Vendetta by Aaron Solomon (phonics readers .TXT) 📕

Rail Warriors

Vendetta

Chapter One

I stood solemnly next to the weeping form of the mother of my now gone but not forgotten closest colleague and best friend, Misses Nala Thompson who now proudly and honorably worked beside me as my new replacement engineer of the current time being after receiving word of her son’s horrific and tragic passing two days or so ago prior to sunset gathering and burial last Thursday. She was a compassionate and diligent Tibetan wolf for her age of around 42 with midnight black and dark gray fur and the most majestic pair of forest green eyes that a mother of anywhere or for that matter, any species could possibly even have the beauty and pleasure of bearing. For what seemed like many moments on end, we stood there at Iki’s grave paying our respects and saying goodbye to a true hero of not only the rails but also to this great city and the surrounding areas of itself and to which we were all very grateful to have around to know and love. After having dinner and a bit of a quiet night out with my next best chum, Gevo, I hopped in my BMW parked in the lot of the diner outside and made the ten mile drive home to Baltimore where I got in at around 9:18 PM and almost immediately crawled into bed and went to sleep for the busy day soon to come at work the next morning. It felt as if just as quick as my head hit the pillow my alarm clock was already blaring and I was already on my feet and making my way into the bathroom to straighten up my light brown and black spotted fur as my sky blue eyes glistened in the pristine mirror before throwing on my pair of boot cut jeans, lavender colored tee, and fleece style personnel jacket along with my boots and darting down the stairs as quick as I could, nearly missing my nickel plated M9 berretta pistol and holster by the kitchen counter at the door. As one of the few Hyenas working the Norfolk and Atlantic Railway capitol sub up to the current and present day, it has always been in my best interest to look the spiffiest I could and never break the habit of my normal on time appearances. I arrived right on the cusp of 7:20 in the morning and walked serenely into my proper place of the Locust Point yard train crew office where I almost instantly ran into Nala waiting patiently at the small square table with some of our other colleagues and walked over, taking a comfortable seat next to her in one of the leather cushioned office chairs as she quietly took a long sip of her coffee before speaking in her mildly thick Chinese accent, “You’re late.” Confused, I looked down at my wristwatch, only to see the time was just exactly as I predicted at only around 7:21. “It’s only a minute past.” I replied, shooting her a demented look with a slight cock of my head. She smiled wryly. “Just fucking with ya, Lenster.” She answered with a slight chuckle. “Gotta make sure my son’s favorite colleague is almost half as alert and vigilant as I am. Cause we’ve got a long, long day ahead us, during and after work.” I was a little muddled by the last part of her statement and began to ponder for a moment just what she meant by being busy with extra work. I was sure we weren’t working any overtime this week and if we were, it sure as hell was pretty unsuspected. I decided to push the thought aside for a while and focused on the main task at paw as we headed out to long train of empty coal cars parked on the ready track behind a rather attractive pair of older AC4400CW locomotives numbers 401 and 537, both in the new Norfolk and Western inspired black and white color scheme with full white lettering on the side and the NA initials in large white print on the nose and back ends. We climbed up into lead engine 401’s cool, air conditioned cab and at around 8:45, Nala gently opened the throttle and we carefully snaked our eighty eight car train out of the yard, headed for Bailey mine and the power station in Cross, South Carolina just further north.

Chapter Two

We returned to Baltimore late the next morning with the new day’s coal loads and after delivering our loads at the port, returned with our two light engines to Locust Point yard and tied them down on the pocket track before signing off at the yard and train crew office then finally being relieved of duty at around 10:18, just in time to enjoy plenty of the rest of the day ahead and the weekend approaching the following day as our day off had now just commenced and another one was now just about to begin. The minute Lena and I returned to our vehicles in the lot to shove off for home, I retrieved my phone out of its place in my purse after placing it on the front passenger seat and got on the horn with Aaron Solomon, my son in law and Iki’s most trusted colleague and more to begin discussing the plans of just how we could begin a shot at justice and work on putting his killer to the sick and miserable end just as she did to my flesh and blood the very day she completed her nefarious and dastardly deed. “Mama, what’s up?” He said when he picked up, after noticing the number on his phone belonged to me. “Thinking of planning a family reunion a little early this year?” I chuckled slightly. “Something like that.” I replied. “I was wondering if you could follow up on a solid you owe me. And I think we both know just what that is.” “Gotchya. You and Lena meet me over at Anne Arundel Police precinct in an hour. I’ve got a little special someone there who I’d like you both to meet and would be more than happy to oblige.” “Right. See you there.” I replied and immediately phoned Trudy next as we both drove off to inform her quickly about the news. We arrived at the police station in only a matter of minutes after receiving notification and slowly, we both followed Aaron close behind inside and stopped when he then greeted and shook paws in a brotherly like fashion with one of the officers, a young Rottweiler who looked to be a young guy around twenty four with the friendliest pair of dark brown, almost black eyes that came off as welcoming but would most definitely strike paralyzing fear into both the hearts and minds of any unlucky foe whoever dared step foot up to him and give him shit. Aaron introduced him. “Cooper, I believe you and I have known each other as associates for a good while. I think it’s time you meet my next best two.” He gestured to me first. “Nala Thompson. My faithful mother and law and blood relative to our best bud, Iki who unfortunately is now no longer with us.” I smiled briefly and gently shook paws with Officer Cooper as Aaron then turned to Lena who, being the somewhat shy one of our organization and the railroad on a side note, didn’t even utter a peep the first moment of stepping in and was still continuing to remain as silent as a tree even when Cooper slowly reached out to clasp her paw in his. “Lena Stilson.” Aaron said. “The newest and youngest edition to our team. She doesn’t say much to those she doesn’t know but I can assure you she’s definitely got whatever the skills necessary to take this vindictive bitch who capped Iki out.” “No doubt.” Cooper agreed with a soft smile toward Lena. “One moment. I’ll go get you the files you need to about her history before you get to hunting her down.” He returned a short time later with about four to five computer printouts containing nearly everything from her school and work records and history all the way to the present day with a good sized thumbnail photo of the now much venerable but still sadistic looking lioness with the most horrid pair of seeming glowing red eyes that screamed pure devil to anyone who ever looked at them in person. “As most of you probably already know,” Cooper stated. “This is Judy Copeland. The new leader of the Blood Hounds and now one of the most notorious gangsters on the entire northern most point of the east coast. We’ve been trying to get her for months but still haven’t been able to come up with any leads so we’re more than happy that you guys are stepping in.” “When do I kill her?” Lena cut in. Officer Cooper chuckled slightly and smiled. “We’re lucky to have you on our side, Miss Stilson.”

Chapter Three

The next morning on Saturday, after a quick meeting with Aaron and the rest of the Warriors to discuss the game plan for the current task, we immediately hopped to it and made our way over to the Muirkirk area where the Blood Hounds had reportedly acquired the mansion situated near one of the apartment complexes there and were currently using it as one of their new current bases of operation and as a sort of barracks location for those members stationed in the entire Laurel area who I assumed must’ve came from just about all walks of life since the apartment complex nearby was pretty low class and not at all for the faint of heart to be living there. “Alright, Lena.” Aaron said as we pulled in through the front entrance. “This is just the same procedure before I taught you during some of our last outings. We do this quick and clean. You got me? Quick and clean.” “Quick and clean. Alright.” I replied affirmatively and began to make my way out of the back seat of his car and over to the main double doors of the mansion where I prestigiously used my hidden gift of lock picking and got us inside, heading quietly into the main living quarters and lounging area and stopping periodically in each place, checking every nook and cranny for any and all signs of activity but to all of ours’ surprise, found none. The whole place was filled with a deadly silence all around that would make even the smallest pin drop sound like a massive explosion. We rounded the corner past the kitchen quarters and up the huge staircase to check the bedroom but before we could even get two feet toward the nearest door on the left, we began to hear the deep, guttural roar of car engines growling up the drive way and quickly grabbed cover behind the nearest objects we could find as the sound of about eight to ten or so footsteps came treading down the pavement and up the front door of the main entrance. There were multiple voices but they were all saying so many things at once that it was almost damn near impossible to make out just what one of them was discussing. From my position behind one of the large columns in the hallway, I could see them swaggering their way in, heavily armed and drew my berretta from the holster on my right side as the slowly flooded into the living quarters downstairs and stopped to take a brief look around. I took aim on Aaron’s signal and squeezed off two well-aimed shots into the back of the