The Man with a Loco Motive

Chapter 5

The air was cool. A nice, gentle breeze brushed through Pierce's hair as he left the police station, a small bandage still wrapped around his forehead. He traveled across a dirt road and headed deeper into town, scratching the back of his head. "Man, that sure took a long time. All that money... earned so quickly and yet it's gone in an instant." He grabbed his wrist and rubbed it. "And all those papers I had to sign wasn't pleasant either." He pulled his sleeve up and looked at the watch on his wrist, staring at the ticking second hand. "I can't believe it's only 2:00 p.m.! Agh I really did get up too early. It feels so late, like it should be 2:00 a.m."

He got into the center of town, covering his mouth as he yawned, and looked at his surroundings. Everything looked very similar: a bright and happy gray here, and an exciting light gray over there. He stopped walking and pocketed his hands, slumping over slightly. Not many people were out and about, so it was very quiet. The people that were around, though, were wearing the same colors as the town, and they seemed to mostly be alone. Pierce fit in quite well, though for once his clothes were almost too colorful in their intense and shiny blackness, his eyes the only real color.

"Okay... so I'm not in Hudson City anymore. Right," he said as he looked around for someone. He walked to a young woman and stopped her in her tracks. "Uh hey, what town is this?"

"Johnson Town," she replied simply, walking around him to continue on her path.

"Thank y- and you're gone never mind," Pierce said quickly, ending up talking to himself. He sighed and continued walking through the town, crossing vacant roads - which became more road like as he headed south - and remained on the sidewalk for the majority of the time.

"Johnson Town... I don't think I've ever traveled around here before," he said quietly to himself as he looked at all the dull, block-like architecture.

It was so big, so powerful, and yet so silent; The Golden Robin, the world's best way of traveling, sitting right in front of Pierce as he turned the corner of a short, gray building. He journeyed through a small train station, which was completely barren, and stood on the other side of it, right before the train. The silence screamed in Pierce's ears, and he was relieved to hear muffled voices within the diesel machine.

He boarded The Golden Robin, using the bars on the outside of the train to throw himself into the coach car. He looked around, but no one was there. Traveling through the coach section, the voices got louder and became clearer. He heard them in the next room and stood behind the door, waiting.

"So what, are we going to continue as planned? We're sooo behind. It doesn't even matter if we make this one when we've missed so many already," one male voice said.

"I'm not sure. But didn't you hear? There's rumors that John's son is going to drive, and not by choice either," another masculine voice responded.

"What? No way, no. William? He's so creepy and weird!"

"I know, but he's also qualified. Surprisingly."

The door slid open, and Pierce walked through, breathing in and out heavily as he glared at the two scrawny workers. They jumped, then trembled in immense fear.

"My name, is not William," Pierce said slow and clearly, taking his time as he approached the two.

One of the boys tried defending himself, but Pierce lifted him up by his white dress shirt, his feet no longer on the ground, and his eyes now level with Pierce's.

"It's. Pierce," the dark, contrasting-colored man spoke agonizingly.

"Okay okay okay! Whatever you say! Just put me down!" the terrified worker shrieked, his voice cracking.

Pierce dropped him. "Good. Now then, I'm about ready to start the train. Anyone who opposes me shall be immediately kicked off this train no matter where it's at."

The two boys quickly nodded, sweat rolling down their faces.

"Now then, tell everyone to get ready," Pierce said as he turned around to exit the car. He snapped his fingers high in the air, pausing in his tracks. "Oh, yes, make sure Vance gets to the cab soon." He left the room, the door shutting behind him as he continued through the cars.

Eventually he came back to where he started at, at the front of the train just before the cab. He remembered what he saw just after he entered the room the last time he was there: his father's bloody face. He tried as hard as he could to remember the rest, but the event after that was waking up in jail. It was hopeless. He thought that maybe his brain erased that memory on purpose, the event so horrible its memories would torture him for life.

He slowly took the handle of the door and held on to it tightly, though it was difficult since his hand was shaking. 'Why am I so nervous? Do I think he's in there or something?' he thought, a drop of sweat dripping off his nose. He saw his reflection in the window and was unable to see through the other side.

He took a deep breath and pulled the door open, walking into the small hallway that divided the two cars. He opened the other door, being much more confident the second time.

As expected, no one was in the cab. In fact, it was completely empty. It looked as if someone had actually cleaned up the place, destroying every dirty spot. He closed the door behind him and walked toward the controls. The only sound were from his boots as he walked, when his heels made contact with the floor and when the chains on them jingled.

"They really did get every piece of evidence they needed. There's nothing left," he said, brushing his first two fingers across the top of the control stand. He examined his fingers, which were as clean as they were before.

The cab was so shiny, almost magical, and the peace was indescribably present. A large crystal clear window was held at the front, while two smaller ones covered half of the side walls. Pierce walked to the left of the left window and opened a large metal cabinet. He observed the interior, which was just piles of dust and cobwebs. A few wrenches and other tools were hidden in the mounts. He closed the cabinet - which squeaked and closed loudly - and headed back to the controls. He sat in a swivel chair that was mounted in the ground and faced another empty chair that was to the right of him. "Where's Vance...?" he muttered slowly, his face tensing up as he grabbed the handles of the chair tighter.

Pierce put one of his feet on the control stand and rested his arms behind his head as he slowly rocked back and forth in small motions. He grew more and more impatient as he waited for his fellow train mate and was reduced to smoking a cigarette. After many minutes of mindless suffocating, he disposed of the tobacco stick and eventually fell into a deep sleep, still sitting in the chair. He slumped down gradually more in his sleep as his eyes remained shut, snoring a slight purr.

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A/N: Sorry... I know this chapter kind of ended abruptly... but I promise the next chapter is more interesting. :D Also, I wrote this chapter while I was riding a train. :3 I'd appreciate comments and stuff! :)