Reaper's Fee by Marcus Galloway Page A

beyond the row of curious heads poking out from various windows. What he saw was almost enough to make him lose his grip on the rusted iron bar.
    There was a fairly good-sized town in the distance, which was swarming with activity. People ran to and fro. Horses bolted in every direction and the sounds of screaming voices could occasionally be heard. All of that sunk into Nick’ssenses while his eyes soaked up the sight of the flames that engulfed an entire section of town.
    “Good God,” Nick whispered.
    Now that he was outside, the smoke in the air was almost thick enough to choke on. He wondered just how long those flames had been burning. Nick wanted to ask someone what was going on. Part of him even considered hopping off the train while it was stopped so he could go find out.
    The longer he watched those flames, the harder it was for him to look away.
    They formed a constantly moving shape that leaped up and then dropped back down again. The air around the fire wavered as heat billowed out like an extension of the black plumes of smoke. The roar of the flames rubbed against Nick’s ears, mingling with the high pitch of panicked screams.
    The door to the next car came open and the conductor stepped through in such a hurry that he didn’t even notice Nick was standing there.
    “What’s going on here?” Nick asked.
    Jumping at the sound of Nick’s voice, the conductor replied, “Town’s on fire,” and started pulling open the door to the car Nick had just left.
    “I can see that. Did we stop to lend a hand?”
    The conductor chuckled and leaned over the side to get another look for himself. “Doesn’t look like there’s much we can do about it. We stopped because the tracks are blocked. I didn’t see exactlywhat’s blocking us, but I hear it’s quite a mess.” He reached out once more for the door’s handle, paused and looked at Nick again. “I’d like to avoid frightening the passengers any more than necessary. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t…uh…fan the flames, so to speak.”
    Recognizing an opportunity when he heard one, Nick asked, “How much longer are we going to be stuck on this train?”
    “To be honest, I couldn’t say. I got word that the town’s station isn’t allowing anyone to leave the trains.”
    “What?”
    “There’s some sort of riot going on.” Squinting at Nick, the conductor added, “Couldn’t you hear the gunshots? I thought that’s why you were out here.”
    Ever since the train had first gotten up to full speed, Nick hadn’t been able to hear much of anything else besides the roar of the engine, the grinding of the wheels and the screaming of the kids in the passenger cars. For the sake of this conversation, however, he nodded and said, “Of course I heard them. I’d like to have a look for myself instead of sitting out here and waiting for the bullets to start breaking windows.”
    “We might be stuck until they clear the track, but that shouldn’t take too long. At least we have sleeper compartments.”
    “You let me and my horse out here and I’d sure appreciate it.”
    The conductor blinked once and then said, “I just told you that we’re not letting anyone disembark.”
    “Then maybe I should consider it my civic duty to let folks know exactly what’s going on. If they ask my opinion, perhaps I should tell them whatever I may have gathered from talking to you. I’m sure they’d love to get the real story.”
    “You do that and I can have you detained,” the conductor said sternly.
    Nick dug into his pocket and pulled out a few dollars. Tucking them into the conductor’s pocket, he said, “Then how about you do a favor for someone in a real hurry?”
    “Fine,” the conductor snapped. “If you’re some sort of goddamn looter, you’ll be shot on sight anyhow. Head to the livery car and I’ll let you out.”
    Nick smiled for the first time since he’d been cooped up in that train. “That was easier than I expected.”
    “I’ve got