Cole Train Novels & Stories

The purple glow was beginning to creep back into the edges of the rails, crawling toward my blistered fingers. Suddenly, a massive, deafening thrum echoed from the southern horizon. It wasn't the earth. It was a physical horn. A brutal, mechanical, beautiful atonal roar that I hadn't heard in ten years. Through the clear blue sky, descending the southern tracks at a terrifying velocity, came a massive, steam-driven iron clad locomotive. It carried no cargo. It bristled with no weapons. But welded to the front cowcatcher of the train was a massive, three-ton iron anvil.

'Out of my way, I am in a hurry,' the oncoming train boomed a horn inform of a voice. "Stop where you are or change your route," Chelsea responded in a commanding voice assuming it would listen to her. 'Sorry ma' am but I have to follow my program for the journey to go on swiftly,' the computerised train replied back while entering the tunnel and beaming it's headlamps as indication for them to pave way. ***

Felt the train moving. Going home.

Our footsteps echoed slightly. “Luck is on our side, Carl. There’s a train already here.” As the door behind us automatically resealed itself noisily, I focused on the red train in front of us. It looked like a high speed magnetic train one might find in Japan or Europe, not some American Amtrak passenger train. There were six train cars. The first five looked unoccupied. The sixth car looked very full. “Don’t stare at the occupants of the rear car, Carl. Try to walk as normally as you can and pretend you’re not injured. It is important that you and I look as nonchalant as possible.”

Trent barks, slamming the door. ********

"Is the Grandma in the white coat coming for us, Daddy?" Ethan felt a jolt of "raw vulnerability" strike his chest. Madeline. Even in her absence, she was haunting his son’s thoughts. "She’s trying, Leo. But the iron is stronger than the light. We stay in the iron." The Sprint through the Steam The 4:12 westbound groaned as it approached, a massive coal train that seemed to vibrate the very earth. Great plumes of steam erupted from the pneumatic brakes, creating a temporary, white-out screen.

“Sure. Carl loves riding trains.. He has a train before but it got broken and since then, I’ve never thought of getting him another one.. I’m sure he’ll be so happy to finally get a new train,” “Alright then! Let’s get Carl a new train,” Collin mumbled, a warm smile gracing his features. He selected a blue long train which was on a rail with several windows attached to it sides. “Thank you for shopping here!” The sales rep said, after packaging the train in a box. We smiled, took the train and walked away. Cecile cleared her throat, grabbing our attention. I swear I almost rolled my eyes when I realized she was still here with us.

Eventually, I passed out with the mutt snoring on top of me. ⸻ I managed to not think about Lena for an entire day. Then came the train ride two mornings later. The car was packed, and I was stuck standing, one hand gripping a metal pole. I scanned the passengers around me, which I rarely did, and for good reason—New York trains were full of the weirdest people alive. Then my eyes dropped to the floor. To a foot. A woman’s foot. With a feather tattoo. Bright red toes. My heart stuttered.

On the first day of our trip, we arranged to meet at the train station. The four of us booked an entire private sleeper cabin. Faye and I took the lower bunks, while the two men took the top. Stevie arrived early, while I had rushed straight from the office and made my way through the heavy traffic, barely catching the train in time. I didn't have the time to change, so I had to jog through the station in my work clothes. The pencil skirt was daringly short and barely skimmed the tops of my thighs. Beneath it, sheer black fishnet stockings on my legs, paired with red, striking four-inch heels, added to my untouchable, dangerous allure.

she said. I pressed my ear against the vibrating wooden floorboards of the train car. Underneath the heavy, rhythmic *thunk-thunk* of our train’s wheels, there was another sound. A lighter, faster metallic clatter. Something was running on the rails behind us inside the dark tunnel. A rail inspection car. A small, motorized flatbed used by maintenance crews. The suit hadn't given up at the tracks. He had taken the maintenance siding at the lower junction to follow the freight train into the mountain pass.