Day 14: “The Serum Gamble”

🎲GAME/BLOG INTRODUCTION
Welcome back, relentless survivors, to Tracks of Terror: The Last Train to Save Your Butt. I’m Barnabas, still battling through Car 14’s grim corridors. Today’s update revolves around R.C. and his desperate cry: “Improvise, I need a shot!” Meanwhile, Penny remains silent—a concerning development in a place where every second counts.

🎁 HOW IT WORKS
Each person on this runaway train chooses their own survival strategy—Fight ⚔️, Sneak 👣, Improvise 🛠️, Persuade 🗣️, or Loot 🔍. We only manage to secure about 50% of a train car at a time, so progress is slow and dangerous. I reveal the results in the next issue. Keep scoring correct guesses for a shot at our mystery prize—and keep an eye out for special loot boxes lurking behind locked doors.

🦠 BACKSTORY REMINDER
After our first train ended in a zombie-infested wreck, I boarded a second locomotive with survivors like R.C. and Penny. We’ve reached Car 14, a secret EmergenTek lab rumored to house unstoppable subjects. One vicious monster nearly tore us to shreds; we only survived by dropping it through a floor-release trap. We’ve found cryptic “Catalyst” vials, freeze grenades, and half-fried data chips. Now we push deeper—though Penny’s gone quiet, leaving me uneasy about what might have happened to her.

Day 14: “The Serum Gamble”

R.C.’s Decision: Improvise 🛠️

R.C. is in bad shape—broken ribs, a nasty limp—but he’s not done fighting. Tired of feeling vulnerable, he eyes the Catalyst vials we collected like a lifeline. “I need a shot,” he mutters, cradling his injured side. “We can’t do this half-dead.”

R.C.’s Improvise Attempt

• He grabs one of the glowing vials labeled “Catalyst Serum #4.” Without Penny to weigh in, he looks to me and the others for a nod of approval.
• Nobody’s sure of the side effects. The label’s all warnings and cryptic codes. Still, R.C. insists: “EmergenTek made these things for a reason. Maybe it’ll numb the pain, give me an edge.”
• A younger survivor, wide-eyed, tries to talk him out of it. R.C. ignores them. Grimacing, he jabs a makeshift syringe into the vial and injects the fluid into his arm.
• For a tense minute, he doubles over, sweat pouring down his face. Then his breathing evens. He looks up—eyes bloodshot, but alert. “Hurts less,” he manages, voice taut with adrenaline.

No Word from Penny

Penny was last seen examining data chips and rummaging near the cryo-chambers. Now, there’s no sign of her. Did she slip away to check the auxiliary corridor alone? Or is something else going on? No one has answers. We’re all on edge.

Outcome: High-Risk, High Reward?

For now, R.C. hasn’t collapsed or mutated from the serum. Instead, he’s moving better, grim determination on his face. The rest of us eye him warily—Catalyst #4 is untested territory. If it’s a temporary boost, he might push himself too far. If there’s a hidden side effect… let’s just say, in a place full of undead experiments, we don’t need any more unpredictability.

Subtle Clue: One of the half-fried data chips references “Subject 3 – Tissue Regeneration.” Possibly what the serum is for. Whether that helps R.C. or dooms him remains to be seen.

THE SCENE: PRESSING DEEPER INTO CAR 14

We’ve still only cleared half this twisted lab. Sparks pop from ruined consoles, and the hiss of chemical leaks lingers in the air. Beyond the bent metal partition, the corridor looms darker. A flickering overhead lamp reveals broken glass from more cryo-chambers. No moaning zombies—just an eerie silence that feels a thousand times worse.

R.C. flexes his arm, testing his new edge. “We can’t stay here. Whatever’s in the next room, I’ll handle it.” His eyes dart around, scanning for Penny, but she’s nowhere to be found.

SUBMIT YOUR GUESS BELOW
With R.C. hopped up on an experimental serum and Penny gone silent, how do you personally proceed in this hellish lab?

1. Fight ⚔️ – Storm the corridor with R.C. at the lead, harnessing his newfound strength to take out any undead abominations.
2. Sneak 👣 – Slip carefully through the shadows, searching for Penny without alerting potential “Subjects” that might roam.
3. Improvise 🛠️ – Reinforce the floor-release trap or rig freeze grenades near any suspicious chambers before forging ahead.
4. Persuade 🗣️ – Urge survivors to stick together, calm R.C. down in case the serum clouds his judgment, and organize a safer approach.
5. Loot 🔍 – Examine more data logs and rummage deeper in EmergenTek’s labs, hoping to find a clue about Penny or the serum’s true effects.

🔥 CLIFFHANGER: WILL THE SERUM SAVE OR SHATTER R.C.?
Our new ally’s rolling the dice with EmergenTek’s Catalyst #4, and Penny’s MIA. If something worse than the last subject prowls this place, we might need every advantage—drug-fueled or otherwise. Tomorrow, we’ll discover whether R.C. burns bright or burns out… and if Penny emerges from the shadows to save us all, or needs saving herself.

Stay sharp, survivors. Every day’s a new hazard aboard this train—don’t drop your guard now.