1931 The Grand Punk Railroad: Local by Ryohgo Narita Page B

eyes seemed happy—with a gaze that was half pitying and half scornful, the older man began to speak…
    …about his own true identity.
    “Well, it’s a real common, simple story. It’s a story about Lemures… Ghosts who were so terrified of death that they became ghosts while they were still alive.”
    “Wha? …Uh-huh…”
    “But the ghosts had a great leader. The leader tried to dye the things they feared with their own color, in order to bring them back to life. However, the United States of America was afraid of the dead coming back to life! And, would you believe it, the fools tried to shut the ghosts’ leader up inside a grave!”
    The content of the conversation didn’t really make sense to the less-experienced railman, but anger had gradually begun to fill the face and tone of the speaker. The young conductor felt something race down his spine.
    “Uh, um, mister?”
    “And so. The remaining ghosts had an idea. They thought they’d take more than a hundred people hostage—including a senator’s family—and demand the release of their leader. If the incident were made public, the country would never accept the terrorists’ demands. For that reason, the negotiations would be carried out in utter secrecy by a detached force. They wouldn’t be given time to make a calm decision. They’d only have until the train reached New York!”
    “A senator… You don’t mean Senator Beriam, do you? Wait, no, you can’t— Do you mean
this
train? Hey, what’s going on? Explain yourself!”
    Maybe he’d finally realized that something was wrong: The young conductor took a step back, retreating from his senior.
    “Explain? But I am explaining, right now. To be honest, I never thought my cover of ‘conductor’ would prove useful at a time like this. In any case, when this train reaches New York, it will be transformed into a moving fortress for the Lemures! Afterward, using the hostages as a shield, we’ll take our leave somewhere along the transcontinental railroad. The police can’t possibly watch all the routes at once.”
    “Wh-who’s the leader?”
    Asking an awfully coolheaded question, the young conductor took another step backward. However, the train wasn’t very big, and at that point, his back bumped into the wall.
    “Our great Master Huey will be interviewed by the New York Department of Justice tomorrow. For that very reason, this train was chosen to become a sacrifice for our leader!”
    The train was scheduled to arrive at noon the next day. If the negotiations succeeded, they probably planned to put their leader on the train and flee with the hostages.
    The young conductor now knew what this man, the one who’d been his senior colleague, really was. As he gazed steadily into the other man’s eyes, he asked a question whose answer he already suspected:
    “…Why are you telling me this?”
    The answer was about what he’d expected.
    “Master Huey is merciful. I merely emulate him. Knowing the reason for your death as you die: You’re very lucky.”
    Then, taking a gun from inside his coat, he wrapped up his story:
    “Now then, regarding the all-important method of salvation… ‘Everyone who heard this story died immediately. There wasn’t a single way to be saved’!”
    As his story ended, he took aim at the young conductor’s nose and fired.
    A gunshot.
    The sound traveled along the rails, echoing sharply…
    Exhaustively…
    Across the entirety of the line…
    And so the monster awakened.
    The monster named…
    …the Rail Tracer.



 

    A short while earlier.
    The train had made it to sunset without incident, and people from a variety of passenger compartments were enjoying their dinners in the dining car.
    The design motif for the dining car had also been based on the Royal Train, and the calm shades of the woodwork formed an exquisite harmony with the overlay of gold ornamentation.
    The dining car was available to anyone, regardless of which compartment they were in, and