The Watch – Part 89:

I knew that whatever I am about to do, Amy would see me do it, or rather see him. I don’t think I should be concerned if I’m careful. I am disguised after all. As I jogged as fast as I could down the centre of each train carriage, more and more people started to notice the fast approaching vehicle. Panic started to rise, people were running away, trying to open the locked doors. The conductor must have noticed the vehicle as well, which is why I’m thinking that something must have happened to the conductor. With all the commotion, no one would notice anyone diving into the toilets. Once inside and the door firmly shut, I searched through the many menus on the watch’s screen, activating all the necessary commands needed to save the train. My clothes changed from ordinary day wear to the suit, and a pair of sunglasses appeared on my face, concealing my identity. I felt the power flow through my body: Super Strength, speed, and invulnerability. I will never get used to that feeling. The best way to describe it is similar to having a drop attached to your arm, letting some liquid to flow into your veins – I’ve only just figured that out (probably because it’s nothing like that, but I had to make some sort of comparison to help me understand it better.)

After I was sure that I had thought of everything, I made my move. Stepping out of the toilets I was instantly pushed this way and that by people who tried to get to a safe place as quickly as possible. The vehicle that was about to hit this train was close enough that it could be heard. It had a low, deep base as it sped across the ground. I didn’t have that much time, but my speed allowed me to increase the time I had.

I moved with the crowd until I was standing in the middle of two carriages and, with my strength, kicked the door open, right off its hinges, where it landed with a thud on the grass on the embankment beside the train. I didn’t have to look back to know that some people had stopped running to watch me with a shocked expression. I jumped out of the train and saw that the vehicle was only moments away from colliding with the train.

The vehicle was some kind of modified truck that looked like some kind of war machine that could withstand any powerful attack aimed at it. It had a plough attached to the front, giving it the ability to grab the entire one side of the train, lifting it off the track and making it topple over. I didn’t know what their intentions were once the train had been derailed, but I wasn’t going to stand around and watch to find out. I kicked myself into gear and started running towards this war machine. Everything slowed down to the point where it gave off the illusion that it was on pause. It would only resume when I had stopped running. Despite this, the gap between vehicle and train was getting thinner and thinner. As I neared, I wondered whether I would be able to fit in the gap to stop the machine in its tracks. If I couldn’t then I would have to go to plan B, which I haven’t formulated yet, so I’m hoping that plan A is going to work.

I was moving so fast, no one either in the train or truck could see me coming as I took up my position within the gap that was now just about big enough to fit me with only a hair’s width between my back and the train’s window. Using all my strength, I placed my hands on the plough and deactivated my speed, hoping that my strength would be strong enough to stop this powerful, fast moving truck in its tracks.

It all happened in a split second, maybe even shorter. With my outstretched arms and hands pressing up against the plough, I pushed forward with all my strength, forcing the metal of the plough to collapse and mould around my hand. The momentum of the truck accompanied with its engine continued to push on forwards with everything it had. I felt it push up against me, but I remained rigid, even digging my heels into the ground for more stability. The metal of the truck screamed in protest and even buckled as it came to a sudden stop, and the wheels started to spin on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and dirt and grass into the air. The engine itself started to roar as it revved up, trying to push me backwards. With all the adrenaline from this moment soaring through my body, the feeling of something pressing up against my leg started to become apparent, and when I looked down I noticed that one of the plough's spikes had tried to penetrate my left leg, only to bend out of shape. Whoever was inside must have felt some g-force, and I knew that may have hurt their neck in some way, but it wouldn’t matter what side I went about stopping this vehicle, whoever was inside would feel the sudden effects.

My instincts told me that Amy was behind me, sitting by the window, watching me, not knowing that it was her boyfriend, but I couldn’t distract myself by trying to figure out what she was thinking, so I pushed that to the back of my mind, gearing myself up to start pushing this truck backwards. Slowly by surely, by putting one foot in front of the other, I forced this truck to go backwards. Its wheels, metal and engine protested as much as they could, but to no effect. Soon, the engine stalled and cut out, allowing me to complete the task with ease. I pushed the truck until I thought it was at a far enough distance to not cause any harm to anyone.

Once I had stopped, whoever was inside flung open the doors and jumped out, their boots, dirty and old, flattened the mud below them. They closed the door, allowing me to see who was behind the wheel. It appears they didn’t suffer and effects from the sudden stop. He was wearing a clown mask so I couldn’t see his actual identity, but that wasn’t what I was focusing on the most, for he took a step forward and raised a shotgun in his right hand, and without hesitation, pulled the trigger. The loud bang followed by six bullets flying through the air with the hope of doing some damage, hit my chest and were the ones that stopped dead. My strength allowed me to stay exactly where I was, but that didn’t stop me from feeling the force behind those shotgun bullets. I looked down and saw that the bullets had burrowed six holes in my suit, tearing apart my jacket and shirt and tie. After he had realised that I wasn’t going to go down that easily, he lowered his gun and I looked at him with a stare.

‘Place the gun on the floor and put your hands on your head,’ I said, knowing that he wasn’t going to listen. I heard sirens in the distance, indicating that the police, ambulance and fire engines were on their way. He heard them too and was about to run, but I, with my speed, took the gun from his hand and bending it in the middle until it snapped into two pieces before chucking them onto the ground at his feet, emphasising the fact that he was beaten.

‘I won’t say it again,’ I said. He knew he wasn’t going to win this fight. He dropped to his knees and placed his hands on his head. This is the second incident in a couple of days that involved trains. I mean, what are the odds of that happening?

‘Who are the other people in your team?’ I asked, remembering the commotion before the train stopped. He looked up at me with eyes that were both scared and stubborn.

‘You know, it doesn’t matter whether you talk or not, I’ll get the answer in one way or another and I can guarantee that you won’t like it,’ I said stepping up to him so that I was looking down on him. It was an empty threat. I wasn’t going to do anything that would be considered horrific or otherwise. I just wanted to get the answers I needed to save this train and get it moving again.

‘The driver,’ was all he said in a deep muffled voice due to his face being behind the clown mask, which the more I look at it, the more disturbing it looked.

‘Thank you,’ I said courteously.

The Police, Paramedics and Fire Fighters all arrived at the same time, and immediately started the evacuation procedure and attending to anyone that may be hurt. That was when I realised that the doors had been unlocked. Whether it was the conductor or a member of the public, someone unlocked those doors.

‘Right,’ I said, getting a crazy idea and turning towards the man kneeling on the ground, ‘here’s what you are going to do. You are going to get up and turn yourself in, explain everything that you intended to do and who the other person is if they haven’t already caught them yet.’

‘And what makes you think I’m going to do that?’ he asked, trying to regain any confidence that he had lost.

‘Because I will be watching you. If you do not do what I say, I will know and I will personally hand you over to the Police myself on a lead. Do you understand?’ He fell silent and looked at the ground, wondering what went wrong. He must have gone over the plan a hundred, if not a thousand times and not even a single flaw cropped up, but he never foresaw my appearing onto the scene and halting the entire operation.

‘Do you understand?’ I said again with a little bit more vinegar.

He nodded silently.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)