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Chapter  Pt.III
"Taming the Iron Horse"
(Who the Hell Is Leviticus Cornwall?)

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The iron horse slammed its metal hooves, pounding and charging with an unstoppable force. The thundering mechanized sounds vibrated the steel tracks that paved way through the landscape of the Wild West.

"Good luck, all of you. You know what to do." Van Der Linde announced.

Tulip kept a watchful gaze at the scene unfolding, Bill was scurrying over to the rocks and took position with the detonator. Within a few ticking moments, the posse waited for the signal to see the tracks and train blow sky high.

Around the corner of the mountain, there it was. The locomotive painted in black as night and traced with gold. It roared in the distance, it's unwavering power pushing through the rails could be felt even from the ridge.

"Here we go." He placed his hands on the pump detonator handle. As the train glided over the planted stack of dynamites, he plunged it!

*click!*

The gang from the ridge anticipated for an explosive firework.

*click, click!*

Bill frustratingly and repeatedly activated it, but there was no ignition nor signs of setting it off. "Shit! No! What? God!"

The gang looked in disappointment, Tulip watched each of the members and Arthur dipped his head low, his hat hiding his emerald eyes. "Oh, you have got be kidding me!" Dutch groaned.

Arthur sighed, "Where did you find that moron?"

Dutch shot back. "You said it was fine."

He spluttered, "Oh, so it's my fault?"

Tulip and the rest of the gang didn't have time to waste, "Well come on!" Javier shouted as they all dismounted and ran like the wind.

Arthur retorted quickly at Dutch, "You're pathetic. You know that?"

Dutch only mumbled as he watched his followers chase the train down, kicking up dirt and bits of snow from under their boots and heels.

Tulip shook her head, the last time Arthur meddled with explosives, he almost blew his own horse up all those years ago. She should've known. Of course, only Hosea and Willow knew this, because if Dutch knew, then he wouldn't have trusted Arthur with it.

Focusing back to the task at hand, the train was already a long ways ahead, stretching into the distance! "Here we go!" Javier leapt off the ridge first, his poncho wavering in the wind.

Lenny jumped almost the same time and Tulip followed close behind.

Upon landing on the spine of the iron horse, she crashed onto the top, creating a loud and heavy thump. Her rifle banged against her back, it was extremely uncomfortable to say the least. "Oh, shit!" She heard someone stutter. "Help!"

She dived to the left of the train, instantly grasping one of the members hanging on!

It was Lenny, who was gripping on a steel bar, "Tulip! I- I'm slippin'!" He stammered, this must be one hell of a first time on the job for that man.

If she's not careful enough, Tulip could accidentally slip off herself and take both of them off the train and into the rocky depths below.

She continuously cussed under her breath as her grip was sliding, "T- Tulip!" Her eyes widened!

An arm lanced from the corner of her view, who wore a blue coat, "We've got you, now stop yellin'!" It belonged to Arthur. "You're okay..." He patted him. "Now let's go slow this thing down."

Both Tulip and Lenny sighed a sense of relief. As they returned running, making their way to the front car, Lenny asked. There was adrenaline in this kid's blood from almost dying back there. "What happened to Javier?"

"He fell, the others'll get him." They dropped down one by one, "Let's go." Arthur pulled out his sidearm. "You sure you're gonna use that rifle? It's cramped here."

She shook her head.

"Heh, stubborn as always." He smirked, his long-barreled Cattleman gleamed, slightly covered with dirt.

Lenny bashed one of the men of the train unconscious. Each of the cabins were lavishly equipped with golden candelabras, books neatly placed within shelves in mint condition. Even the royal blue carpets seemed to be luxuriously woven together, Tulip liked the interiors, but it was a bit over the top in her opinion.

"There's another guard up ahead, any of you wanna take him?" Lenny asked as they took cover.

Without a word, Tulip crouched low, flipping over her Winchester so the butt of the gun faced at the other end. The guard was wearing a fancy suit with a sandy tan flat cap. She quickly snuck up behind and before he could turn to see her, she pummeled the side of his head. The man grunted and fell off the train.

A gunshot rang through the air.

Tulip tucked herself and shielded herself, one of the guards must've spotted her. She fired, her gun puffing out black smoke and sounding dirty. "Ya okay?"

"Mm-hm." Tulip was bothered by her unkempt weapons, having lack of gun oil.

"Alright, let's move up there!"

The other two shot the guards up ahead and she searched for anything useful on the corpses, a few bullets to keep for reserve never hurt.

She cycled her gun. "What the hell was Bill doin'? He had long enough to set that charge."

Arthur admitted, "Well, I hooked up the wire. But we won't mention that... You got that Tulip? Don't tell Willow, or I'll never hear the end of it."

The woman couldn't help but chuckle.

"We gotta hurry! W-we have to stop this train!"

"That's what we're doin', kid." Winter's breath of the frigid winds from the northern mountains whistled through the air, the iron horse must've already been heading towards the snow.

Lenny has ran ahead of the little group, Tulip, deciding to later check the bodies, tried to catch up to him. Arthur was right behind her, covering her six incase they've missed someone.

"We're all clear here Tulip, let's go!"

She climbed the 3rd to last railway carriage, but she was caught in surprise by someone who already had her at gunpoint. The man fired as she rapidly leaned to one side, the bullet whizzing past and scratching her left arm! "Yer don't rob a Leviticus Cornwall trai-"

*bang!*

As quick as an experienced gunslinger, Tulip drawn out her revolver and shot the man in the gut. He panicked and lost his footing, slipping, and then the frozen rocks below ultimately became his icy grave.

"Urgh." She grunted, glancing at her bleeding arm. The injury wasn't anything she could take, but a burning pain from a gunshot wound was never something anyone could ever get comfortable with.

"Let's keep going, it's nothing you ain't used to, right?" Arthur questioned. She once again shook her head, then they continued. Lenny was being pinned, and the man beside her shot without a moment's notice. She pulled the trigger to shoot another inside of a cabin on the front. "You alright?"

"I'm okay." Lenny breathed. "I'm goin' up, we have to stop this train! If we don't stop this soon, the other boys'll never catch us!"

"I know, just stay calm."

They pushed onwards, climbing over once more to try and reach the front car. This time, Morgan is taking the lead and Tulip was at their backs.

"Agh!" It was Arthur's voice.

Lenny aimed his rifle, but not firing. Tulip rushed to see the commotion, "Ya got him? I ain't got a clear shot!" He shouted over the bellowing winds.

He was being grappled, but Arthur elbowed the train engineer, breaking free and sending a few more heavy slugging to the man's face. Tulip placed her hand on top of Lenny's rifle and gently pushed it down while he was aiming, motioning him that Arthur has this.

He reeled back once more, then did a full-blown jab, and throwing the engineer overboard. The man was soon swallowed by the misty depths and the jaws of Big Valley, never to be seen again.

"Damn fools." Arthur sneered, before picking up his unforgettable Gambler's hat. "Alright..." He entered the front car, pulling a few levers.

The train's brakes closed and it screeched with a high-pitched noise, because of the sudden jolt of the train, Lenny and Tulip that are still on the roof felt like they were being pulled. They anchored their feet and she gasped, almost falling off if it weren't for Lenny having a tight grip on her arm so she wouldn't lose her balance.

She groaned and winced, he had gripped her injured arm. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize." She waved it off.

While they were successful on skidding the train to a halt, countless gunshots reverberated in the air around them, "Shit, more men comin' from the train cars!" Arthur bellowed, they all took cover and rushed to the boulders or the railway cars.

"They ain't gon' give up easily are they?!" Lenny boomed.

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A/N : There ya go! Decided to make this about 1.5k words in length rather than 3k so you fellers could read it and less waitin'! Again, I dunno if ya like that. Also, poll about my story, I would really like to know your feedback on it, right now, it seems that I might as well be making a A/U book of this story. Savin' the folks and seeing how it'll lead.

Published : Dec. 19, 2018

Edited : Dec. 19, 2018

Just spiffing up grammar.