Then the huge, metal wheels of the train ran over them.
Chapter Twenty One
Cole reached the spot where the man had fallen from the train a few seconds later. The sight that greeted him was shocking. The young man lay on the ground and blood was pouring from both of his arms. He was wailing. The noise he was making wasn’t loud, but it sounded desperate and pitiful. The freight train rumbled on past them.
Hedge and Maddie then arrived on the scene.
‘Oh shit,’ Hedge shouted. ‘Maddie, don’t look.’
He took hold of his sister, and turned her face away from the horror in front of them.
Cole had grabbed hold of the man’s legs and was trying to pull him away from the train lines.
‘Help me here Hedge. Maddie, run back to the cafe and get them to call for help. This guy is going to need an ambulance. Be quick. This isn’t good.’
Hedge moved forward to help Cole. Maddie ran back towards the cafe.
They slowly pulled the young man away from the train lines. As he moved, he left two trails of blood in the dirt. One of his arms had been severed just below the elbow. The other was cut quite close to his wrist. The man was losing a lot of blood. They had to stop the flow quickly.
Cole stripped off his shirt, and began to tear it in two. He gave one half of the material to Hedge.
‘Use this to try and stop the blood loss. Push it hard against the end of his right arm.’
Hedge folded his piece of the shirt. He grabbed the man’s arm, or what remained of it. Applying as much pressure as he could, he tried to stop the blood flow. Cole did the same with the other arm. The man cried out as they did this. It was a long, warbling cry. Hedge felt sick. He wanted to throw up, but tried desperately to hold it down.
The train was still going past, and Hedge could see the remains of the man’s arms lying in between the two rails. He couldn’t reach them as the wheels of the train were going by too quickly.
The dark-skinned man was lying quietly now. Although he had lost a lot of blood, they had at least managed to stop further loss from the stumps of his arms. Then, without warning, the train had passed by. An eerie silence settled around them as it disappeared into the horizon.
The sunlight had been blocked out by the train, but it had reappeared, and the area around the injured man was now bathed in light. The ground close to them had been turned a deep, dull red colour. Several flies had already homed in on the trails of blood. They were buzzing furiously around, urgently seeking a good place to land and to begin to feast on their fresh food supply.
‘He’s lost a hell of a lot of blood, whoever he is,’ said Cole as he surveyed the scene. ‘He needs urgent attention. I hope Maddie has managed to call for help.’
Cole suddenly frowned, and looked intently at the side of the man’s face. Although his features were contorted due to the pain he was in, there was something about the man that Cole thought he recognised.’
‘Does this guy look familiar to you? I’m not sure but I feel like we have met him somewhere before.’
Hedge couldn’t reply. Seeing all the blood around them had made him feel sick again. His eyes kept getting drawn to the two severed parts of the arms lying on the railway track. He couldn’t help himself, and turning his head away, he choked up a few mouthfuls of vomit, and spat them out on the dry earth behind him.
Cole raised his eyebrows, and shook his head.
‘Make sure you keep the pressure up on the arm. This guy can’t afford to lose any more blood.’
They both heard a noise coming from the direction of the cafe. Turning to face it, they saw Maddie charging back across the rough ground, followed by three other people. They arrived at the scene a short while later.
‘We’ve called for help.’ Maddie said. She was struggling for breath after the run to the cafe and back. ‘A doctor is on his way, but he may be another ten minutes. It’s pretty remote around here apparently.’
Cole nodded. ‘Ok. Let’s see what we can do for him.’
One of the people that had returned with Maddie was a young woman. She was aged in her early twenties, and had a kind, smiling face.
‘I’m a nurse. Well, a trainee actually. But I can probably help,’ she said.
She seemed mature for her years, and began to take charge of the situation.
‘Can we roll him over onto his back? I need to check his vital signs.’
They did so. She checked his breathing. It was slow and erratic. She looked concerned. She found a pulse in his neck, and timed it using her wrist watch.
‘Not good.’ She spoke quietly.
The injured man had gone silent, but suddenly his eyes flicked open. He was trying to say something.
‘I have a wife and child, I don’t want to die. Help me, please. It hurts. My arms hurt. Help me.’
The woman tried to calm him. She took out a tissue from her handbag and started to wipe the sweat and dirt from his forehead. The young man was speaking again. Maddie was standing immediately behind the nurse. He looked directly at her as he spoke.
‘I was told to follow your car. I don’t know why. I’m sorry. I meant you no harm. Please help me. My wife ...’
‘Why did they ask you to follow us? Who asked you?’ His eyes were still focused on Maddie, so she was the one who asked the questions.
The young man coughed violently. A small trickle of blood came from his mouth and ran down his face. His lips moved slowly.
‘He was an important man, with many friends. I had to follow you...From San Diego.... Make sure you didn’t find out.... Or tell the police ....’
Maddie looked across at Cole and her brother. Her face had hardened. ‘The San Diego police, I knew it.’
The man on the ground was trying to speak to her again. It was difficult as blood was bubbling out of his mouth. His voice had reduced to a whisper.
‘Yes, police ... My family ... Don’t tell ... Police...’
Then he suddenly went quiet. His breathing became very shallow, and his eyes closed. The nurse checked once again for a pulse. But she felt nothing. They tried to revive him, but all the usual procedures had no effect.
‘He’s lost too much blood,’ Cole suggested.
The nurse smiled at him and nodded her agreement.
He died in the desert, near a small town in Texas.
He was a long way from home.
Chapter Twenty Two
The death of the young man had made them all feel quite depressed. The trip across the USA was supposed to have been fun, but it wasn’t turning out that way. Maddie was even more worried now about what she had witnessed back in San Diego.’
‘So do we assume that this guy was sent to follow me?’
‘We don’t know that for sure,’ said Cole. ‘He wasn’t talking very cohesively.’
‘I’d like to suggest something,’ said Maddie. ‘It wasn’t in our original plan but, as we are so close to where I grew up, I think I should go and spend some time with my aunt and uncle.’
‘What about our road trip? We have it all planned out now.’ Hedge looked disappointed.
‘You and Cole can carry on with it. I don’t mind. Actually, driving for long distances isn’t really my sort of thing anyway. Isn’t a road trip more of a man thing?’
‘Not necessarily. Everyone’s doing it these days.’ Hedge realised he was sounding defensive. He sensed that his sister had already made up her mind about what she wanted to do.’
‘Are we that near to Houston?’ he said. He still wasn’t sure he liked the idea. He and his sister had spent the last few years together in London. He was worried that he might lose her again.
She sensed his reluctance.
‘It would be just for a short while, maybe a few weeks. I haven’t seen them since I moved to England. They were so good to me in the past. They raised me as their own child after our parents died.’
‘But presumably we’re not being followed any more. Things will be alright now.’ Hedge was re
ferring to the death of the young man.
‘I think someone is still after us. I can feel it.’ Maddie said this with a strange expression on her face. Hedge had seen that look before. He knew what it meant. His sister had that special ability to know about certain things, and certain events.
Hedge conceded defeat. ‘Ok. But we’re all going with you.’
‘No, we’re not.’ Cole had been listening to their exchange. Maddie looked across at him. Hedge was about to protest.
‘I will take Maddie to Houston. It’s a few hundred miles from here, but it’s an easy route. I just need to follow Interstate 10 past San Antonio.’ Cole spoke directly to Hedge. ‘I’ll meet you in Dallas in two days time. We can then continue the road trip.’
‘Is that not the same direction as you then? Hedge said nervously.’
‘You can turn off shortly, onto Interstate 20. That’s a direct route to Fort Worth and Dallas.’
Hedge looked troubled. He didn’t like the concept of them splitting up. He also didn’t like the idea of being on his own, if they were still being followed. Cole was no fool. He knew Hedge was brave when he needed to be. He had proved that several times in the past. But he also knew that he was a bag of nerves.
‘You take my car, the dark grey Mustang,’ said Cole. ‘And I’ll take the lovely orange one that you’ve been driving. That way, if there is anyone still following, they will assume Maddie is still with you in your Mustang. They won’t realise it’s me with her. They’ll follow the orange car.’
Hedge nodded slowly. He could see the logic in that.
Cole continued. ‘When I get to Houston, I will drop Maddie off and hopefully no one will notice. Then I’ll head north on Interstate 45, and catch up with you in Dallas. If we get any trouble, then I may have to call on my friend Sig here. He patted the handgun that was sticking out of the top of his jeans.
Cole smiled across at Hedge.
Hedge felt his anxiety levels increasing. He shook his head, and gulped. The back of his throat seemed suddenly dry.
Cole could see his friend’s discomfort. He laughed.
‘Don’t worry. I’ll look after your sister. When have you ever known me to get into trouble? You know I would much rather avoid it where possible.’
It was that kind of statement that made Hedge so nervous.
Chapter Twenty Three
A few miles further on, the road split in two. Cole and Maddie took the more southerly route. It was signposted San Antonio and Houston via Interstate 10. Hedge drove onto Interstate 20, which would take him through to Abilene and then on to Dallas. They waved as they parted, and Maddie blew her brother a kiss.
Close behind, and unnoticed by any of them, a large, black saloon car pulled off the highway, and parked on a gravel road at the side. The car was a Buick LaCrosse. Other cars speeding by would have been unable to identify any of the occupants as the windows were all heavily tinted.
The fat Cuban sat in the rear of the car. He dialled a number and then raised his cell phone to his ear.
‘It looks like they have split up. The older man and the young woman have gone off towards San Antonio. They have swapped cars, and the girl’s brother is now heading towards Dallas.’
There was a pause as he listened to his boss. After a few seconds he spoke again.
‘I’m afraid he is dead. It’s being reported on all the local news channels. From the description of the victim they are giving out, it sounds like it’s definitely him. He fell under a train apparently, and didn’t survive long enough to be treated in hospital. What will you do with his wife and son?’
There was silence again. Then the fat Cuban grunted.
‘That’s a shame. She was a good looking lady. You don’t want to keep her until I get back?’
There was another short silence.
‘Ok fine.’ The fat Cuban looked disappointed. ‘So what would you like me to do now.’
He listened intently to his instructions.
‘Yes. I’ve got that. Follow the man to Dallas. Ignore the other two. They are no longer important. Yes. Yes. Don’t lose him.’
The fat Cuban had one more question to ask.
‘With The Mexican gone, how many of us are left in The Cell now? Do I need to link up with any of the others?’
He listened for a moment.
‘Okay. Okay. I understand. I will arrange to meet him.... Yes, I can handle it. You do know that you can’t trust a Costa Rican? ....Well, I find that very insulting to Cuban people.... Yes, yes, I understand that secrecy is important. I get that....Yes, fine.’
He shook his head slowly as he hung up on the call.
‘Interstate 20,’ he shouted through to his driver.
Still shaking his head, he mumbled to himself under his breath.
‘That guy Pancho is a fucking lunatic.’
Chapter Twenty Four
It was a long drive to San Antonio. It took them all of the afternoon, and a good part of the evening. Darkness had started to fall as they approached the leafy suburbs of the city. The surroundings were in deep contrast to a large part of the state of Texas that they had already driven through. Here was affluence, well tended gardens, smart looking commercial buildings, and lots of traffic.
Cole and Maddie had chatted on and off for most of the journey. She had talked about her upbringing in Houston, where she had lived with her aunt and uncle. She told him how she had felt when she had first found out that she had an older brother. It must have been difficult for her aunt and uncle to have kept the rest of the family secret from her after her own parents’ deaths. But that is exactly what they did. She now believed that was because they had been terrified of losing her. They had no children of their own, and the opportunity of raising a daughter was too good to miss. They didn’t want the rest of the family to interfere.
Cole had listened intently. He liked Maddie. She was a free spirit, easy going and usually quite relaxed. So different from her brother in that respect, he thought to himself. He, in turn, had discussed his old army life, something that seemed a long time ago now. She was interested to know about some of the special operations he had been on. He was happy to talk about them, but he left out many of the gory details.
After a while, Cole turned the Mustang off the road, and drove into the car park of a pleasant looking motel.
‘We can stay here for the night. We’ll make an early start in the morning and should be in Houston before midday. It’s only another couple of hundred miles along Interstate 10,’ he said.
The car park was fairly empty, so he parked as close to the entrance as he could. As he walked into the motel, he looked back at the car. The Mustang was a lovely vehicle. The V8 had a powerful five litre engine. The only regret he had was letting Hedge choose the colour. Competition Orange they called it. More like Puke Orange he thought to himself. His Special Forces training always taught him to keep a low profile, and not to attract any undue attention. An orange car didn’t quite fit the bill.
They had an early breakfast and were back on the Interstate by eight o’clock the next morning. They regretted not spending more time in San Antonio, but Maddie was keen to get to her old home in Houston.
‘I’ve heard the River Walk is wonderful in the centre of town. A charming experience, so the guide books all say. We could have stayed a while longer and had a look,’ said Cole.
‘I guess,’ replied Maddie. She looked across at him with a quizzical expression. ‘It’s just that ... oh, never mind.’
‘It’s just what?’
‘Well,’ she said, ‘I think we are still being followed.’
‘That’s not likely,’ he replied. ‘They wouldn’t have had time to replace the guy who fell under the train, whoever they are. In fact, they may not even be aware that the man they had following us is no longer around.’
‘Ok fine,’ she said. But she didn’t sound convinced.
‘Have you seen anyone behind us?’
‘No. It’s just a feeling
I’m getting.’
Cole was aware of Maddie’s seemingly special intuition, so he didn’t want to ignore it completely.
‘I’ll keep my eyes open for anything unusual. Okay?’ He smiled across at her. It was an attempt at reassurance.
Maddie smiled back. She fidgeted in her seat for a few moments, trying to get comfortable. Then she carried on looking out of the window. The scenery had started to look familiar. She was now around just one hundred miles from the city of Houston, where she was born and raised. She felt like she was on her way home. They were close to a town called Schulenburg. The name was familiar. It was maybe when she was around ten years old that she had competed in a junior horse race near the town. She had come second in her age group. A school friend of hers had asked her over to stay for a week during the summer vacation. Maddie didn’t remember much about the trip apart from a visit to a music museum in the town. It all seemed a long time ago.
Cole kept vigilant as he drove. He slowed the Mustang, and kept his eyes darting between the front view and the rear mirror. He pulled off the road a few times, checking the vehicles that went past them. For almost an hour he kept this up. Maddie was just about to drift off to sleep in the passenger seat, when he suddenly shouted out.
‘Bingo. There it is.’
Maddie looked up. ‘What is it?’
‘We have a tail. It’s an old style Toyota Tacoma.’
‘What sort of car is that?’ she said as she craned her neck backwards in her seat.
‘Not really a car. It’s a compact pickup. It’s the white one, about half a mile back. He’s already passed us on a couple of occasions. But now it’s just sitting there behind us.’
‘What are we going to do?’
Cole didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he reached down into the side compartment of his door and pulled out the Sig Sauer. He checked the magazine, and then tucked it between his legs.
‘Let’s go hunting,’ he eventually said.
He pulled the Mustang on to the side of the road once more, and waited. The engine was still running, and the V8 purred like a sleeping tiger. Several vehicles passed them, and then there it was. It went past too quickly, so they couldn’t see who was driving. It was a man though, and he was wearing dark glasses, and a dark brown, wide brimmed hat.
The Transamerica Cell: A fast paced, gripping, action adventure, conspiracy thriller, with a superb, breath-taking ending (Hedge & Cole Book 3) Page 9