Children Of Fiends - Part 2 A Nation By Another Name: An Of Sudden Origin Novella Read Online Free PDF Page B

too odd shaped to work with it and the three men worked up a quick sweat feeding the beast. MacAfee set up his command in the observation deck of the dinning car where his team could keep a constant view of the surroundings. It became Dean’s job to navigate. Like dead reckoning with a chart on the water, he had to judge their speed and compare it on a map. They would come to several places where they would have to stop and manually switch the train to different tracks. It would be slow going. At their first stopping point they took the time to switch the track back. Chances were, if they were being followed, it wouldn’t matter. Anyone could see the freshly uncovered steel where the wheels had rubbed off the rust. A baby could follow their path – but at the least it would slow them down.
    Despite the slow going it didn’t take them long to make the straight shot south to the Contex power plant. With the big auto feed tender, they would be able to bypass the whole idea of hauling the coal cars themselves. An additional maneuver required that they unhitch the passenger cars and leave them on another spur so they could back the tender parallel to the coal cars and transfer the fuel. The whole process took six hours and by the time they were done it was getting dark. While some of the crew got to work transferring coal one shovel load at a time, MacAfee set up another perimeter insisting that everyone work with night vision only. The rest of the crew used the time to sort out the gear and decide where to bunk. There were no sleeper cars so they tore out the bulk of the seats to create more floor space. The tracks around them became littered with 20th century first class seating. Dean found himself seeking out the company of Eliza and making his bunk there. He told himself that it was because he wanted to be close to the pucks, pick up whatever they were feeling, keep a watch on them. It was partially true, but he knew he was kidding himself. Eliza was going to be a distraction and he couldn’t help himself. Years of discipline were seemingly overridden with…. Both pucks stared at him while he shifted his pack off his back. Gretel wore a broad sharp smile. What is it Gretel? he asked, using his mind rather than words.  
    “We are not to communicate that way, Stewart Dean,” she said aloud.
    Hansel said, “Rules, Stewart Dean. Rules,” while glancing with a smirk at Eliza who was busy trying to pin up a blanket between the overhead luggage rack and the floor. Better to give her sleeping space some privacy.  
    Eliza paused and took them all in, noting Dean’s sleeping bag. Finally she said, “Captain, I imagined that you would be bunking with the Colonel and his team.”
    Dean looked at his pack and then back to the group. “I am. But I want to also set up a space here so that I can get feedback from Gretel and Hansel.” He unrolled his sleeping bag in an unclaimed spot and began to take his toilet kit out of his pack. He felt like a fool but he was committed now. He looked at the dopp kit and stuffed it back. “I’ll be back later to sort it out.” With that, he left the room to return to the observation deck.
    I changed my mind.
    I don’t like him.
    No. Not at all.
    His odor is what Eliza calls musky. Too strong.
    I don’t think eating him would taste very good.
    Tough.
    Yes, like old goat. Too chewy.
    Even his liver.
    But the heart is strong. The blood too.
    Yes, the blood. Strong blood.
    I’m hungry.
    Lets go out between the cars and call some birds.
    Good idea.
    Theirs was the first passenger car after the canteen tender. They walked toward the front door in the direction of the engine. Eliza called after them, “What’s up, guys?”
    “Fresh air,” lied Hansel.
    “Kind of smoky up that way, don’t you think? Wen says they’re transferring all that wood ash out and moving in the coal.”
    “We like the smoke,” lied Gretel as they began to step through the door. Eliza looked at them hard, which