To Be A Survivor

Chapter 45: Banditos

"You're running along the top of the train, guys!" Sam squeals as Sarah and I do exactly that. The wind seems to pierce into my skin as if it might literally rip through me. The scariest part is jumping from one compartment to the next, and the fact that people are shooting at us. "How cool is that?"

"It's actually very windy and unpleasant, Sam." Sarah rubs one of her eyes in annoyance. "We keep getting bits of grit in our eyes."

"Yeah, they never seem to stress that aspect in action movies. I mean, you never saw Daniel Craig pausing to take out his contact lenses, and he ran along the tops of moving trains a lot, before he became one of the living dead, that is. Obviously."

"Also, we're being shot at," Sarah comments, just as another one of those horse riders fires his gun.

"Yeah, I've checked with Nadia at New Canton. We have no idea who those mysterious guys on horseback are. It's like they're strangers who just rode into town."

"Well, that helps a lot," I say with fists clenching, my voice nearly being drowned out by the wind.

"They seem extremely keen on stopping this train," She says, and we keep making our way along, trying to ignore the gunshots and praying none of them ever get close to hitting either of us.

"Don't worry. Don't worry. You're out of their range."

"But the horses are faster than us."

She's right on that part. Normally, if the train was going its normal speed, the horses wouldn't stand a chance. (All those western movies lied about how they did those train robberies.) But since the train is going at a much slower speed-a speed that allowed runners to stay ahead of it on foot, then there is a very good chance those horsemen will reach us.

"Yeah, when you get to the front, tell Harry to put on some more speed. We've got to get this fuel to Burt Airfield. The other runners are making their way there right now to unload the train. The Major's entire plan depends on this fuel."

No pressure or anything, I think with an eye roll.

Sarah looks worried-troubled almost. "Speeding up even more could be dangerous. We don't know what's ahead. They could've sabotaged... never mind. Lesser of two evils. If those bullets puncture a fuel drum, the whole train could explode. Come on, Five. Only a few more carriages to go."

I nod, running as quickly as I can without slipping. I try to refrain from looking down, because even though I'm not that high up, a fall from up here would definitely break some bones or rupture an organ. And I quite like my bones and organs. I like them enough to not want to fall from a train and risk injuring them.

Each time I hear a gunshot, I flinch. If it hits me or Sarah, we're in trouble, but if a bullet ends up puncturing a fuel drum, we could all die. Not only that, but the Major's plan will be set back by months, maybe even more than that. And they've already gotten a few holes in the train carriages, but thankfully they were all compartments that don't hold any cargo.

It's luck that they've missed it so far, but if they get any closer, I don't think that luck will last. I'm not sure if that is their intent, or if they're just not doing so well with their aim and are hitting the train by accident when they're really aiming for us.

Either way, we race over to that last carriage, and shimmy down to get to the driver's compartment, where Harry is.

"Oh, hello chaps," He greets, sounding oddly cheery for someone who's being shot at. He's put his hat back on, although now it has a bullet hole in it, which makes it less flattering.

"Can't stay and chat. Sorry," Sarah says curtly. "Sam says to speed up."

"But what's the hurry, exactly? I thought you didn't want me going to quickly since we didn't know-you are lunatics!" He shouts as Sarah grabs me and jumps off the train, pulling me along with her.