story.txt

Node 1
"""Calunk, calunk, goes your luggage case against the gaps between the pavement squares running alongside the tracks. Its sound echoes before you through the mostly-empty tunnels of the subway. Above, dim off-white fluorescent lights partially flood the halls, making the support pillars and rest benches cast stark shadows across your path.

It's a chilly evening and you're on your weekly trip home from a long week of work. Courvetry County, your home, is a long way from Newbaum City, so it's easier to travel twice a week rather than every day.

You look at your printed ticket again - the walk feels longer than usual tonight, but you can't trust the clocks of the station to tell you what time it is; they never work, and if they do work, they're never right. The ticket says, 'Station 6'.

As you walk past another concrete support pillar, a voice drenched in the pillar's shadow calls out to you, "Hey, stranger...".

(1) See what they want.
(2) I just want to go home."""
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Node 2
"""Holding back an inwards sigh, you let go of your luggage case's handle and walk over to the pillar. As you get closer you can see the faint outline of a person standing in the pillar's shadow.

"Hi?" you say.
"... hi..." they reply. "You getting on a train, stranger?"
"Well, I'm certainly not just passing through here," you reply.
Their eyes narrow. "Oh, you'd be surprised how many do... where you riding to?"
"That's my business, thanks."
"Fair enough, but if you're riding the train to the end of the line... careful that you don't ride past it." The figure closes their eyes and seems to almost disappear into the shadows.
"Sorry?"

No response. Whoever it was, maybe they just left. You look around, but you can't seem to find them in the tunnel. 

The lights overhead blink with a staticky pop. City infrastructure is really crumbling. You look around to find you're only at Station 4, and your train arrives in fifteen minutes - best to quick-step it.

(1) Continue."""
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Node 3
"""You make your way to Station 6, and within minutes, the driverless train rolls to a stop in front of you. After a moment, the doors swing open and you get on. You drop your train ticket into the automatic collector. Few others are on the train and none of them pay you any attention as you take your seat amongst them.

The train rolls away from the station, and after a few minutes, you're lulled to sleep by the vehicle's rhythmic rocking.

* * *

You wake up again to the train's intercom saying, "Now entering Courvetry County Station. Departing passengers, please exit from the back. Thank you for choosing to ride with SteelJet Lines today."

You quickly shake the sleep from your head as the doors of the train open up. Even fewer passengers are aboard the train now, and still no one pays you any attention as you take your luggage case and get off. 

The train rolls off silently, leaving you at the station stop. 

Your home's station is a lot more lively than the city station. The lights are a warm, strong color and plenty of people are still milling about. Even some food stands are still open at this late hour.

You stop to buy a funnel cake and sit down at the bus stop outside the station to eat it. Soon, a bus will arrive to take you home and you can finally rest.

<- GOOD END ->"""
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Node 4
"""You make your way to Station 6, and within minutes, the driverless train rolls to a stop in front of you. After a moment, the doors swing open and you get on. You drop your train ticket into the automatic collector. Few others are on the train and none of them pay you any attention as you take your seat amongst them.

The train rolls away from the station.

You sit there without much to do, and your mind drifts back to what the shadowy stranger had said. 'Careful that you don't ride past the end of the line.' What did they mean? Trains and buses turn around when they reach the end of their route, maybe they were just cautioning you against missing your stop?

Maybe that's it. You catch yourself yawning - it's really been a long week, you’ve done about 16 hours overtime between this and last week to help the warehouse close up for the holiday.

A few quick winks couldn't hurt, right?

(1) Take a nap.
(2) Force yourself to stay awake a little longer."""
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Node 5
"""You begin to doze off and have a dream about getting lost in a giant corn maze. A pretty common one from your childhood - you used to live on a country farm with your parents, your uncle, and your grandparents. And that old basset hound.

In your dream, the corn stalks are 100 feet tall and 100 feet wide, way too thick to see or push through. You go left, left, right, but can't find a way out.

You begin to climb one of the corn stalks out of desperation, maybe you can see the layout of the maze from a height. But at the top it's so high you can't see the maze anymore, you only see a girl in a white nightdress.

You reach a hand out to her shoulder to get her attention, but she turns to look at you, her hair covering her face, and says,

"... now leaving Peregrine County Station."

You startle awake in your seat, the sleep leaving your head. You rub your face and look around - you're the only one left on the train. Did the intercom just say Peregrine County? Crap, that's a few stops past yours.

Your eyes catch a route map on the wall of the train and you get up to walk over and look at it. Yep, Peregrine County is three stops past yours... huh, it also happens to be the last stop on the route.

You vaguely remember the stranger's advice.

"Next stop, Hel-lllb---krzzt" The intercom crackles. "All passengers, please remain sea-zzkra-please get off the train. This is the final stop. This is the final stop. This is the fiiiiiiinaaaaaal stop." The intercom slows to a stop, then becomes sullenly silent, save for the occasional pop of static.

Well, that was creepy.

The train begins to roll again.

(1) Try to find a way off the train.
(2) Ride the train back home."""
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Node 6
"""It's probably best to stay awake a little longer, you haven't secured your luggage, after all. Not that you don't trust the other passengers on the train, but it's better to be cautious.

The train rides away from Newbaum City, through Olberan, Portun City, Stelbim, all the way to...

"Now entering Courvetry County Station. Departing passengers, please exit from the back. Thank you for choosing to ride with SteelJet Lines today."

You yawn, struggling to stay awake. At least you're finally here.

(1) Get off the train.
(2) Ride the train a little longer."""
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Node 7
"""You run up and down the length of the empty train car, assessing your options quickly. The entrance and exit are closed, and a quick attempt lets you know that they won't re-open easily.

You could break a window, but that runs the risk of committing a crime, and squeezing yourself and your luggage out could be dangerous. And it might take too long. Trying to do it at a hi-speed would be suicide.

The emergency exit would definitely open, and it'd be the most easy way out, but you're not sure how happy the train company would be with you opening it just because you missed your stop. The fine would probably be heavy, too... you don't like the sound of having to stretch your budget this month just for that.

Your last option of course, would be to just keep riding the train... but that intercom's audio glitch makes you feel uneasy to stay on the train.

(1) Try to force one of the train's doors open.
(2) Break a window and try to throw yourself out of the train.
(3) Leave via the emergency exit.
(4) Stay on the train."""
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Node 8
"""Trains and buses simply turn around and ride their route again once they hit the first or last stop, right? You hang on to the overhead bar and look out the window of the train.

Weirdly enough though, the train isn't rolling backwards like you expected it to. Actually, it's... moving forwards!?

At least the tunnel doesn't seem to end here. You tilt your head to see various switches connecting several different lines, maybe some of the trains go or come from beyond this station.

The train begins to pick up speed, and the intercom comes to life again. But this time there's no static, no crackle. The voice's completely smooth, and almost creepily lifelike.

"Next stop, Hell Bridge."

Did it just say Hell Bridge??? You look back at the route map, but there's no stop called 'Hell Bridge'. Maybe you heard it wrong? Or, granted, city infrastructure is crumbling. This map probably hasn't been updated in forever, maybe a bunch of Satanists adopted a bridge recently? And then the station added a stop(s) to this particular route? You groan internally. At this point you won't get home til dawn. Maybe it would have been better just to have slept at the office over the weekend...

But you look out the window and see the bricks of the train tunnel slowly giving away, losing a brick at a time til the train's running on outdoor tracks.

What the heck? You run to the back of the train and look out the back window. Sure enough, the tunnel's being left behind, but it doesn't look like any tunnel exit you've seen. Some of the bricks are just floating in thin air, connected to and suspended by nothing.

The train begins to chug, picking up speed. You stumble as the vehicle rocks.

(1) Quickly find your way back to your seat.
(2) Grab onto an overhead bar.
(3) Try to get off the train!"""
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Node 9
"""Actually... what the hell, you haven't seen Peregrine County in a few months, and you've got the next two weeks off, anyway. Your niece lives in Peregrine County, maybe it'd be nice to drop in for a little hello. Something spontaneous. Probably not tonight though, it's late enough as it is. But you could find some motel to stay in for the night and go see her in the morning.

A few people get off, but you stay on the train. After a while, the train's doors close again.

"Now leaving, Couvetry County Station. Next stop, Unterclif Station."

You mumble to yourself and yawn again. At this rate you really might fall asleep... you look through your pockets, find your caffeine pills, and shake out the last one, popping it in your mouth and swallowing it with some lukewarm water from your thermos. You really need to refill your prescription soon.

But for now it does the job. Your eyes stay open a little more easily and everything feels brighter. You rub the sides of your face and look around again.

(1) Continue."""
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Node 10
"""You try to force open the front door, but it's a sliding door. It doesn't have handles, and your fingers can't find a gap between the doors. No dice. You run to the back of the train, but the door's the same style. No dice, again.

At this point the train's moving too quickly to safely exit. Looks like you're just going to have to ride it back to Courvetry...

(1) Continue."""
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Node 11
"""Without much thought, you take your luggage case by the handle, heft it above your head, and clumsily half-swing it at the window. The handle slips from your hands and the case flies out the train, taking part of the window with it as it safely sprawls onto the train platform. What remains cracks fantastically in a large web-like pattern and dramatically curls out of the window frame in one large cracked sheet, before breaking into harmless tempered shards all over the train floor.

The train is beginning to pick up speed as you stick your head out of the window, then hoist one leg out. You've almost got yourself through when the train hits a bump and you lose your balance, and fall halfway out the window, still being dragged along by the train. Your torso catches against a light pole that splits a long gash down your side, making you cry out. Then you fall out of the window completely and your head is run over by the train car's wheels.

And then the next car's. And then the next. And then the next.

The good thing is, you had your wallet in your pocket. So even though your face will be unrecognizable, they'll be able to know who you were by your ID!

<- BAD END ->"""
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Node 12
"""With some regret, you pull the latch on the emergency exit and the train immediately begins rolling to a stop. You cover your ears as its emergency sirens start wailing, and begin nudging your luggage out of the train with your foot.

It's an effort to try and get your luggage back to and onto the train platform with your hands over your ears, but the siren's even louder in the echoing tunnel. You aren't uncovering your ears for anything.

You don't know if you're annoyed or relieved that no one comes to investigate the stopped train. Although the train was empty, it seems like this station is, too. Why are city train stations always so creepy and abandoned at night? At least, if no one comes around tonight, you won't get a $500 fine for stopping the train. Hopefully?

You leave the station with your luggage and an unsettling feeling. Outside the station, you flag down a late-night taxi and get a ride home. It's an expensive ride, but you're just glad to get home safely...

<- GOOD END ->"""
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Node 13
"""The train's already beginning to pick up speed, so trying to get off might not be the most safe thing to do. With a sense of unease, you sit back down. It can't be too bad. After all, Trains and buses simply turn around and ride their route again once they hit the first or last stop, right? You sit back down and look out the window of the train.

Weirdly enough though, the train isn't rolling backwards like you expected it to. Actually, it's... moving forwards!?

At least the tunnel doesn't seem to end here. You tilt your head to see various switches connecting several different lines, maybe some of the trains go or come from beyond this station.

The train begins to pick up speed, and the intercom comes to life again. But this time there is no static, no crackle, it's completely smooth, almost creepily lifelike.

"Next stop, Hell Bridge."

Hell Bridge??? You look out the window and see the bricks of the train tunnel slowly giving away, losing a brick at a time til the train's running on outdoor tracks. Even more weirded out, you turn to look out the back window of the train. Sure enough, the tunnel's being left behind, but it doesn't look like any tunnel exit you've seen. Some of the bricks are just floating in thin air, connected to and suspended by nothing.

The train begins to chug, picking up speed, and hits a pretty hard bump. Fortunately, you were already seated, so you weren't affected too bad.

Wherever this 'Hell Bridge' is, it doesn't sound nearly as infernal as its name suggests, seeing as most of the surrounding region is just dark woodland. It actually looks a lot like country farmland, seeing all the old wooden fences and open land coming up ahead.

You just hope this is the last stop. If there's many more stops, you might not get home til dawn.

(1) Continue."""
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Node 14
"""You begin to find your way back to your seat, but you're actually kind of far from it. You sat near the front, and you're in the back of the train car right now. Maybe it would've been a better idea to just grab an overhead bar?

Just a few steps away from your seat, the train hits a hard bump that launches you off the floor and throws you forwards. You smash headfirst into the train's dashboard and go limp almost immediately, slipping to the floor, blood pooling around your head.

The worst part is that you're still conscious. For a little while. The train keeps rolling, rolling, and your final thoughts are of pure annoyance and spite. Riding the trains was better when they had human conductors, you think as your life slips away in the night.

<- BAD END ->"""
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Node 15
"""You quickly grab onto an overhead bar. After a few moments, the train hits a hard bump that throws you side to side, but fortunately, you've got a passably strong grip strength.

Soon the road smoothens out and you head (quickly) back to your seat.

The train's moving too quickly to get off now, though, so it looks like you're in for a ride. At least, til the next stop.

(1) Continue."""
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Node 16
"""What, at the speed it's moving at now? No way!

(1) Continue."""
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Node 17
"""After another three stops, the train pulls into Peregrine County Station.

The intercom chirps as more passengers get off the train. There's very few passengers at this point - you're one of the last few.

You think about what the stranger said again.

'Careful that you don't ride past the end of the line.'

You are feeling a little daring tonight...

(1) Nah, get off the train.
(2) Ride past the end of the line."""
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