Chapter 12: Plans Never Keep Up with Changes (Part 2)
While one group was in action, another was preparing for their part.
At that moment, Dutch was riding his white Arabian horse, Count. The gang was positioned on a ridge near the railroad tracks, able to clearly observe the O'Driscolls below through their binoculars. The O'Driscolls had already prepared the explosives to blow up the bridge. They were waiting for the target to arrive.
As Dutch observed through his binoculars, he reiterated the plan and said to the group behind him: "According to the information we got from that O'Driscoll boy, the train will come from the north side of the Big Valley. They plan to stop the train by blowing up the bridge just as it crosses the border into Grizzlies. That will be right in front of us. The explosion will be loud, and nearby lawmen might be attracted to the scene."
After scouting the area for the past few days, Dutch and his gang found this high ground. From here, they could keep an eye on the O'Driscolls' movements. This gave them a significant advantage.
"Charles, you're in charge of keeping watch, mainly to look out for any lawmen nearby." Dutch suddenly remembered Charles' injured hand and asked, "By the way, how's your hand?"
Charles replied, "I'm fine." He had no problem with the watch duty or his hand.
Dutch continued, "Good. Once the train is stopped, I'll take out the driver and the engineer. I'll lead the way. Lenny and Bill, you two take the front carriages and deal with the guards."
"Dutch?" Hosea couldn't help but speak up. This wasn't part of the original plan.
"Don't worry, Hosea. The plan hasn't changed. We're just giving the O'Driscolls a little help in case they mess up... Micah and Hosea, the rest of you go straight to the back of the train. That's where Cornwall's private carriage is. Wait until the O'Driscolls engage the guards, then take them all out."
After hearing Dutch's plan, Micah couldn't resist saying, "Hosea, you better stay sharp when you're with me, haha. This is a dangerous gunfight, and I don't have time to babysit you."
Hosea countered, "Is there a problem with being with me?"
"Of course not. I'll perform well, haha." Micah laughed loudly.
Seeing Micah's attitude, Hosea decided not to argue with Dutch anymore. Since Dutch had made his decision, Hosea's focus was on ensuring the plan went smoothly. He told Micah, "I hope you can stay calm and not go crazy. Our enemies are only the O'Driscolls."
Micah didn't agree. "You worry about yourself."
To Micah, anyone in his way was an enemy, not just the O'Driscolls. Whoever got in the way of his money would get a bullet.
Their verbal sparring was quickly stopped by Dutch.
"Alright, that's enough. Once the O'Driscolls make their move, we need to act quickly. Is there anything unclear to anyone?"
"All clear."
"No problem, boss."
"Crystal clear."
"After this job, we'll go back to Blackwater to get the money, right?"
"Shut up, Micah. How many times do you need to ask?"
Micah wasn't giving up. "That's a lot of money. We can't leave it there for too long."
"I'll decide when we go back. End of discussion." Dutch ignored him and continued observing the target through his binoculars.
At that moment, everyone was nervously waiting for the train to arrive. The O'Driscolls were quietly watching the direction of the tracks, while Dutch's gang was watching the O'Driscolls' position below.
***
"Woo-woo!"
Finally, the sound of the train's whistle came from afar. The vibration on the tracks alerted the O'Driscolls, and the one in charge signaled the person with the explosives to act.
The leader only intended to stop the train, not blow it up. If the train was too far, the guards would become defensive, waiting for lawmen to rescue them, turning a surprise robbery into a full-on assault, which they weren't good at.
Of course, if the train was too close, it wouldn't have time to stop. The person with the explosives mentally calculated the timing.
The explosives were fixed under the tracks, connected to the detonator by a fuse. He decided to wait a bit longer. From the perspective of these low-level gang members, derailing the train would be more effective since they would be the ones charging forward under gunfire.
Mentally counting down, three, two, one!
He pressed the detonator hard—
"???"
The expected explosion didn't happen. He pressed the detonator again. Still no response.
Everyone was stunned.
Through his binoculars, Dutch saw an O'Driscoll leader jumping in frustration while the idiot with the detonator kept pressing it, but the explosion was delayed. Dutch knew something had gone wrong. The train was now in everyone's sight, and since the explosives hadn't detonated, it would soon pass by them.
Dutch was furious. "I knew these bastards were useless. I don't know where Colm finds these trash."
Despite his anger, Dutch didn't want to give up. The train was passing by in front of them. Dutch couldn't come up with a good plan at that moment.
"Dutch! Lenny and I will jump on the train and stop it. You guys follow on horseback." With that, Hosea and Lenny dismounted and quickly ran to the other side of the ridge. The ridge they were on was exactly above the tunnel the train would pass through. Theoretically, they could jump onto the train from the other side and stop it.
As the last part of the train was about to leave, Hosea and Lenny jumped down onto the roof, one on each side.
Hosea landed steadily, but Lenny slid to the left after hitting the roof and was about to fall off the carriage. He grabbed the edge of the train and shouted, "Help!"
Hosea quickly stood up and pulled Lenny's hand. "It's okay. I've got you."
Using all his strength, Hosea pulled Lenny up. They tied their face masks and Hosea said to Lenny, "They haven't noticed us. Be careful. We need to get to the control room and slow this thing down."
Lenny nodded. "Follow me. We need to be quick, or they won't be able to catch up on horseback."
He pulled out his revolver, planning to go down from the top of the train and enter through the carriages.
Hosea stopped him. "Let's go directly to the control room from above. There's no need to hurt anyone."
Lenny agreed with Hosea's plan. This was why Hosea had chosen Lenny and not someone else.
The two carefully moved across the top of the train, trying not to attract attention from inside the carriages. They soon reached the engine room. Before the driver could react, Lenny knocked him out with the butt of his gun.
The engineer, realizing something was wrong, was about to hit Lenny with a coal shovel when Hosea stepped in and pointed his gun at him.
Hosea threatened, "Calm down. There's no need for bloodshed."
Seeing the gun pointed at him and Hosea's menacing look, the engineer was terrified. He trembled and said, "Whatever you want, please don't hurt me. I have children."
Hosea could see the engineer was scared and tried to calm him down. "Listen, don't be afraid. As long as you cooperate, we won't hurt you. We're going to stop the train. When someone comes to check, you need to tell them that it's just a minor problem with the train and you are dealing with it. Do you understand?"
The engineer kept nodding his head, agreeing to anything as long as he could survive.
"Very good, now pull the brakes and stand by the door. I will point a gun at you from behind. Think more about your child. This should make you stronger. After all, we don't want him to be without a father."
***
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