The Shogun

Chapter 24 : The Breakout

Then

The drive was going smoothly. The winding roads that stretched between Tokyo and Mustafu were beautiful and serene. One would have found joy while driving through this area if it weren't for the prisoner in the back. That was the thought of the convoy driver as he vigilantly drove across the asphalt. The convoy which was one vehicle huge, might be a smaller one, but that didn't stop them from being alert. The criminal who they were transporting was not a high-profile villain. After spending eight years in the city prison of Tokyo, the court decided to shift the prisoner to Tartarus.

The convoy consisted of six highly trained officers who were authorized to use their firearms if the need arose. It would have been nice to use their quirks as well, but neither did they have the license to use, nor did they have an appropriate one. Fully covered in tactical armor and armed with assault rifles, they were ready to empty their magazine at a moment's notice.

But right now, everyone was tense. Due to an unexpected landslide, their decided route was blocked off. After checking in with their higher-ups, they were forced to take an alternate long route, thus causing them to be behind schedule, and to top it off they were now stuck at this railway crossing.

It was not just a normal railway crossing. It was unguarded without any barriers, but the saving grace was the fact that it seemed to be monitored by cameras. The train that was crossing was also not a passenger train that would quickly go through. It was one of those cargo trains that slowly slumbered its way through. Sixty cars long, it was testing the patience of the convoy.

"This is one of the longest trains in Japan", the convoy driver hears his co-passenger speak up.

"Uh-huh..." the convoy driver simply hums in reply as the passenger continues to say, "But by international standards, this would be considered short. I have heard that one in Australia can pull around 500 cars".

"Must be some serious power in those engines", the convoy driver replies.

"They use eight locomotives to pull, but yeah...they are powerful".

"Well, this one feels slow".

"You know... hilly areas and forests. Rules and regulations and those crap. If they go beyond certain speed in these areas, it would be a disaster".

"You sure do know a lot about trains, don't you?" the convoy driver points out.

"My grandpa was a train driver. Learned a few things from him", replies the passenger.

The driver simply nods as his fingers begin to drum the steering wheel. The waft of air freshener was mild in the air, but it did ease some of the anxiety they were feeling. The passenger begins to yawn and starts to squirm in his seat.

"You ok?" the driver asks.

The passenger simply nods and replies, "Yeah... it's just that my body feels a bit heavy".

"It might be your fatigue catching up. We did have to report in early in the morning today", the driver replies, feeling his own body get heavier.

"I hope the guys at the back are doing good. At least we have some scenery to look at. But they are sitting in the dark", remarks the passenger, as he starts to take heavy breaths.

The driver feels his eyes become heavier as he says, "Why don't you take a nap? I will wake you up if something changes", but he doesn't get a reply. He looks to his side to see his colleague slumped over. The driver reaches out, but the ever-growing fatigue weighs over him and after a short battle with his drowsiness, he lets it take over him.

Little did they know, at that very moment, the prisoner they were transporting disappeared from the face of this world.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++