AI GAMES

3

The next morning, I was awakened not just by the cold but also by the noise.

In Carriage Five, where I was, there were sixteen people, half of whom were elderly, children, and girls. One man stood out.

He was a huge, burly man, so tall his head almost touched the ceiling, with a small ponytail, reminiscent of a sumo wrestler.

Perhaps because I and Emily were clearly acquainted, he targeted a young girl instead.

The ponytailed man forcefully snatched the blanket from the young girl's hands, cursing, "Stupid bitch! Should've just handed it over earlier!"

The girl was pushed against a glass table, her head bleeding from the impact, as she quietly sobbed, hugging her knees and curling up in her seat, possibly from fear or cold, as the carriage's heating had indeed been turned off.

Chilly drafts seeped through the window cracks.

Emily, already awake and wrapped in a large quilt, watched the commotion with a look of amusement. Seeing I awake, he greeted, "Morning."

I tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. Finally, I called out to the young girl, "Hey, miss!"

She immediately stopped sobbing, hastily apologizing, "I-I'll be quiet, sorry, sorry..."

"It's not that," I said, tossing her the quilt and wrapping himself in a thinner blanket. "Wrap this around you. We can huddle for warmth."

Emily raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised, but made room for the girl.

I asked, "Are you here for the game too?"

"Game? What game?" she replied, thanking him but looking confused.

"What's your name?" I inquired.

"I'm Amelia Garcia, the Number 37," she answered.

I and Emily exchanged glances, both puzzled and concerned.

When Amelia went to the restroom, I whispered to Emily, "Just in case."

"Case of what?" Emily looked out the window.

I gave him a cold, ominous smile, "Are we really safe?"