“Just trust me.” Teddy pulled back another protective layer of flooring and exposed the carriage’s coupler mechanism. He got down on his stomach and lifted the cut lever with both hands, grunting. The compressed air line let out a whoosh as the coupling heads separated. The locking pin disengaged and the knuckle turned.
Behind Teddy and Ein, the passenger carriages went dark.
Teddy stood up, dusted himself off, and gave Ein a smug smile with his arms extended. “Ta-da!”
Ein whistled and clapped his hands. “That’s pretty impressive… Where did you learn how to do that?”
“When I was younger, I used to help my old man with his cattle. A couple times of year we herded them from the ranch to the city… Well, actually, it was a podunk country town, but I was kid and considered Brownsville, Texas a big city – I loved those trips.” Teddy chuckled as he closed the knife and tucked it back into his pocket. “We spent all day at the train yard and helped load the cattle onto the stock cars… I learned a lot of useful shit but I never did much with it.”
“I’d say that it came in handy tonight.”
“Yeah, I reckon it did.” He heard agitated voices coming from the passenger cars and frowned. “Let’s get to the front and roll out of here before those eggheads ask somebody why their lights went off.”
They walked through the dining car and passed the gangway into the first class cabin. Unlike the other empty carriages, many of the plush leather seats were occupied by commissioned officers wearing dress uniforms – Hock sat in the front row.
Teddy realized that the carriage was full of whatever was left of Jayhawk’s upper-command echelon and his stomach dropped. He stopped walking and held a hand out signing Ein to do the same. “We should turn around and back out slowly,” he whispered.
The door in the front of the carriage opened and a man wearing a dress uniform adorned with sergeant major insignias walked down the aisle while flipping through a folder full of flimsy films. He looked up at Ein and his gaze fell down to his hands.
Teddy looked over at him and his skin goosefleshed as soon as he noticed that Ein’s hands were out of his pockets and his tattoo was visible. “Your hands,” he whispered urgently, but it was too late.
The sergeant major’s eyes widened at the sight of the datamatrix code. He leapt back and sent the flimsies flying. “That’s one of doc’s test subjects – he’s infectious!”
The other officers abruptly got up from their seats and stared at them with steely-eyed horror. A few fumbled with their pistols as they attempted to free them from their shiny patent leather holsters.
Teddy shoved Ein aside, aimlessly pointed his rifle at the crowd and fired. Bullets darkened overhead light strips and shattered windows as they tore through seats and rebounded off of the walls.
The sergeant major flew backwards as gunfire struck him down. Four of the other officers jolted side-to-side before slumping onto the floor – they never even managed to clear their holsters.
At the front of the carriage, Hock ducked down and retreated through the gangway unscathed.
Teddy’s gun clicked as the last round was fired and his magazine was left empty. He ducked behind the seat across from him and hurriedly reloaded his rifle with his final magazine.
Ein took cover behind one of the seats and covered his head with his hands.
The three remaining officers drew their pistols and started firing. Their shots ate away the top of the leather seats and sent wads of foam fluttering in the air like snow. Cordite hung thick in the air.
Ein got on his belly and started sliding under the chair into the next row.
“Stay in cover!” Teddy shouted above the deafening ring of tinnitus, but the kid either didn’t listen or couldn’t hear. He peeked briefly around the corner, but quickly pulled back as bullets whistled past his head. “Goddammit!”
Ein continued worming his way under the seats and advancing down the rows until he came across one of the slain officers. He pulled the pistol out of the man’s holster, aimed it, and started firing from underneath the seat.
Two of the officers howled out in pain as bullets struck them in their shins. They dropped their weapons and collapsed against the seats, struggling to hold themselves up.
The final officer, a corporal, pointed his gun towards the back of the carriage and fired at the seats in a reckless panic.
Teddy popped up out of cover and quickly fired at the corporal.
The corporal flung back in a gory spasm, flipped over the top seat, and bled out on the floor.
The other two officers, pistols spent, tried to hobble away, but were each taken down by a three-round burst to the back.
A few brass casings rattled across the floor and then there was just heavy silence.
Teddy stepped out into the aisle and scanned the seats for any movement for several minutes before lowering his rifle. “I think we’re good.”
Ein crawled out into the aisle and stood with the pistol still in his hand. He reached a hand up and cupped his ear – blood trickled out from his earlobe down the side of his cheek. “I think I’m deaf in one ear now.”
“Probably just ruptured an eardrum… Mine are ringing too. You’ll be fine in a month or two,” Teddy said even though he had no idea just how factual his diagnosis was. “You did good.”
They were jostled forward as the train started to move. Panicked voices came across the Motorola: Where are you going?! Wait!
Cries of protest continued, but Hock didn’t respond.
Ein stared out of one of the windows as the train picked up speed and left the camp behind. “Where do you think it’s headed?”
“Nowhere that we want to go, I assure you… We need to get to the locomotive and take control of this thing.” Teddy readied his rifle once more and started walking ahead. “Let’s go – I saw Hock sneak off into the next car… Watch your back.”
They stepped over the officer’s corpses and passed through the gangway into the baggage carriage. The lights were dimmed and cold air whistled through narrow window slits that ran along the roof. Refrigerated crates adorned with the biohazard symbol were tethered to the floor with yellow nylon straps. Fog hung low around the crate’s condensers and obscured the view ahead.
Ein stared at one of the crates as they passed. “What are these things for?”
“It looks like they were trying to move their science project to another location.” Teddy squinted and carefully scanned the area with his rifle as he crept ahead. “Forget about that for now – focus on your surroundings…”
“I can’t see shit… Do you think he’s in here?”
“I’d wager that he’s inside the locomotive and waiting for us.” Teddy heard Ein stop walking. “Come on, hurry up.”
Ein remained silent.
“Kid?” Teddy asked.
“You came a long way just to die,” Hock said.
Teddy spun towards the voice and raised his rifle.
Hock stood behind Ein with a pistol pressed against the back of the young man’s head. He glared at Teddy with steely eyes and a flat expression. “Drop the gun.”
Ein threw his pistol on the floor and raised his hands.
Teddy kept his rifle aimed at Hock.
“Sanders, I severely miscalculated you… I thought you had mettle, but now I see you’re just another short-sighted, selfish prick,” Hock said.
“Let the kid go…” Teddy’s grip around the rifle tightened.
“Your attachment to this walking petri dish illustrates my point perfectly.” Hock shook his head. “You know that he is infectious, yet you still want to take him out into the world. Which settlement are you taking him too?” He chuckled. “I guess it doesn’t matter since the virus continues to mutate inside of him – he’ll kill off every last one of them just by breathing.”
“He’s not sick.” Teddy narrowed his eyes, finger trembling as it rested lightly against the trigger. “If you believe that doctor’s horseshit then you’re a g
oddamn idiot.”
Hock stared impassively at him. “As obnoxious as Gatsby was, he knew what he was doing – the kid is sick.”
“You don’t know that!” Teddy shouted angrily. “Hell, even he wasn’t completely sure!”
“It’s an unacceptable risk.”
The speed picked-up and the carriage began to rattle as the train plowed through snow-covered tracks.
Teddy wobbled and nearly fell, but he managed to brace himself against the side of one of the biohazard crates – his rifle remained leveled at the lieutenant and his finger rested against the trigger.
Hock bladed his body and spread his feet to keep himself stable. He kept the pistol’s barrel pressed against the back of Ein’s head.
“Just stop this train and let us walk away!” Teddy shouted above the rumble of the carriage. “You’ll never see us again.”
“I can’t do that,” Hock said as he kept the pistol steady in his hand.
“Why!?” Teddy asked. “Nobody will know and we sure as hell aren’t going to tell anybody!”
Hock peered at him with slitted eyes. “I have my orders too, you know.” He pointed one hand out towards the containers. “We’re working on a cure… It’s a solution to a problem much larger than you and I. When we arrive at the next camp, things will get back to order once again.”
“What does that have to do with letting us go!?” Teddy asked in aggravation.
“It’s simple – we’re trying to cure the disease, but you’re intent on spreading it,” Hock said. “I’m sorry, but this is for–”
Suddenly, the carriage jolted violently as the train barreled through a pile of thick ice covering the track. Teddy slipped, but caught himself on the container he had braced himself against. He held the rifle with one hand.
Ein was flung forward and went sliding across the floor.
Hock stumbled backwards, lost his footing, and accidently fired at the ceiling. He smacked against the wall and pressed his back against it.
Teddy swung the rifle back up and took his shot.
Hock let out a croaking gasp as the burst of gunfire peppered his chest and sent most of his decorative military regalia to the floor. Blood bubbled out of his wounds and poured down the front of his shirt.
Teddy took cover behind the container, peeked over the top, and pointed his rifle at Hock to fire a second round – but there was no need.
Hock dropped his pistol and gave a few final raspy breaths. His fearful gaze went down towards his chest and then up at Teddy. He fell to his knees and, as his eyes glazed over, he looked at teddy with something that resembled relief.
Teddy watched as the lieutenant fell facedown and lay still. He lowered his rifle, got back on his feet, and then turned towards Ein. “Are you okay?”
Ein scooted away from the corpse and then looked up at Teddy, nodding sheepishly.
Teddy extended a hand. “Come on – let’s go.”
Ein took his hand and pulled himself up.
They walked through the gangway and cane to a riveted steel door which was labeled: stop – no access. Teddy pulled up on the red hydraulic lever and the door swung open inwards. Bitter wind and pieces of ice whistled through the open doorway as the locomotive sped across the frozen plains underneath a blanket of stars.
Ein back away and shielded his squinted eyes with his forearm. “What gives!?” He had to shout just to be heard over the engine noise. “There’s no way to the cockpit!?”
“There’s a way, but this isn’t a damn airplane!” Teddy shouted back as he gripped onto the doorframe. He pointed towards a narrow catwalk that wrapped around the locomotive. “We have to walk around to the front of this thing.”
Ein appeared nauseated by the very idea of it. He looked over the edge at the bobbing coupler and a dangling chain as it struck the tracks below and threw up showers of sparks. He pulled back quickly. “We’re going too fast!”
“If we don’t fall, we’ll be fine.” Teddy wasn’t sure that his words brought much comfort, but he really didn’t have time to argue the point. “There’s no other way! If we wait for the train to stop, we’ll be at another camp and neither one of us want that.”
Ein frowned, but he didn’t protest – he knew Teddy was right.
Teddy stood at the edge of the doorway and looked down at the catwalk ahead. It would be about a five-foot jump and he knew that there wasn’t any room for errors. He removed some of his bulky riot armor and helmet to lighten his load. Reluctantly, he placed his rifle on the ground. He took a couple of steps back, and took a running leap across the gap.
He crashed onto the catwalk and went tumbling towards the opening, but he grabbed one of the handrail’s bars just in time. His heart thumped maddeningly and his whole body trembled.
“Are you okay!?” Ein called out.
“I’m fine!” Teddy slowly got up and extended one hand towards him while gripping the handrail with the other. “Come on – if my old ass can make it then I know that you can!”
Ein took a couple of paces back and then took a running leap, but his jump fell short. He grabbed onto Teddy’s extended arm in a white-knuckled panic while his legs dangled perilously down towards the tracks. He screamed, but it was muted out by the train’s piercing horn.
Teddy grunted and stumbled forward as he was nearly pulled down with him. He threw his whole body backwards and yanked as hard he could. He fell backwards onto his rear.
Ein shot up onto the catwalk and scuttled up against the wall as far away from the edge as he could get.
Teddy groaned and sat back up, rubbing the small of his aching back. “Jesus, kid... Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Ein managed to say. “I can’t say the same about my underwear though…”
Teddy laughed and carefully stood back up. He placed one hand on the handrail and extended the other towards Ein. “At least now you’ll have an excuse for smelling like shit.”
Ein grinned, took his hand, and pulled himself back up. “I guess you haven’t smelled yourself lately!”
Teddy laughed. “How we worry less about our hygiene and focus on not falling off of this fucking thing?” He started edging across the catwalk and turned the corner. “Keep your back against the wall so that the crosswind doesn’t knock you off.”
They crept along the catwalk that ran the expanse of the locomotive and headed towards the cockpit doors. Telephone poles passed by in blurs and bits of ice felt like steel pellets when they struck skin; Teddy figured that the train had to be going at least 120mph.
Teddy arrived at the cockpit door, reached a hand out, and turned the lever – the door flung open. A middle-aged man dropped the book he had been reading and bolted up from the engineer's seat.
The engineer, who wore a FEMA Police uniform, turned towards Teddy and stared at him with horrified disbelief. “What are you doing in here?!” He reached down and fumbled with a holstered pistol.
Teddy snatched the man’s shirt, pulled him out of the small cockpit, and pushed him over the catwalk’s handrail.
The engineer tumbled off of the locomotive and then disappeared as the train sped onwards.
Teddy and Ein climbed inside the cockpit and slammed the door shut.
“Do you know how to drive this thing?” Ein asked as he stared at the control panel.
Teddy plopped down in the engineer’s seat and leaned his head back against the battered headrest. “Nah, kid, they didn’t teach me that back in Texas… My train experience pretty much starts and stops at all things involving stock carriages.”
Ein sat down cross-legged on the floor next to him. “Then what’s the plan?”
“There isn’t much driving to do… We seem to be going a good, safe speed, and the plow in the front is taking care of the snow on the tracks.” Teddy stared out of the window and thought a moment before continuing. “The way I figure, as long as we don’t come across any goddamn camps, we can ride this thing out west for a little while until we see an interstate or something.�
�
“Then what?”
“Then I hit this,” Teddy said as he pointed towards a large red button labeled emergency stop. “It seems pretty self-explanatory.”
“No… I meant afterwards.”
Teddy scratched his chin. “To be honest, I didn’t give much thought to it. I guess we can figure that out once we get to that point.”
Ein looked down with a frown. “Do you think we’ll go live in a city?”
“As long as there’s no FEMA, sure.” Teddy closed his eyes and placed his hands on his stomach. “I reckon there are plenty of free cities outside of the government’s control.”
“What about…” Ein’s voice trailed off.
“What about what?” Teddy asked.
“Me,” Ein said. “Do you think the doctor was right? Do you think I’ll just kill all those folks if I mingle with them?”
Teddy opened his eyes and swiveled the chair towards Ein. He stared down at him with a cold, stern expression. “Kid, that doctor was full of shit – you’re not sick.”
“What if–”
“You’re not,” Teddy interrupted. “Look, if the virus was mutating inside of you and shit, don’t you think I’d be sick from whatever new bug you gave me?”
Ein thought a moment before finally nodding. “I guess you have a point.”
“I’ll hear nothing else of that bullshit then,” Teddy said firmly. “I already lost Jane and Danny – I’m not about to lose someone else.”
“Who are they?” Ein asked.
“Just some people I knew.” Teddy swiveled his chair back around towards the tracks ahead. “Get some sleep… We’ll have a lot of walking to do.”
“Sure,” Ein said. “What about you?”
“I’ll be fine.” Teddy’s stare became distant. As he peered out into the darkness “I don’t do much sleeping these days.”
They sat in silence for several minutes.
“Teddy,” Ein said.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for everything. I owe you my life. You didn’t owe me, some stranger, anything… You didn’t have to do this.”
“No, kid, you don’t understand… I had to do it.” Teddy smiled faintly.
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