The train was moving slowly and Greg knew it was going to be a long, long trip. What he didn’t know was there wasn’t near enough fuel to make New York and after it was evident after a few hours, why the engineer or the conductor didn’t stop the train in a town or city and put the passengers up in a school or something like that.
Greg got up to stretch his legs and try to get warm. The train was moving a little faster now. The train was going maybe thirty miles an hour and Greg felt something bad was going to happen before they got to New York. He walked forward to the dining car to eat and have a cup of coffee. Passing by the two college students he noticed they were cuddled together under a blanket reading a magazine. They looked up at him and smiled and he smiled back and kept walking. He had his eye on the back of the Arab’s head as he approached the door. The man never moved like he was a statue or something. Greg had a crick in his neck that told him something was not right about him as he passed through the door to the dining car. The dining car was full of hungry people and the steward told him it would be an hour from now before he could sit down and eat. Greg left him his seat number and name before returning to his seat.
Looking directly at the Arab walking back, he noticed as in the station the guy had one hand in his pocket and the hand was still in his pocket. Greg wondered what was in his pocket that was so important. Maybe he had a bad hand or it was just a habit of his or something not even important. Maybe I’m just paranoid, he said to himself sitting down.
Adell meanwhile had changed places with the guy sitting next to Greg. He sat down like nothing had happened and she said to him coyly, “I asked the nice man to change seats with me because the aisle seat was so cold from the air moving back and forth.”
Greg looked at her and said smiling, “I’m glad you came over as I like talking to someone who has an intelligent look about them.
Her face turned red and meekly said, “Thank you but this trip is going to be so long and I am a little nervous from the weather that I wonder if we will make through the mountains down into New York City.”
“I think we will be late, that is for sure, but trains are good in the mountains and I know a snow train is ahead of us clearing the way,” he replied with knowing most of what he said was not the real story coming up.
Adel asked him what his job was and he told her that he worked for the government and didn’t explain any more than that to her. She nodded her head and smiled at him saying, “I’m a nurse and a mother of three. I’m going to my parent’s house for Christmas and my kids are already there. They left a week ago with my husband who works for United Fruit. His company furnishes him a car with a special gas card so he can travel from city to city. He took the kids with him making his business trip to New York. I had to work until today and now I’m on this train hopping to arrive in the City before Christmas.”
Meanwhile up a few seats, Alfred and Belinda sat close together under a thin blanket. Belinda said, “Alfred, I’m so cold. I can’t seem to get warm,” as Alfred tried to move closer to her.
Alfred said soothing to her, “My dear, do not worry we will be all right as the train has a lot of food and hot drinks. I will go up to the dining car and make a reservation for us to have some hot soup and a sandwich or something like that.”
She quietly said, “That would be nice my dear, I’m a little hungry.”
Alfred got up and tucked the blanket around his wife as Greg looked on with sympathy showing on his face. He noticed the windows had almost frozen over on the inside. He wondered how the Russians in Siberia made it through the long winters traveling by train. He had read a report once that said the Russians in Siberia changed tracks on a regular basis because of the cold weather making the iron tracks brittle. He wondered about the track underneath them as the train made its way slowing through a town crossing. What few lights were on show the white out conditions of the dark night? He felt sorry for someone who might be out in weather like this. They wouldn’t last long he said almost silently.
Adel said, “What did you say Greg?”
He looked at her with a warm smile and said, “I was thinking out loud what my kids were doing about now.”
“Me too,” she quietly said with a sorrowful look on her face.
Up towards the front of the car, the big black guy was talking to the retired railroad man. He had told the railroad guy his name was Bubba after the NFL football player many years ago who played for the New York Jets. The railroad guy said his name was Chuck.
They were talking about the trip and Chuck was a little concerned about the weather and the mountains coming up.
“Tell me Chuck, are we headed for a disaster?”
Chuck said to him very quietly leaning over to Bubba, “I think we are in trouble. As a matter of fact, I’m going to find the conductor and see what the skinny is. The engineer can’t possibly see what is in front of him and I can hear the wheels making funny sounds against the tracks. I’m sure the brakes are frozen and it would be hard to stop the train with no brakes. It would take probably a half mile or so to come to a stop. The mountains may have snow slides and god knows what else might happen. The low temperature makes the steel brittle and we could derail at any time. I’m wondering now why I got on in the first place. Maybe the excitement of what might happen will be my final adventure. My life has been more than dull since I retired.”
Bubba told him thanks for the information and said, “Well Chuck, my life has not been good as I’ve just recently got out of prison. Don’t worry Chuck, I’m not dangerous. I was a stockbroker believe it or not and got caught doing unfair trading and got busted. Did eight years in Joliet and that is one tough prison. Glad I’m a big boy as no one bothered me. Now I will try and find a new life in New York, if we make it. I have a brother who is a college professor and he said he would help me get back on my feet.”
Chuck said he would go look for the conductor and be back a little later. Bubba meanwhile went to the rest room and found the water in the toilet frozen over. Urine was half frozen from the last person who used it and he shrugged his shoulders and relieved himself. He went up to the dining car and made a reservation. He gave the steward Chuck's name too so they could eat together. He made his way back to his seat and passing between the two cars, a blast of very cold air hit him again in the face. The first time was not so bad, but coming back he felt the full force of the Arctic air coming in.
He bumped into the actor with the raccoon coat making his way to the dining car with his shadow following him. Chuck sat down and rubbed his hands together as the cold blast of air instantly chilled his hands. It wasn’t long before the raccoon man came back cussing a blue streak about having to wait for dinner. Chuck thought to himself and laughed at the thought of taking the guys coat from him and giving it to the old lady Belinda to keep warm with. Unknown to him at the time, that’s what happened later as the train sat still stuck in the mountains.
He looked back at the college girls laughing about something funny. They were giggling and pointing at the magazine they were reading. It was the first sounds of happiness Bubba heard in a very long time since he got out of prison. The sounds of laughter were rare indeed. Next the senator came back from the dining car picking his capped teeth with a toothpick. The air around him gave off a perfumed scent that wrinkled Chuck’s nose. A sick sweet smell that reminded him of his mother’s toilet spray she used after a big job. Bubba thought that the senator probably didn’t have to wait for an empty table. Rank has its privileges; there is no doubt about that. Maybe he will choke on the toothpick as he smiled to no one in particular.
Chapter 3
On top of the mountain pass three snow suited men were working on the tracks. Behind them their arctic tents rippled in the blizzard. Powerful flash lights danced in the night. The tall one had his flashlight pointed at the track as the other two made ready the bomb that would tear up the track stopping the passenger train coming in a few hours. The tall one, the leader thought about how the
y got here and what he would do when this job was over.
It started back in Tunisia four months ago sitting at a bar drinking beer all by himself when a meek mannered guy stopped at his table and said, “Excuse me are you Demitri?”
I looked up at him and said, “If I was, who is looking for him?”
The man in a rumpled white suit sat down and looked hard into the eyes of Demitri and said, ‘We understand you are for hire and we have a job for you if you are interested.”
Demitri took a swallow of beer and motioned to the barkeep to bring another one and one for his new friend. He waited until the two beers were delivered and said, “For the right price I’m always looking for a job.”
The thin man with a thinner mustache, stared at him through half glasses and said while pulling out an envelope from his inside pocket and laying it on the table, “In this envelope is fifty large American and there is another one like it waiting for you in a locker at the train station in Toronto when the job is finished.”
Now this guy had Demitri’s attention as he peeked inside the envelope. “What do I have to do, or who do I have to kill to for this job?”
“All will be explained to you when you arrive in Toronto. You will also find a plane ticket along with hotel reservations. You will be picked up at the airport and instructions for the job will be explained to you. The whole thing shouldn’t take but a few days.”
Having said that, the non-descript man stood up and left money enough for his beer and left as he came: unnoticed.
Demitri traveled light. He felt naked walking through the airport to the outside door without a gun. His instructions were to wait on the sidewalk and a car would pick him up. No sooner had he fired up a cigarette when a dark SUV pulled up and the back door swung open and the passenger door occupant said, “Get in.” He threw his smoke on the ground and climbed in barely shutting the door before the car roared away.
Demitri saw two beefy guys with thick necks staring straight ahead paying him no attention at all. After a fast ride about the city they pulled up to a less than five star hotel; the passenger got out and opened the back door for Demitri to get out. He signed his false name in the book and was quickly handed a key. They strode to the elevator and waited for the door to open. When the door opened an old timer with a vacuum cleaner struggled to move it out of the doorway. Finally Big Neck grabbed the cleaner and yanked it out of his hand and sent it flying across the lobby. They rode to the fifth floor and got out. Neck knocked on a door and it was quickly opened. They walked in and Demitri saw two Arab looking guys sitting on a small sofa. The door opener had retreated behind the two men and stood there with an Uzi in his hand. One Arab guy stood up and told Demitri to have a seat at a small table where a map lay open.
In fluent English he said, “Your job is relatively simple. You and the two guys you rode from the airport will follow the map on the table with snowmobiles across the frozen lake to the top of the mountain where the passenger trains cross to New York from Chicago. You will place explosives under the track and set the remote to activate and leave. Everything you need is at a warehouse next to the lake. Each snowmobile has a sled with survival gear and all the equipment necessary to complete the job. You will leave tomorrow early and you should be back in three days time.”
By now the other Neck arrived after parking the car. Demitri noticed they were Russian like him. The job sounded easy enough, but he wondered why so much money was offered for such an easy job as to blow up the tracks of a train line. Well, no matter and just as he rose to go to his room, the man said, “One more thing, fail and you are dead.”
With that he excused them and Demitri went to his room next door. He was jet lagged and needed some rest. He was in good shape and prided himself on staying that way. He stripped down and looked in the faded gray mirror at his scarred body. Being a mercenary had its good points and bad ones. He was good at what he did and the Russian Special Forces had taught him well. He crawled into bed and was fast asleep in two seconds.
The next morning they went to a warehouse next to the lake. Full gale force winds were blowing the snow into large drifts throughout the city. The SUV was a four-wheel drive model with chains. Arriving at the warehouse one of the Neck’s opened a sliding door kicking the snow out of the way. Once inside one of the Arab guys went to a small office and turned on a kerosene stove. Everyone followed him in and waited while it struggled to warm the place up. While it was warming up the Arab who had done the talking last night said, “I suggest while it is warming up in here you go out there and see to your equipment. Check it out from A to Z as your life will depend on it. This weather is good cover for our plan and we want you to be successful.”
Demitri and the other two guys went out and methodically went through the equipment for the job. A check off the list was used and a half hour later they came back into a warm office. Demitri nodded at the leader and so did the other two guys. The leader said to them, “Demitri here is your boss and what he says goes. Do you understand me?”
All three of them answered yes in English.
“Fine, leave when you are ready and we will be waiting here for your return in three days time.”
The two Arabs got in the SUV and one of the guys opened the door for them. It was too cold to stand around so the three of them suited up in Arctic gear and made ready their snowmobiles to travel. Next to the warehouse a short ways was a ferry terminal where they could enter the frozen lake with no problem.
Map coordinates memorized and compass built into the snowmobile Demitri led the group across the lake. The going was slow dragging the sleds and riding in blinding conditions. They rode nose to tail with a blinking red light attached to the back of each sled. Demitri kept checking his compass and by nightfall they had reached the other side of the lake in America. They set up their tents and each man was on his own. Small propane burners heated snow water for packages of soup and noodles. It was going to be a starvation trip, Demitri thought to himself. The Arctic equipment was excellent and he curled up in his bag and went to sleep listening to the howling wind blow his mountain tent. This was nothing new to any of them having spent so many winters in the Afghan mountains.
The next morning they were off and headed up the mountains following the train tracks. The going was not as bad as the three of them rode up the tracks on packed snow. Arriving at the top they set up camp and now it was dark. The sooner the better they all agreed on that score.
Demitri held the light as steady as he could as they two Necks plied their trade. On top of the mountain the blizzard was almost to the point of not being able to stand up. It was difficult work as the wiring had to be done with gloves on. Even though they were snap connections, it was still difficult as the cold made the hands shaky. Two hours later the job complete, Demitri gave it a test run. The lights came on both charges and he turned them off and he motioned the two guys to come to his tent for a meeting.
Once inside the tent with their helmets off, he said, “Job well done boys. Let’s catch a few hours sleep and we will get the hell out of here.”
The two guys nodded yes and went to their own tents. When Demitri had put his snowmobile helmet on he’d felt some loose paper inside. It was now he took it out and it was a note from the Arabs: “Kill the other two and leave their bodies next to the tracks.” His little propane stove was burning and he destroyed the note. He dug out of his pack his nine mm Glock and checked the load. He put it next to his skin to keep it warm and in a few hours he would not want it to misfire.
Four hours later he kicked the feet of the two sleeping terrorists and made his snowmobile ready. They were going to leave the tents as they were over the counter camping equipment found in any good outdoor store. The men, including him wore wool pullover ski masks with only the eyes showing and a small mouth opening. He double checks the sending unit and while they two Necks were getting their snowmobiles ready, He walked up to both of them and shot each one in the back of the neck and two bull
ets through the heart. They never knew what hit them as the sound was muffled from the howling wind. Demitri put on his helmet and left the sending unit blinking red as he fired up his snowmobile and left in the dark. In a few hours the men and tents would be mounds of drifting snow and unrecognizable. He smiled to himself as he made his way carefully down the tracks back to the warehouse and off to some sunny beach in South America.
Chapter 4
Back in the Toronto hotel, the two Arabs were just waking up as Demitri was starting his way back across the lake. The leader looked at his watch and if the Russian was on schedule he would be in the middle of the lake in a few hours time. It was cold in the room and both of them complained of the lack of heat in the old flea bitten hotel. Both had slept with long handles on and fully dressed. The leader, Amil called down for hot coffee and washed his face. Then he prostrated on the floor with his rug to the east and said his morning prayers. His friend of twenty years followed his lead and after prayers the room service arrived with lukewarm coffee.
It was no use complaining as no electricity was on anywhere these days. Few cars or trucks could be seen on the streets of Toronto. Amil said to his friend. “Well, we are almost finished here my friend. The sub will be here just at dark tonight and we leave for our homeland to bask in the glory of Allah. If our young soldier does his part, New York City will be a blanket of radioactive dust in a few hours.”
His friend answered him in Arabic and Amil got angry saying, “I told you to speak only English or French you fool.”
His old friend hung his head as Amil pulled out his pistol and shot his friend in the head. It was silenced and no sound was heard. Amil said, “Praise Allah as your job was finished in the war against the imperialist American scum.”
Unearthly Snowbound Page 2