"Are we there already? That felt so short."

"We’re in the middle of nowhere," Francis noted, irritated, leaning closer to the window to try and figure out what was happening.

Julien mimicked him, and frankly, there wasn’t much to see. Night was beginning to fall, and the sky was filling with clouds that threatened an imminent storm. Francis was right—they were in the middle of nowhere. There was no station in sight, just miles and miles of fields covered by a thick blanket of snow.

"Maybe it’s just a temporary breakdown," Francis resumed his stoic posture, stepping away from the window. Though his patience was evidently wearing thin, his desire to appear unaffected was even stronger. "Or maybe they caught someone throwing a corpse onto the tracks. Either way, we shouldn’t be stopped for more than five minutes."

"Does that sort of thing happen often? The corpses, I mean."

"I don’t think so… Or at least it’s not usual for them to get caught. I suppose it’s impossible to know how many bodies might have been thrown onto the tracks without anyone ever finding out."

That was an exaggeration, Julien was sure of it, but he couldn’t help shivering at the thought. Despite being surrounded by news stories, he was the kind of person who avoided crime columns to spare himself any unpleasantness.

But, returning to the unexpected stop, Francis was wrong when he said they’d resume their journey in a couple of minutes. Five, ten minutes passed without the train moving. When nearly fifteen minutes had elapsed, and at least one of the two passengers in their compartment was restless enough to consider confronting a railway employee, a conductor appeared at the door.

"Excuse me, but I’ve been instructed to inform you that we need to evacuate the train. The tracks are blocked by snow, and we won’t be able to continue until it’s cleared."

"Evacuate? That’s ridiculous! I’m not leaving this train until the journey resumes. I paid for my ticket for a reason."

Francis seemed resolute, even prepared to chain himself to his seat if the conductor insisted on forcing him out.

"How long could it take to clear?" Julien asked, trying to mediate and avoid an outright confrontation.

"At least a couple of hours, assuming the storm doesn’t pick up again—which is highly likely given the current weather," the conductor explained calmly, with the poise of experience. "That’s why, given the uncertainty about when we’ll be able to proceed and the fact that it’s getting dark, we’re advising passengers in non-sleeper cars to head to the nearest village for the night."

"You want us to trek through the snow to some unknown village?"

Julien could hear the indignation in Francis’s tone, but the conductor remained unflappable.

"It’s just two kilometers to Saint-Genix-sur-Guiers. If you leave now, you’ll arrive before nightfall," he recommended, anticipating objections, and added, "You’re welcome to stay on the train if you prefer, but it’s almost certain we won’t be moving until tomorrow. In the village, you’d have access to better accommodations for the night."

"Let’s go," Julien urged once the conductor had left to inform the remaining passengers. "It’s been ages since I’ve visited Saint-Genix-sur-Guiers!"

"This isn’t a sightseeing trip."

"No, but it’s better than staying here all night. Tomorrow you’ll be in an even worse mood, and I’ll have to endure it."

"With any luck, you’ll miss the train tomorrow… or find another kindhearted passenger to stash you in their cabin’s closet so you can avoid the 'suffering' of being with me. Either way, I’ll be grateful for the rest."

No, Francis wasn’t budging. He was far too stubborn for that. No matter what Julien said, he wouldn’t convince him.