Chapter 6 - The Mid-Journey Panic
Meanwhile, thousands of rails away, Train 48 was cutting through a blinding blizzard in rural Indiana. Inside the warm, wood-paneled first-class sleeper cabin, Kevin stretched his legs lazily across the plush velvet bench, pouring himself a cup of hot black coffee.
"Do you think she's frozen solid yet?" Mia giggled from the opposite seat, scrolling through her phone while draped in a silk blanket. "Honestly, Emily is so dramatic. I'm surprised she didn't start crying right on the platform."
"She didn't cry because she knows her place," Kevin scoffed, taking a sip of his coffee. "She’s docile. Give her an hour, and she'll text asking where to find the dining car or complaining about the cold. It builds character."
Kevin checked his phone. No texts yet. A mild frown flickered across his face.
"Maybe I should text her again," Kevin muttered, opening his messaging app. "Hey, grab us some turkey sandwiches from the station car at the next stop. And hurry up."
He hit send. The message hung in limbo with a little delivery spinner. Sending... Sending... Failed.
"Huh. Must be bad service out here in the middle of nowhere," Kevin grumbled, tossing his phone onto the small table. "Anyway, where were we?"
An hour passed. Then two. The train rolled past cornfields buried under feet of heavy snow. The steady, hypnotic rocking of the railcar usually lulled passengers to sleep, but a strange, nagging unease began to gnaw at the back of Kevin’s mind. He pulled out his phone again. Still no service. But more importantly, his banking app notification banner suddenly flashed across the top of the screen: Alert: Transaction Declined. Your primary card has been temporarily locked.
Kevin frowned, tapping the app. He tried to log in, but an error message popped up: Access Denied. Please contact your financial institution.
"What the hell?" Kevin muttered under his breath, sitting up straighter.
"What is it, babe?" Mia asked, noticing his shift in demeanor.
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"My card just got declined. And my mobile banking is locked out," Kevin said, his voice tightening with sudden anxiety. "That's weird. I paid our joint account bills just yesterday."
Before Mia could respond, the cabin door slid open violently. A towering train conductor stood in the doorway, his face carved into a mask of severe disapproval, holding a digital tablet in his gloved hand.
