AU Sodor Book ???: The NSAC Conflict

Story Five: The Runaway from Hell

It was a cold December night, two years near the anniversary of 8542's death. Murdoch was pulling a heavy goods down the line, grumbling to himself. He hated the cold, it always reminded him of the ghostly encounter he had in the scrapyard near Barrow. His train was loaded with vegetables, and had to be delivered quickly. He sped under the road bridge near Lower Tidmouth when it happened. The guard in the brakevan slammed on it's brakes and uncoupled it from the train, when the sound of glass breaking and a fire crackling came from the rear van. The van screamed in agony, wanting the fire to be put out. The fire quickly spread through the van, as Murdoch was brought to a stop. His crew was tossed out of his cab, and two strange men threw open his regulator and released his brakes, sending him flying down the mainline. "Help me! Help! I'm a runaway and my train's going up in flames!" Murdoch shrieked as he raced through Wellsworth. The fire spread throughout the train, and was up to the van behind Murdoch. He was going faster and faster, until he rounded the bend by the viaduct, and flew off the rails, rolling down to the river below. His vans were quiet, as they were all burnt up and now smashed. The river extinguished the flames, but Murdoch was in a sorry state. He struggled to stay awake, but finally closed his eyes. He woke up a few weeks later, in the temporary workshop at Tidmouth. He looked down to the rails below him and saw his crew in casts, and Sir Topham Hatt. "Murdoch, I'm afraid you'll be laid up in the works for several months. You're in a very poor state. Do you remember anything before the accident?" He asked, in a calm and quiet tone. "No, Sir." Murdoch replied, his voice hoarse. "How about any suspicious individuals by the tracks?" Sir Topham asked. That's when the memories came flooding back to him. Murdoch recounted the story, and then Sir Topham Hatt left, his brain wandering with thoughts. He was devising a plan to catch the NSAC, but little did he know, they'd end up backed into a corner sooner than expected.