Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 02

by Rescue

  The fates shined down on Hayden as he scouted the cars of the train directly in front of him. All of the doors of the train were open, save for two near the front of the group. Three open doors stood directly behind the engine that Luke and Liam were now entering. Just a moment later, the two men looked out the open door and waived to the others that it was secure.

  "Let's move, people!" Alex yelled to the others. Behind him he could see Theresa Hill helping Dr. Cahn around the line of cars. Ron Cox came next clutching a terrified Amy in his arms. Martin Howard and Philip Gomez followed behind, true to their orders. Nothing was getting by them. Each man was cold and calculating, a ruthless killer and fierce defender. Every shot that the two men made was counted as a kill, every crack of their rifle or sidearm finished off one of the walking dead. In that instant, Alex thanked the heavens that they were with him.

  "Clear," Hayden yelled from behind Alex, drawing his attention back to the present and the task at hand. Hayden and Alex were standing in the open door of a boxcar, the next in line after the engine. Mark Baker, Jenero Croft and Juan Ransom rounded the corner at the head of the line, their rifles barking at targets behind them, clearly not as cool headed as their teammates.

  Alex rushed to help Theresa with Dr. Cahn. The doctor looked to have aged years in only a few days, and the pain he was feeling was etched into his face. "The stitches ripped," Theresa cried, but never stopped in her push to the open rail car. "I can fix him, but we've got to get inside." The doctor breathed in great gulps of air. He stumbled and the two supporting him struggled to keep him upright.

  "Get him inside," Alex said. "Do whatever it takes, but he lives." Theresa looked him in the eyes and Alex could see the fear there. "He lives."

  Reaching the open boxcar, Hayden jumped to the ground and helped Alex and Theresa lift the barely conscious man through the door. Amy followed with Theresa close behind. "Martin. Philip. Rona. Your job still stands. Nothing, and I repeat, nothing, gets through those doors." The three men again nodded their acknowledgement, and Alex left them knowing they would not fail. Leaving Donovan to assist Theresa with the doctor, Alex slid the boxcar's door closed behind them.

  "We've got to get these cars separated," Alex said to Donovan and Hayden. Looking down the line of cars he spotted Jack Irving and Andre Gamble struggling with the couplings between two of the cars. Rotting and broken fingers strained through openings in the rail car walls as the walking dead trapped inside tried desperately to reach them. "Come on," Alex ordered.

  Sprinting down the line of cars, Alex yelled, "Leave it." Jack and Andre looked back to the three, confusion clouding their face. At that moment, a zombie, half its body missing, reached for Andre from the other side of the coupled cars. Andre started at the sight, throwing himself back from the creature and into Jack. Jack was pushed into the waiting hands of the trapped zombies.

  The man screamed as broken fingernails tore into his flesh. Andre, fear and panic taking hold of him, abandoned the man to the creatures. Bullets danced off the side of the boxcar as Alex, Donovan and Hayden opened fire, trying desperately to thread the space between the walls and give the man a chance to escape. Jack screamed louder as his arm was snapped behind him, forced back at an unnatural angle. Two shots to his brain pan silenced the man's agonized screams.

  "I didn't do it. I didn't mean to...it was an accident...I didn't..." Andre Gamble muttered incoherently to himself, his eyes glued on the horrific scene before him. Alex grabbed the man by the arm and shook him.

  "Come on," Alex yelled at the still babbling man. "Come on, there's nothing you can do now."

  "I didn't do it on purpose...it was an accident...an accident..."

  Alex shook the man, hard this time, and his eyes finally focused on Alex's. "It was my fault," he mumbled to Alex. Before anyone realized what was happening, Andre had removed his sidearm. The single shot tore a massive hole through the left side of the man's head and he slumped to the ground at Alex's feet.

  "Shit!" Alex cursed and bent to retrieve the weapons from the dead man.

  "Leave them," Donovan yelled and pulled Alex to his feet. "We've got to go." The three men sprinted towards the front of the line. Mark, Jenero, and Juan were pulling themselves into the second rail car behind the engine, having cleared the space.

  "Come on," they yelled and held out their hands to the running men.

  "Inside," Alex yelled to Hayden and Donovan. "I'm headed to the engine to help." Neither of the two men argued, but rather grasped the outstretched hands of the others and hoisted themselves inside. Alex heard the rail car door slide shut behind him with a satisfying thud.

  Alex continued towards the engine and was greeted with one of the most beautiful sites he had seen in his entire life. Thick, black smoke billowed out of the engines exhaust, signaling that the engine had roared to life. Luke stepped out of the door and held a hand out to the sprinting man.

  "All aboard," he yelled to Alex in mock humor.

  "You know, you're really not funny," Alex sniped at the man.

  "Considering the circumstances, I'm fucking hilarious." Both men laughed hard at the bad jokes, glad to be able to release some of the fear and adrenaline they had all just experienced. Climbing aboard the massive engine, Alex could see Liam busy working over the controls.

  "You do know how to run this damn thing, don't you?" Alex asked, humor coloring his words.

  Liam never looked when he answered. "Now, I never said that I could run it. I only said I thought I could." Liam looked over to his friend and winked. "Now that I am here, I'm not so sure."

  Alex patted the carbine hanging from his should in front of him. "You better figure it out, and quick." Liam smiled and reached to push a lever forward. With a satisfying lurch, the engine began to move.

  "Found it," he laughed and set about checking the dials and gauges that cover the instrument panel. They were headed out of Austin.

  -----

  After the adrenaline wore off, tears of happiness and loss mixed together among the men and women aboard the north bound train. Luke mourned the loss of his friend Shawn, great racking sobs shaking his body. Men from the Hill's security team mourned the loss of their comrades, some more than others. A few bragged of their exploits over the last couple of hours, covering their fear with bravado.

  Theresa Hill and Donovan could take no part in the tales. The two worked furiously to keep Dr. Cahn alive. A few tense moments passed before the bleeding could be stopped and the wound sutured once more. "I think that will hold," Theresa said, wiping the sweat from her brow with a blood covered hand. "Give him some morphine, Don. Hopefully he'll be able to sleep." Donovan expertly filled the syringe with the liquid, tapping the needle to remove the bubbles and depressing the plunger until a few drops of the precious liquid escaped. Jabbing the needle into the man's arm, Donovan pushed the plunger completely and watched as the doctor finally settled into an uneasy rest.

  Footsteps on the roof of the car drew the Donovan's attention. They stopped about halfway across and a scraping could be heard, followed quickly by a pounding echoed from door. Donovan and the others jumped, grabbing up their rifles in case something tried to get in. The pounding sounded again followed by Alex's voice. "Is everyone okay in there?"

  Donovan waved the others off and stood to open the door. Alex hung upside down from the roof of the car. The city of Austin sped by the open door.

  "I'm coming in," Alex called down, but was stopped by Donovan's protests.

  "Stay there, Alex. It's too dangerous to try and get in here while the train in moving."

  "How is everyone inside?" Alex asked. Donovan shook his head.

  "Not so good. We are all fine, but the doc has seen better days." Donovan looked over his shoulder to the wounded man. "We've stopped the bleeding and stitched up the wound again, but he's lost some more blood." Worry passed across the man's face. "Alex, I don't know if he's going to make it."

  This news didn't shock Alex at all, but it did make him p
ause in thought. "He'll make it, Donovan. He's strong. He'll make it."

  Donovan nodded his head, not quite accepting Alex's belief, but resigning himself to what lay ahead. "How's everyone else?"

  Alex made a face that was neither hopeful nor upset. "Liam's taking everything in stride, but Luke is in bad shape. Losing Shawn like that..." Alex left the rest unsaid. "I haven't been to check on the others in the second car yet. Headed there now."

  Donovan nodded in acknowledgment. "Be careful, okay?"

  Alex just smiled. "I will." The boxcar door slide shut behind him as Alex worked his way back to the center and over to the second boxcar.

  -----

  Commotion from behind them caught Liam and Luke's attention. They turned to see Alex carefully swinging back into the engine. "How are things back there?" Liam asked as he turned back towards the dials and gauges of the engine.

  "The second car is fine. Hayden is there with three of the Hill's security team. First car?" and Alex had a concerned look cross his face. "The doc is looking pretty bad. He's lost even more blood when the sutures ripped. Donovan," and Alex sighed deeply looking at Liam. "Donovan doesn't know if he's going to make it."

  "Shit," Liam whispered under his breath.

  "What are we going to do?" Luke asked. Dr. Cahn had also saved his life, and Luke felt that he stilled owed the man something in return.

  Alex shrugged his shoulders. "Not much we can do, Luke. The doc needs a hospital, but...well, last I checked, there were no hospitals left. We are going to have to try and give him as much rest as possible, and pray that he is strong enough to pull through."

  Everyone in the engine remained silent for a long time, thinking about the doctor and everything that he had done for all of them. It was several minutes before Alex finally spoke again. "The guys back in the second car were complaining about the smell, and apparently the noise."

  "Rowdy neighbors?" Liam asked.

  "Something like that," Alex answered. "Those deaders, the ones that got Jack? Well, they are in the fourth car." Luke and Liam started at the news.

  "Jack's dead?" the two asked in unison. "How?" Luke finished.

  "Trying to unhitch the car. Andre was startled by a deader and jumped, knocking Jack into their reach. Nothing we could do," Alex said shrugging his shoulders.

  "Damn. Andre must feel like shit," Luke said softly, imagining the scene that had played out in Jack's death.

  "Andre's not feeling anything," Alex said with condescension in his voice. "The coward blew his brains out." Alex shook his head at the memory. "None of us even saw it coming."

  "Fuck," Liam cursed under his breath. "Did everyone else make it?"

  Again Alex shook his head. "David, Scott, Nathan and Randy...all dead."

  "What?!" Liam said shocked at the news. "All by deaders?"

  "Most," Alex continued. "Nathan panicked when he saw David overcome by a group of zombies. He locked himself inside a boxcar filled with deaders." Alex was hit with a full body shudder. "Even I nearly lost my breakfast at the sight. He never stood a chance out here." Silence again encroached on the men.

  "So," Liam said, breaking the silence. "Just what are we going to do about our stowaways in car four?" Alex looked at his friend and smiled.

  -----

  Flames billowed out of the boxcar and soon engulfed the entire car. The sounds of the burning dead inside gave more satisfaction and relief to the gathered men than any of them would have thought. Soon after leaving Austin proper and passing into the deserted countryside, Liam had slowed the train to a stop and the men carefully unhitched the third boxcar behind the engine. The story of Jack's demise had quickly spread amongst the team and no one wished a repeat performance for any of them. Then, carefully placing anything that they could find that was flammable, the group set fire to the boxcar and watched as the flames engulfed it entirely.

  "You've really got a sick obsession with burning these fuckers, don't you, Alex?" A familiar voice rang out behind the group. Theresa Hill stood with Dr. Cahn, the badly injured man leaning heavily on the woman. "Anyone remember to bring the marshmallows?" Dr. Cahn chuckled at his own joke, but was quickly overcome with a body racking cough. Alex rushed to the man's side to help Theresa support the man. "How are we, Alex?" the doctor asked quietly for no one else to hear.

  "We've been better, doc, but we'll make it." He gently clapped the man on the shoulder. "We need you to make it too, doc. We need you."

  Dr. Cahn shook his head. "Naw, I'm just a crotchety old man, getting older every minute."

  "You're family," Alex said, quieting any protests from the doctor.

  "Thank you, Alex. For everything." Both men smiled to reassure each other.

  "Come on, people..." Alex began and stopped. "Corsairs. All of us. Come on. We've got a long way to go. Let's get moving."

  Without any fanfare, the men climbed back aboard the train, each one pushing forward to assist the doctor back to the boxcar. Moments later the train wheels spun and caught, jerking the train into motion once again.

  -----

  "Where is all that smoke coming from?" Liam asked to no one in particular as he struggled to look through the wind screen of the engine.

  "There's got to be a fire somewhere," Hayden said as he also struggled to see much of anything in front of them. "You don't think that this is the fire we set outside of Fairfield, do you?" Hayden turned to look at Alex who stood behind, arms across his chest and dire look on his face.

  "Possible," he said by way of a kurt response. "No one to stop it, thing could have burned for miles."

  "But we're just outside of Hillsboro," Hayden jumped in. "That's miles from there..."

  "And nothing in between to block, let alone, stop it," Alex interrupted. "Listen, it doesn't matter much now. As long as we stay on this course, we should be back outside Canton around daybreak tomorrow. At that time..." Alex stopped abruptly and a horrified look crossed his face. "Liam?" he called in a panic and pointed out the front wind screen.

  Liam turned to look at what had caught his friend's attention and turned pale. Ahead of them, sitting across the train tracks, sat an unmoving tanker truck. The now undead driver frantically struggling to free itself in order to get at the oncoming train.

  Liam slammed on the emergency brakes and the train immediately lurched forward, its wheels squealing against the metal of the train tracks. The men in the engine were thrown forward against the control panel, not to mention the calamity that arose from the boxcar and its terrified occupants.

  "We're not going to stop in time," Liam yelled to Alex and Hayden, then struggled to pull himself to his feet. Moving to the door of the engine, Liam leaned out and yelled as loud as he could to the passengers in the boxcar, hoping that they would hear his warning. "Get down and hold on!"

  Liam ducked back into the engine's compartment and slammed the door closed behind him just as the train ripped through the tanker truck lying across the tracks. The truck erupted into a massive fireball, the flames of which engulfed the engine, instantly raising the temperature to an unbearable. Alex and the others screamed as the air burned them and blistered any exposed skin. Those in the boxcar suffered only slightly less as the fireball quickly dispersed from the sides of the train as the engine served to protect the car some.

  The train continued down the track for another hundred yards before finally coming to rest. The flaming wreckage of the tanker truck were mercifully left far behind, the train having sliced through the truck like a knife through butter. Each man in the train began assessing their own injuries when Alex realized that the tanker must have been empty. "Believe it or not, gentlemen. We just got lucky."

  "How do you figure?" Liam groaned back at him.

  "Well. If that tanker had been full of fuel, we wouldn't be lying here." Alex looked to his friend with the only eye that was not quickly swelling shut. "If that had been full, it would have blown us completely off these tracks, and killed us all."

  Liam nodded slowly
, all the while pulling himself towards Hayden. "You're probably right," Liam said as he checked Hayden for any major injuries. "You're probably right, but goddamn," he cursed. "You're idea of begin lucky is so, SO much different than mine." They all laughed at Liam, trying to find humor in the situation when they hear a more terrifying sound.

  "Deaders," Alex gasped.

  The three men scrambled to their feet, grabbing for their carbines as the headed out the door. The metal of the engine was frighteningly hot, but none of them seemed to notice as they struggled down the ramp towards the boxcar.

  "Deaders," Alex yelled to the men in the boxcar, trying desperately to warn them. "Deaders. Get your weapons ready." The three men struggled to open the boxcar door, only to find a terrifying scene of blood and gore inside.

  Dr. Cahn was on his knees, furiously working on Mark Baker. The man's eyes were fixed on some point in the distance, blood covering his face. He coughed and sprayed blood across his chest as Dr. Cahn worked to assess his injuries.

  "Doc? Doc?!" The battered Dr. Cahn focused on Alex for an instant. "Status."

  Dr. Cahn looked around the interior of the boxcar, quickly trying to determine the state of things. "Not good," he shouted to Alex and returned to working on the injured man. "Juan's dead. Broken neck and shattered skull. Mark," and the doctor looked up to Alex with panic in his eyes. He shook his head.

  "How are the others?" Alex asked. "Theresa. Amy. How are the others?" he asked frantically.

  "Fine. Fine," Dr. Cahn answered. "Broken bones, lacerations. They'll make it..."

  "We've got to go," Alex interrupted.

  "Go? Go where?" the doctor asked confused.

  "Everyone to the engine," Alex ordered. "We've got deaders coming and with these injuries, there's no way we can successfully defend this car. Everyone to the engine."