The Executioner of Horror Films

*From the face of Sok Wu*

The world turned upside down in an instant. Just now I was worried about work, about Suan's birthday, and the next moment we were trapped in a nightmare. The screams were deafening, the train was shaking under the weight of the colliding bodies, and wherever I looked, something flashed everywhere that could not really be. News reports were not just messages; they were a warning. It actually happened.

People around me, once just fellow travelers, were now either scared or terrified. I saw how their faces turned into crooked masks of hunger, their eyes glazed, their bodies moved with a jerk, unnatural gait. They were no longer people, but some monsters, and they were running around the train like a plague. I had a terrible feeling of fear. I couldn't protect my daughter.

I grabbed Xuan by the hand, pulling her closer, my heart was pounding wildly in my chest. It wasn't just a bad dream; it was a battle for survival. The train, our supposed escape, has now become our prison, and these monsters, whoever they were, surrounded us. I had to protect my daughter no matter what, but I had no idea how to do it. I was alone and had no idea what to do next.

Then this man moved, the one I just saw through the aisle.

Mark. He stood up as if he was on a relaxed walk in the park, not in this meat grinder. I watched him and was both scared and amazed by his calmness. It seemed that there was no chaos around him. He didn't even seem to be bothered by the screams and the terrible scene. He looked like he was above all this.

He looked at me and then looked at Su an. His eyes were like ice, devoid of any emotions.

We have to leave," he said, his voice was calm and clear in the midst of chaos, sharply contrasting with the screams around. We are going for a walk, a long walk. You, follow me, and don't let the girl lean out.

It wasn't a question, it was a team.

I was stunned, not knowing what to do, but I grabbed Suan by the hand and followed him. He moved at an almost unnatural speed, as if he could just disappear if he wanted to. He seemed to slide through the crowd, and the crowd parted in front of him like the sea.

The monsters that tried to get to us seemed to stumble, their movements became clumsy, as if an invisible force was pushing them away. I didn't understand what was going on, but I knew that I was safe at the moment.

I tried to focus on the upcoming path, not on the horrors around me.

He moved at supernatural speed, effortlessly maneuvering among the hordes of infected, as if he had the sixth sense of the whole situation. Then I saw them, creatures exploding with bloody splashes, and this sight gave me goosebumps. They were torn apart by some invisible force, and some of them were burning with flashes of light as he moved us forward.

It was terrible, but it was also a strange consolation.

We were moving on the train, the chaos was spreading around us, as if we were carried by an invisible wave. I couldn't understand what was going on; I couldn't understand what was happening.

It seemed that he had some kind of power, some unnatural abilities. As if he was out of this world, as if he was something ... bigger.

I didn't know who he was, but I knew I couldn't survive it without him. He was the one who moved us, the one who saved our lives.

In the end, we got to the front car, the scene around us turned into a blurred stain of chaos and massacre.

The train turned into a battlefield, and we were right in the middle of it. The air was saturated with the smell of blood and fear, and I felt a terrible wave of despair. But then I looked at Mark, and the feeling of fear was replaced by a feeling of confusion. It was still difficult for me to understand who he was, and I had a feeling that he was not what he seemed.

*On behalf of Mark*

Okay, stop delaying. It's time to start this train or at least transfer this zombie flash to the next act.

The system, as usual, mysteriously pushed me, saying "to facilitate the narrative", which I translated as "to push these poor fools along the predetermined path of the plot". I still hate these missions, but at least they give me a goal.

We were stuffed into the front car, a temporary shelter, at least that's what the mortals thought. I carefully followed the infected people, their moans and the constant, annoying soundtrack.

The man, Father Suan, whose name I learned thanks to (the Universal Translator), tried to calm his daughter down, while Sok Wu was struggling to pretend that he somehow controlled this mess. He reminded me of a wet dog during a thunderstorm, desperately trying to shake off the raindrops.

It's time to push them a little. I saw a small group of infected people gathered near the door of our car. They were the first wave, the vanguard of the horde, and they were about to have a cruel awakening. I needed to move these people forward, and it was a great opportunity to do it.

Okay, listen - I said, my voice broke through the panic murmur, - It's time to change the situation.

They looked at me scared, but the tension in the air had already reached a critical point. They knew that the comfort zone in this front car was not long, so my words were only a confirmation of their worst fears.

With a careless wave of my hand, I released a charge of telekinetic power, throwing a heavy table into the door of the car, creating a barricade that will not last long.

The infected were already beating him, their moans turned into disappointed screams.

It won't stop them," I said with a grin. It's time to move if you don't want to be part of the monster team. There is another car at the end of the train. It seems to be a good place to go. What do you think?

Sok Wu looked at me, and I saw in his eyes the struggle of fear and determination. He was ready to break down, but he also clung to the hope I offered him.

- Why do you help us? Seok Wu asked, his eyes narrowed. He was alert, and I felt his distrust, but it didn't bother me at all.

Because you will die with the girl - I answered in an even voice. So, are you going to stand there or come with me?

The barricade had already begun to give up, the door groaned under the weight of the infected. It's time to start the next act. After gaining speed and hitting my wrist, I broke the window at the end of the car, creating a dangerous path to the next section of the train.

I didn't care about other passengers, they weren't part of my mission, and I wouldn't waste my energy saving them.

Adventure time," I said with a sardonic smile. Let's go.

I jumped out of the broken window, landing on my feet on the other side. I felt the spatial bleeding getting stronger, the craving for my next mission did not weaken, but now I had to guide these mortals through their adventure with zombies. The system was satisfied, as now it accrued me additional points. I didn't like saving people, but I had to do it.

I didn't wait for them, starting to make my way forward, my forces tore apart everything that tried to get close to me. I heard a woman yelling at her daughter, and I heard Seok Wu trying to make a plan, but it didn't matter. The path was clear, and the clock was ticking. It's time to move on. It's time to start the next act of their tragedy.

*From the face of Sok Wu*

The barricade was like a broken dam, the infected threw themselves at it, their moans and roars became louder, more desperate. I felt my own fear growing, a cold hand clutching my heart. We were running out of time, and this man, Mark, just stood there, watching us, as if we were all just actors in the movie. He looked like he had organized it all himself, but he moved without fear, without even blinking.

Then the window flew to pieces, and the air was filled with a sharp, sickening sound of broken glass. I didn't even have time to react; I just followed Suan, grabbed her hand and moved without hesitation. He was already outside, on the other side of the broken window. The path was clear, but it was dangerous, and all because of it. He seemed to challenge us to act, test our capabilities and fight for our lives. He wasn't on our side, but he wasn't against us either. He was just... there.

"Why are you helping us?" I asked again, my voice was shaking, but I needed to know. I needed to understand what kind of person he was, but his answer, again, was mysterious and not what I had hoped for.

If you die, I'll be kicked out of the world, I won't get any points yet. That's all. - he said, shrugging his shoulders, his eyes were devoid of emotions.

The door was about to break, the barricade didn't even slow down the zombies. I had no other choice. He was right.

I had to move. I took a deep breath, squeezed Suan's hand tighter and headed to the broken window. We had to move, run to survive. The world around us was plunged into chaos.

The jump was terrifying, the train was rushing along the rails, and the wind was howling in my ears. It was like jumping from one nightmare to another. I followed his example because he was moving at an unnatural speed. He tore apart the creatures that dared to approach us, but their number grew, and the chaos intensified. I knew it, we wouldn't succeed, we were doomed, I was doomed. I had an oppressive feeling that, no matter what, I couldn't do it.

The rest of the way to the next car passed like in a fog, my mind tried with all my might to digest the horrors I witnessed. People were torn apart, the train was filled with screams, and the infected became faster and more ruthless. I saw one man, a good man, do his best to protect his pregnant wife, and he was bitten. They both had to die, and I couldn't help it. The same thing happened to many others who tried to survive. I couldn't get rid of the feeling that everything was lost.

Then I looked at Suan, her little face was pale, but her eyes were full of determination. I couldn't give up, not now. I had to protect her, I had to save her life, it was the only thing I could do. We had to survive, for both of us.

We finally got to the next car, the door was barely kept from the crowd of the undead. Mark, who was already there, looked at me, his face was devoid of any emotions. He seemed to look into my soul, as if he could understand what I felt.

You did a good job," he said in an even voice. But your time is almost up

And then, just like that, he disappeared. The air crackled around the place where he was standing, and then he just disappeared. I didn't understand how it was possible, but I was sure he wasn't human. He was something else, something bigger than I could have imagined.

The rest of what happened is like in the fog, a desperate struggle for survival, a desperate attempt to protect Suan. We moved, we ran away, we hid, and I finally understood what it means to be brave. It was not to be afraid of nothing, but to act contrary to my fears. I saw people sacrifice themselves to save others, I saw men turning into monsters, I saw mothers protecting their children, and I understood what it means to be human.

In the end, we got to the place where we were supposed to be safe. I wasn't sure why I was still alive. I was almost bitten many times, I couldn't remember how many zombies I had to fight, and I couldn't understand how my body was still intact. It seemed that I was protected, but it was not only because of Mark. It was because of me, I finally found the will to fight back.

I watched other survivors move to a safer place and thought that maybe, maybe, everything would be better.

I looked at my daughter, who finally smiled, and thought we had a chance, a chance to build something better. We did it. I did it. But all this seemed ... different. I've changed, I was no longer just a businessman who worked all the time. I was a survivor, a fighter, a defender. And somehow this experience, this nightmare changed me.

I had no idea where Mark was and who he was, but I knew he had changed my life, for better or worse.