The Uncanny Tales of Crush & Pound
2
by Christopher D. Carter
© 2012
Text and Illustration Copyright © 2012 Christopher D. Carter
All Rights Reserved
Also by Christopher D. Carter available at ebook retailers:
Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 1
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Next Issue
About the Author
Chapter 1
*
Crossties
*
“Doc, you sure you’re up to this?” Seth asked as he steered the hybrid two-seater down I-85 towards Durham.
“What choice do I have, Seth? As manager of the East Coast Division of the DAM, I am required to represent the Department to other government agencies. That includes the Senate, or in this case, Senator Fromage,” Dr. Tatum said with a frown. She had not seen eye to eye with the Senator since she had crossed swords with him a few months prior, and their relationship had not improved as a result of their inability to find his missing daughter Carol and endangering his other daughter Mary during the subsequent investigation.
“You could ignore the sniveling bureaucrat until after the election. It’s not like he’s a shoe in to win anyway,” Seth pointed out.
“I wish I could ignore him, but he’s on the Senate committee that makes funding decisions for the DAM. So if you like your job, then drop me off in Durham and I’ll handle the politics. You know my thesis was on ‘Democratic Voting Strategies’, so I may be able to steer the conversation to the election and smooth it all over for a while,” she said while winking an eye at him. She was a clever and confident lady to be sure.
“Glad you’re confident about your objectives. I’m not so sure about my case,” he replied.
“You’re fine. You’ve learned a lot from Crush and Pound over the last year, and I believe you can handle just about anything that’s thrown at you,” she encouraged him.
“We’ll see,” he replied and exited the interstate at the rental car agency in Durham. He dropped her off around the front and when she gave him the thumbs up, he chose the entrance ramp to I-85 West and continued his journey to NC Highway 55 and US 1 to Moncure, North Carolina. Moncure was a small town just south of Raleigh, and it was the kind of town where you put your wallet on a chain so that it did not take a walk with someone else. Seth believed he was prepared, but when he stopped at the general store to ask the two older gentlemen out front where the Kennedy Sawmill was located, they laughed and spit peanut shells on his shoes when they answered.
“If you’re looking to sell logs, he closed down years ago,” one whistled through his loose dentures. The other fellow just stared up at Seth with his good eye while the other fellow pointed straight ahead and nodded his approval.
“Never mind,” Seth replied and entered the store just in time to be pummeled to the floor by a fist to the back of the head.
“Get outta the way,” a man yelled out and then fled through the open door, leaving Seth to get his bearings.
“Hey, why’d you let him go,” a lady yelled out as a hand reached out to help Seth to his feet.
“I didn’t see you doing anything while he made me into a punching bag,” Seth replied rubbing his head.
“Sorry I overreacted. It’s not every day we get robbed. I was just nervous,” said a young lady as she looked him in the eyes. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Did you call the police?”
“Sheriff’s on the way. Should be here soon,” said another lady from behind the counter.
When Deputy Byrd arrived, he asked the ladies a few questions about what had been taken and what the robber looked like. When he was finished, he asked Seth if he had been hurt seriously.
“Just my pride,” he added. When the deputy finished the report, Seth stopped him to ask for more specific directions to the sawmill.
“Yeah, that old place. It’s been closed for years. What are you doing out there?”
“I’ve got a case to look into,” he said as he showed the deputy his badge.
“DAM, huh. Never heard of your organization, but just follow me,” the deputy replied and started his vehicle. They drove north of the two-lane road and then turned onto a gravel road entering a pine forest. About a mile deep into the woods, they crossed a railroad track and entered an open area with two long open sheds and an office area. There were old abandoned logs and firewood piles scattered everywhere.
“This is it. Spooky old place these days,” said the deputy.
“Yeah, thanks for the help. I’m not sure I would have found this mess,” he replied.
“No problem. Are you alone?”
“Basically.”
“Then here’s my number. Call me if you need some help,” said the deputy and drove away.
Alone, Seth sat down on an old stump at the edge of the clearing and read through the details. Every Wednesday night for the last three months, strange sightings had been reported by railroad workers in the vicinity of the mill. The sightings included many unusual circumstances including visions of people on the tracks. As can be imagined, the trains had made numerous emergency stops to prevent collisions with the pedestrians, however no pedestrians had ever been found upon stopping. The sightings had created such havoc with the railroad company that the railroad police were called in to investigate. During the subsequent investigations, the railroad police confirmed the pedestrian sightings on the track; however, they were unable to detain the persons responsible, or even to find any physical evidence to substantiate the claims. Unable to complete the task, the railroad police passed the opportunity to the federal government, where the report found its way to the front office of the DAM. Now Seth sat meditating in the old forest, wondering when he would have a chance to witness a vision for himself.
A twig cracked behind him, and Seth shifted his body around to see where the sound had originated. To his disbelief, three men from another era appeared in the forest walking purposefully to the mill, each dressed in overalls and brandishing axes. These were stout men with large arms like vises, who could work in the mill all day stacking lumber without tiring. Such men had not frequented this world for many years, and as Seth gazed back at the mill, the place became alive with activity. Men were stacking boards in large packs on wagons, while other men were hewing logs with axes as they lay upon the ground. Still other men were steering mules with logs behind in a steady line to the mill.
“Hey, you gonna do anything today or not,” came a voice from behind and a hand rested on his shoulder. “We got a load of crossties to cut by Wednesday before the train comes in, so we better keep the saw in the log.”
Seth did not recognize the fellow, but he felt strangely compelled to follow so he left his papers behind and headed to the mill. Feeling more familiar, he took his place as the off bearer at the huge saw while Johnny went to the controls. “Wait a second! How did I know his name?! That’s Johnny Kennedy!” he thought to himself as he put the motor in gear. With the fifty-two sharp bits of the saw spinning at 700 rpm, Johnny motioned for the log turner, Mike, to roll a log onto the carriage with the cant hook, then Mike brought out an axe and nailed the dogs into the wood with the flat side of the blade. Working with steady hands, the crew, which included five other men on the green end, sawed through a hundred crossties that afternoon and evening. Seth worked alongside them edging bark off boards and stacking lumber and slabs, never once thinking again about the case that he was sent to investigate.
W
hen the work day finished just before dark, Seth stretched his tired arms and legs and sat back down on the old stump where the case folder now lay forgotten on the ground. Resting for a few moments, he watched Johnny’s wife and child come out of the office and rush to give him a hug. They had arrived from town earlier that day, and they intended on spending the week with Johnny at the mill. All of the employees had traveled up to fifty miles to work, and there were tents set up around a campsite so that all of the employees could stay the week or longer if necessary. As the owner, Johnny remained on site for four weeks straight and would take a week off to travel back home, but his wife Michelle and daughter Audrey had made a special trip to spend time together as a family.
Johnny, Michelle, and Audrey approached Seth together, and Johnny spoke.
“Darren, would you like to eat dinner with us? Michelle has fixed steak and potatoes.”
“Sure, I’m starved after sawing all of that oak today,” Seth replied, forgetting his own name.
“It’s great to see you, Uncle Darren,” said Audrey as she grabbed Seth’s hand.
“Yes, it is,” agreed Michelle with a smile. “How is May?”
“She’s doing well,” Seth answered his sister-in-law. “She was his sister-in-law, wasn’t she,” he questioned himself as if there was some doubt.
**********
Dr. Tatum entered the government building in Durham that the Senator sometimes uses as a satellite office, and she rang the doorbell to the office. A young lady answered the office door and upon notifying her of the scheduled appointment and presenting identification, Dr. Tatum was promptly introduced to a rather tall and menacing fellow in a black suit and tie, who proceeded to run a metal detector over Dr. Tatum’s figure. When he found only a couple of items that triggered his sensor, a cell phone and an ink pen, he cleared her for entry to see Senator Richard Fromage.
Upon entry to the office, Senator Fromage was standing at the window, staring out at the city below. “Have a seat, Theresa,” he said without turning around. There was a desk with several plush chairs, and reluctantly she chose one and sat, waiting for a speech. She was not disappointed. “Theresa, I’m glad you came today. I want to talk to you about your department’s performance in the recent disappearance of my daughter, Carol. Your department was incredibly ineffective.” Still gazing out the window, he paused to wait for her response.
“Senator, we investigated the disappearance as requested, and in the process one of our agents and your private detective were abducted. Upon arrival of two additional DAM agents, no further evidence regarding the disappearance of your daughter, your detective, and my agent could be found. However, you would not allow your other daughter, Mary, who is a witness to be present for the ongoing investigation, and she may have been a target herself during the previous investigation.”
“Are you suggesting that Mary had something to do with Carol’s disappearance?!” the Senator snapped in a rage.
“Not at all. What is interesting is that the abductor was clearly drawn by your daughters. Do you know this abductor?”
“Dr. Tatum, you are here to answer my questions regarding your effectiveness and the effectiveness of the DAM. You are not here to question me!”
“It seems that there is more to this than you intend to reveal.”
“I came to your department for your expertise. It seems that I made a mistake.”
“Senator, please understand,” she said in an effort to calm his mood. “We want to help, but we will need to peel back the onion to see what’s inside.”
“Dr. Tatum, I will not answer your questions. And since you cannot answer mine, you are dismissed,” he stated, and she was promptly escorted out by the guard.
“That went well,” she thought as she exited the building.
**********
Darren ate dinner with his brother’s family that evening, and they talked about times gone by and times to come. Audrey loved her uncle very much, and she sat by his side that evening playing cards until Michelle put her to bed. Then Darren wished them all good night and spent the night alone in his tent.
The next morning came soon, and Darren and Johnny woke up early to do some maintenance on the steam engine. When that was finished, the shift was due to begin so they stretched out and drank a cup of coffee to warm up for another long day ahead. Together they would have to saw two hundred crossties that day to remain on schedule for the four hundred due late Wednesday evening.
Keeping the saw in the log, they managed to finish the first hundred crossties an hour after lunch and that left a target of 6 p.m. for finishing the last hundred of the day. As the team sawed and the carriage went back and forth that day, Darren noticed a wagon that crossed the tracks and stopped next to the office. Then a lady that he recognized and knew very well waved to him from across the yard. It was May, and he waved back to her in surprise that she had traveled so far to see him. Before he could take a break in production to see her and find out why she came, she began pacing across the yard toward him with no apparent regard for her own safety. In shock, Darren motioned for Johnny to stop sawing for a minute, and he ran out to meet her.
“May! Is everything okay?!” he yelled out to her as he ran.
“Of course. I came by to visit you and to offer my help,” she replied.
“Thanks, honey,” he said as he reached her and kissed her on the cheek. “I could use some company when we finish this evening. We have a load of crossties to saw before tomorrow evening when the train arrives, so we’ve been working extra-long days to get it finished. We should be finished right after 6 o’clock, and Johnny and Michelle will have dinner with us tonight, if you can wait.”
“Sure, that sounds nice,” said May as she gazed around at all of the activity. “I’ll be over at the office waiting for you.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said as he kissed her again and ran back to the mill. May strolled back across the yard, noting the other work going on. The other workers gave her space as she passed.
At 6:15 p.m. the last crosstie was stacked for the evening, and Darren and Johnny went back to the office to meet their wives. Apparently, May and Michelle were still on bad terms with each other from their last meeting because neither one would speak to the other over dinner. Darren wondered if maybe he and May should have eaten alone that evening.
“How’s the chicken?” he asked her.
“It’s edible,” May said smiling. “So, tomorrow night’s the big night,” she remarked, and he told her all about their work from the past couple of days and about the deal that Johnny had made with the railroad company.
“There’s no choice about putting in the extra hours. The railroad expects the load complete and the workers here need their paychecks,” said Darren as they held hands and strolled together under the moonlight back to the tent.
“Go on in and get some sleep tonight, okay. You’ve got a long day ahead tomorrow,” she said as she escorted him inside and sang him to sleep. Darren was so tired from the long day of work that he fell asleep a few minutes after he hit the pillow, and May watched over him all that night, reading a book by the light of a campfire that she had built outside the tent.
The next morning, the work continued without any major breakdowns and by 1:15 p.m., the load of four hundred crossties was complete. Johnny and Darren insisted on continuing until 5 p.m. so that they would have a good start on the next load.
Seventy-five crossties later, the day of sawing was over and Darren led the men in shoveling bark from beneath the log deck. The bark was four feet deep, but with seven men toiling, the steaming pile of fresh bark dwindled away in an hour. In the meantime Johnny prepared the paperwork for the bill of lading and counted the different types of crossties for the total reconciliation. The train was expected to arrive at 8:00 p.m., so everyone broke for dinner while they waited for its arrival.
At dinner, May paid attention to Darren, but had nothing to
say to Johnny, Michelle, and Audrey. Darren hoped this would not be the permanent state of affairs between the two families. Time passed, and May never touched her food. This drew stares of disbelief from Johnny, but Darren shook his head, encouraging his brother to just ignore her lack of an appetite.
“I’m just not hungry,” she said seeing the look of concern on Darren’s face. As she stood to dismiss herself, a man appeared from out of the dark and grabbed May around the neck with one arm while holding a gun to her side with his free hand.
“Give me all o’ your money!” he growled.
“I don’t have any,” Darren said, still in shock at the suddenness of his appearance. Johnny, Michelle, and Audrey all watched as the fellow backed away from the fire light to the nearby railroad tracks.
“If you don’t cough up your wallet, she gets it! I mean it!” the thief yelled. Within seconds he had her held captive between the railroad tracks, threatening her life as she fought to get loose from his tight grip.
Just then, a light appeared through the forest, followed by an all too familiar whistle. It was the crosstie train on its way to pick up the load of ties. Through the woods, the engine crept at a steady pace as the robber stared down Darren and the freight train in a high stakes game of chicken. There was little time to waste, and Darren had to come up with something quickly. If he did nothing, the thief would probably hurt or even kill May. If Darren tried to rush him, May could be shot and thrown under the train. Going through his pockets, Darren found no money on himself, and in desperation, he looked to his brother Johnny for help. Johnny, however, had disappeared without a trace. Michelle and Audrey had vanished as well. In a quick scan of the mill, everyone who had been there before was gone. There was only the thief, May, and Darren present.
“No, wait. That isn’t right,” he thought as memories seemed to come rushing back in like a flood. “I’m Seth, and that’s . . . that’s Dr. Tatum?! I kissed Dr. Tatum!” he said as he slapped his forehead subconsciously. “I can’t believe I kissed my manager,” he mumbled aloud to himself, all the while thinking that he would not object if it happened again.
“You’re runnin’ outta time! I’m going to throw her under the train!” the thief threatened Seth and Dr. Tatum again.