Chapter 14 - The Red Train Leaves the Station
The interior of the vintage railcar smelled of old leather, stale oil, and rust, but to Julian and Sharda, it felt like the safest place on earth. Miller slammed the heavy sliding door shut, throwing two massive iron deadbolts across the frame just as the sound of shouting echoed from the ridge above.
"Hold on to something!" Miller commanded, diving into the driver's compartment at the front of the cabin.
She grabbed the heavy brass throttle lever and slammed it forward with all her weight. The diesel engine let out a deafening, metallic groan, coughing twice before catching with a thunderous roar that shook the very foundations of the railcar. The wheels screeched against the rusted steel tracks, sending up a shower of bright orange sparks into the fading daylight.
"It's moving!" Sharda cried out, pressing her face against the dusty glass window of the side door.
Outside, the dense pine forest began to blur as the crimson railcar accelerated down the declining grade of the old industrial line. Looking back through the rear window, Julian watched as the Oakhaven Research Facility—Sector 4—was completely swallowed by a massive wall of black smoke and roaring orange flames.
Miller stepped back into the passenger cabin, wiping grease from her forehead with the back of her hand, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. She looked down at Sharda, who was still clutching the small silver flash drive in her trembling hand.
"Hand me the drive, Sharda," Miller said softly, holding out her palm.
Sharda hesitated, pulling the drive closer to her chest. "What are you going to do with it? Are you going to give it to the federal committee?"
"I'm going to send an encrypted copy to every major investigative news outlet in New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C.," Miller replied, her gaze steady and honest. "By tomorrow morning, the Oakhaven Trust won't be able to hide behind shell corporations or municipal judges anymore. The whole world will know who you really are."
Julian walked over to the side window, watching the familiar trees of the park flash by in the distance. The sun was dipping low below the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant shades of amber, purple, and gold.
"Will we have to change our names again?" Julian asked quietly, without turning around.
Miller walked over and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "No, Julian. You won't ever have to hide again. Your real names belong to you now."
Sharda looked down at her own hand, then reached out and took Julian's fingers, squeezing them tightly. "Julian?" she whispered.
"Yeah?" he answered softly, turning to look at her.
"I missed you so..." she murmured with a small, genuine smile.
May you like
Before Julian could answer, the railcar broke free from the dense forest canopy, bursting out into the bright, open sunlight of the municipal park where their journey had begun just hours before.
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