Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Rendezvous

At this time, the snow had not yet completely melted. The train slowly came to a halt on the tracks.

Hosea and Lenny were nervously hiding in the control room, while the engineer, Nathan, explained to a guard who had come to inquire why the train had stopped. Nathan assured the guard that the train would soon be back in motion, and the guard, just a messenger, accepted the explanation and left.

Nathan, though terrified, had successfully warded off the guard and saved his life. Once the guard was out of sight, Nathan collapsed to the floor, exhausted.

Hosea finally lowered his gun and reassured Nathan, "Friend, you made the right decision. Stay hidden here, lock the door, and no matter what happens outside, don't come out, understand?"

Nathan looked at his unconscious colleague on the floor and nodded vigorously, saying nothing and asking no questions.

Hosea, seeing his compliance, asked, "What's your name?"

"Nathan, Nathan Jones."

Hosea smiled warmly and said, "Mr. Jones, don't be afraid. We're friends now."

Soon after, there was a commotion in the nearby carriage, and Hosea and Lenny could hear someone running towards the control room. Looking out the window, they saw someone approaching, visibly nervous, shouting before even entering, "Get this damn train moving! We're being robbed!"

Before he could finish his sentence, there were a few gunshots. Lenny had swiftly aimed through the window and fired three shots, taking down the guard.

Hosea checked the outside situation and, seeing no one else approaching, said to Lenny, "It's time to help. It looks like the guards on the train are fully focused on Dutch and the others."

The gunfight in the rear carriages had intensified, but the shots from Lenny and Hosea didn't attract extra attention.

Seeing Lenny nodding but keeping an eye on Nathan, Hosea understood his concern. He spoke kindly to Nathan, "Look, this has nothing to do with you. You're just an ordinary person. Would you prefer to be knocked out like your colleague or be tied up?"

Nathan, shaking his head at the thought of being knocked out, quickly found a rope and handed it to Hosea, preferring to avoid a beating. The older masked bandit seemed surprisingly reasonable. Hosea handed the rope to Lenny, and once Nathan was securely tied up, they each checked their ammunition and cautiously made their way towards the rear of the train.

In the rear carriages, a new round of gunfire had erupted after a brief pause, indicating that the guards were engaged in a fierce shootout with Dutch and his gang. Zooming out, we see that neither side had sustained injuries.

Most of the guards on the train were only firing to scare off the bandits, not exposing themselves to aim properly. The guards hadn't realized this was a planned robbery; the control room had already been taken over, and the train wasn't about to restart. Their misjudgment led them to believe Dutch's gang were just opportunistic bandits who had taken advantage of the train's malfunction.

They had no idea how determined Dutch was about this heist.

Past experiences had taught them that a few warning shots would usually scare off bandits until the train resumed motion. With the train as cover, they weren't in a hurry to risk their lives to repel the attackers. Moreover, this was Cornwall's train, with more guards than usual, giving them confidence.

"Boss, the guards are fighting back hard. We can't get close," Bill shouted to Dutch from behind a rock. Though often teased for his lack of intelligence, Bill knew better than to shout names in the heat of the moment.

Dutch, aiming his gun, saw a daring guard trying to climb onto the train roof to attack them. As soon as the guard appeared, Dutch pulled the trigger, cleanly shooting him off the train.

The standoff continued, with no end in sight.

Dutch was getting anxious. Although Hosea and Lenny had successfully stopped the train, their position wasn't ideal. Most of the train was suspended over a gorge on an elevated track, making it impossible to ride horses and get on the carriages. They were left with only the last two carriages to operate. And in those two carriages, Cornwall's private carriage was tightly sealed with no windows.

"Keep firing to cover them. We need more time!" Dutch shouted.

The situation was at a stalemate. Meanwhile, Micah and Charles rode their horses along the sides of the train, shooting through the windows. A guard who had just arrived from the front carriage was shot by Micah as soon as he appeared. After several guards fell, the remaining ones stayed hidden, defending their positions.

Some frightened guards began jumping off the train to escape, only to be chased down and killed by Micah.

***

When Arthur and Javier arrived at the scene, following the sound of gunfire along the tracks, the battle was already over. The Van der Linde gang had proven to be more formidable than the guards on the train. With Hosea and Lenny quickly taking out several key guards inside the carriages, Dutch and the others outside managed to storm the carriages and eliminate the remaining guards.

Now, they stood before Cornwall's private carriage, a large iron box with no windows, unsure of how to proceed.

This carriage was specially designed for Cornwall, with bulletproof reinforcements. Thick iron plates covered every inch of the carriage, making it impenetrable without explosives. The employees and guards inside refused to open the door.

Arthur joined the group.

Seeing only Arthur and not Javier, Dutch said, "Arthur, come over here. Are you two okay? Where's Javier?"

Arthur parked his horse and said, "We're fine. Javier will be here soon. Since everything's settled here, let's grab the loot and leave."

Arthur didn't yet realize the situation and was ready to wrap things up and leave. Dutch, frustrated, said to Arthur, "There are still people resisting in the last carriage."

Dutch lit a cigar and led the group towards Cornwall's private carriage. After observing it for a moment, he shouted inside, "What are you boys planning to do in there? Listen, I don't want to kill any of you..."

"Yeah, we want to kill all of you, haha..." Bill muttered quietly, causing a few nearby chuckles.

Dutch glared at Bill and continued, "Believe me, I don't want to, but I will."

Usually, a mix of persuasion and threat works well.

However, the Cornwall employees inside were still unwilling to surrender, shouting, "We work for Leviticus Cornwall!" This kind of threat usually works, implying that you're dealing with someone powerful. But it depends on who you're talking to.

"Come on, boys, what are you thinking?" Dutch was clearly impatient and signaled everyone to prepare for a gunfight.

"I'm going to count to five, five..."

"We're not opening the door!"

"Four!"

"Give up!"

"Three, two, one, it seems our friends inside are deaf." Dutch returned to the group, and they all lined up, guns raised. Dutch also raised his gun and said, "Let's wake them up."

As Dutch fired at the carriage, everyone followed suit, but the bullets only sparked against the metal without penetrating it. Arthur fired a symbolic shot, knowing their bullets couldn't pierce the armor.

Although Dutch just wanted to scare the people inside, it didn't seem to be working. The gunfire continued until their clips were empty. Considering bullets cost money, Arthur stopped the group from reloading and firing again.

Inside the carriage, realizing they were safe from bullets, someone shouted excitedly, "We're not coming out, and you're not getting in!"

At this point, Arthur had to step in, even though he hadn't wanted to rob this train. And God knows, he had tried his best to stop it, short of shooting Dutch in the head. Fortunately, he had anticipated things might turn out this way. So, he had privately prepared some contingency plans.

Robbing Cornwall's train was one thing, but he wasn't going to take the blame for it.

Dutch was looking at Arthur with confusion. He didn't realize Arthur thought continuing to shoot was a waste of bullets and assumed Arthur might be giving up.

Arthur turned back to his horse, retrieved two bundles of dynamite, and returned to the carriage. He expertly attached the dynamite to the door and said, "Listen inside, I, Colm O'Driscoll, guarantee that when we blow this door open, none of you will survive!"

***

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