They were close, tightening the noose around her. The trees echoed the sounds of heavy footfalls and men yelling orders to one another. Dog barks cut through both with violent intent.
Lea dove into the river and felt the icy cold waters engulf her body and her breath instantly. The freezing cold Mississippi was a harsh beast this far north. Like a thousand stinging needles, the hands of the river wanted to wound its prey before sweeping it away.
The dogs sounded like they were coming over the rise near her with the men running up behind them. Flashlight beams tore across the wintry terrain like unwelcome eyes.
Lea pulled herself into an eddy and swam underneath a thicket of branches and muck that had been caught ashore. She held her breath and went under. The lights went across the area above her. For a moment she felt she was caught, then realized it was her own panic of not getting oxygen to her lungs. The water felt warm and she knew she was close to freezing.
The voices slowly but surely fell away from her. Finally the lights went out and night closed in.
As fast as she could she swam to the surface and pulled in massive gulps of air. When she felt she was clear, she paddled back to shore. By the light of the moon she was able to find a rock outcropping. She covered herself in leaves and shook as much as she could. Hyperthermia was setting in strong but she wouldn’t allow it. She had fought too hard to break out of that jail. She had to see this through.
Lea used all her strength to keep moving her joints, to not give up and slowly the darkness found her.
Sometime later, it was hard to tell since it was still night out, she awoke. The leaves fell away from her and magically she had survived the cold. She didn’t even feel wet anymore. Chalking it up to luck she had never known before, Lea pulled herself to her feet.
“Lea…” The words were drawn out in a whisper. She looked around, but no one was there. It looks a little windy so it must be that, she thought. Air running across bark could sound like anything.
She was tempted to double back to her house, but the cops were probably waiting there. This complicated matters only because all the money she stole was hidden there and a good supply of cocaine to use and sell if needed. Plus Rick was there. Well, she didn’t really care for her tractor operator boyfriend come to think of it.
Either way she needed a plan. She needed…
Somewhere off in the distance she heard a deep whistle. It was a familiar sound to anyone who ever heard it. There was a train coming. And it was close.
She pulled herself together and ran after it. Here was her chance to escape this whole mess and begin her new life on the run.
The tracks weren’t far from where her hold up site had been. They were pretty beat up rails held together by rusted pins. She could swear this railroad was completely rotted out but she couldn’t be sure. The moon could only highlight so much. The only question was where was the train? The last time she had heard it was minutes ago and it had sounded like it was rounding the bend.
There was nothing in both directions and she could see pretty far on the straight track.
The sounds of the forest rose from all sides. Owls hooted. Wolves howled. Skittering noises rustled through the brush. It was a reminder that she didn’t want to spend any more of her night in the woods. Plus the cops were still out there. Probably excited they’ll get a woman to put on death row.
When she swept her gaze back north she was temporarily blinded by oncoming light. For a moment she feared it was the police. But then a blaring whistle burst across her ear drums. She rolled down and away from the tracks. There was no need to give them fore warning of her arrival. She didn’t think anyone had seen her anyway.
In the ditch, she watched it slowly slide closer. It took her thoughts a moment to calm enough to think. How it had swung down so quickly from the mountains? It was almost as if it had appeared there. No matter, it was here now.
The train chugged down the tracks at a leisurely pace and the front car went past. Lea threw herself back up and ambled after it. Her feet scraped across gravel until she was back on top. She flung her arms out as she ran after the back car. Fingers outstretched, she reached with everything she had. The fear of being caught propelled them just far enough to grasp the bar. Then, suddenly, she was aboard.
Lea felt like she should be exhausted. Adrenaline must be pumping through me, keeping me going, she imagined. Escaping from jail really amped up the senses.
The train clumped along with her attached. She realized that the tiny back area wouldn’t do for a long trip. It was for only boarding and disembarking. If she fell asleep she would fall right off. She needed to get aboard and maybe get a bite to eat even though she wasn’t that hungry.
Lea lifted her gaze above the back window and looked inside. She saw a hall filled with little side compartments. No one was ambling about. Most likely, they were sleeping through this leg of their journey.
For a second she wondered where exactly this train was going. But then anywhere was better than where she was.
She counted to fifty and when still no one showed she crept inside. She slipped through the door and closed it quietly behind her.
When she did so, she heard a little click. The sound struck her as odd for some reason. Even though she had never traveled by train, she knew it shouldn’t make that kind of sound. It wasn’t a normal closing click.
Lea pulled again on the door and found it wouldn’t budge. She fumbled with the handle back and forth and nothing happened. Why would it open from outside and not in? What if there was an emergency onboard? People could get hurt.
Her instincts told her something wasn’t right about this. But she was already moving forward in this situation so she had to see it play out.
Lea turned back to the inside. Six doors ran on both sides. The doors looked old fashion, but shiny and new. The carpets were a maroon red like the walls and doors. Intricate swirling designs played out across each surface in light red. There was no way to tell what they meant, but they appeared very old.
She tried the first door to the right. It was as locked as the back door. Then she went for the left door and got the same result. Was everything on this train locked up?
Like a thief in the night, she continued her search to find an unlocked door. It took going all the way to the front of the car to realize there wasn’t any hope. No matter how much leverage she used, the little handles wouldn’t budge for her.
As she tried the last one, she heard someone on the other side. It sounded like someone was crying or moaning.
She paused to listen.
“Please…please stop.”
Lea felt her heart speed up.
“Is someone there? Please help me get out.” The voice was filled with fear and despair. It sounded like when a person broke in jail.
Lea removed her hand from the door. She wasn’t going to get involved in whatever was happening inside there.
“Never should have come here. Need to escape…I…oh god help us all.” Then the voice went silent.
Her nerves were in a full blind sprint now. She abandoned the owner of the voice and left the car compartment. She didn’t care where it led as long as she put on distance.
For an odd moment she thought she was going to be back outside, between the cars. But it merely led to another car. It was too dark to tell what was inside.
As she tried to find a rail or wall to guide her, there was only empty space. This was a strange place for a storage area. The darkness felt like it filled this room instead of being a simple absence of light.
“Lea Jones…”
It sounded like the whispery voice from the river. This time it was much closer.
“
Hello?”
No reply came.
Then the lights came on and she found she wasn’t alone anymore.
She was surrounded by people, but ghosts of people that shouldn’t be there.
“You’ve done a terrible thing.” The woman was her grandmother dressed in a hospital gown. She was just as she had last seen her when she told the doctor to pull the plug even though she was beginning to recover in the hospital. “I hope my money was worth murdering me.”
The money had lasted less than a month, spent on every drug she could get her hands on.
“She’s done worse.”
Lea turned and saw her first husband. He was in his uniform from the factory, but with bloody stab wounds running across his front. They weren’t bleeding. He had died long ago when she had had him killed in a staged robbery. In fact, Rick had done it.
“I know that better than most.”
This came from her mother. She was the spitting image of her. But her mangled body was much like it had been when she had jumped out of the car she had been driving with her mother inside. The wreck had been perfect. Well almost if not for the police finally figuring her out and capturing her last week for it.
Everyone here she had killed or hurt or cheated in some way. Each was also dead.
Their freezing cold hands reached out and touched her and she cried out. “This can’t be!”
“It is sweetheart. You will see soon enough when you join us.”
She saw the door leading out nearby and ran for it as the lights went back out. Darkness swelled. She grasped for a handle with sweaty desperate hands and pulled it open.
Again she heard the click behind her. She didn’t pay it any mind. Her eyes were closed and she trembled. This wasn’t possible. Then her mind swept to other concerns since she was now staring at a full compartment.
There were maybe fifty people here in their seats. Everyone was faced forward and didn’t seem to notice the sound of her entry. Thankfully she didn’t recognize anyone she had ever known.
She couldn’t tell much about them, but she did see an empty seat. Something deep inside her told her she didn’t want to sit there even if she would blend in. She hoped she could just stand there and go unnoticed for the rest of the ride. And it was getting odd that no one was aware of her presence. She needed to get closer to see what their problem was.
Then she saw a man at the very front whose eyes were trained on hers. He was dressed in the same color as the train and briskly strode toward her.
She was trapped. Her only escape was the door behind her and she knew well enough it wouldn’t open for her. This train was cursed.
The man finally arrived and smiled at her. He pulled her to him.
“I’m glad you made it Ms. Jones. We’ve been waiting for you.”
His fingers felt like an unnatural fire. They burned impossibly hot.
It was then she felt herself break. Whatever this place was, it was pure evil. “I…I don’t belong here.”
“On the contrary, there’s a seat right here.”
The man pushed her into the only empty seat in the compartment. Snake-likes arms pulled close around her waist and tightened.
“Let me go! Please!” Tears came to her eyes like they never had before.
“Ms. Jones, this is only the vehicle to wear we’re actually headed.” Fire burned behind his eyes. “The fun is just beginning.”
“But I’m not dead! I can change! This isn’t my time.” The snake arms only tightened as she struggled.
The man laughed deeply. “Aww yes. The last ditch effort for me to let you go. Unfortunately Ms. Jones, you died of hypothermia a couple of hours ago. You finding us just alleviated us having to come searching for you.”
Lea watched the man turn on his heels and leave her without another word.
When she looked out her window she then realized there was no hope of escape. They had reached their destination.
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