It's Heroes' Time!!
Back in the connector section, I turned to Senior Arang, who had suddenly started rummaging through her bag.
“So… what am I supposed to do now?”
“Huh? Oh, right. First, cut the coupler. Right before this bastard reaches the platform.”
“Cut the coupler? Then…”
Wouldn’t this thing just go berserk and start sprinting?
I tilted my head at the thought. Senior Arang nodded like I’d hit it exactly.
“Exactly what you’re thinking. The second you snap that coupler, this bastard’s gonna tear down the tracks like a madman from that point on.”
“And you still want me to cut it?”
“Look at its speed right now—slow as hell, right? It hasn’t completely taken over the cars behind it yet, so it can’t build up any real momentum. From its perspective those cars are just a bunch of chicken ribs.”
“Chicken ribs?”
If it fully seized every car trailing behind, its power would double. But trying to swallow them meant dealing with us wrecking shit from the inside, and giving them up after only eating the lead car would leave it feeling way too shortchanged.
“Yeah! Normally it’d just cut its losses, but the fact that it’s dragged all these cars this far means it was planning to roll into the platform looking like a regular train. Nice and slow. Then it could take its sweet time gobbling up all the clueless civilians who climb aboard and fatten itself up.”
“Ugh…”
For a monster, it was thinking way too many steps ahead.
I glared in disgust at the thick wall of flesh still blocking the entrance to the lead car.
“So what happens if we suddenly snap the coupler right here?”
“It’s been running full tilt with a heavy load on its back, and then that load just vanishes…”
“Exactly. This motherfucker’s gonna go ‘whoa whoa whoa’ and shoot straight past Sindorim Station under its own power.”
“Oh… and after that?”
“After that… later. Just cut the coupler already! This thing’s about to hit the platform!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Normally Senior Arang would’ve sliced the coupler herself. Whatever was in that bag of hers, it had to be good enough that she was willingly handing me the fun part.
I didn’t have time to wonder. Situation was critical. I reversed my grip on the greatsword right there, took a few steadying breaths, and brought it down on the coupler with everything I had.
KWAANG! KWAAAAANG—!!
Chunks of contaminated flesh were stuck to half the coupler, so cutting through took some work, but after a few more heavy chops I finally wrecked it. I spun toward Senior Arang.
“Senior! It’s cut! What—what are you doing?”
“Grab my waist and hang on!”
“Wait, a grappling gun? Senior, you brought a grappling gun in your bag? And why is a grappling gun even—eek?!”
While I’d been focused on smashing the coupler, Senior Arang had already poked her head out holding a massive grappling gun.
I had a whole list of questions about why she carried that thing around, but the situation left no room for them. I flung my arms around her solid abs as fast as I could.
And right then—
-CHU, CHUUUUUUUU?!??!?!
A panicked roar erupted from the lead car. The wall of flesh that had been blocking us moments earlier raced away, putting distance between us like it was fleeing.
Just as Senior Arang predicted—rip the heavy load off a sprinting beast and it suddenly can’t control its own lightened body. It kept charging down the rails on pure leftover momentum.
-CHOO, CHOOOOOO-!!!
-Huh? What’s that?
-Kyaaah?! It’s a monster!
-What the hell? The evacuation alarm never went off!
Civilians on the platform gaped as the train rocketed past. Then they spotted me and Senior Arang clinging to its rear, plus the writhing mass of disgusting flesh at its ass end, and the screams started in earnest.
The thing blew past the station, leaving the shrieks behind. Senior Arang, grappling gun already aimed, bellowed:
“Here we gooooo—!!”
Pshoooooooo—!!
The exact same wet hiss I’d heard when Senior Arang’s pussy squirted. Her grappling gun fired.
I peeked out beside her just in time to hear the metallic clang of the hook latching onto the lead car’s window. Senior Arang yanked the line taut, checking the hold. I swallowed hard and asked,
“I… I kinda already know the answer, but… we’re not seriously…?”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you’re probably right. If this bastard won’t show us its side, we just force it to.”
“Uuugh, I never should’ve volunteered for this!”
“Too late! Final check—arms locked around my stomach? If you can’t find a grip you can grab my tits, but don’t just clamp down on them the second I say that! Wrap around my waist!”
The line snapped tight.
The bastard was trying to open the distance and run.
Senior Arang saw it and grinned like a wolf.
“From here on it’s pure tug-of-war! Either we derail this son of a bitch, or we get scraped across the ground!”
“What?! I thought we were gonna ride the line like a Tom Cruise movie and slowly close in!”
“If we did that this thing would already be in Yeongdeungpo! You’re my junior—put some power in that dick and let’s goooo—!!”
“Let’s gooooo—!!”
Senior Arang yanked the line and leapt toward the tracks. I squeezed my eyes shut and planted both legs the same way, slamming them into the rails and the gravel beneath.
KWAGAGAGAGAGAK—!!!
Like water-skiing, we leaned our hips back. Broken railroad ties and flying gravel exploded under our feet.
“Don’t let go! This is a strength contest now! Lose your grip here and everything we’ve done so far becomes pure waste! Squeeze!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa?!”
We were stopping this thing no matter what.
Stop it, drag it off the rails, flip it, and wreck it.
If it wouldn’t show us its flank, we’d make it show us.
Classic Senior Arang tomboy logic. I could only groan in despair as I screamed a high note that would’ve sent even yesterday’s yellow-billed oriole scrambling for cover, hauling on the line and Senior Arang with every ounce of strength I had left.
“Stop right there, you bastard—stop right nowwwww—!!”
“Keuuuuuuugh?!”
Senior Arang refused to be outdone. She roared right back, yanking with everything she had on the train that was desperately trying to flee.
And maybe our combined effort finally paid off.
-CHOO, CHOOOOOO?!?!?!
Another confused bellow ripped from the thing’s mouth (or whatever passed for one). I was gasping on the edge of collapse, but my expression lit up as I shouted to Senior Arang,
“I-it’s… it’s slowing down! Senior! Doesn’t it feel like it’s slowing down?!”
“It is! More! Give it more! If we lose it here we can’t even chase it!”
“Why not?!”
“My shins are completely shredded! I can’t run like this!”
“Want to switch?!”
“Now?! Okay—on three we jump onto the right rail. Ride the rail and lean our bodies over slowly! Drain every last bit of this bastard’s strength!”
“Yes!”
“Here we go—one, two, three!! Uuuuugh?!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa?!”
Together we vaulted onto the rail and slid along it like a sled, leaning hard to the right in sync with Senior Arang while I wrung every last drop of power into the line.
“Uuuugh, I’m gonna dieeeee?!”
“You’re not dying! Almost there! Almost! Just a little more, pull a little harder! Big sis’ll handle the rest!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa?!”
My vision started to swim.
My stamina had hit the wall.
Every muscle in my body was screaming. My hands had gone completely numb.
Could I even last another three minutes? Hell, another one?
Senior, please… just give me some points… Senior, please…!
I squeezed out the last of my strength and whined desperately at her. Whether she heard the prayer or not—
“Good… right now—right now’s perfect. Now! Squeeze out the absolute last of it—!!”
“Keuuuuuuugh?!”
-CHOO?!
For a single heartbeat the train’s speed dropped so sharply it was obvious.
Maybe it was sick of the two of us stubbornly dragging it backward. Maybe its own stamina had finally bottomed out. Either way, the slowdown wasn’t voluntary.
If it had been, it wouldn’t have let out that panicked cry. No herbivore on earth slows down on purpose when it knows a predator is locked onto it.
It realized the mistake a second later and tried to accelerate again, but its fate had already been sealed.
“Uryaaaaaaaaaa?!”
“Eungiiiiiiiit?!”
Kigigigigigik—!!
Senior Arang’s arm muscles ballooned like they were about to burst, as if she’d been saving everything for this exact moment.
Unlike me—who was one breath from blacking out—she still had power left. With her battle cry the train’s body began to rock.
“Enough playing around—fall over alreadyyyyy—!!”
She poured every remaining ounce into one final heave—
-CHooooo…?!?!?!
Kiiiiiiiik, kuguguguuuung—!!
Sparks flying, the train listed hard, lost its balance completely, and toppled sideways off the tracks.
Only one car, sure, but a train is still a train. The derailment sent a massive shock through the ground and kicked up a storm of dust.
Kiiik—!!
Senior Arang stomped the rail hard, forcing an emergency stop, then wiped the sweat from her face and shouted at me,
“It’s heroes’ time!!”
“Heroes! Gallants! Let’s go eat!”
That motherfucker is finally dead!