Chapter 3

Veronica, her face alight with malicious triumph, pointed at the ring, now fully visible on my finger.

"That proves it! He' s an imposter! He probably stole that ring!"

She snapped her fingers at her two burly security guards.

"Confiscate that ring! And teach this liar a lesson!"

The guards grabbed me.

One twisted my arm behind my back, the other punched me in the gut.

Pain flared, sharp and sickening. They ripped the ring from my finger.

I stumbled, gasping for breath, the taste of blood in my mouth.

The other passengers watched, some with fear, others with a cruel satisfaction.

My past life, my death, Veronica' s betrayal – it all swirled in my head.

But there were innocents on this train. Children. The elderly.

Despite the pain, despite the rage, I had to warn them.

I pushed myself up, shouting over the din.

"The train's emergency brakes are compromised! They've been tampered with!"

My voice was hoarse.

"At this speed, we'll hit that damaged trestle in less than ten minutes!"

Julian stepped forward, a condescending smile on his face.

"Compromised brakes? Sabotaged trestle? What melodrama."

Veronica laughed, a harsh, grating sound.

"He's clearly delusional! He' s making it all up to scare us, to cover his own pathetic failures!"

Julian nodded sagely.

"He' s dangerous. Tie him up before he hurts someone!"

The guards, eager to please, shoved me back against a wall.

They bound my hands tightly with thick plastic ties.

I struggled, but it was useless.

"Listen to me!" I yelled, my voice cracking. "We are all in danger!"

Just as I said it, the train gave a violent, sickening lurch.

Metal shrieked against metal.

The floor tilted sharply.

Screams erupted.

We hit the sabotaged section of the trestle.

The train partially derailed, screeching to a halt, carriages hanging precariously over the abyss.

Panic. Pure, unadulterated panic.

The passengers, moments ago hostile towards me, now rounded on Julian.

"You said you could save us!" a woman shrieked, her face contorted with terror.

"You did nothing!"

Veronica, ever loyal to her con-man lover, jumped to his defense.

Her voice was shrill, trying to be heard above the chaos.

"It was the dense fog! It must have been! Even the best sensors fail in these conditions!"

She pointed a trembling finger at me, her eyes wild.

"This... this attendant! He brought us bad luck! He jinxed us!"

Julian, pale but ever the opportunist, quickly seized on her words.

"Yes! The fog! And him! He must have done something!"