IQ’s voice abruptly cut out, leaving the room in an awkward state of silence. Once again, Cole had gone from relaxed to overwhelmed. From his meetings with Sensei, Felix, Iggy, and Tobias, he’d been put in a state of constant flux. I just can’t catch a break.
“Imposters?” Zaviar asked, getting up from the ground. “You mean it was one of the passengers who killed Dwaine?”
Zaviar was met with no response. Turning angrily around the room, he gave both Cole and Lin a firm look.
“It’s not you, is it Lin?” Zaviar asked.
“Of course not!” Lin replied, looking back and forth between Lin and Tobias. “I was with both of you when Dwaine went missing. It couldn’t have been me.”
“True,” Zaviar admitted. “Tobias and I were with you most of the time when we first met those two girls. That leaves Cole, his partner, and those other two.”
Zaviar turned to Cole as if expecting some kind of reaction. Unsure of what to say, Cole remained silent. He’d only just met Zaviar. How would he manage to convince him of his innocence when there was no trust between them? Cole racked his brain for ideas, trying to remain as visibly calm as possible. From watching Lucy and Tobias, he’d learned just how effective displaying a calm and collected composure can be.
“Let’s move to the first car,” Tobias said. “It’d be better if we were all together to work this out.”
Tobias nodded to Cole, advertently or inadvertently reassuring him. Cole nodded back, thankful that he would have more time to go over the events that had transpired.
“Alright,” Zaviar said, obviously still on guard.
The four of them made their way into the second car to witness a similar standoff occurring. Wendy was pointing her finger at Niko and Susie, while Niko had gotten up to defend himself. Lucy remained seated, ignoring the conflict around her as she stared at the ceiling.
“You two were with the first person who went missing!” Wendy said. “No one else even saw this Dwaine guy. It’s obviously you two!”
“Well, we were with Cole from the moment we connected cars!” Niko fired back. “He saw Dwaine when the doors opened, right Cole?”
“Uh,” Cole replied, unsure of how to break the news to Niko, “yeah, I can.”
“See!” Niko said. “You two were the last ones with Sadie, so who’s to say you didn’t make her and Dwaine go missing.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Wendy protested.
The two continued to argue, passing the blame back and forth like a hot potato. Meanwhile, Susie remained seated in the corner of the car. She’d tucked her legs close to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. It was as if she was trying to hide but with no place to go. Monica, on the other hand, was flicking her head back and forth between Wendy and Niko. Cole couldn’t tell if she was trying to keep up or if she was being entertained by the exchange.
“That's enough,” Tobias said, calmly putting his hands forward. “It’s undeniable that all parties here have a degree of suspicion on them. Let’s take some time to all explain our side of things. Afterward, we can start discussing who we believe to, or to not, be the imposters. Is that acceptable?”
Wendy and Niko looked to Tobias, then back at each other.
“Works for me,” Niko said mockingly.
“Fine,” Wendy replied, sneering at Niko.
“Good. I will start, then.” Tobias said, clearing his throat. “When our cars first connected, my group made its way into the fourth car. The only two that were present were Wendy and Monica. Us five were together until Niko and Susie arrived, informing us of Dwaine’s disappearance.”
Wendy sat back down next to Monica, listening intently to Tobias. Niko leaned against the wall Susie was sitting against, keeping his eyes on Wendy.
“Us seven then joined Cole and Lucy in the first car. After our brief introductions, Wendy and Monica went back to the fourth car to check on Sadie. My group was first to join them, followed by Cole, Niko, and Susie. The only person who wasn’t with us was Lucy, and we rushed back to her after discovering Sadie had gone missing. When we found Lucy was fine, my group, along with Cole, went to the bar. That’s where we found Dwaine’s body, right before IQ gave the announcement.”
“Wait,” Niko said, squinting his eyes at Tobias, “what body?”
“We can discuss that later, next-”
“No way!” Niko raised his voice. “What do you mean you found Dwaine’s body?”
“He was tucked beneath the cabinets,” Zaviar replied. “The imposters already killed him.”
“He’s… dead?” Niko said, his eyes widening. “But this is just a test. How could he have died? How could they have let him die?”
Niko seemed distraught at the idea. Susie clutched her legs even tighter against her chest. Cole was surprised by Niko’s reaction, as he seemed like a confident adventurer. Putting his back against the wall, Niko let himself slide down. Sitting back next to Susie, he placed his hand on his head, as if trying to figure out how this had come to happen.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Tobias said earnestly, “but we need to hear everyone’s explanations of what they saw before getting riled up.”
“We’d only just met,” Niko said, lowering his voice. “We got on the car together, him, Susie, and me. When the cars slammed together and the doors opened, he was looking into the third car while I looked into the first. Me and Susie went over to talk to Cole and Lucy, but I don’t know if Dwaine ever even went into the third car. I should have had him come with us...”
Niko trailed off for a moment. After collecting himself, he continued.
“When I realized Dwaine wasn’t with us anymore, me and Susie went back through the second, third, and fourth car to find him. He wasn’t in any of them, but we found Tobias’ group and Wendy’s group… minus Sadie. The rest is as Tobias said. When you four went into the second car, the rest of us stuck to ourselves. Nothing else happened until that announcement.”
Niko exhaled loudly as he finished. He’d managed to get through his piece quite clearly, but he was obviously still in disbelief. Cole didn’t know what to say. He’d seen Dwaine when the door first opened, but now he was nothing but a corpse. If Cole hadn’t been as lucky, that could have been him, either at the imposter’s hands or Felix’s.
“Thank you, Niko,” Tobias said. “Now, let's hear from you, Cole, as you were with Niko’s group the most.”
“Yes,” Cole said. “Everything Niko said is true. When the doors first opened, I could see the three of them clearly. I lost sight of Dwaine while talking to Niko and Susie, and they left the first car to look for him. The rest is exactly how Niko said.”
“And you, Wendy?” Tobias asked.
Cole looked to Wendy, but she seemed distracted. Looking in Niko’s direction, her expression had softened. They’d just been blaming each other for being the imposter, but Cole could tell she was giving the idea some reconsideration. A few moments passed.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“We were just like everyone else when the doors opened,” Monica said, breaking the silence. “Sadie had gone to use the bathroom right beforehand. Tobias’s group entered our car, and we briefly introduced ourselves to each other. When Niko and Susie came looking for Dwaine, we agreed to follow them back to their car after they left. Wendy and I left to check on Sadie, and you all know the story from there.”
Tobias nodded his head when Monica finished. Each group had given an account of what happened, and Cole was interested to hear who the other groups thought the imposters were, as he had little to no clue. His best guess was Wendy and Monica, considering they were the only two to ever come into contact with Sadie. No one had been in their car without them present, making them even more suspicious. However, Cole still had a hard time voicing his opinion, as he couldn’t imagine any of them stuffing Dwaine into the cabinet as he was.
“And you?” Zaviar asked, looking at Lucy, “You seem awfully calm about all this after having spent the most time alone. Got anything to add?”
Before anyone could respond, a loud shriek rang out from beside the engine room door. Everyone turned to see Susie now standing, her hand covering her mouth. A pool of red liquid collected at the base of the engine room’s door, seeping out from beneath the crack.
“The captain!” Tobias said, running to the door.
The moment he reached it, Tobias cupped his hands around two opposite ends of the wheel. Tugging fiercely, Tobias attempted to open the door. The wheel, and subsequently the door, wouldn’t budge an inch.
“Zaviar,” Tobias said, “some help!”
“Of course,” Zaviar replied, hastily rushing to his side.
The two pushed and pulled as hard as they could, but the door wouldn’t give. Niko and Monica both got up to assist. Even with all four of them together, the door remained firm. The only dent they’d made was in the handles, as Tobias and Monica had both slightly bent the ones they were pulling on.
“Geez,” Zaviar said, backing up from the door, “what is this thing made with?”
“It’s lock must be of a high grade,” Tobias remarked.
“What do we do now?” Niko asked, looking back to the pool of blood.
“The same thing we were doing before?” Monica suggested.
“Indeed,” Tobias said, turning to her. “Where did you learn your amplify magic?”
“My parents,” Monica replied, walking back to Wendy.
“They must have been good teachers,” Tobias said. “Anyway, it would seem we have a third victim.”
“Yeah,” Zaviar said, turning Lucy, “it would seem we do.”
“So,” Wendy said, “do we just start accusing each other or what? Each group was accounted for at least once for each of the victims. It’s not like we have any concrete leads.”
“Maybe,” Lin said, rubbing his head as if he had a headache, “but your group has consistently been the closest when something happens.”
“But we weren’t close to Dwaine when he went missing,” Wendy replied. “So it couldn’t be Monica and I.”
“There are three likely options,” Tobias said. “One, it is Wendy and Monica, and they somehow killed Dwaine without Lin, Zaviar, or I noticing.”
“Bu-”
“Two,” Tobias said, raising his voice to cut Wendy off, “there is an imposter in two groups, instead of just one. Three, the imposters are in a group other than Wendy’s. In the third case, the user would have to have used a long-range magic to get to Sadie, Dwaine, and the captain. Furthermore, this magic would have to be extremely hard to detect to get past all of us. That would surely require a lot of concentration, potentially resulting in that person remaining largely inactive during their time here.”
Lucy looked to Tobias blankly. She’d remained quiet throughout most of their time on the train. Cole was interested in who she thought the imposters were but didn’t want to ask so directly when everyone else was around. Hearing other people's opinions first would help break the ice.
“There’s another inconsistency, though,” Wendy said. “Why does Cole’s group only have two members when the other groups have three?”
She said it. Cole thought to himself. He’d have to tell them about Iggy not joining them on the train, but it’d be a hard sell to an already distrusting crowd.
“Well,” Cole said, “we did have a third person. They just didn’t come with us.”
“What kinda bull is that?” Wendy asked.
“I know you may not believe me, but it’s true. Lucy and I met this guy named Iggy before getting on the train, but he said he was gonna wait for a different one. Something about the number on the car.”
Cole rattled through his explanation quickly, as he’d already prepared it beforehand. Being in the only group of two was something he knew was suspicious, but it wasn’t anything definitive.
“You’d just met him?” Tobias asked.
“Yup,” Cole said.
“And what about the other groups?” Tobias asked. “Zaviar and I just met Lin, so does each group have a new member?”
“We’d just met Sadie,” Monica replied. “She was really nice.”
“Dwaine was already on board when Me and Susie got on the train,” Niko said. “We hadn’t met before then, but he was extremely friendly.”
“And this ‘Iggy’ person,” Tobias said, “you’re sure they didn’t come with you on the car?”
“I’m sure,” Cole replied. “He was still sitting on the bench when the door closed.”
“Maybe he got on the side of the train.” Tobias suggestion. “That would explain how Dwaine disappeared while everyone was accounted for.”
“I don’t think he would do that,” Cole said.
“You never know,” Zaviar said. “People can be a hell of a lot different than you first perceive.”
“Zaviar is right.” Tobias said, “We’ll have to account for this ‘Iggy’ in the future, assuming he did get in the car somehow.”
“He didn’t,” Lucy said, looking confidently at Tobias.
“If you were with Cole in the car, then how would you know that?” Zaviar asked.
“I can tell you definitively,” Lucy said, “he did not get on the car.”
“Alright,” Tobias said. “So, either Lucy is lying, and the imposters are her and Iggy or Cole, or she’s telling the truth, and the imposters are Wendy and Monica. At this point, I believe Niko and Susie are primarily in the clear.”
“That makes sense,” Lin said. “Especially with how calm and quiet Lucy has been. She didn’t even seem surprised by the blood coming from the engine room.”
“Guys, come on,” Cole said, “it’s not Lucy.”
“And you know that how?” Zaviar asked.
“We’re partners,” Cole said. “We met before either of us met Iggy. Why would everyone else get permanent partners while I get a ‘fake’ one?”
“That may be true,” Tobias said, “but, one can never be too sure. I’ve known Zaviar for years, so it can’t possibly be him. How long, exactly, have you two known each other?”
“Long enough,” Cole replied confidently.
“Is that so?” Lin asked before lightly coughing.
Lucy had saved his life, so there was zero chance he would stop defending her. Cole tapped on his system band to see there was only about eleven minutes remaining. Until then, he knew he’d be fighting an uphill battle.
“IQ did say there were only two imposters,” Tobias said. “If you’re that confident, Cole, then it’s either you and Lucy or Wendy and Monica.”
He got me there, Cole thought to himself, but we are a team, after all. As long as there was no physical violence, Cole could easily conceal the fact he was a demon. Given everyone was trying to figure out who the “imposters” were, it was hard not to see himself as one. If they were to find out, Cole was confident they’d think so as well.
“I’m leaning more towards Wendy and Monica.” Tobias continued. “I’m surprised they wouldn’t have checked on Sadie faster, given the nature of our abrupt meeting.”
“I’m leaning more towards Cole and Lucy,” Lin said, trying to hold back another cough.
“Thank you, Lin.” Wendy said, gesturing towards him, “It doesn’t even make sense why Wendy and I would have gotten rid of Sadie if we were the imposters. Wouldn’t we want her here now to be an additional voice to advocate for us? If anything, it’s strange that your group still has three people, Tobias.”
“We’re the only group that hasn’t split up,” Zaviar replied. “Maybe you should be taking notes instead of accusing us.”
“Can’t we just all stay together until the train arrives?” Monica asked softly. “That way-”
“Are you alright, Lin?” Tobias interrupted.
“I don’t know,” Lin replied.
Cole looked over to see Lin hunched over while gritting his teeth. Lin swayed slightly, forcing Tobias to help stabilize him. His hand now clutching his chest, Lin began to convulse. Tobias tried to keep him upright, but Lin shook jarringly out of his grasp and fell to the floor. His convulsions progressively got worse as everyone helplessly watched.
“What do we do?” Zaviar asked, putting his hands on his head.
“There’s no magic being used that I can see,” Tobias said, staring intently at Lin. “I’m not sure there’s anything we can do.”
Lin’s convulsions began to slow to a stop. His body laid limp on the floor as Tobias took a knee beside him, placing his hand over his throat. A few seconds passed, ultimately leading Tobias to a grim conclusion.
“He’s dead.”