Raildogs

by Rejean Giguere

  His eyes traced a footpath leading back towards the tracks. Then he noticed a couple people standing in the middle of the field between the building and the trains. As he rolled passed them, the guy turned and started to walk. It looked like he was pulling a woman behind him.

  Right away Bill felt something was wrong. He looked down at the passing ground and knew the train was moving too fast to jump. With a second to think about it, he knew he shouldn’t jump anyway. Some guy and woman out in a field weren’t what he was searching for. He wanted a Raildog.

  Still, he had a feeling, something else about those two was nagging him, but he couldn’t place it. It wasn’t the woman, but something about the guy was picking at the edge of his brain, and he hated that.

  *****

  Phoenix, Arizona

  Sam woke with a jolt and kicked out with both feet. The rats scampered away and resettled a few yards distant. They were getting brave now. He kept nodding off and they seemed to have figured out that he was helpless.

  He didn’t scream or swear. He’d done that already. In fact Sam had literally had a fit and almost had a full breakdown. He cursed as loud as he could and swore to Jesus until he was shaking and dripping with sweat.

  Then his will to live had taken over. He knew it was life or death. If he didn’t stay awake they were going to eat him alive. His brain refused to accept that.

  He was hungry, thirsty, and couldn’t feel his arms anymore. Funny, how that worked in his favor. It allowed him to snap both feet out at the same time and drop against the chains. He didn’t feel a thing.

  Taking another shot at the rats, he did just that, and snapped his feet out at the same time. His feet swung through the air just a foot from the rodents, but they didn’t move. He had to stop wasting energy, everything was about staying alive now.

  This sure as hell wasn’t the way he’d planned on going. Fuck, what a mess. He would give anything to be back on the train with a couple young babes to play with. Sam thought about the one he’d had earlier. Now she was something to think about.

  He envisioned her dancing there in the middle of the car with the lantern light casting on her long legs. Then he felt her pushing back against him as he gave it to her from behind. Sam was smiling for the first time since he woke up.

  Was that a train? Sam cocked his head, sure it was. Why hadn’t he noticed that before? Christ, how long had he been out? He’d give anything for some light in the place, but as he thought it over, maybe not.

  He knew the rats had bitten both his ankles, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to see what that looked like. Somewhere inside his head there was a struggle going on, he was trying to keep it together. He knew he had to.

  “Don’t lose it man,” He kept talking to himself, “Jesus Christ, keep it together.”

  Chapter 17

  Phoenix, Arizona

  This was a scene he’d waited a long time to see. David sat on a bench at the side of the room and waited quietly. He would be a fly on the wall during this bit of theater. He lit a small fire in a rusted out old barrel to bring life to the scene and turned her loose.

  He’d watched her fascination with the man strung up by his wrists. She’d seen the rats scurry out of the way as the fire got bigger. Walking around him, she’d studied him carefully and seemed to be placing him somewhere in her memories, confirming he was the one.

  David had followed her rapid-fire instructions, “Find a chair, tie him up and gag the bastard.” He’d foraged around in the old building and come back with a pair of chairs and some rope.

  He knew that she wasn’t going to be particularly nice to the guy, but what could he do? The guy did have it coming. Shrugging his shoulders, he couldn’t complain at all, violence was just a means to an end. That’s why they were here. So he sat and watched.

  His mother perched on the edge of a chair facing the Raildog across from her who was roped tightly to the other one. A block of cement behind him acted like a spacer between his body and the back of the chair, forcing his ass forward onto the edge until he was almost falling off, while his shoulders were still tied to the back of the chair.

  David had knocked the guy out with a crack to the head with a piece of wood to get him tied to the chair, and now Sarah was waiting for him to wake up. He knew this was the end of something. Hopefully it was also the beginning of something else.

  Was it a new life? Maybe. David didn’t know much except the rails, but he’d only spent the time there because she’d asked him to find them. She’d been disappointed when years had gone by without any progress, but did she understand how hard it had been?

  Fifteen wasn’t the age to be out on your own. He hadn’t known shit. Since his mother had planned to use the rails in her bid for safety he’d done the same. Considering what had happened to them, he had made sure he hid well and stayed alert, but still he could remember eating out of garbage cans and stealing what he could, just to stay alive.

  David watched her light another cigarette. He hadn’t let her smoke on the trip, to avoid someone seeing the lit tip, so she’d been chain smoking ever since they entered the building.

  She crossed one leg over the other and leaned forward with one arm across her lap. Her palm held the other elbow as her arm bent upwards, keeping the cigarette near her mouth. She swung the hand around to smoke on the stick – long slow draws that hung around her mouth before drifting upwards. Then she’d released the smoke from her lungs and blown it into the Raildog’s face.

  She had patience, he’d give her that. After waiting ten years some people would have torn into someone they wanted that bad in the first minute. They wouldn’t be able to contain their rage once it had a target. But Sarah was sitting it out, probably planning it out.

  One thing was sure, it was going to be a show. The small container that Sarah had taken out of her shoulder bag was sitting there on the floor beside her. Everything inside him said this show was going to get ugly.

  David kept going back to what he was going to do when this journey was finished, what was next? Was it time for a new life? A real one? One with his mother at his side making up for all the lost years?

  The sudden stirring of the man in the chair was like the lights going dim in a theatre. The show was about to begin.

  He focused on the Raildog who didn’t seem to wake up very happy. He kept trying to kick out with his legs. Little streams of blood running down the guy’s boots said the rats had probably been at him.

  He watched closely as the guy realized he had company and then started to take in his new situation. David had been a bit hesitant at his mother’s last instruction, but had carried it out. Now he couldn’t wait until the guy looked down at his crotch.

  *****

  Phoenix, Arizona

  By habit, Sam instinctively tried to kick out with his feet. Nothing happened and he felt the fear grab him tight. His first thought was that the rats had gotten him.

  Then as the light of the room really brought him around, he saw the woman sitting in front of him. What the hell? Groggily, Sam remembered the two people who entered the building earlier. He thought they were coming to help until he saw the tall bastard in black clothes who had put him here. Suddenly, seeing them wasn’t such a good thing.

  He could see the pretend Raildog sitting against the wall, watching. It was like he was settled in for the long haul, which brought Sam’s eyes back to the woman camped on a chair right in front of him.

  She was staring at him hard; riveted on him. He found it difficult to look back, there was such a glare in her eyes. She sucked on her cigarette while she stared right through him.

  Who the fuck are you bitch? He wanted to speak, even though he was tied up, but something about her was frightening,

  She kept glancing downwards and Sam let his eyes follow hers. The sight jolted him in his seat. What the fuck? His ass was pushed forward on the seat, which explained the pain in his lower back, and a big circle of his jeans and underwear were cut away.r />
  His junk was hanging out in the open. He’d always been proud of what he had, but suddenly wished it didn't take up so much space. He looked back up at the woman.

  “So you know what this is about now,” she smiled.

  Sam looked down again quickly, he didn’t like where this was going. In his head he’d known that some day he might pay for all the fun he’d had, but he’d assumed a jail cell was the worst he would face. Now he felt his penis shriveling as real fear started to grip him.

  The woman dropped the cigarette on the floor and carefully ground it flat with the sole of her shoe. Quietly, she moved her chair closer. She was within inches and Sam felt helpless. He wasn’t sure what to expect next.

  When the woman reached between his legs and ran her hand up and down, he became confused. Was she trying to excite him? He looked around the room, the only one there was the guy against the wall, still watching.

  Don’t tell me these two are here for some kind of kink. That thought alone was like a trigger, and he felt himself start to harden at the brush of her hand.

  “Ah, there he is. Wow, you’re a big boy.” Her face lit up with excitement, and Sam thought maybe, just maybe, all they wanted was sex.

  He desperately tried to regain some control over the situation. Sam pushed forward as much as the ropes would allow and tried to rotate his stiffened member. He wanted her to know it was available for whatever she had in mind.

  Suddenly he screamed. The woman grabbed his balls and squeezed like her life was on the line. He was sure she broke them. Every nerve in his body was firing as he pulled and twisted against the ropes.

  “Look at me.” She ordered him, gripping even tighter. “Look. At. Me.”

  With considerable difficulty he turned his eyes back towards her while she kept on squeezing.

  “You don’t want to get the wrong idea dickhead.” Her eyes narrowed as she whispered, “These little things have got you in a pile of shit.” She gave the balls one more squeeze before letting go.

  Sam thought he was going to pass out. His head dropped back in relief. Looking up, the flames from the fire made shadows that danced on the ceiling and in the corners. He’d give anything to be on a train right now.

  Was this about something he’d done? Shit, he’d done a lot. Especially to women. He looked at the woman, but couldn’t place her. Who was she?

  The clatter of hard objects against the concrete got his attention, and against his will he looked down into her world again. The sight made him squirm.

  She was taking what looked like tools out of a small black bag and placing them in on the floor. This fucking nightmare kept taking turns that Sam couldn’t keep up with. His eyes came up from the floor to meet the woman who was waiting for his reaction.

  “I got your attention now, don’t I? We’re going to take a walk down memory lane, just the two of us. Okay?”

  The bitch was crazy. He looked at her sitting there all lady-like with her head cocked to the side, yet her eyes seemed to bulge out of her head. She looked ready to explode.

  Sam didn‘t realize his lips were moving, but his ears heard the long drawn out, “Nooo…”.

  Then the high-pitched squeal of the woman’s laugh echoed through the old building.

  *****

  Phoenix, Arizona

  Sarah never felt so alive. She leaned her head back and laughed. The strange sound of her own voice motivated her. It sounded primal, and predatory. She couldn’t slow herself down enough. This was something she wanted to enjoy, but to accomplish her goal she needed to reel in her anger.

  For ten fucking years she’d dreamed of this moment. David could have killed him and just told her it was done. That would have been enough. But this, this, was beyond redemption, this was destiny.

  She reached out again because he was getting soft, and that wouldn’t do. He had to marry his hard-on to the coming pain, that’s what she wanted. She loved the confusion written all over his face.

  Looking at the thing made images rush through her brain. She knew this pink chunk of flesh personally. She had experienced it before, and not another since. If the guy only knew the fixation she had. But time would be his educator. She stroked it again and felt the first pulses of blood rushing, throbbing under her fingers.

  Lighting another smoke, she alternated between taking a drag, and slapping or stroking his package. “I want you to remember ten years back.” Smack. “A mother and a teenager.” Smack. “Your life is depending on that memory.”

  The guy looked left and right. Sarah bet the fucker had a lot of women to sort through. She knew it was going to take awhile, too bad for him, she reached down for a wooden spoon.

  Smack.

  “Christ,” the guy’s eyes were like saucers as she tapped his balls from below.

  “You need to remember faster big boy.” And then she delivered a fast snapping shot to the same spot.

  “The woman was from Chicago, she had her son with her. There were five of you there. The other men just robbed us. You on the other hand…” She trailed off, “You bastard.”

  Sarah’s control slipped slightly and she slapped the penis hard with the spoon, then a second time that caused a slice in the skin. She liked seeing his pain. The shock in his eyes each time the blow struck made her heart pound.

  “I’ve been trying to decide what to do with you ever since I knew I would get this chance. When I got here and saw the rats, it was revolting at first. But seeing the way you reacted to them, gave me an idea.” She could tell that had struck home. He’d already built a cage of his own fear and all she did was climb in there with him.

  She could see that the waiting was killing him. The apprehension must be building. She could relate. He’d done the same thing to her.

  She remembered the disgust. The taste that took months to get out of her mouth. The endless abuse, repeated over and over. He’d been like a machine, stopping only for food and to have a piss. Those two days had been a living hell.

  She had led a pretty sheltered life up to that point, and the things he’d done hadn’t even entered her head. She didn’t know they were possible. She felt herself starting to tremble and couldn’t allow that. Taking a deep breath, she reached down to the floor again.

  She opened up a couple small containers of honey, the type the hotel gives you for your toast in the morning. The care home had stacks of them in the kitchens. The honey coated the wooden spoon. She spread it on, under and around the man’s package. It got stickier as it dried and the spoon began to pull at the hairs.

  Sarah hoped he would make the connection to his actions in the past, she watched for the moment of recognition. But no, there was no flicker of awareness yet.

  She grabbed her stuff and dragged the chair away. Now he was alone in the middle of the room. He looked questioningly at her.

  Sarah walked around until she found a nice long hollow metal bar about three feet long. Stalking back to the Raildog she let her caged anger go, swinging the bar between his legs. After a few random shots to get her range and aim right, she started to really wallop his inner thighs, penis, and testicles. Her vision narrowed until the only thing she could see were her own hands gripping the cold steel.

  The rasping of her own breathing wasn’t enough to drown out the Raildog’s screams, and with each blow, as she became more and more furious, the screams all rolled together in one long wail.

  Sarah finally stopped swinging, exhausted and panting, her initial rage beginning to subside. The muscles in her arms burned. She reached up to swat hair out of her view. There was the look of a madwoman swimming in the glare of her eyes. She licked her lips in satisfaction. Some things were worth the effort.

  Standing back to admire her handy-work, she watched the blood and honey slowly drip to the floor. She could leave it at that, the puddle slowly spreading. Knowing what was coming was enough. She only had one thing left to do, and that was set the fucker up. She didn’t want the end to be a surprise, she want
ed him thinking about it.

  “Seen those rats chewed on you a bit. Good thing you were standing and able to kick them away.” She smiled, “Not sure what you’re going to do now to keep 'em off, but you’re a stud, you’ll think of something.”

  The look of horror on his face was priceless. She ought to stay for the show, but she had enough images in her head of the bastard and didn’t need to add any new ones. As she led David towards the door she hoped the rats took their time.

  “That’s for me, you fucker, and all the others.”

  *****

  Tucson, Arizona

  Bill Dewton had finally gotten mad at himself. An hour after leaving Phoenix it hit him. The guy out in the field was dressed in black from head to toe. That was why it had been so hard to see him.

  It had to be the same guy he’d seen on the passenger train leaving Salt Lake. Where they had found the mummy. Bill replayed the scene in his head. The guy had been just as suspicious looking the second time round.

  When Bill caught sight of him, the guy had been watching him back. That meant the guy had noticed him first. As soon as he realized Bill had seen him, he’d turned his back and started moving. It was like he knew a moving person was harder to recognize. Fuck.

  He should have jumped off the train right then. He’d had the thought. A few bruises would be better than the pissed off attitude he was giving himself right now. The soonest he could turn back was Tucson, so where the hell was it? It should be close. Christ, he’d been on the train three hours now.

  The more he thought about it, the more he didn’t like the guy in black. Was he a Raildog? He didn’t act like one. But seeing him twice in a twenty-four hour period couldn’t be a coincidence.

  The burden was weighing heavy on his shoulders. For some reason this wild goose chase kept bringing his daughter back to the top of his mind. His wife thought he hadn’t shown enough sorrow and in some ways he had silently agreed. He knew if he did start to really grieve, he’d die in the hole it would create.

  Now he was running out of time. The question was, time for what? He wasn’t going to find her, so what was he really after?