by RJ Crayton
Willie walked over to the boxcar door and stood sentry as the train slowed. There was still a decent amount of rattling, so Willie wouldn’t hear what they were doing. Lijah motioned to Elaan and Josh for their backpacks. They both handed him their bags. He set them all on the floor against the wall, and Elaan and Josh turned back to face Willie and block Lijah from his view.
Lijah needed to split their monetary supplies so they all had enough, should they get separated. He decided to start with Josh’s bag, which held the cash. Josh said he had fifty thousand dollars. Lijah quickly calculated that an even split would have been about $16,600 apiece, but there was no way he could get that precise with Willie just across the train. He opened the bag but didn’t know where the money was. He suspected it was the same place it had been in Elaan’s bag, the lower zipper pouch. While the cash was his priority, he found himself curious what Josh had packed. Shuffling through the bag, he noted pants, shirts, underwear, a razor, some food, a hard plastic box that had something inside it, but Lijah didn’t think it was the money, so he didn’t open it. Probably more gadgetry from his father. He stumbled across a handful of condoms and sighed, remembering Kingston shoving them in the bag in front of him and his dad, when Josh had gone over to talk to Elaan in the lab. Kingston was such a jerk. He’d wanted James to cringe at the prospect of his daughter having an orgy and rethink suggesting they go together. But Kingston had no idea how much was on the line for the Woodson family, and a minor orgy was not going to be enough to get James Woodson to suggest Elaan and Lijah go without Josh.
Lijah reached further down, located the lower pouch, and unzipped it. He reached inside and found five distinct stacks of money separated by rubber bands. That probably meant ten thousand in each. He could try to approximate and pull half from one, or simply undercount himself. He’d be alright with less if they got separated. Especially if Willie was right, and people valued bills less than silver and gold. He shoved two stacks in Elaan’s bag.
He went into Elaan’s bag and found the coin pouch. Quietly, he separated the coins into three mostly even stacks. He again undercounted himself on the silver coins, and then transferred each of the even stacks to Josh’s and Elaan’s bags and the smaller one to his own. Lijah zipped the three packs and stood. They were all even at this point. Or at least as even as they were going to get.
Lijah tapped Elaan’s leg. She turned back, and he gave a simple nod as the train squeaked to a stop, everyone jolting as it did. Willie put a finger to his lips and they stood there, waiting. The waiting seemed to be the worst part. Lijah glimpsed the watch on his wrist. It was ten o’clock.
The idea of standing had seemed good. He thought maybe he could stretch or twist or move about a bit, and still be quiet. But the longer they stood, the antsier he got. He wanted to run or tap his foot. Something, anything at all. Only that seemed like it would make noise. Willie stood unmoving in the doorway.
Lijah checked his watch again. It was ten thirty. A half an hour had passed. He heard the warble of the train doors in nearby cars opening and closing as muffled voices edged closer. Finally, their door clambered open, and Lijah, Elaan, and Josh stepped backward, pressing their backs into the wall.
A tall, thin man in a military uniform stepped onto the boxcar. Willie and the man exchanged glances and some private signals. Then, Willie closed the door of the car and looked to his right, where Lijah, Josh, and Elaan were standing. The military man pointed at them.
“Passengers,” Willie said softly, the sound reverberating in the train car.
Lijah lowered his eyes to the ground, not wanting the military guy to think that he was trying to listen in or, worse, memorize his face.
“You’re fine,” he said. “The chief just got called away. I’m to clear the remainder of the train.”
Lijah breathed out in relief and imagined Willie doing the same. The chief, according to Josh, had been the main problem.
“For you,” he heard Willie say. He couldn’t resist peeking and glimpsed Willie handing the man a pouch.
The man opened the pouch and scanned its contents. He nodded and handed Willie a piece of paper. “There’s a change in the schedule at Effingham,” he said. “It’s explained here.”
Willie nodded at the man. Lijah lowered his head, afraid the man would catch him.
He heard the boxcar door slide open again, and the military man said, “All clear here.” Lijah looked up as the door closed. Willie had his fingers to his lips, reminding them to keep quiet. Lijah supposed they weren’t done yet. There were probably a few more boxcars left to be searched by Willie’s guy. They waited about ten more minutes, and then the train started again.
Willie said, “Alright, that’s the last big checkpoint prior to Terra Haute. Two more little ones, and then you guys are off.”
Lijah nodded. Willie made it seem simple, but Lijah had a feeling it wouldn’t be. Lijah was one hundred percent certain that nothing with Willie was ever simple.
Chapter 6
After the checkpoint, the ride had been fairly uneventful, as far as Elaan was concerned. They’d dug into their food supply, eating a snack. Willie had given them jars to take care of their business, but if Elaan could have held it, she would have. The only good thing was Willie gave them each their own fresh jar. By fresh, she meant apparently unused recently. They appeared to be old mayonnaise jars and smelled of bleach. But you had to do what you had to do.
They were almost at Terra Haute, which meant they were almost through with Willie. Elaan was so glad to be done with him. He was a creepball beyond creepballs. Even now, she could feel his eyes on her, watching her as she sat on the boxcar floor between a sleeping Lijah and an awake Josh. Willie smiled at her, the gap in his teeth menacing her. She kept her head down, staring at her feet, then at the watch on her wrist. It was four forty-five. Willie said they’d get to Terra Haute by five, so it couldn’t be that far now. She took a peek and Willie was now busy looking inside his boxes.
She leaned over and whispered in Josh’s ear. “Not much longer,” she said. “I can’t wait to get away from this guy.”
Josh whispered back. “Me neither. Just stick close to us getting off the train. We’ll have you go first.”
Elaan nodded. First. She wasn’t even sure what she would do when she got off. Where would she go? How did the drop-off even work? Weren’t there guards? This was a checkpoint, right?
Willie shoved a lid on the box he’d been rummaging in and started walking toward them. Josh stood. Elaan remained seated but nudged Lijah with her elbow. She didn’t begrudge him the sleep. He’d been up early the previous day, doing God knows what with Kingston in the lab. He’d stayed awake practically all night to keep her safe from Willie, so she understood why he was exhausted. But now they all had to be on alert because getting off this train wasn’t going to be easy. Lijah stirred, and she said loudly, “Daanish, it’s your sister, Priya. Wake up.”
Lijah opened his eyes reluctantly, and then nodded.
“We’re going to stop in a minute,” she said.
Lijah glanced at Willie standing in front of them, and he stood. The three men towered over Elaan, overshadowing her until she stood too. Willie smiled at this. Josh’s hand brushed against hers gently and he gave her a solid look of support. She took a breath to steady herself. They were almost done. Willie molesting her with his eyes was only going to last a few more minutes, and then they’d be gone.
“So, Terra Haute’s a good place to get off,” Willie said. “We stop near a cemetery. The military like to joke, ‘if we find a stowaway, there’s nothing to do but shoot ’em.’”
Easily shot and discarded. That seemed like a very bad place to get off.
“Why exactly is that a good place to get off?” Lijah asked, mirroring Elaan’s thoughts.
“There’s a mausoleum at the cemetery not far from the tracks. I generally suggest people get off the train and dart straight into the mausoleum,” Willie said. He smiled at her and added, “A m
ausoleum is an above ground building where you can bury bodies or deposit ashes. They’re popular in areas below sea level because flooding can cause the bodies to dislodge. They’re also nice for people who don’t like the idea of being buried. My mother wanted a mausoleum.” His eyes got wistful for a moment, as if some memory of his mother had overtaken him. “We couldn’t even get anyone to come get the body, people were so scared.” He sighed and shook off his sentiment. “Anyway, this mausoleum is good for you guys because it’s less than twenty yards from the track and once you get inside, you can’t be seen. Wait there until the train leaves, then you can find shelter nearby for the overnight.”
“OK,” Lijah said. “So how do we get off the train?”
“The inspector is going to come on to inspect the train for contraband and mark it clear. I’m going to tell him I have three passengers that need off.” He pointed to the doors on either side of the car. “You can unload cargo from either side,” Willie said. “Our inspector will come in through this door.” He pointed at the door to his right. “He’ll open the other door, the cemetery side, while on the train. Once he clears the car, we wait two minutes, then you get off the train and get to the mausoleum. Go quickly and quietly. The inspector won’t say anything, and no one else should be watching. The two minutes allows him to get his second inspector to go on the next car. But you have to hurry, because if the other guy, who isn’t on the payroll, sees you, you could end up captured. If they don’t shoot you and leave you for dead, they’ll take you into custody and drop you in the checkpoint holding cell they use for stowaways.”
Elaan didn’t like the sound of that. It was iffy and problematic. But she supposed it was the best they were going to get.
Lijah nodded, so she followed suit. Willie smiled at them and said, “Gather your things and stand in this corner, ready to go. I’ll wave you over when it’s time to get off.” The train began to slow. “Be quiet the entire time. OK?”
They nodded again and watched Willie go stand near door as they put their backpacks on. The waiting was long and tedious, even though it was really only a minute or two. Elaan stood, unmoving, even though she felt like jogging a few laps, or sprinting as fast as she could away from the train. She just wanted off.
The train squeaked to a stop and the three of them waited. After a couple more interminable minutes, the boxcar door slid open and a short, stocky man in a military uniform stepped in and closed the door.
Willie greeted the man with a soft spoken, “I have passengers exiting here.”
The man looked over at them, nodded, and turned back to Willie. “Open the door and wait two minutes,” he said. “I’ll get my second to inspect car three. That’s regular cargo, yes?”
Willie nodded. The military man turned to them. “Wait exactly two minutes, then exit this door. You’ll have an additional minute to get out of sight before the train starts moving again.”
They nodded, and the inspector left. Willie walked across to the other door and stood until the inspector signaled, then they both opened their doors. Willie’s went only about two feet wide, while the inspector’s went all the way. The inspector jumped off the car and closed the door.
Willie motioned them over. Josh arrived at the door’s edge first, Elaan behind him, and Lijah pulling up the rear. Josh, pensive for a moment, glanced at Willie and then stepped away from the door and motioned for Elaan to go first. She didn’t want to be first off, but she also didn’t like the way Willie leered, so she swallowed and nodded at Josh. It was probably best for her to go first. She took a step forward, ready to get off the train, but Willie held up his hand. He was wearing a watch and seemed to be counting the seconds as they ticked by.
“There’s one important thing you need to know,” Willie said, his voice a whisper. She leaned toward him to hear better. Then Willie’s arms clasped onto her waist, and he pulled her tightly against him, gripping her like a vise. Something hard pressed against her side and Elaan realized Willie’s gun was jammed in her rib. Her heart hammered and she wanted to run, but she also didn’t want him to shoot her. Lijah and Josh seemed to be trying hard not to make sudden moves, Lijah seething silently while Josh balled his fists at his sides.
“Let her go,” Lijah said.
“You two are getting off,” Willie spat, his hot, foul breath brushing past Elaan’s cheek.
“We paid you,” Josh said.
“The girl is staying with me,” he said. “I’ll let her off at St. Louis. You need to get off the train now. Your two-minute window is running out. Use it.”
Fear gripped Elaan as Lijah looked out the open boxcar door. That was supposed to be their freedom. Lijah couldn’t leave her with this guy. He couldn’t. The pressure in her side eased as Willie aimed the gun at Lijah and Josh. “I said, get off the train.”
“Listen,” Lijah said, taking a step toward them. “You don’t need her. She’s just a girl. I can find you someone else. Let her go, and I’ll find you a replacement. I’ll stay on until I can find you someone else.”
Willie cackled. “Boy, there’s no one else on this train for you to get.”
Lijah hung his head, nodded. “Fine, there’s no one else, but please, just let her go. I’ll stay here, I’ll do whatever you want. Just let her go, please.”
Willie scoffed, stabbed the gun at Lijah and said, “Get off the train.”
Josh’s eyes widened as he looked out the open doorway. “It’s the inspector. He’s trying to signal you. He wants something. Something’s wrong.”
Willie strained his neck slightly to catch a glimpse outside. Lijah lurched forward, knocking the gun from Willie’s hand and crashing into both Elaan and Willie. She toppled backward onto the old man, her body splayed across his. Elaan scrambled off Willie and turned to see Lijah and Willie tussling on the floor. Lijah punched Willie in the face and she heard something crunch. Blood spurted everywhere. It seemed to be coming from Willie’s nose. Lijah hit him in the face again and then grabbed both Willie’s hands with one of his and held them.
“Get off me,” Willie spat.
Lijah stuck a hand over his mouth and turned to Elaan. “Quick. Get off. Go with Josh.”
Elaan stared. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. She saw Willie’s gun a few feet away from Lijah. “Get off the train,” Lijah said again. “Hurry. Go with Josh.”
Josh took a step toward Elaan and grabbed her hand, tugging her off the train. He jumped down first and Elaan was about to go, but she turned back to her brother.
“Hurry up, Lijah,” she said.
Her brother shook his head, and Willie tried to shout. Lijah pulled his hand away, punched Willie in the face, and then blocked Willie’s mouth again. “Someone has to keep him quiet. Josh knows what to do. Get off the train, now! I’ll meet you at our destination.”
Josh tugged Elaan’s arm, and she fell off the train and into his arms. She was startled, but Josh set her down and started pulling her along. She watched as Lijah hit Willie again, then walked over and picked up the gun. Josh tugged her arm and they started to run. She didn’t even see where. A moment later, they were in a little brick building. The mausoleum.
It had an archway, but no door to open or shut. Josh pulled her to the other side of the archway so they were out of sight.
“We just left him,” she said to Josh. “How could we leave him?”
Josh bit his lip and said, “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just that he told us to get off, and we only had a two-minute window. If we missed it, we’d be stuck on the train. We don’t know what checkpoints are coming up next, and we wouldn’t be sure how get off, which places were safe.”
“But it was OK for Lijah to stay on the train with Willie?”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know. It’s not great that we left Lijah there with Willie, but he told us to go. And he seemed to have it under control. He knows what he’s doing.”
Elaan blanched. “Lijah had the upper hand for a minute, but we don’t know what Wil
lie has up his sleeve.”
The freight horn sounded and Elaan looked out. Her heart sank. “The train is leaving, and Lijah’s still on there with Willie.”
“He told us to get off,” Josh said.
“What about Willie?”
“Lijah had gotten the gun away from him,” Josh said. Elaan craned her neck to see better, watching the train disappear down the tracks. Elijah was gone. He was going on without them. This was awful. She closed her eyes and began to cry.
Chapter 7
The train had been gone for at least five minutes, and Elaan had crumpled on the floor for a good cry. She couldn’t believe Lijah was still on the train with Willie. What if Willie had gotten the gun back? What if Lijah was dead now? He’d stayed to keep Willie from turning them in. But how was he going to do that? The only way she could think to silence Willie was to kill him. Lijah wasn’t a killer. At least she didn’t think he was.
Would he become a killer to save her?
Josh rubbed her back as she cried, trying to soothe her. “Elaan,” he whispered. “It’s going to be dark soon. We need to get out of here and find shelter. People aren’t supposed to be out after dark.”
Elaan wiped away the tears. The ground was hard, her bottom hurt, and she wasn’t sure she had the emotional or physical energy to move. What had her father’s note said? Courage wasn’t the strength to go on, but going on when you didn’t have the strength. Well, she didn’t have the strength. But she knew Josh was right. They needed to go. She took a deep breath, nodded at him, and stood. She’d go without strength.
Josh walked over to the archway and peeked out. “I don’t see anyone around, so it’s probably safe to go.” He looked out again. “There’s a house in the distance that way. It might be a decent bet.”
