Read Online Tesla: A Teen Steampunk/Cyberpunk Adventure (Tesla Evolution Book 1) by Mark Lingane - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mark Lingane
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into his head then twisted, the pressure maintained until he could bear it, then twisting again. He gritted his teeth and forced open his eyes. He could hear shouts and screams from the other side of the door. He heard a roar like thunder passing overhead.
The train surged forward only to lurch backward again. There was the ear-piercing screech of metal being torn apart, and the train slowed. Above him there was another roar and something heavy landed on the roof of his carriage. There was another deafening roar and the screaming stopped.
He could feel the heat through the metal. There was a loud scraping noise followed by more sounds of steel being ripped open. Three giant claws, larger and thicker than Sebastian’s arms, punched their way through the roof, slowly and terrifyingly.
The train came to an erratic halt. Another set of claws sank through the roof and clenched. They lifted up, tearing the roof open and exposing a vulnerable Sebastian inside. He cowered in the corner as the large head of the beast craned in, searching for him. He could hear the sound of cogs turning as its eyes moved backward and forward trying to get him into focus.
Sebastian could see scratches and tears all over the face of the beast. It was made of metal. It wasn’t a living creature.
He suddenly realized that despite the beast’s close proximity, he wasn’t writhing on the floor in agony. His body felt like he was being pounded by a thousand punches, but he could tolerate it. It wasn’t as bad as the previous times. He was surrounded by metal. He wondered if that had anything to do with it.
Eventually the beast settled. He heard the whirring of gears, and the mouth opened. He heard a distant eruption, which he assumed was from deep within the beast’s body, and saw a small flame dancing at the front of its mouth.
“No!” he shouted. He could feel the force within him strike out from his body into the heart of the creature.
The beast went crazy. It thrashed around, denting its head and the walls of the carriage, which rocked dangerously from side to side. It jerked its head back out of the carriage, ripping off parts of its own face. There was a loud thump as it landed heavily on the ground. Sebastian heard it thrashing around, unable to function properly.
Another beast glided in low over the open hole in the carriage roof. It landed heavily on the ground. Crunching metal echoed throughout the carriage confines. Sebastian collapsed to the floor, giving into the pain. As the darkness took him, the second beast soared off above, carrying the wreckage of the first in its claws.
*
He didn’t know how long he had been unconscious, but the sun was still high in the sky and the day was still hot. He unlocked the door but it refused to budge. He tried the side door. It creaked and groaned. He wedged himself between the wall and the edge of the sliding door and pushed with all his might, just managing to force it open enough to squeeze out. With his backpack slung over his shoulder, he staggered out onto the empty desert plain.
He wandered down to the front of what was left of the train. It was a charred and blackened mess. The magnificent locomotive engine had exploded, leaving only the wheels intact. The second carriage had melted and was a disfigured, twisted pile of scrap. There were no survivors. He spotted the occasional bone or skull among the wreckage, but none of it invited further examination.
He reflected upon what had just happened. The great beast had been right here, with that fearsome, deadly head a matter of feet away. Yet it hadn’t really scared him. The pain did, no doubt about that, but he felt sure he had known these beasts all his life; they weren’t completely alien to him because they lived in his imagination deep within his soul.
The most important question in his mind was, why him? Why was he such a threat?
There wasn’t much left to do. The train was dead. He didn’t know how long
The train surged forward only to lurch backward again. There was the ear-piercing screech of metal being torn apart, and the train slowed. Above him there was another roar and something heavy landed on the roof of his carriage. There was another deafening roar and the screaming stopped.
He could feel the heat through the metal. There was a loud scraping noise followed by more sounds of steel being ripped open. Three giant claws, larger and thicker than Sebastian’s arms, punched their way through the roof, slowly and terrifyingly.
The train came to an erratic halt. Another set of claws sank through the roof and clenched. They lifted up, tearing the roof open and exposing a vulnerable Sebastian inside. He cowered in the corner as the large head of the beast craned in, searching for him. He could hear the sound of cogs turning as its eyes moved backward and forward trying to get him into focus.
Sebastian could see scratches and tears all over the face of the beast. It was made of metal. It wasn’t a living creature.
He suddenly realized that despite the beast’s close proximity, he wasn’t writhing on the floor in agony. His body felt like he was being pounded by a thousand punches, but he could tolerate it. It wasn’t as bad as the previous times. He was surrounded by metal. He wondered if that had anything to do with it.
Eventually the beast settled. He heard the whirring of gears, and the mouth opened. He heard a distant eruption, which he assumed was from deep within the beast’s body, and saw a small flame dancing at the front of its mouth.
“No!” he shouted. He could feel the force within him strike out from his body into the heart of the creature.
The beast went crazy. It thrashed around, denting its head and the walls of the carriage, which rocked dangerously from side to side. It jerked its head back out of the carriage, ripping off parts of its own face. There was a loud thump as it landed heavily on the ground. Sebastian heard it thrashing around, unable to function properly.
Another beast glided in low over the open hole in the carriage roof. It landed heavily on the ground. Crunching metal echoed throughout the carriage confines. Sebastian collapsed to the floor, giving into the pain. As the darkness took him, the second beast soared off above, carrying the wreckage of the first in its claws.
*
He didn’t know how long he had been unconscious, but the sun was still high in the sky and the day was still hot. He unlocked the door but it refused to budge. He tried the side door. It creaked and groaned. He wedged himself between the wall and the edge of the sliding door and pushed with all his might, just managing to force it open enough to squeeze out. With his backpack slung over his shoulder, he staggered out onto the empty desert plain.
He wandered down to the front of what was left of the train. It was a charred and blackened mess. The magnificent locomotive engine had exploded, leaving only the wheels intact. The second carriage had melted and was a disfigured, twisted pile of scrap. There were no survivors. He spotted the occasional bone or skull among the wreckage, but none of it invited further examination.
He reflected upon what had just happened. The great beast had been right here, with that fearsome, deadly head a matter of feet away. Yet it hadn’t really scared him. The pain did, no doubt about that, but he felt sure he had known these beasts all his life; they weren’t completely alien to him because they lived in his imagination deep within his soul.
The most important question in his mind was, why him? Why was he such a threat?
There wasn’t much left to do. The train was dead. He didn’t know how long
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