The Contagion

.17.

"You ready?" Billy asked standing in front of me. Joe stood behind Kate.

"Bring it on." I said quirking an eyebrow at him.

I opened the door and glanced both the sides. The fog hits me in the face, but not enough to blind me. I scanned the forest for the Mutants but no one was around.

Excellent! Seems they've other work to do.

I cautiously step on the gravel not making a sound. Billy followed behind me. Joe was about to close the door when I spoke. "Hey guv," I say my voice a little hoarse.

"Yeah?" he opens the door wider.

"If we don't come in time and the leak is fixed, you start the train okay?" I told him.

"But—"

"She's right." Billy said nodding his head. "We don't want us getting injured and turning in to wolves. We can't infect the others. It's best for everyone."

He thinks for a while. "Okay then."

"You've done a lot for us guv." I said with a smile. "It's time we do something for you." That's my lame attempt to impress him. If he doesn't make it alive this is my last chance to say goodbye. I hope at least some passengers reach Eastborough alive.

"Okay then. Good luck." He said and closed the cabin door.

"Shine the light down." Billy says and I switched the flashlight on. I let him walk ahead of me and keep a watchful eye for the Mutants. I looked at my watch showing the time-- three am. We cross the first compartment and then the second compartment with Billy looking out for the wheels.

"This is it." He takes a quick scan of the forest and crawls under the train. I shine the light on him and sit on one knee, holding the train's grill for support.

"Keep an eye okay?"

"Yes."

"Can you hand me the duct tape?"

"Yeah." I say giving it to him and glance around me.

"Can you give me the tweezers please?"

"Here." I look underneath the train and see how he's patching up the line.

"Shine the light inside please?" He says and I shine the flashlight under the train. I keep glancing around me. After a couple of minutes more, he fixes the patch. "Here we're done." He says and sighs. The engine powers up and the hydraulics clatter.

He hands me the torch and I get up from sitting on one knee. He crawls out from under the train and I help him up.

The train starts moving.

"Oh shit!" We muttered in unison.

***

"Guv, stop the train!" I yelled running towards the driver's cabin. Billy was lagging behind me. "Billy, keep up!" I take a stone from the gravel and haul it towards the driver's cabin. "Guv, stop the train!" I screamed.

"Shit... that thing is chasing us!" Billy yelled.

I turned back and saw that three Mutants are chasing us. My blood ran cold. Billy won't be able to make it to the train. Adrenaline coursed  in my veins as I ran towards the driver's cabin. We continued running and I kept looking back at Billy. The Mutants began to howl and my feet began to run faster. Billy stopped for breath and I begged him to run.

"Billy keep up! You can do it!" I kept telling him. I glanced behind him and saw that the Mutants were  almost nearing us. Time was ticking by and Billy life was at stake. He would either be one of them or he will die.