Infinity Train: Bryce's Story

Chapter VII: The Fear Car

A/N: Hello. :) This is officially a two-part Halloween special, so you'll understand the length of this particular chapter. Beyond that, you'll have to read for yourself to know how things will turn out for the group since the revelation.

Part 1:

The truth was out. Bryce had finally decided to lay bare his wretched sins prior to boarding the train. Since he started, Bryce felt it best to keep that information to himself as it was nobody's business but his. At least, that's how it started. But his plans to harbor them as secrets all started to change when he brought Penny along with him.

She was a reminder of his innocent past, the young boy who wanted to be a big brother with a little sibling to look after, and she's proven to be so much more than that thus far. Up next came Tulip, a young girl who was just as much a victim of the train as he is. The two of them didn't quite get along as well before, but they found a way to mend their differences nonetheless. To accompany them were One-One, a residential robot who was in search of his mother (or creator), and His Majesty, Atticus, who desired to conquer the monster that threatened Corginia. Little by little, his experiences with them changed his perspective on what he originally thought was the best thing to do, until he had decided to open up to them. And it was safe to say that they were utterly shaken by what he had done, what he kept from them. Bryce had already accepted the inevitable backlash to come, hanging his head down in shame for his actions.

"Take a good look. This is who I really am."

With the evidence in that backpack, it was all they could do. Tulip was able to make a guess about what it all meant. It's easy to think he won the lottery, but with the gun inside his backpack, it could've been stolen money. This must've been what Night Shroud meant when she said that he couldn't be trusted, that he was using them. But she knew better than to trust her. If anything, Tulip needed to hear it from him. She needed to be sure that this wasn't true.

"Bryce... what is all this?"

Overcome with glances of disbelief all staring at him, Bryce found it harder to go on any further, but he's already begun to strip off the bandage. There's no turning back now...

"Tulip, I... I told you before that my mom and dad were stuck in that hospital with no way to pay for the funding."

Recalling what Bryce told her back in the Jungle Car not too long ago, Tulip took another look in the backpack and saw the stolen money and gun inside it. From the details of that story, Tulip could only assume that he tried to rob someone, or worse. It was a terrifying thing for her to think about, being forced to work with a common thug. But Tulip wasn't terrified of what happened so far. She was angry that he chose to be one...

"And this was your answer? To ruin another family's life just to get yours back?!"

Having that accusation suddenly thrown at him, Bryce was stunted that Tulip would think that, not that he blamed her in a time like this.

"Tulip... t-that's not what I did."

To validate her point, Tulip found a small corner of the picture Bryce had in his jacket pocket and took it out with a grunt, making Bryce surprised as he didn't expect her to do it so quickly.

"Really?! Because that's what it looks like to me! Is that why you've been hiding this, too?!"

As the argument escalated for the worse, with Bryce quickly losing, One-One and Atticus were beginning to feel the situation was less than desirable as Sad-One instantly labeled it as...

"Awkward."

And Atticus couldn't agree more.

"Come on, Penny. Let's give those two some room."