

Then—

[A new rule has been added]
[Operators can vote on their preferred choice]
[The results do not need to match the final decision]

"There is no need for a vote. We—we have to save the most we can." Dunya almost choked on her words, as if she was about to throw up.

On the middle screen, one vote counted to save the right track.

"Yes, I say the same."

The soldier's vote went to the same side. Grace was speechless, tears frozen in her eyes as if they were unable to fall.

"Same…" My voice trailed off, my gaze following Giorgio. In that brief time, he had practically closed the distance between the panel. "What about you, Giorgio? Are we on the same page?"

The man smiled, turning his back to the panel. "Yes, sure. Of course, I agree."

I exchanged glances with the soldier. We didn't need to say anything else to each other.

"Mind if I press the button this time?" The soldier's voice was as assertive and sharp as lightning, enough to make the other man stop in his tracks.

"No, I don't see a problem with that."

I should have known from the first moment he opened his mouth. From how he didn't waste two seconds to press a button that condemned the lives of three people to how he belittled the people stuck in the second cabin.

I should have known because I had spent years in my previous life dealing with rats like Giorgio, with despicable men like him.

And though I was the closest to him, I was not fast enough. The moment I grabbed his hands, the tracks were already shifting, the train going for the right track.

Toward the five children.

I grabbed him by the collar, the anger building up in my voice as I shouted in his face.

"What have you done?! We don't even know what these points are for—they could be useless!"

I could feel the blood rushing through my veins, burning like poison.

His voice was enough to turn my stomach upside down. "Not taking any chances, and you should follow my example."

I did not even bother to argue with that rat again; I pushed him to the side and stared at the panel. There had to be something I could do, something I was missing.

My eyes ran through the buttons and levers as I recalled every single rule. ETA. Control speed. Sensors. Maneuvers. Wheel.

There was a huge chance I was wrong…

Yet just in case I was right…

I pointed towards the soldier, who was already pinning Giorgio to the ground. "Don't let him move from that spot."

The soldier didn't answer me, only twisted Giorgio's arm enough to make him grunt. I pressed one button and pulled down the speed lever, moving toward the wheel. The train speed went down, almost stopping.

"Are you even thinking straight?! We have a time limit, the train is already on the right track—if you stop this train we will all die, you fucking bastard!"

I ignored Giorgio's shouts, barely noticing as Dunya came by my side.

"Do you have any idea of what you are doing?" Her whisper was rough, desperate.

Well, what I had was certainly an idea.

"When I give you the signal, pull that lever all the way up."

"What does it do?"

"Trust me, when I give you the signal—"

"But what. Does. It. Do?" Dunya's voice could almost match the growl of a bear.

"Just trust me! Can you see them?" From where I was, I could not see the screens.

It took a while before I could hear her voice again. "I see them…"

"Keep your eyes on this screen and your hand on that lever. When I tell you to, pull the lever. Got it?"

I turned just so I could see Dunya nodding once, closing her fingers around the lever. I kept my eyes on the tracks, watching through the window with sweat running down my face.

Deep down, I wished it had taken longer to reach them, to hear their screams and loud cries. My fingers curled around the wheel, my grasp on it so tight it hurt my hands.

"Almost there…"

"What are you—"

"Now!"

Dunya didn't have time to finish her sentence. I turned the wheel all the way to the left and from my right I heard as she pulled the lever, my heart beating so fast I thought it would jump out of my chest and explode. For a desperate moment, nothing happened.

And then…

The entire train began to tilt to the left. I had no way of knowing how that was even possible, and as the cabins tilted to the side I felt gravity pulling me down, the rest of my body fighting my feet and legs as they slid over to the left. "Hold on to something!"

It felt like forever. Only when I heard Dunya shouting over Grace and Giorgio's screams did I turn the wheel all the way back, the cabins returning to their normal angle. I took a few steps back, staring at the screens.

The ETA had increased by an entire minute, yet the children were safe.

All of them.

I let out a shaken breath, resting my hands on the panel. It had worked.

I couldn't believe it had worked.

"How did you even know…?" Dunya's question got lost in the air between us as the new messages from the system appeared in front of me.

[Congratulations! You gained 250 points of maneuver]
[The Sensors were activated. A new rule will be added]
[Beware of your speed! You can't let the Mole get the Jolly Train]

Before I could even wonder what that meant, the screen on the right blinked and started to show the back of the train. I felt and heard the rumblings before I could see them on the screen.

Behind the Jolly Train, a giant mole appeared from the ground. It was taller and bigger than the train itself, its claws so big they could slice the cabins like they were made of leaves. And it was not only eating and destroying the tracks, it was rushing in a straight line toward the train.

Toward all of us.