Repercussions by Aaron Solomon (ereader that reads to you txt) 📕

2015 Aaron Solomon ISBN 9781310936869. All Rights Reserved.

Rail Warriors

Repercussions

Chapter One

I awoke to a house that was completely different from the way it had been just a measly year and a half ago this last November. My faithful sister in law and companion, Hailey had gone off to South Carolina to join the police force, my subversive and collaborating cousin was dead and so was the wolf who’d been the very lifeblood of my existence and guardian angel, Kody Ashley Phelps. Reuniting with Kiri and becoming even closer together was no doubt the best thing that could ever happen to me but with Ashley gone, just breathing air still seemed like a difficult feat to master even today, almost two years later. After having a quick wash up and throwing on my attire as usual, I laced up my boots and descended the stairs into the living area where I met Kiri catching snippets of the morning news as usual before we departed to start our workday. She smiled the moment she saw me. “Well, it’s alive.” She chortled with a slight giggle. “I almost thought you’d forgotten your spring vacation just ended yesterday.” “Nope. I’m ready to get back to the old grime as usual, even though it just doesn’t feel the same without a few somebodies I know.” “Yeah. I know what you mean.” She agreed sadly. “I sure hope Hailey’s pulling through okay out there on her own.” “Hey. Don’t worry.” I said, placing a reassuring paw on her shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll be just fine. The girl’s got fire in her and if she could hold her own for all this time she spent working with us, then I have no doubt she can in a more severe dedication such as what she’s doing now.” “Yeah, hon. I guess you’re right.” She replied with a warm peck on the muzzle. We were then both suddenly interrupted by the loud and rather obnoxious beeping of my wrist watch. Quickly getting a move on, we retrieved our personnel jackets from the coat closet and headed out to Pearle in the driveway and with Kiri behind the wheel, we made it in almost no time flat down to Union Station and hustled our way into the crew office where Iki and his assistant engineer, Trudy Kilson were already waiting. “Ah. My two favorite canines.” He said as we sat down at the table in front of the pair. “What’s been going on in your little corner of the world?” “Eh. Not much, little bro.” I replied simply. “Just been trying to keep my head up and take some of these drastic changes in stride though most don’t seem to be sitting right.” “Yeah. I definitely feel you.” He said, placing his paw on mine in an enlightening manner. “Animals come and go into and out of this world and the seasons change but there’s just nothing you or anybody else can do about it. Just like my dad used to tell me and my other bros all the time, we’re all pawns in the wolf upstairs’ game and he has all his kings in a row. I’m sure he’s taking damn good care of our Ashley right now. Just put all your trust in him and I’m sure he’ll help you overcome the rest as well.” I let out a deep sigh of desperation and looked up at him before giving my reply. “Perhaps you’re right, Iki. Things have been kinda hard for both of us these past few weeks, but who ever knew we’d have a bro like you to always help make things right.” “Hey.” Iki answered with a genial smile. “What else are in laws for, right?” Just then, the alarm on his watch sounded, signaling his train was ready and waiting on track A5 of the station platforms and we brotherly slapped paws in goodbye as he and Trudy made their way through the door and out into the station halls, quickly making their way toward the gate just as my new trainee, Kodi Hanson arrived.

Chapter Two

We pulled out of the pretty good sized station of downtown Richmond, Virginia just ten minutes later, a good forty eight minutes or so after leaving DC and gradually began to pull forward down the rest of the former RF&P line to continue down the home stretch toward the border into North Carolina. At the helm of P42DC number 151, I gently opened up the throttle and within minutes our right on time number 89 Palmetto was cruising down the straightaway, just a bit under the track speed limit of sixty miles an hour. We were making good time and managed to keep everything right on par and up to snuff with the current schedule. By the time we reached our last station stop and crew change point in Hailey’s new city of Florence, South Carolina, it was already around 5:40 in the evening and even later when we got to the hotel in which I was starving and went straight to dinner. Trudy followed suit sometime later at seven, a while after I had gotten back to the room. A short time after she left, the ever familiar ringtone of “Castle Of Glass” by Linkin Park sounded on my phone as I reached over and grabbed it off the night table to answer it. “Yeah?” “Guess who?” A slimy voice cooed over the other end. My stomach dropped suddenly when I realized just who the owner of it was. “Oh shit.” I said, almost dropping the phone with my mouth widely agape. “No shit.” The voice responded with a slight malevolent chuckle. For the voice over the other end of the phone belonged to that of no other than my sick and twisted brother, Gevo.

Chapter Three

“He’s back!” Iki said, nervously running his fingers through his fur and beginning to pace the floor of the crew office. “Gevo’s coming back for a visit to this very state as we speak and there’s nothing we can do about it.” “Gevo?” I responded, a bit mortified. “You mean Gevo Thompson, your estranged sociopath brother who turned to a life of armed robbery and murder just to pay off his debt to a crime boss?” “Right you are, Greystripe.” Shadow cut in. “I heard about this wolf on the news a while before I first joined this railroad. Supposedly, he’s a slippery son of a bitch, considering he’s never once been brought to light for any of his darkened offenses.” “Exactly.” Iki replied quickly. “That’s just what I’m saying. If he gets around me, even though we’re flesh and blood, there’s still no telling what he might do.” “Don’t worry, Iki.” Aaron said. “No matter what happens, through thick and thin, all of us will always be one step ahead of you whatever the cost cause that’s just what our little band of brothers and sisters is for. In fact, to prove it, after work, why don’t you and Lilly come on over to me and Kiri’s place? We’ll throw a little family gathering party just for you and the gang.” Iki flashed him a little reassured smile and replied, gratefully, “Thanks, brother. I’d like that very much. Guess we’ll see each other after work then.” “You know it.” Aaron answered, smiling back and we all got set to board each of our trains and begin all of our assigned tasks as the rest of the day just ever so slowly began to drag on.

Chapter Four

I slowly stepped through the door of train car and began steadily walking down the platform, a various array of thoughts and flashbacks of my past life plaguing my brain as I gradually made my way through the sliding double doors of the station. My whole life, from pup to adult, I had done a hell of a lot of things I wasn’t at all proud of and certainly paid the ultimate price of remorse and being haunted by vigorous nightmares every single time I tried to close my eyes to sleep at night. But killing my father definitely wasn’t one of them. In fact, letting him live should’ve been the most heinous crime anyone in animal history could ever have committed. He was actually the sole reason I became known as the so called “monster” I am today for putting his wretched soul to rest and soon having nothing else to gain but by turning to street life and soon becoming one of the biggest and baddest hired killers this whole country had ever come to know. My brothers and I both never came to good terms on that but as most of us animals out on the street say, it was either ride or die. I made my way through the huge station hall and to the outside where I began to wander the ever bustling streets of DC, my mind beginning to once again do the same with more thoughts of my youngest brother, Iki and the many good times we shared as pups, when our pitiful excuse for a father wasn’t around, right up until my stomach growled rather loudly and I sighed as the feeling of hunger slowly began to take over me. I kept walking until I found a nice little café on the corner and gingerly strolled inside. I approached the rat behind the counter to put in my order and almost instantly regretted it. He stared coldly at me with charcoal black eyes burning holes into my very being. “You…” He said, wide eyed and pointing a finger directly in front of my muzzle. “You’re that wolf I saw on the television a good while ago. An assassin they say you are. You’ve sure got a hell of a lot of balls walking into my establishment.” “Sir, I don’t want any trouble.” I tried to say as cool and levelheaded as possible. “I just came in to buy some food. Can you please just kindly give me what I ask for and I’ll be out before you can say sayonara.” “The hell if I will.” He snapped. “I don’t do business at all with murderous thugs. Now, I suggest you’d best be going now before I make a phone call to the authorities.” Without even a moment’s hesitation, I turned in a huff and ripped open the door of the establishment and scuttled back down the sidewalk of the main street, sighing heavily to keep my composure. That’s about the one main thing I couldn’t stand about my profession. No matter where I went around the country, animals were always suspicious of me and I could rarely ever shit without someone always taking interest in some shape, way, or form. It always pissed me off to absolutely no end. I found a lonely Mitsubishi Skyline parked on the corner and after making a quick sweep to be sure no one was watching, I removed a small Phillip screwdriver from the pocket of my leather jacket and slowly inserted it into the small lock on the door handle, hearing the satisfying click as the tumblers were activated and it opened as planned with a swift pull of the handle. I hotwired it with incredible ease and drove it all the way to Maryland where I happened to come upon a pretty decent looking cul-de-sac with houses almost fit for kings lined up in neat rows along the small street. I parked my car on the side in front of the first house on the corner and got out to have my nostrils be hit with the familiar and nostalgic smell of barbecue which made my empty stomach rumble again, even louder than before. Somewhere around the back, I could hear friendly small talk and the