Hell's Rails

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Ever wondered where jumping onto a train would take you? Perhaps it will take you to a new world, a new place, invite you to join new ventures. Welcome to the life of Randall "Randy" Walker. The lost boy who had to find his way and the way took him way out of his way. Running away from home in 1990, the sixteen year old Randy had nothing but the clothes on his back and the thoughts in his head. This is the story of a man who took a ride on Hell's Rails.  

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Characters

Randall "Randy" Walker
[At the age of sixteen, Randall decided to run away from home and take on this cruel world on his own. Not having any money or a place to go, Randall jumped on a train and that's where the story begins.]

Jimmy "Ole Grey" Turner
[Along Randall's journey, he meets an old married couple, Jimmy and Patricia, who took the lost boy in as an child of sorts. Helping him financially, they understood that Randy would never stay in any place for too long of a time.]

Patricia "Patty" Turner
[Along Randall's journey, he meets an old married couple, Jimmy and Patricia, who took the lost boy in as an child of sorts. Helping him financially, they understood that Randy would never stay in any place for too long of a time.]

Lonnie "Skull" Winchester
[Whenever Randy meets Skull, he is seventeen years old, another runaway like Randy and the two become friends. The two go on their journey together. Lonnie got the nickname skull after cracking a 35 year olds skull who tried to rob him, the reason Lonnie ran away.]

Jackson "Rails" Kennedy
[One of the older friends of Randall, the twenty-six year old Jackson has been living on the run for twelve years. He got the nickname rails after trying to hide his identity for a long time after being charged for an armed robbery he was never a part of but set off his theft career.

Kurt "Pony-Boy" Young
[Kurt is the youngest at fourteen and golden one of the group and was given the nickname Ponyboy because of it. Always trying to stay out of trouble, is no stranger to getting loads of it. The youngest of the crew at fourteen, escaped a boys home after his parents died in a car wreck.]

Ike "Boss" Rodman
[The oldest of the group is a forty-nine year old who has been riding the railway for twenty-five years and got the nickname boss for the order he puts in the group. He is the person who set up the whole system the boys keep touch with and sets the jobs to survive.]

Tyler "Ty" Matthews
[Twin brothers, Tyler and Gregory joined the group at the age of eighteen. Both been kicked of their home, they had nowhere else to go and where found by Railz sleeping in a different box rail on the train. Tyler is more of the quiet, smart type and becomes one of the most beneficial members of the group.]

Gregory "Madman" Matthews
[Twin brothers, Tyler and Gregory joined the group at the age of eighteen. Both been kicked of their home, they had nowhere else to go and where found by Railz sleeping in a different box rail on the train. Gregory is a madman, easily put for his nickname, Gregory has major anger problems and is the "troublemaker" of the group and has problems with Boss and order.]

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Episode Vault

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EPISODE 001
"PROLOGUE
"Just Go" the idea keeps going throughout the head of sixteen year old, Randall Walker as he sits on his bed with his palms holding up his jaw. Randy stares at his dresser and more importantly the pictures on top of it. His family stares back at him with smiles on their faces, so much they had put on his brother. The chosen one... and now the chosen one is behind bar and his Dad never learned to cope. Within two years, everything had turned upside down. Dad's an alcoholic now, Mom's a control freak, and Lucas is in jail. Who cares if you run away and never look back? The voices  tell him to go, does his heart even tell him to stay? "Wheres that fucking bastard at!" a angry man's voice screams from down stairs. "Sad thing I know you Dad..." and then Randy Walker makes his move. As the footsteps stomp up the stairway, Randy hustles over to his window, pulling it open, and glancing back one last time before jumping with the second story. He lands awkwardly but the time for pain isn't now by a long shot. Randy runs and runs until his ankle couldn't take it any longer. "Dammit" he mumbles collapsing to the ground to lean back against a brick wall. "I gotta keep moving, I can't quit now. But where am I even going in the first place?" he questions himself in his mind. Using assistance from the wall, Randy is able to pull himself up to his feet. He groans in pain of his ankle but he knows that he can't stop now. He glances behind him in pain, he will return to this place. He has his mind set to forget this place and every person in it, he turns away and looks forward before nodding his head and running off.

A million thoughts pass through his head as he continues down the streets and the sweat pours from his brow and every step feels like a million hammers on his ankle but he won't stop. "Where are you taking me feet?" he ponders as if he didn't already know where his feet were taking him. The idea he has had a million times, the plan that is about to be set to action. Randy leaves the streets and cuts through the forest. He weaves through tree and pushes before letting out a painful groan and a pop comes from his ankle. He flops to the ground with a thunderous thud and he just lays still on the ground. The feeling of doubt and lost-will. He thinks to himself that this is all a mistake and he is just going to have to return back to hell at home. He is to young with no plan and all enemies, who is he kidding? "No, I will not return home!" Randy is very strong willed to feel so small and lost and he pushes himself up to be able to sit back on a tree. He allows his head to fall back and hit the tree and blows out some steam. His long blonde hair wet with sweat and his black jacket and jeans ripped and muddy. Randy closes his eyes and the thoughts and memories haunt him so quick he is forced to reopen his eyes and just stare into the darkness of the forest. He wonders where he goes from here. He has nothing to his name, he has no friends, no family anymore. Randy Walker is now all alone.

As much as Randy would love to just sit their for hours and let time just tick by, he can't. Soon his Mom will have snapped out of her trance and realize the only son she has left is gone and will send somebody to find him... too bad. He has an look of agony on his face with his teeth gritted forcing pressure upon his injured ankle but his destination isn't far away and there he can rest. He limps along trying to not place as much pressure on his ankle, the silence is almost deafening to him as all he can hear are the voice in his head and hoots of the owls. Normally, you wouldn't find Randy in the woods at night but right now the darkness is the closest thing he has to a friend. Randy uses the help of a tree to get down a short ledge before coming to a bigger problem. There it was, the railway, Randy's way out of here. Only one thing separates Randy and his awaiting freedom, eight long feet to especially to Randy and his bad ankle. He takes in a deep breathe before raising his arms and placing his hands behind his head. Stay here and just look as the train passes by or jump and sacrifice your ankle to get the hell out of here are the only two choice in his head. He closes his eyes and rubs his face before opening his eyes and leaping!

He lands with a thud and screams out in pain immediately grabbing his ankle and cursing. His ankle has now swelled three times the size it is supposed to be but the fun has hardly even started. Randy lays back on the the rocks and just knows that this is the beginning of his path to hell. He can't help but think about what happened when his drunken father opened that door to realize he was gone, but he can't force him to pretend that he cares what happened. He is now free and if freedom means going through hell, then that's just what is gonna have to happen. The wait is terrible adding to the pain of his ankle, Randall could swear he was going mad. The sounds of night are like melodies to his ears as he tries to block his own thoughts as in the distance his bliss is broken. The sound of a train is heard coming from the distance and although frightened at it's sudden appearance, Walker's adrenaline begins pumping out of control. His heart feels as if it is about to pump out of his chest, "This is it, this is finally it" he thinks to himself. From a small distance, a light enters the darkness and fighting through the agony and pain from his ankle he forces himself to stand.

The train hurdles towards him and he knows that it is now or never. He light is blinding as he hides to cover his face. Climbing out the bank, he takes position upon a rock and the train has reached him! He closes his eyes for a split second to say a prayer, he waits for his opening. Although the train speeds by at high speeds it feels as if it is in slow motion as he sees his opening and takes a leap of faith! He closes his eyes in the air and for a moment he feels nothing and could swear he was killed instantly and then THUD, he hits the ground knocking the breathe out of him. The journey though hell to get her was over, he was beaten, muddy, and abused but he was here. Randy Walker has done what he has always said he would do, he was on a train to a destitution that he could only wait to find out. Although, he was in a great deal of pain, Randy still has an successful grin on his face. Suddenly the sound of a cigarette lighter and a light fills the small wagon. Randy turns and looks surprised and somewhat frightened to see a boy maybe seventeen sitting across the wagon taking a drag off his cigarette. He exhales the smoke from his lungs with a chuckle.

"You new around here?"

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EPISODE 002
"SKULLS"


"You new around here?"

Randy looks back at him with a look of fear, knowing he couldn't defend himself with his ankle in the shape it is in. He really doesn't know what the boys question meant but he answers in the best why he can, "No, I live through the woods and up the road about two miles up the road." The teenage pushes up on a crate behind him to get up to his feet. He slowly begins to walk over to where Randy is now leaned up against the train wall. "Are you stupid or something? I meant new new to the rails." says the boy staring down Randy. Randy just nods his head yes as the boy begins to chuckle. "Sadly, that's what I thought." He backs away shaking his index finger at Randy. "Impressive leap though tiger, snap your twigs? He questions with a confident smirk on his face taking a long drag from his cigarette. "I think I broke my ankle or some..." before Randy could finish the other guy scalds him shouting enough! The boy shakes his head before telling Randy to stand up. Randy is hesitant to get to his feet but the boy continues on demanding for him to get up. Randy stumbles to his feet holding himself up on the crates and the wall trying to not put pressure on his knee. It is hard for him to hold balance on the fast paced train as the other guy walks up to Randy staring him in the eyes. Suddenly a cocky grin comes across the boys face and he nods his head taking a final drag of his cigarette and extending his hand.

Randy is surprised by the gesture staring at his hand unknowing for a moment before extending his own to shake the mans hand. "The names Lonnie, you can call me Skull, now sit your ass down before you really go and fuck up that ankle." Randy slowly gets back to the ground being careful but still confused by the meaning behind all of that. "Your not afraid, I like that about you. Your about stupid if you didn't think I could look at your ankle and know it was broke. You got up anyways, braver than most grown men I've thrown off trains. What's your name?" asks Skull as he taks his place back against a crate. Randy is hesitant at first imagining this guy Skull throwing him off the train. "My names Randy.." Skull rolls his eyes as he uses his hand to signal for Randy to go on. "You got a last name Randy?" he asks sarcastically as Randy looks embarrassed. "Walker, my names Randy Walker." Skull smirks and lays his head back against the crate staring up at the ceiling. "Well Randy Walker, what you doing on a train headed out to who the hell knows where?" asks Skull never tearing his eyes away from the ceiling, resting his hands behind his head. "Dad's an rageful, revengeful alcoholic and Mom's a self centered, socially awkward, fake, psychopath... so, I ran." Randy stares out of the wagons door into the darkness speeding by. Skull raises up his head looking over at Randy. "Wanna know how I got the name Skull?" asks Skull to which Randy just slightly turns his head to look over at him and nod his head. 

Skull looks at the ground before pulling out a pack of cigarettes and taking one out of it. He raises it to his mouth and lights a match and begins to puff. He exhales the smoke and looks at Randy and questions him, "you smoke?" Randy slightly shrugs as he answers back that he smokes only when he gets stressed or bored. Skull begins to chuckle a little bit as he looks at Randy and shakes his head. He sarcastically asks Randy, "Well are you stressed? Are you bored? Well then, here's a cigarette." Skull pushes himself up and joins Randy on the other side of the wagon and sits up on one of the other crates. He hands Randy a cigarette and a match which he strikes. Randy inhales the smoke and exhales with a little sigh of relief. "Well back to what I was saying, I got the name Skull after he whacked this guy who tired to rob me. Came up to me with a knife. A kick to the nuts and a steel pipe never did more damage. Cracked his head, blood was everywhere, and that is why I'm here. Never quit running." Now Skull stares out the trains door at the tracks as Randy hesitantly questions him. "How long have you been running?" Skull chuckles slightly still staring at the rails go flashing by, "It's been about two years coming up. Almost loose the track of time when you don't get it told to ya every day." It was something Randy had asked himself a million times before leaving and running to never return. Once he ran, what would he do next? How long would he run for? How long until his parents were convinced he wasn't missing anymore that he was dead?

"What's it like? I mean, how do you kill time? How do you survive?" he questions hopefully finding out what he is supposed to do from Skull. Skull just shakes his head and turns around to look at Randy. He answers reluctantly, "You fight, you survive, you eat or you get eaten. Do I miss the freedom, yes, is the worth it, yes. Randy, this is going to be a long ride for you there is no doubt about it but me and you, we ain't alone. There are tons more of us "Hobos" we aren't no hobo. We survive happily but not easily, you just gotta enjoy the ride." There are more. The thought seemed so odd to Randy but it made so much sense at the same time. Caught up in what he was doing, he never stopped to think of the others like him, the others like Skull who was on the exact same train. He exhales smoke turning to look at Skull who takes a drag of his cigarette. "How many people do you know?" Skull snickers and begins to tell a story beginning with "Shit I couldn't even tell you?" about the many years of train hopping and meet and greeting. He tells Randy of the friends that he has made and foes that he has fought and Randy is in shock and awe. Randy couldn't believe the stories of Skull's time on the train. Then Randy asks, "How do you make money and eat?" Skull looks at Randy with a serious glare on his face seeming to look like he was thinking and then he nods his head. "I can trust you, your one of use now Randy, I guess I better let you in." he says with a sorta grin as a look of interest yet confusion comes to Randy's face.

"It's a system." he begins looking at Randy with an sense of explanation in his voice. "Many have came and gone and went their separate ways but three of us have stayed together for the past two years, Boss and Rails. The two longest members of the group. Boss came to the rails twenty-six years ago broke and nearly broken." begins Skull as Randy's eyes are wide open and he listens intently. Skull tells the story of how Boss began to rob towns to make money and go to another to buy his supplies. Then he tells of the guilt Boss began to feel taking from innocent people and began to take from the guilty. He robbed bankers, businessmen, politicians, nearly anybody but the shop owners and vendors. Now it's much deeper than that. It's all about time and management. To keep on the same track and goals, Boss has spent the past twenty of his twenty-six years mapping the railroads and routes. The three men have connection points throughout America. "Now to explain what we do..." he begins a new part of his story with a chuckle as Randy doesn't care of the length of his story. He is still listening as interested as ever and Skull can tell giving a more enthused story. "We rob trains, the very trains we live in, we don't leave without taking out piece. The railroad system has been corrupt for too long so what we do is make it right. We do what is right to survive. The way I look at it is we aren't hobos... we're smart. We take what other people are gonna steal and not appreciate. It's our home, we appreciate it."  He chuckles as does Randy who seems to not even mind the idea of robbing when it is put in the terms of being right. Skull then questions him one more time...

"So are you one of us Randy?"

[Gʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ]

EPISODE 003
"ONE OF US"

"So are you one of us Randy?"

In his desire to run away from home, what has Randy Walker gotten himself into as the question still lingers in the air and Randy puts of his cigarette. Randy turns his head to look at Skull and nods his head as a crooked smile comes across Skull's face. Randy has a grin as he verbally accepts the offer, "And to think I thought I was going to have to do this all alone and bored the entire time." The two teenagers grin and shake hands as Skull takes a seat by Randy and begins telling a story with his arm extended out. "Now that you are one of us Randy, let me go ahead and tell you that this life ain't easy... as soon as you stepped foot into this box rail you said goodbye to your first amendment... but this life sure the hell is fun." says Skull as he leans back on a crate as Randy leans on a different one looking out into the darkness as the train speeds along. Randy breaks the small silence with a question, "You work with a crew, but how long have you been traveling alone and when do we see or even hear from them?" A big grin comes on Skull's face as he pulls out another cigarette and lights it up noticing Randy eye him. Skull brings out his pack of cigarettes offering one to Randy, "Want another?" Randy shrugs and assumes that Skull must be running low and Skull begins to laugh. "Randy, we're thieves. Think I care? I robbed a train hauling Marlboro's a few weeks back. Trust me, I'm just fine on tobacco." and with that information Randy takes a cigarette and Skull lights it for him. 

"I've been on this current route about two weeks alone." informs Skull as he drags on his cigarette. Randy exhales the smoke as he turns his head to listen to what Skull has to say to answer his question from before. "Me and Boss were down in Florida to raid a train hauling diamonds from Argentina to the States. Now that was a long ride but anyways, after we did what we had to do and made the sell, we made a split, and then we both had to split. We are both on trains heading towards New York just in different directions doing different jobs. Did you know your sitting on a train carrying thousands? This job is systematic. We must wait until we hit New York and then cut the last three boxes from the train right off city lines then we will wait for Boss coming the opposite direction. He will cut off his and then that's when you get to meet Railz. He will pick up the merchandise and make the sell. He killed a engineer in 85 and took the head of the train. Makes it look like and abandoned train to any other engineer seeing it sitting on the railways. Brilliant." Randy looks overwhelmed as Skull begins to laugh. "It's a lot to understand but we have become somewhat masters at what we do." Randy wonders how far they have gotten from his home in New Jersey as he now knows he is on his way to New York! "Think Boss and Rails are just going to accept me into the group?" questions a worried Randy Walker.

Skull just smiles looking out the train into the darkness toking on his cigarette as Randy wonders what Skull is thinking about when he stares out into the darkness. "Well they accepted me when they found me in their box cart..." says Skull as he looks over at Randy. "I was wide eyed like you when I got here Randy... they knew I didn't want to go back to the life I cam from and with no questions asked they asked me if I could understand their ways... their life and if so they'd take me in. If not... well... I made the decision to not find out." Randy takes another long drag turning his head to look out into the night sky. Randy glances at Skull trying to muster up the courage to question Skull on what his life was like before he hit the road, if the thirty-five year old man that he bashed on the head is the only reason he ran or if their is more to the story to Skull. All is quite except for the sound of the railway speeding through the night and the sounds of the night creatures as Harry finally breaks the silence, "What were things like before you came to this life?" Skull chuckles to himself as he slowly turns his head to Skull after flicking out his cigarette. "You really ask a lot of questions don't you? I think you are yet to just talk about something that does apply to a question you asked. How about we talked about something for a change, what would you like to talk about? The floor is yours." Randy looks at Skull to only shrug his shoulders wondering to himself why Skull would change the subject. Skull begins to chuckle as he lights yet another cigarette and takes a puff. "What about sports, you like any sports? Play any at school?" questions Skull.

"I played Football and ran track..." answers Randy as Skull lets a refreshing ahh taking another long drag. "So we got a runner on our hands." implies Skull turning to look at Randy seemingly looking him up and down to judge him. "Let me guess, you were a running back or a wide receiver?" Randy kinda grins as Skull must have guessed his position right. "I was a wide receiver, coach said I wasn't powerful enough to be a power runner." Skull snickers taking another long drag replying back to Randy while still exhaling smoke from his lungs, "Size has nothing to do with power, I bet you that you could have been one hell of a running back. Especially running track, your looking at the starting Quarterback of JV before I got the hell out of Michigan. You know maybe the two of us are more alike than we first thought. I mean we both headed in the same direction right?" Randy looks somewhat shocked whenever Skull implied the idea that Randy Walker and Lonnie Winchester may have more in common than sharing the same box cart. Randy looks over at Skull and nods his head and just has to wonder will he be as brave and strong-willed as Skull is when it comes down to action? "Maybe at our cores we are similar but this route will change a man, we will just see how much you are alike me as the journey goes on. Randy, this is no joke when I tell you this. We are on the highway to hell... on Hell's Rails." Skull stares right into Randy's eyes as you can see the pure seriousness in his eyes as he pats Randy on the back. 

"I have faith in you though Randy." Randy looks surprised at Skull as Skull nods his head. "I got faith in you because I'm going to be there to push you along and toughen you up if I have to. You better remember this because I'm only going to tell you this once, I'm your friend Randy and friends don't leave each other behind." Randy has a small grin as Skull questions him, "Are you my friend?" Randy turns and looks at Skull, "Yeah, I'm your friend." Skull quickly responds, "You've got my back?" and Randy replies "Yes, I've got your back." Skull has a grin on his face as he extend his hand to Randy. "Shake on it" says Skull as Randy shakes his hand and Skull takes his last drag of his cigarette and tosses it out. "In that case, we better get some sleep because if my calculations are right. We are gonna have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Randy looks excited as he wonders if this means he will be able to take part of his first train theft as a member of this rebellious group.

"Tomorrow Randy, you really get inducted into this life."