One Day Too Late

01

Brenda and Jorge sat in their car atop a hill awaiting Thomas. Jorge looked at his pocket watch. "He's late."

Brenda looked at her watch and they heard a train horn. While Jorge started the engine, Brenda cocked her gun. Jorge closed the rusty steel windows they had put in. It was easier to shoot enemy targets that way. Jorge sped off, across the dry desert landscape and met up with the train carrying the kids WICKED had captured.

They were speeding faster than the train, which Jorge found exhilarating.

In another car sat Thomas and Vince. Thomas said into the walkie, "Brenda, we're coming up behind. Keep 'em busy!"

"Hang on!" Vince said.

Brenda shot once at the window where the conductors were before disappearing back into the car.

Vince drove his car onto the tracks as they followed the train from behind. "This is crazy, Thomas!"

Jorge did his best to dodge the guns the guards were shooting. His grabbed a pistol and shot back through the crevices of the steel window.

Thomas slid out from the passenger's seat and climbed to the top of the car. "Get me closer!" Vince sped up and Thomas got the grappling hook onto the back of the train. He jumped onto the train. "Come on, Vince!" One of the tires blew, and Vince nearly lost his balance. "Vince!" The grappling hook was giving way. "Jump!"

Vince jumped onto the train. The car exploded and Vince muttered, "Shit!" Thomas pulled him up so his feet weren't dragging.

They heard whirring and looked back to see a plane flying behind the train.

Thomas said into the walkie, "Hey, Brenda, you got company!"

"Go, go, go!" Brenda cried.

"Holy shit!" Jorge exclaimed.

Brenda said into the walkie, "Thomas, you're on your own. Don't die."

"Good luck!" Thomas answered. "We gotta move. Come on!"

The two of them climbed up the ladders onto the top of the train. They ran across and armed soldiers climbed up on the other side. Vince jumped down between two cars and said, "Give me the bag!"

Thomas threw it down and jumped down. The soldiers started shooting at him and Thomas shot back, protecting the man behind him. "Get down! Get down!"

"Vince?" Thomas called.

"We're set! Cover your ass!"

The soldiers moved closer to them and Vince yelled, "Take cover!"

The two of them made their way to the ladders on each side of the train. The grenade exploded, splitting the train apart. They jumped down and the portion they were on stopped.

Thomas whistled and yelled, "Newt!"

Newt glanced back. "All right, come on, let's go. Come on!"

Thomas banged on the side of the train. "Minho!"

Minho heard his friend and screamed out. Newt ran around the train and Thomas said, "This one. This one!"

Newt set down his bag and slipped on his goggles.

Thomas and Vince looked out at the other half of the train. Vince set his hands on his hips. "Oh, shit! It's gonna be close."

The soldiers were running towards the other half of the train, and it was only a matter of time before they arrived.

Brenda and Jorge dodged the plane for a while and stopped the car. The idiot soldiers had fallen right into their trap.

Thomas and Vince tied rope around the train while Newt used a blowtorch to unhinge the train car.

"Newt, how you doing?" Thomas asked.

"Don't rush me," Newt told him.

A soldier started shooting at them from the opposite end and Thomas shot back. "Newt, get up here."

"Almost there."

"Newt, go!" Vince cried, just after the boy had unhinged the last clasp.

Newt climbed to the top and laid on his stomach with Thomas. "Where the hell are they?"

"I don't know!" Thomas answered.

They continued shooting, and a plane flew overhead.

"All right, boys, we're here!" Jorge said.

A hook was lowered and Thomas grabbed it. He hooked the train on and yelled, "All right, we're clear!"

Jorge grinned. "Okay, we're going up."

"Vince, get up here!" Newt cried.

"Now, Vince!" Thomas added.

Vince climbed to the top while Thomas continued shooting.

The car was lifted into the air and Thomas cried, "Yeah!"