Disturbia - Aaron Solomon (best free e book reader TXT) 📗

Rail Warriors

Disturbia

Chapter One

I returned home after just another ordinary day of the hustle and bustle of moving back and forth between points A and B that is work and rushed up the steps of my old home in the Blackbird Hill community of Laurel, Maryland, only to be hit with an unearthly silence and a rather peculiar iron like scent as I slowly crept open the door and made my way up the stairs to my bedroom, calling out my fiancé’s name with pure joy and glee to let her know I had just finished up at the old grind at the end of another exciting yet exhausting twelve hours spent on it. “Kira, I’m home!” There was no answer, just still the deathly silence that continued to tighten its grasp on all the rooms on the entire household and the strange odor suddenly becoming stronger and more powerful as I turned the corner and rounded up the stairs to the top floor where my video game area and laundry room were both located. I gradually approached the laundry room door and pulled it open, only to have my heart leap right into my throat as there, lying in a pool of blood, was the still and lifeless form of my one and only lover, Kira Birmingham. “No!” I cried in despair and rushed over to her. Before I could even get any closer however, I heard a metallic click from behind me, followed by the feeling of something cold and hard pressed against the back of my head. At that moment, there was a loud bang and the world around me as I knew it soon fell into a shroud of total darkness and I could then breathe or feel no more.

Chapter Two

I awoke in a cold sweat with a start as I tried desperately to slow my breathing and forget the vague memories of the dream and the horrible event it was about that kept constantly playing like a broken vinyl record over and over again in my mind. My stomach churned and I soon found myself making a straight rush for the bathroom as I emptied its contents into the toilet. When I was done, I stood slowly back on my feet and gave myself a quick once-over and wash up before returning to my bedroom and was just beginning to get dressed for work when Greystripe’s assistant engineer and my well known colleague and friend, Kella McIntyre suddenly cleared her throat to alert me of her presence from the slumber party we’d had with the rest of the crew last night and looked at me a little worriedly when she’d began to take notice of the current state I was in. “Shadow?” She asked, concerned. “Is something wrong?” “No. It’s ok.” I lied. “I’m just getting over a little canine flu I’ve had over the past week. I’m sure in all do’s time I’ll be right as rain.” “Oh. Well, do you need to take a sick day from work? I can let management know for you ahead of time if you’d like.” I shook my head. “No, no. I’ll be fine. Just a little pre-trip anxiety, that’s all. Well, we’d better hurry. Don’t wanna be late for our runs, do we?” I slipped my blue jeans and socks on quick fast and in a heartbeat then zipped my personnel fleece jacket over my white tee and placed my P99 pistol into the holster on the right side of my belt after tightly double tying my work boots and made my way quickly down the long set of stairs right behind Kella, making a straight rush down the parking lot and into my parallel parked 911 Turbo for the fairly short trip to Jessup yard where another day back at my favorite gig was soon just about to commence. Since the infamous merger with Norfolk Southern Railway nearly a week or so ago, the company has since officially changed its name from the ever so popular New York & Atlantic to simply Norfolk & Atlantic but I however still preferred to keep my original personnel jacket over the new ones they’d been issuing us recently, as I thought the old name sounded more original and full of character than that of the current one. I arrived early with Kella at the Jessup yard and train crew office and just in time to catch our four favorite animals including Aaron, Iki, Noah, Kiri, and the newest addition to both my long list of intimates and to the entire rail operations team itself as a whole, my assistant engineer, Kai Anson. She was a young and good looking red fox around age nineteen with the most beautiful pair of amber eyes that you could tell just irradiated the kind and gentleness which was that of her personality and just about everyone whom she came into contact with almost instantly grew to love each and every part of her very being. “What’s up, Midnight?” She said, referring to me by my nickname when she saw me walk in. “Enjoy your week off? Great party last Saturday by the way. Gotta say you really outdid yourself with those homemade mudslides.” “Yes. As a matter of fact, I did, Vixey.” I replied, trying as best as I possibly could to keep the recurrent nightmares and all on the down low for now. “And thanks. It was an old recipe I learned myself from my grandmother. She had a nightclub and worked as a pretty good bartender at it back in her heyday.” Not a moment too soon after she said that, the yardmaster appeared to inform us that our train was ready and waiting on the pocket track and we grabbed our belongings and were soon dashing out the door to our long haul as the day’s work had just begun.

Chapter Three

I took a trip down to the local Anne Arundel Police precinct the next afternoon after shift to pay a visit to Aaron and I’s little buddy, Officer Cooper Underdown to see if I could maybe get him to do a little digging more into the background of the Birmingham murder case that he and his department had conducted the investigation before, when it happened, but I was just never sure if it’d even be still open since the incident happened nearly a year ago the day after Christmas and from what I heard, the guy they’d been looking for was still in the wind and was pretty much an expert escapist too. Word out on the street was he had committed nearly twenty murders in the Russett and Fort Meade Road areas of Laurel alone and got away which each and every single one of them. Well, now it was time to uncover the truth about him. To find this so called “silent menace” and ultimately bring him to the same cold and untimely demise to that of the many victims he’s since claimed as his trophies. I slowly stepped in through the door and just as planned, Cooper was the first officer to greet me as I started to make my way over to the reception desk. “My main wolfie! Shadow! What’s up, my homie?” “Not much.” I replied, slapping paws with him in a brotherly like fashion. “I was just wondering if you could do me a favor.” “Sure. Speak on it.” He answered. “I was wondering if you could look into some files for me on the Birmingham murder case.” “Certainly.” Cooper said. “I’d be more than glad to but all I have is one question.” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re not planning on doing anything drastic, are you?” Right then and there I knew exactly what he was talking about and my eyes widened, surprised he had just read my mind like a book. “Cooper, he took away my future wife, the only one in the world for me. There’s no way in hell I can stand idly by like a bump on a log while he claims his next victim.” “The one you’re referring to is a she and she’s a force to be reckoned with.” He picked up a manila folder from off the counter of the reception desk and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I saw just who it was of. There, was my comforter and friend, Kai Anson. “Holy shit.” I said with my eyes open wide and my mouth agape. “What is it?” Cooper asked, worriedly. “I work with a monster.”

Chapter Four

I strolled conservatively through the double doors of the FBI’s DC branch and headquarters and prepared myself mentally for another normal and ordinary day of debauchery that is this job and the wonderful animals that graced both it and this greatly majestic city of ours. I was greeted wholeheartedly by my new partner, Zak Gresley, a benign young red fox about one step above me in age of around twenty four and with an almost identical pair of emerald green eyes sparkling like jewels against my own and the very genial but A-type personality that would make even the sternest and most steel-nerved animal on this earth crack a smile almost involuntarily. He looked at me and smiled. “Ah, my favorite bear of the hour. I heard your little stint with our old buddy, Mitchell went well. Good work, my faithful compadre.” “Thanks.” I replied. “But I’m more concerned about this next quack we’re dealing with.” I handed him the file I’d spent hours yesterday digging up on our new subject. “Jessica Graham.” I said, referring to the ominous grinning she-fox in the photo. “One of the most feared and notorious independent assassins known throughout these parts. Word is she’s a professional escape artist and an expert at mastering just about any kind of disguise.” “Hmm. Sounds like the definition of a worthy adversary.” Zak said. “But not nearly worthy enough to square off with the two of us, eh?” “Not a chance.” I replied. “We’ll both put an end to her sick kicks one way or another.” “Well, looks like our shot at it is now.” Zak answered as Lieutenant Frank Nars walked out of his office and approached us both with news. “Kaya, Zak. Looks like Christmas come early.” He said. “Graham’s reportedly to have been spotted by one of the rail employees at Union Station. I need you two quickly to haul ass over there and check it out.” “Yes sir. We’ll get right on it.” I replied and raced with Zak out to my set of wheels and arrived down at the station only two and a half minutes later. Upon our appearance on the scene, we quickly exited our vehicle and made our way through the doors of the front entrance then down the long grand hall where we found a jet black wolf who’s face looked like he’d just been through hell and back marked with a few cuts and bruises, most likely in a pretty violent scuffle with our alleged perpetrator before she fled to wherever she had just run off to. He wore a black fleece jacket with the railroad’s name and logo and his name, “Shadow” emblazoned in green on the right chest of it. Suddenly, a huge wave of realization seemed to come over the two of us as his ruby red eyes stared back into my jade green. I was now standing face to face with my old high school sweetheart, Shadow Yocum.

Chapter Five

“Well, I’ll be damned.” I said with a wry smile on my muzzle. “Look who we have here. I didn’t even think for a second that I would even imagine seeing you here again and albeit so short in