The Hijacked Train
The story follows Jessie White, who finds himself on a train with no memory of how he got on one in the first place. But he finds out that he's not the only one on this locomotive.
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My consciousness brought me back to reality with the sound of metal clashing against metal, screeching as it went. The noise grew louder that I had to cover my ears until they were ready to adjust. Once I lowered my hands, I began to open my eyes.
There were lights all around me, either by the sun or a nearby lamp, I didn’t know. I eventually adjusted to the lights as I sat up, my head ached in pain. I began to massage my crown to ease the throbbing. By the time the pain finally went away, I took a good look at my surroundings.
I was on a train!
And from the looks of it, I was in a cab, the one where people can get on and off with rows of seats paired next to each window.
My mind began to race with questions. Why am I on a train? I don’t remember planning on going anywhere this weekend.
I looked down and found myself on the floor. I guessed I must’ve passed out.
Passed out from what? Or did I get knocked out? If that’s the case, who would want to knock me out? And where is everybody?
At the very mention of everybody, I called out to the moving cab.
“Hello?”
No answer.
“Is anyone here? Hello?”
Silence.
Moaning, I pulled myself up with a nearby pole to take a look around, maybe find some answers to what’s going on. After a brief moment to rub my thumping head again, I again called out as I made my way forward to the end of the cab.
I yelled out some more but I got the same reply as before. I even checked the seats in case I might find somebody lying down as I walked by. All the seats were vacant. I turned around and did the same search at the back. I got the same results.
I can feel the fear crawl its way into my mind as I begin to panic.
Why would a train carry an empty cabin? Are there more cabins? Are they empty as well? Where did everyone go? Is there even a driver? Why am I here? What’s going on?
I forced myself to take deep breaths to calm myself. I can feel my brain begin to ease as all the questions fade away, giving my head plenty of room to think.
“Think, Jessie, think,” I told myself. “You had a fight with Cassie. You went to the bar for a couple of drinks to clear your head. What happened?”
I closed my eyes as my brain took a stroll down memory lane. I saw myself picking up from what looked like one too many whiskeys due to the numerous glass shots. I remember that I didn’t care. Just as long as it did its job of taking away my torment, I was good. I ordered another round. The bartender rolled his eyes and gave me another drink. He told me something but I couldn’t make it out. It was all mumbled. I told him to fuck off and started to gulped my drink.
And that was it.
“No!” I yelled, not happy with the results. “Something else happened! I just know it! But what was it?”
I suddenly got an idea. I went for my pockets and found my wallet along with my iPhone. I thanked God that neither were stolen while I was out. I began rummaging through my wallet, thinking I must’ve bought a ticket. Aside from the cash and credit cards, I couldn’t find anything that resembled a ticket. Thinking I must’ve bought one digitally, I went for my iPhone, swiped away some missed messages and calls only to see no history of buying a ticket.
“Damnit!”
I stomped my foot in frustration, wondering how I even got on this train to begin with and why I would get on it.
Then it hit me. I could use my iPhone to track me using the maps app, therefore showing me where I am and where this train is headed.
“Why the hell didn’t you think of this earlier, Jessie?” I asked myself with irritation.
Once I pulled up the map app, I found myself as a blue dot moving at top speed on the railway heading to Phoenix. I can feel my chest rise and release a sigh of relief that I was still in my home state. However, I did notice one thing.
I seem to be heading on the rail track that was a dead end with an unfinished curve on the right. I remember my buddy, Brad telling me about it due to his work as a train conductor. His superiors wanted to expand their tracks into the city so they closed off the track until completion. If there is someone driving this train, shouldn’t he or she be well aware of this? Or did they already know?
I scanned for a closer look at the closed off area, looking for something that might peak someone’s interest. As for the closed off rail tracks, nothing but the usually closed off signs and all that other construction crap. I looked around beyond the construction and saw right in front of it was a building. And it wasn’t just any building; it was the golden lights hotel where Arizona’s new governor, Paul Wellerman, who just happens to be making his big speech on his victory somewhere around noon.
From what I recall, the guy was pretty decent; kept his promises, took no shit from anyone, and pissed off a lot of people that didn’t want any kind of changes to make our state a better place. That gave people all the more reason to vote for him. It seems that there are some who are willing to wipe him out for good along with his colleagues and supporters all in the same place. And I’m caught stuck in the middle of it.
“Oh, shit,” I mumbled.
A part of me didn’t want to believe that I somehow got myself involved on a hijacked train making an assignation attempt on the new governor. And that maybe there was other cargo on the train that was being delivered and there’s an actual conductor driving this thing and is well aware of the closed railway. But another side of my head made perfectly good arguments to why this can’t be.
Why else would this cab be empty? For all I know, the other cabs could be empty as well, unless they’re filled with explosives, bombs or God knows what else. And is it just a coincidence that this train is headed for the one place where Wellerman would be? Seems like a perfect plan that only a terrorist could come up.
I looked back at the map and saw that the train was getting closer to the hotel. I looked at the clock and it showed 12:09pm.
The governor probably already got started with his speech or is half-way through; either way, he and everybody else had to get out asap. And it was up to me to save them. I mean, I’m on a moving train. It’s not like I got anything better to do. Unless I plan on hopping out and risk breaking my legs.
As I headed down to the cab, I pulled up my phone and just when I’m about to call the police, it started ringing. I looked and saw it was Brad. I swiped it and put it to my ear.
“About damn time, dipshit!” yelled Brad, sounding both mad and relieved. “Where the hell are you?! We’ve been calling for hours and Cassie’s worried sick!”
“Brad, I’d love to explain everything but now is not a good time!”
“Why? What’s going on?”
I told him everything about the train and its direction for the new elected governor’s party. As expected, he was just as shocked as I was.
“Those sons of bitches!” He exclaimed. “Just can’t have one day without some idiot wanting to grab attention by causing mayhem! Do you know how far you are from the hotel?”
I switched it to speaker and flipped back to the map app and found the little blue dot. “I’m at least 30 minutes away given how fast this train’s going.”
I added, “Brad, I need you to call the police and get everyone out. I’m gonna try to stop the train.”
“Are you sure?” asked Brad. “Cause last I checked, you don’t know shit about trains. Hell, you have a hard time finding your own shoes.”
Rolling my eyes, I told him I would call him back for further instruction once I reached the controls. “But for now, you call the cops and tell them everything. Hopefully, we can get everybody out before the train comes if I can’t stop it in time.”
“You got it,” Brad said.
Right before I hung up, I heard Brad calling me.
“What?”
“Try not to die, all right?”
“You know I can’t promise that,” I told him. “I’ll call you later.”
I hung up and took a deep breath, I opened the outside door that led me to the gangway bellow to the other cab. As I made my way, the cab was just as empty as the one I was on. A part of me was thankful that there weren't any explosives. I even checked the seats while I walked in case I were to find either someone or something. Again, nothing to be found.
I proceeded to the next cab car that also had the same results except for one detail; at the end of the cab’s hall, was a two-sided door that led to the train’s control panel.
Excitement raced through my veins as I sped up my legs to a jog to finally put an end to this nightmare. My heart stopped when I saw a shadow emerge from the window of the door.
Without even thinking, I dove for the closest seat for cover. After adjusting myself as well as my heart rate, I took a peak at the door to see if the shadow was still there. It turned out that it belonged to a man. I wasn’t able to get much from my hiding spot but from what I could see, he was a bald African American somewhere around his late thirties. I put my head back to my hiding spot when the guy looked around the cab through his golden rimmed sunglasses. I could hear him talking but I couldn’t make out the words.
Another voice was heard, but more high pitched. I could be wrong but I think the second guy’s accent was Italian. Again, I wasn’t able to hear correctly due to how far I was. However, I could tell that they were arguing about something.
I peaked out again to see if the guy was gone. Luckily for me, he turned to further bicker with his comrade. Seizing my chance, I dashed for the door while keeping my head down.
Now that I was closer to the door, I could make out what they were saying.
“All I’m saying is that if that broad of yours wants to fuck,” said the Itlaian guy. “Then I don’t see why not! You can’t just wait for the right moment cause it’s never gonna come! Why do you think people always say, ‘do it now before it’s too late?’”
I slowly raised my head to see two men. First I could see the black dude wearing a dark jacket with a white shirt along with dark jeans. He also wore a golden necklace that hung down to his hairy chest with the letter ‘j.’ As for the Italian, who wasn’t much older than the other guy, he wore more casual clothes like a Hawaiian t-shirt, gray pants and a black baseball cap that covered his curly, dirty blonde hair. As far as I could tell, these guys were far from terrorists. But then again, looks can be deceiving.
The black man shook his head with a heavy sigh. “You were always the impatient type, Donnie,” he said. “If you truly want to earn the love of a woman, you have to make it worthwhile. You have to treat her like a queen, like she’s so much more than any other girl; make her feel special and important. And when she’s ready to give herself to you, it’s like you found the world’s greatest treasure and you’ll never want to let it go.”
I gave the guy credit for treating his so-called girlfriend right and not like a pretty item but it seemed like he took it a little too seriously. I mean, I’ve been with Cassie long enough to know that she’s more of a sports girl than the princess type. It was almost like he read too many romance novels just so he can get the hint of what a woman wants.
Turned out that Donnie, the Italian guy was thinking the same thing I was for he said, “You and your stupid romantic guide books. Well, if it all goes down to shit, don’t say I didn’t warn you for taking so damn long.”
Suddenly, the sound of a radio came on. I couldn’t make much but I did hear the sound of a deep-voiced man asking about the destination of the train. The voice sounded fake so I guessed he was using some kind of voice recorder to hide his real voice.
“We’re about 17 minutes away, boss,” Donnie responded. “If we make it off at that destination point as planned, the new governor and his little minions are gonna have one hell of a surprise!”
Maniacal laughs were heard from both him and his friend. I could feel their laughter tickle up my spine, making me uneasy.
Their boss mentioned something but I and the two henchmen weren't able to make it out due to the sudden loss of range.
“Sorry, boss,” the black man said as he adjusted the radio. “Losing a little frequency here. Did you say something about an evacuation?”
I felt my throat tighten as I realized that their boss somehow found out about the police vacating the hotel. I heard him speak again to his henchmen about a possible hitchhiker on board.
“But, boss,” protested Donnie. “Ted checked all the cabs before we hijacked this baby. If there were somebody on board, he would’ve found him.”
Ted?? My thoughts yelled. I felt my heart race at the mention of three men on the train and only to find two.
I took a step back when I bumped into something. It was a mere second later that I discovered it was a person due to the heavy breathing blowing on my head. Not wanting to turn around but did it anyway, my eyes went wide at the figure that stood before me.
The person turned out to be a very tall, muscular man dressed as a train conductor which probably explained how these guys were able to get their hands on one. He had to be at least 6’5, maybe taller. It was like Andre the Giant and Arnold Schwarzenegger had a baby and created this monstrosity. He was a little old thanks to the wrinkles on his face but something about his dark eyes made me want to run away screaming.
I just stood there with my eyes glued to the guy’s soulless face. I finally gathered enough courage to raise my hand and say hi.
That wasn’t a good idea, however, for he grabbed me by the throat and lifted me up like I was a rag doll. He wasn’t choking me, but he held me tight enough so I wouldn’t escape, despite my best efforts to free myself.
Donnie and the other dude saw me thrashing my legs around outside the control cab while Ted just stood there, giving me the most pitiful glare. They came out with shocked looks and asked Ted where he found me.
“I was coming back from the bathroom when I saw him spying on you two,” Ted replied in a deep southern accent.
“This has got to be the little bastard who called the cops!” Donnie exclaimed. Seeing his giant comrade’s confused face, he explained everything that their boss told them earlier.
“Jack, get the radio! Tell the boss we caught the rat!”
The black man hurried to the control panel, grabbed the radio and gave him the report.
Donnie turned to me and said, “Just how the hell did you get on this train? Cause last time I checked with Ted here, this baby was swiped clean.”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” I replied, still fighting to get myself free from Ted’s powerful hand.
Donnie gave me an odd look. “You’re telling me you have no idea how you got on this train?”
“Look,” I said, getting quite irritated at my lack of progress with the giant’s grasp and of the one question that bothered me since the beginning. “I woke up on this train with no memory of how I got here. Hell, I don’t even remember what I was doing last night that led me here!”
I left out the part of me drinking my sorrows away not just because it wouldn’t be very hero-like but also of the fact I had no memory of what I did when I left the bar. Even when I tried to remember, it was all still foggy to see through.
“I don’t think an idiot would come up with a story that stupid,” Ted said, clearly not believing a word I said.
Donnie agreed. “I’ve heard pot-heads make better excuses.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I told them. “Cause I’m gonna stop you from killing innocent lives!”
To be honest, that line sounded better in my head but given the situation I was in, saying it out loud wasn’t the best idea. For that got both the henchmen laughing their asses off for a couple minutes.
“Yeah,” cackled Donnie, wiping his tear-soaked eyes. “You’re off to a great start, kid! A great start!”
It was then that Jack came back with the radio still in his hand.
Donnie turned while trying to calm himself down. “What did he say?”
“What else?” Jack shrugged. “Kill him.”
“Fine by me,” Donnie followed with a shrug of his own as he pulled out a handgun from his pocket.
I struggled even harder when I took sight of the gun. But like before, I wasn’t going anyway thanks to Ted. I can feel my blood pressure rise to the fear of me getting shot.
“Pull him out, Ted so I won’t shoot ya,” Donnie commanded.
Ted held me out with my hands still trying to loosen up the giant’s fist around my neck. Thanks to his huge arms, his body was clear of Donnie’s shooting range.
“I’ve been meaning to go to target practice, kid. Just to see if I still got the touch. But I guess you’ll have to do.”
I shouted, “Like hell!” And before I knew what I was doing, I kicked the gun right out of Donnie's hand. The weapon landed near the sixth row near the end of the cab.
“Little shit!” yelled Donnie as he sprinted for the gun.
That was when I took my chance and kicked Ted’s private parts. Luckily for me, I kicked just hard enough for him to finally let me go for him to come crashing down on the floor, his eyes rolling in pain and his hands on his crotch. All Jack could do was hold onto his own balls with his legs tucked in and wincing at Ted’s painstricken face.
I got up as I massaged my neck, with my lips curling into a sneaky grin.
“I just kicked a giant in the balls,” I exclaimed, probably feeling the same power that David did when he took down Goliath. Sure, he used a stone to take him out, but it's the same thing.
Suddenly remembering about the gun I kicked, I dashed toward Donnie who was just about to pick up the gun. I pounced on him which caused him to drop it thanks to the impact I made.
“Get off me, you bastard!” Donnie screamed as he tried to shake me off.
We exchanged a few good blows before he punched me in the eye, causing me to cry out in pain. That gave him the opportunity to kick me off his body and plunge for the gun. He was just about to point it at me when I lunged at him and tried to take it from his hands. From there, it was tug-a-war for the hand gun. As we pulled back and forth, we spun out of control trying to keep our balance on the moving train.
I wasn’t sure what happened next but the gun started going off. I didn’t remember if I pulled the trigger or if Donnie did. Either way, it didn’t stop us from our goal of getting the gun.
“Jack!” yelled Donnie as he tried to swing me around but to no avail. “Quit standing around and help me!”
“I will if you stop shooting me!” Jack responded, who had a crow bar which I guess he got from the control panel and tried to get a clear shot of my head.
That gave me an idea; I spun around in Jack’s direction that gave him a perfect opportunity to knock me out. Just as he was about to hit me, I spun around again, this time switching places with Donnie, causing him to get hit instead.
As Donnie collapsed on the floor, Jack stared down with wide eyes while trying to process what just happened. That was when I gave him a good punch to that perfect little face of his, crashing right on top of his unconscious partner in crime.
I had no idea how long I stood there, breathing heavily while staring at my fallen opponents. Every inch of my body ached in pain as I calmed my racing heart. By the time I felt my heart rate decrease, I leaned over to pick up the gun only for it to start racing again when I saw that one of the gun shots that was fired earlier hit the train controls.
“Shit!”
I put the gun in the back of my jeans and ran over to the controls, ignoring the agonizing screams of my body. Ted was still on the floor, groaning as he held his balls. Electric sparks flew here and there as steam floated out of the panel. I tried clearing the light smoke away to see the damage, I saw that the lever for the brakes took the worst of the bullet.
I screamed in frustration as I kicked the panel. I pulled out my phone and dialed for Brad.
After three rings, I heard him pick up.
“Jessie! Thank God!” He cried with relief. I could hear noises in the background but I didn’t pay much attention as my main focus was Brad. “You’re still alive!”
“Yeah,” I replied. “I got good news and bad news.”
More racket was heard that caused Brad to tell whatever or whoever it was to shut up before coming back on the phone asking what’s wrong.
“Well,” I began, turning to the fallen henchmen. “The good news is I stopped the bad guys. The bad news is that they shot the brakes.”
“Goddammit!” He yelled. I could hear him either punching or kicking something to ease his anger.
I looked up and saw the golden lights hotel up ahead that started to grow in size as the train got closer. The construction site that separated the railway from the building grew closer as well. “Brad, now would be a great time to tell me how to stop this thing. I got a clear view of the hotel!”
“How much time do you think you got?”
“I don’t know,” I looked over at the speedometer that kept switching from 70 to 72. “With how fast this train is going, I’m guessing 3 minutes.”
“Shit! And the police are still evacuating people out of the building!”
“STILL!?” I repeated, dumbfounded at what I just heard. These guys had a whole 30 minutes to vacate the hotel! How could they still be getting everybody out?!
“Anyway! Doesn’t matter!” he yelled, trying to get back on track. “Do you see a big, red, circular button? It should be somewhere near the main panel but not too far.”
I quickly scanned for the button until I saw it on the panel’s right with white words that read, emergency break.
“Got it!”
He asked me if it was damaged as well. “Nope! It’s still in one piece!”
“Great!” he exclaimed. “All right, Jessie! You just hit that fucker as hard as you can and you’re home free.”
“Wait,” I said. “Shouldn’t I try to slow the train down first in case it doesn’t brake in time?”
“No,” he answered. “When you hit that emergency brake, the train will stop, no matter what. But you might want to hold on to something cause you’re gonna be coming in hot!”
I looked around for something to keep me from flying across the cab. Unfortunately, there was nothing to put my hands on, not even a pull-up handle.
Rolling my eyes, I yelled, “Oh, fuck it!”
Turning to the emergency brake, I slammed the button as hard as I could. As Brad predicted, the wheels on the train immediately stopped, causing them to squeal as they slid on the tracks. Thanks to the sudden force of the train, I lost my balance and fell over, losing my phone in the fall with Brad yelling in the small microphone. The gun went up against my backbone as I plummet down to the ground, feeling my back ache from gravity’s impact. I could hear Ted groan some more as he rolled over, still clutching his genitals.
Finally, for what seemed like eternity, the train stopped.
Getting myself up, murmuring in pain as I went, I saw that I stopped it just before it hit the construction sign warning of a dead end. I found myself taken prisoner by gravity as I sat down on the floor, running my fingers through my hair as I made a heavy, relieved sigh.
Then I heard a tiny voice from behind me. Realizing it was Brad, I scanned around for my phone until I found it near Donnie and Jack, still out cold. I literally slid through the floor with my belly and scrambled to grab the phone.
“Jessie??” called Brad. “Jessie, are you there?? Answer me, damnit!”
I picked up the apple product and declared, “Still alive, bitch!”
Roars of praise were heard from the background that caused me to bring the phone away from my ear. Despite the noise, I could hear Brad laughing like a manic saying I did it. I could even hear Cassie cheer along with him. Just the thought of her made me smile and long to embrace her and apologize for everything I said yesterday.
After his little victory dance, Brad told me to hold tight as the police were on their way.
“I’ll be here,” I responded with a chuckle and hung up.
Just when I was about to get up, I spotted the walkie-talkie the guys used to call their boss. I totally forgot about that device ever since my fight with Donnie. It seemed to be in perfect condition throughout the whole skirmish.
Getting an idea, I crawled over to the walkie-talkie, put it up to my mouth and said, “Hey, boss! Not sure if your name is boss but anyway, consider your train canceled! Next time, hire actual professionals to do your dirty work!”
Even though I figured he wasn’t there, it just felt good to let the big man know that he lost. However, just when I got back on my feet with the walkie in hand, I heard him speak.
“This isn’t over, Jessie White.”
I could feel a blizzard rush through my veins, freezing them with fear. Even with his fake deep voice, the man sounded cold and empty as if this whole situation was just a setback for him.
Just when I started to wonder how he knew my name, swat men came in yelling with guns in hands, ready for any kind of hidden surprise.
One of them went up to me and asked, “Are you Jessie White?”
I nodded.
“Well, come on, then,” he said, taking me by the arm. “Your friends are waiting.”
I looked out the window and I saw Brad and Cassie waiting near an ambulance, their faces scanning the crowd for me. When the cop and I got out of the cab, they saw me and joy overwhelmed them. Brad smiled as he waved over to the cop to come over. Cassie, meanwhile, couldn’t help but jump up and down while trying to hold back her grateful tears.
All I could do was wave back with a tired grin due to all my energy gone on the train. By the time we reached them, Cassie was the first to run straight into my arms, causing me to almost lose my balance. We both laughed as she kissed me on the cheek numerous times as I stroked her hair. She was soon followed by Brad who joined the group hug before calling me one lucky son of a bitch.
We all held each other pretty tight, making this moment the best part of my day, despite everything that happened. Even though I have no idea who the henchmen’s boss is, one thing’s for sure; if he tries to hurt my friends to get to me, he’s got another thing coming.
About the Creator
R. N. M. Haubrock
Reanne Nicole Mackenzie Haubrock was born and raised in Arizona. She's an autistic young woman with a love for reading and writing. She currently resides with her family on their farm as she blogs for fun and writes new exciting stories.
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