by C C Roth
“No, never. I don’t care anyway, we’re not going to make it there to find out. We’re getting off right now.”
“The hell you are!” he snapped. “If I don’t make my delivery I’ll end up in a pit full of bodies somewhere or hooked up to electrodes in Dr. Jekyll’s lab. Uh-uh, not happening. You better figure somethin’ else out because the Train Man always delivers.”
“Does anyone actually call you that?” I asked annoyed.
“They might,” he said, nose upturned.
“Okay, Train Man. I guess we’re not stopping.”
“You’ve got a couple hundred miles to figure somethin’ else out so if I were you, I’d start thinking.”
I couldn’t think, I was drained. I couldn’t remember what day it was or when I’d last slept. So much had happened it felt like days had gone by within the past 24 hours. My body had been going almost non-stop since Mike had been taken that morning…that couldn’t be right. Was it just that morning when this was set into motion? My mind was whirling and trying to catch its balance now that I was finally at rest, but there just wasn’t time. I needed to keep pushing. Mike was only feet away in the train car behind us but it may as well have been a mile. All my adrenaline had been completely used up and my eyes were growing heavy and starting to close. The noise and rocking of the train should’ve been enough to keep me awake but not that day. The exhaustion was too much. My head dropped and for a few blissful moments I blacked out.
I was ten years old again in my bed back at home. All the lights were out except for a twinkling star nightlight that sprayed constellations across my ceiling. I’d woken up frightened and confused. I’d had the dream again. Bolting out of bed, I crossed the hall into Mike’s room. As usual my feet made the familiar floor squeak at the same spot in front of his door.
“Mike. Mike, are you awake?” I whispered.
“No. Go away.” He was trying to sound gruff but it wasn’t believable.
“I had the dream again.”
He huffed a bit and sat up. “Go tell Dad, Sam. You can sleep in their bed.”
“Mom said I can’t anymore. She said I have to face it and be brave.” I waited for several breaths as he thought this over.
“Fine, get in.”
I ran and hopped up on his giant bed and snuggled under the covers, relieved I wouldn’t have to make the journey back to my own room in the dark.
“Thanks.” The knot in my chest was already starting to release.
He settled back on his pillow. “So what was the dream this time?”
“It was the same one. It’s always the same. There’s a monster and it wants to tear me apart and I can’t get away from it.”
“Hmm,” he said absently, already starting to fall back asleep. “Can’t you just run away from it?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s inside me. I’m the monster.”
Get up, It said. Nap time is over.
I startled awake and was immediately met with an aching back and a shooting pain running up my legs. Turns out collapsing on the hard metal floor of a train wasn’t such a great idea. I stretched and groaned as I stood up trying to shake off the sleep that was still clinging to me.
“Where are we? Why’d you let me sleep?”
“Let you, honey? I didn’t let you do anything. You blacked out and wouldn’t wake up. I thought I was going to have to dump your dead body before we got to Freemont. Relax you were only out for 30 minutes.”
I yawned, still confused about the current situation I was in and more than pissed off about it. This guy was nutty and I wanted off this stupid train. Unreal was becoming the new reality.
“So what’s your plan, little miss? How are you going to save the day?”
“Well, I thought about it and it makes the most sense to kill you and just take the train where I want.” I let a long pause settle between us before talking again. Mr. Chey’s face was stock still.
“But I guess that wouldn’t be very good manners since you saved me back there. So…”
“Jesus, you are not funny. You need to work on your humor, child. You almost gave me a heart attack.”
I giggled, it was a little funny. I truly had considered just killing him and hopping off but I couldn’t exactly ask him to show me how to operate the train so I could take over. Hey, I’m going to kill you but can you show me how to work the train first? Thanks! He’d probably say no.
“Since I can’t stop you from making a delivery without alerting everyone and I can’t leave without my brother, I’m at a loss. I might be able to ambush them when we stop but…”
“But it’s not likely. There’ll be four soldiers waiting to pick this group up and they have security at the gates. You are outnumbered, girl.”
“What if just me and Mike jump? Right now? Maybe they won’t notice one missing person.”
“Hmmm, one missing person and I’m guessing two dead guards in the back? How would I explain that? Try again. Besides what about that blonde cutie in the photo? Aren’t you supposed to be rescuing him too?”
“Crap, yes. Well do you have a better idea? Cause I’d love to hear it!” I shouted.
“Yes. You wish your brother the best of luck and run as far away as you can. Go home and learn to knit or somethin’. Maybe try a little meditation sometimes.”
I thought he was only joking for a moment but the look on his face was confirmation enough.
“You would just have me abandon him? After all he’s done for me? Michael is not just my brother, he’s all I have left. He’s it. I will not just stand by and do nothing! They’re not taking him too!”
My heart was pounding again, just as hard as the moment when my dead mother’s body had hit the concrete. I suddenly felt like I was going to smash Mr. Chey’s face into his stupid controls just for suggesting I give up.
Do it, It said, gathering traction in my slippery soul.
The Train Man’s face started to smirk as he eyed me and raised his brows, questioning. “So, what’s it gonna be, Miss Sam. If you can’t give up and you can’t stop this train how will you save the day?”
He had pushed me on purpose. Tried to get a rise out of me so I’d react with an answer, the only answer.
“I go in. I kill the soldiers and take their clothes. I can get into the lab posing as one of them escorting the prisoners and slip away with Mike when it’s safe. Maybe if we’re lucky we can find Noah too.”
“Now that sounds like an idea. Not necessarily a good one but it’s an idea. Good work, honey. That temper, though. Anyone ever tell you you’ve got rage issues?”
“It’s been suggested once or twice.” I said with a deep exhale, slowing my heartrate back to normal.
I had a plan again and once more my icy friend was promised bloodshed. A soothing chill coursed through me and I felt at peace for the moment. Reaching inside my well stocked backpack I ran my hand over three extra magazines. With five rounds loaded I was more than prepared.
You’ll only need two.
“How much longer?”
“Oh, maybe an hour. I take it you’re headed to the back to start some shit?”
“You could say that. No point in putting it off or I might talk myself out of it. Besides, there’s no one here to stop me.”
His face pinched in disapproval and he shook his head a bit with a “tsk, tsk, tsk.”
“What is it? You have some strong feelings for the people tying up kids and delivering them by force to a lab?”
“No, not really. That one guy back there is kind of a dick. But they are just doing what everybody else is doing right now. Operating out of fear to stay alive. Isn’t that what we’re all doing? Just trying to survive? It’s hard to blame a person for that let alone be okay with killin’ them.”
I thought about it for a second. I was okay with it. “Maybe, but some of us are trying for something better than just surviving. My brother doesn’t deserve this just because someone is too scar
ed to stand up for themselves. Noah’s parents didn’t deserve to have their son stolen from them. We didn’t deserve to have our parents murdered because the people who are scared are following orders from someone else who’s too scared to question if their orders make any sense.”
“Uh-uh, what? You can just rationalize this away? Murdering people because they wronged you?”
We answered without hesitation. “Yes.”
“You know you remind me of someone. I knew a guy like you in prison years ago.”
“Thanks.”
“That was not a compliment, child.”
Enough talk. Let’s go. It was as if my frozen partner was worried I might back out of the plan and deprive it of some much needed bloodshed.
I threw my backpack on and checked my rifle. I was loaded and ready and I didn’t have any qualms about raining down a violent hailstorm upon anyone who got in my way. I paused at the cab door and turned back for a moment before pulling it open and stepping out on the metal landing.
“Thanks for the ride, Train Man,” I giggled and gave him a mocking salute.
Mr. Chey shook his head and half smiled. “You are a wonder, honey. Good luck. Try not to make a mess!”
“No promises.”
10- Blood is Thicker Than Ice
The rushing wind as the train hurtled down the tracks was deafening. I could have opened my mouth to scream but the sound would have been sucked away before it was ever audible. I didn’t know how fast we were going but I knew if I fell, I probably wouldn’t be getting back up too quickly. There was still light in the passenger car, it was dim but I would be able to see where the soldiers were easily enough. Now how does one get from point A to point B on a moving train without plummeting to one’s death?
No clue. I’m just here to kill people.
My feet didn’t want to move, as if they knew this was a bad idea and were trying desperately to send a signal to my brain. Hey, idiot! You’re stepping outside of a moving train! But someone else was pushing me onward, telling me I’d be fine, and apparently I wasn’t smart enough not to listen to It. I climbed slowly down the ladder as the wind pulled against my small frame, threatening to yank me down under crunching metal. My feet, still in protest, felt awkward and heavy as they hit the small landing. Luckily the darkness didn’t allow me to see much of the landscape shooting past me in a blur. If I looked out or focused on how fast we were going I’d freak out for sure. So, I steadied myself as closely up against the cab’s exterior as I could manage, my face enjoying the cold metal kissing my cheek, and I stood on the last step clutching the ladder rungs in my fists. My knuckles were turning white with the effort as I lowered my body off the landing and onto the ladder rungs. There wasn’t much to it really, only several feet in between where I stood on the ladder and where the handle rested against the edge of the passenger car door. But it may as well have been a mile.
Get on with it, It urged.
I moved hastily so as not to lose my nerve and stretched my left hand and leg over as quickly as I could. Step by step I inch-wormed my way along the train’s railing until I was there. The handle was in reach. I dragged my body over successfully and tried to catch my breath as I stood on the lower step leading to the passenger car door, but it’s hard to relax when the ground beneath you is rushing past at 80 miles per hour. Adrenaline coursed through me in tsunami like bursts. What if I just let go? What if I let my body be sucked under this monstrous metal beast and let it turn me to mush? I paused, one foot suspended in air as I thought about it. There was nothing between me and certain death except a few inches of steel. I twirled my toes a little and felt the wind pull and claw at me as a new rush coursed through my veins. A part of me was enjoying this too much and I could almost hear a ridiculous childlike wheee! coming from within. I crouched and took one more step up to the landing where the interior door was. I was safe. The door behind me had a window on it just like the rest of the passenger car did so I had to be careful not to blow my big entrance. I readied my rifle with one hand and slowly grabbed the door handle with the other.
Here we go.
The two soldiers in uniform were more than just a little surprised when someone swung open the door and opened fire. I hit the one closest to me first. A thin man with a beard, he didn’t even have time to raise his gun. The woman in the back drew her rifle quickly but not quick enough. Screams ripped through the car as the frightened prisoners ducked and tried to hide in their seats. A bullet whizzed past my head and landed in the wall behind me as I dove onto my knees and took aim.
Careful, you don’t want to ruin your new outfit, do you?
The final shot blasted through the air and she fell backwards, landing heavy on the floor.
Ah, that feels better, It sighed.
I couldn’t deny what I was feeling. Calm and quiet like floating in a dream but buzzing like an amplifier at the same time. I knew there was a commotion of sound running through the room, but I couldn’t hear it for the blood pounding in my ears. The wind had torn half my hair free from its ponytail prison and I had to claw my fingers through the mess just so I could see again. There were 15 confused and terrified faces staring back at me and I searched each until I found the one I recognized.
“Sam?” Mike was beyond confused. He had the same look on his face when he’d found me pulling the heads off all his action figures when I was six.
I stood and couldn’t hide the grin all over my face. “Hey. Did you miss me?”
His only response was an incredulous puff of air that mimicked a laugh but was more shock than anything else. He couldn’t stand because his feet had been zip tied, just like the kids back in town. His hands were bound in front of him as well, so he just sat there looking awkward.
“Jesus Christ, Sam! What are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” He wasn’t mad, just concerned. His tone was very like Mom’s when she used to scold me for doing something dangerous. Which was a lot.
I looked at the two defeated soldiers lying on the floor and raised an eyebrow. “I think I have it under control.”
“Sam you can’t be here. You can’t risk yourself like this for me. You were supposed to get away and stay safe. Not do something completely crazy.”
Everyone else just looked on. All eyes were darting from him to me and back again like we were in some oddly placed tennis match.
“Well, if you didn’t want me to do something crazy then you shouldn’t have left me alone. So really this is your fault.” I was trying for humor, but he wasn’t having it.
“Sam—"
“Look, I’m sorry. But I’m here now and we can get out of this together. Now do you want me to untie you or do you want to give me a lecture?”
He shook his head in exasperation but called a truce as he held up his hands.
A young girl flinched as I passed her in the aisle to get to Mike. Yeah, I’d probably be scared of me too.
“How did you do this? Where did you even come from?”
I shrugged a shoulder, “I hitched a ride with the Train Man up front. Nice guy actually.” I pulled Noah’s knife and removed his zip ties. “Now come here.” I gestured to the fallen soldier on the floor. “I need some help getting her clothes off.”
His face went from exasperated to totally freaked. “Um, what?”
It was tedious but I explained in detail to everyone what was going on and what we all needed to do to make it out of this situation. I told them that Mike and I would pose as guards and carry on business as usual. The other fourteen passengers just looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. They all shared concerned glances as I said that I intended to deliver them to a government lab and escort them inside so as not to arouse suspicion. I didn’t see what the big deal was.
A guy in the front spoke up. He was around my age with black hair and dark, serious eyes. “Look, I think we all appreciate what you’ve done so far. But just let us go. We can all just jump right now and no one has to get hurt. You can
go on to the lab if that’s what you want but let us go.”
Some of the kids started murmuring in agreement.
It’s cute they think they have a choice.
“No. It can’t be that way.”
“Why not? None of us have a reason to go in there. Neither do you, your brother is right there,” he said pointing at Mike.
Someone else spoke up, a girl in the back with big doe eyes. “Maybe it’s not a lab. My parents said they were probably taking us to a Safe Haven checkpoint. Somewhere we could start over without fear of infected getting in.”
I tried not to roll my eyes, I really did try.
“We have to do this,” I said ignoring the girl’s idiotic comment. “I’ve played this out a million ways and if we don’t get in there then we’ll never know why they’re doing this to us in the first place. We’ll never know if other people are in there that need our help. They’ll just keep doing it, tearing apart more families. I mean, how did you all get here? I’m pretty sure none of you volunteered. We can stop this if we can get in, I know it. Besides, if this train shows up empty then what’s stopping them from coming after us?”
Mouthy McTalks-a lot shook his head and looked around the train car. No one was on board with the plan, but they didn’t really have a choice.
“This is crazy,” he said. “There is no way this will work. And why would we do this? It makes no sense!”
“It will work! It’s their fault my parents are dead. It’s their fault we’re here. They’ve taken my family. They’ve taken you from yours. And they won’t be taking any more. I’m stopping this today. What do you think they’ll do if we jump off the train and run away right now? They’ll just go round up some more kids probably where they found all of you. Any of you have brothers and sisters at home?”
I was starting to gain traction with the group, I could feel it. Some exchanged guilty looks, some looked at their feet avoiding me, and some nodded along as they found the resolve to protect their loved ones back home.
My sparring partner shook his head again in disbelief looking around at the rest of the group. “This is insane. This girl is nuts. Guys? Come on, someone back me up.”