Storm Chaser // JJ Maybank

50

I smile slightly as I hop on the back of JJ's bike. We take off following after the train. We stop at a railroad crossing.

"This should be far enough," JJ tells me.

I nod my head. "All right."

JJ trips and falls. I hold in a laugh.

"You good?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm fine. All right?" JJ tells me. "Oh God, you can hear it coming. Let's fry this sucker." JJ clamps one end other cable to the stop light. "Okay, now, all you have to do..."

"Do your trick," I tell JJ. "And make it work."

"...is change the current," JJ says. "Let's go."

"I feel like I shouldn't have to say it but don't get electrocuted, please," I tell him.

"Yeah, no promises with that," JJ states. "Three, two, one." JJ clips the cable on the rail. "And red."

"Moment of truth," I state.

I can hear the train in the distance.

"Come on, man. Come on," JJ says. "Come on. Okay. That's what he would do. That's literally what my... So then it'd change red... Oh my God. Think, think, think. Okay, what if I blockaded the track? That's what I could do. Maybe put a tree?"

I pick up one of the cables. "Uh, hey. The train touches both sides of the track." I place the cable on the other side. The light hasn't changed. "Come on. Come on. Please, we don't have a plan B."

The light changes to red.

"Yes. Yes. Yes," I shout.

JJ hugs me. "That's what I'm talking about! You're a genius. I was gonna do that."

"Science," I say. "No, it's all you."

"And now we wait," JJ says.

I hear the train getting closer.

"It's gonna work," JJ says. "It's gonna work."

I hear the brakes of the train screeching. I smile. "It's stopping."

"She's slowing down," JJ says.

Not good. Not good. A truck pulls up to the light.

"Storm. Back up. Back up," JJ tells me. "Shit."

"No, no, no. That's not part of the plan," I state.

The workers see the cable over the track. They unhook the cable, and the light turns green again.

"They've had enough time, right?" I ask.

The train horn sounds as the train starts moving again.

"The train's starting," JJ says.

"We gotta go get them," I state.

"There goes the plan," JJ remarks. "We gotta help them. Come on."

We get on JJ's bike. Top's truck goes flying by us.

"That's Topper," I state.

The truck goes by us, and I see a box in the back.

"And that's the cross," JJ says.

JJ and I follow after them. I hear a siren coming after us.

"J!" I warn.

"I know," JJ tells me. "I know."

JJ pulls up alongside Topper's truck. Cleo and Pope are in the bed with the box.

"What are you doing?" Pope asks.