Midnight Creek Tales

#3. The Midnight Railroad / Chapter 2

"I have an idea, but I doubt it'll work," Max stated.

Gage stared at the clock, 12:50 it read. He turned his attention to Max and listened to this 'idea.' "Well, what do you suggest we do?" Gage asked skeptically.

Max pulled out a pocketknife from his sweats and flicked it up showing a glistening sharp blade. Gage instinctively stepped back, and Helen grabbed the children and pushed them away with Jojo. "I'm not going to hurt anyone; I just wanted to see if we could cut through anything like the wood or windows."

"Boy, what the hell are you doing with a fucking knife?!" Rick chided.

"We'll I sorta carry it around." He scratched his head embarrassed, and handed it over to Rick. From a distance, Gage could see the cut marks on his pale, veiny skin. Gage shivered at the grisly sight for the hundredth time tonight.

During this entire nightmare Jackie had been for the most part quiet, and Gage thought something must've been profoundly troubling her. So he took it upon himself to go comfort her.

She was sitting in the corner of the boxcar looking out into the open desert, and she sat frozen like a statue. "You okay?"

No response.

"Look, I know you're scared, and this is terrifying, but just sitting here isn't going to solve anything. Those kids over there have better composure than you, and you have to lead by example by showing them that everything's going to be alright and under control."

Slowly she turned her neck a little and muttered a weak response. "What's the point? It's hopeless."

"You've got to stop moping around and pick your head up! There's always a chance! And we're going to need everyone's help, including yours. Look at all the oppressed people in society, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, Nelson Mandela, and none of them just stood and took it. Hell, look at the United States, if we didn't put up a fight against England and protest for our freedom and liberty nothing would have happened. And right now you're being unproductive and contributing nothing to giving us a chance to escape! So get up and help us figure out what type of forces we are dealing with because every person makes a difference!" He put his hand on her lap, and she reluctantly added hers onto his. She smiled and took a deep breath.

"Ok, I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Yes, just give me a minute or two to meditate."

"No problem," Gage said patting her on the back as he got up.

He walked over to Rick, Max, and Glenn, with all of them crouching down trying to claw their way out of this hell hole. "Any luck?"

"No, this door is impossible to carve out. Look not even a God damn mark!" Rick jabbed the knife into the door, and the switchblade bent. "Son of a bitch!"

Gage peered down and took a good look at the door and couldn't believe his eyes. "That's impossible! No wood could be this durable enough to withstand a knife slashing tirelessly at it without one scratch or mark showing!"

"What if it isn't wood? Maybe it's some other type of material?" Glenn asked trying to be resourceful.

A tear then rolled down Jack's cheek, and he looked blankly at everyone.

"I believe that this wood is not of this world. I fear we are not on Earth anymore, but in Hell..."