"Get away from me!" Nathan cried out while running through a forest. The sounds of creatures pursuing him grew louder as he ran as fast as his legs could go. "Gotta... get... back... to the engine!" He said to himself in between breaths as the creatures began to howl behind him. Jumping over a fallen tree, Nathan spotted the object that he was thinking of. A diesel locomotive in a small trench with its front coupler buried in a mound of dirt. While making a mad dash for it, he felt something claw at the back of his raincoat. "Fucking monsters!" He cried out before vaulting himself up the metal stairs. Not wasting any more time, he quickly opened the door to the cab before closing it behind him, locking it for good measure.

One of the creatures lunged at the door, only to smack into the metal barrier with a loud thud. Catching his breath, Nathan found that he was relatively safe inside the cab. "What the hell are those things?" He said to himself as he was now able to get a better look at his pursuers while they circled the wrecked locomotive. They appeared to be wolves, only made of wood with glowing eyes. A low chuckling voice soon made him jump as he frantically looked around the cab. "Who are you?! What do you want?!" Nathan called out. The voice continued to chuckle ominously before slowly ceasing.

"Oh.... you'll soon find out.... Nathan. In due time..."

"H-how do you know my name?" Nathan asked, shaking slightly.

"But until then.... I believe it is time for you to wake up." The voice replied before the only thing that could be heard was loud beeping. Before Nathan knew it, everything had faded into a bright light.

Beep.... Beep.... Beep....

"Stupid alarm..." Nathan grumbled as he hit his fist against the small end table next to his bed, hoping to smash the alarm clock that had saved him from his nightmare, but yet disturbed his slumber. After a few misses, his fist lands squarely on the 'Snooze' button. "Victory is mine...." He grumbled again before rolling over and slowly rising to a seated position. With a loud yawn, he stretched out his arms, a few satisfying cracking sounds followed. Glancing at the clock again, the time in brightly lit green numbers read "10:30 am".

Rising to his feet, Nathan let another yawn escape from his mouth before walking over to his dresser. "I finally manage to get some sleep during that storm and I get that dream again?" He thought while putting on a clean t-shirt. The night before, a severe storm swept across the southern portion of California, drenching the region in much needed rain, but the strong winds made sleeping extra difficult. After getting fully dressed, Nathan looked over towards the door to his bedroom. Hanging from the knob was a neon orange safety vest with the Union Pacific Railroad logo proudly stitched onto the back. "Maybe it's a sign for something." He said before putting the vest on.

Walking out into the hallway of his small one-bedroom house, Nathan eyed his lunch box that was sitting on his kitchen counter before looking up at the clock. "Still got a bit of time." He thought before opening the fridge and getting a can of root beer out. Cracking open the lid, he placed the can to his lips, eagerly guzzling down the refreshing liquid before letting out a satisfied sigh. "Now that hit the spot." He said to himself. Glancing back towards the clock mounted on the wall, the time read "10:45 am". With a slight nod to himself, he grabbed his lunchbox before exiting out the front door.

The rail yard in Victorville wasn't far from his house, a fact that allowed him to spend very little on gasoline unless he had to fill the tank of his truck. So whenever it was nice to decent weather outside, Nathan would always walk from his house to the yard. This morning was a bit foggy with the clouds looking ready to dump another load of rain across the land, but it didn't look bad enough for him to drive. The walk didn't last long though before he was already stepping onto the rail yard property. Looking around, Nathan noticed a lack of activity among the various parked freight cars. Before stepping onto the walkway that went across the main line, he noticed something else that wasn't right. Just at the southern end of the yard stood the overhead signal gantry. Normally, a few lights on the steel structure would be lit up in green. But today, each light was red.

"That's strange." Nathan thought as he crossed the tracks. "I haven't heard any trains pass through yet today. So why are all of the signals red?" He kept thinking about it until stepping inside the Yard Office, a small building located just next to the passenger platform. Upon entering, he saw one of the experienced engineers who helped him with his training as he stood next to a row of lockers. "Morning, Gary." Nathan said, giving a wave towards his friend.

"Hey there, Nathan." Gary replied. "That was some storm we had last night, am I right?"

"Biggest one I've seen in a while." Nathan responded. "Kept me up for most of the night."

"Well, that can be said for me as well." Gary said before reaching into his locker and pulling out a thermos of coffee. Pouring out some into a styrofoam cup, he soon put it to his mouth before taking a few gulps. "Want some coffee?" He asked while holding out his thermos.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks though." Nathan replied. "So what's on the agenda for today?"

"For starters, Kyle is holding a meeting here in a little bit."

"I see." Nathan replied. "Well, best not to keep the boss waiting."

"Agreed." Gary said as he got up after finishing the rest of his coffee. Soon, both Nathan and Gary walked into the meeting room. Inside was a circular table surrounded by metal chairs. Noticing the room was vacant except for himself and his friend, Nathan walked over to the window just in time to see the rain start up again. After a few minutes of standing by the window, a cough brought Nathan's attention back to the room. Kyle, the Yardmaster, was standing in the doorway. Holding some papers in his hands, he then proceeded to walk into the room.

"Morning, gentlemen." He said as he walked over to the table before taking a seat. Nathan and Gary followed suit.

"Morning, Kyle." Gary replied. "What you got for us today?"

"Well, I've already given out the tasks for the morning crew, but seeing as how you two are the only ones who bothered to show up for this meeting, I'll just skip straight to the point." Kyle said, looking at both Nathan and Gary before glancing down at his papers. "As I'm sure both of you know, last night's storm was the biggest one we've had here in southern California for a while."

"Got that right." Nathan replied.

"However, we have a slight problem because of it."

"What problem would that be?" Gary asked, leaning inward.

"Well, considering the severity of the storm, it was decided last night to shut down Cajon Pass as a safety precaution. That is the reason why all of the signals at the end of the yard are red at the moment." He paused again, picking up a paper before continuing. "In order for the line to reopen, we must determine whether or not it is safe to do so. Every hour that the line remains closed, it is costing us big time. So here's the deal, I need one of you to take a locomotive out onto the main line for inspection duty."

"One of us?" Gary asked. "Why can't someone from San Bernardino check on the line?"

"Because all of their diesel engines are waiting to bring freight over the pass." Kyle replied. "Believe me, I asked before calling this meeting." The sound of thunder booming across the sky interrupted Kyle's words. "So are either one of you willing to check the line?"

"I'll do it." Nathan replied while holding his hand up.

"Splendid." Kyle responded, a smile forming on his face. "Go and take 1506 out onto the main line then. Be sure to check in with San Bernardino Dispatch to let them know that you're coming their way."

"1506?" Nathan asked. "You mean that SD40-2 that we got sitting in the maintenance siding?"

"Yep."

"Alright." Nathan replied before standing up. "I guess I'll be on my way then." He then started to walk towards the door.

"Hey!" Gary called out, making Nathan turn around. "You be careful out there."

"Don't worry. I will." Nathan replied.

"I'll have a nice hot cup of coffee waiting for ya when you get back."

"Thanks man."

"Better get going, Nathan." Kyle stated. "The more time that Cajon Pass is shut down, the more money it's costing us."

"Gotcha." Nathan replied before walking out into the hallway with the lockers. Stopping at his, he picked up his hard hat and raincoat before stepping out into the rain. Looking out into the rain, he could see the shining rails of the tracks out in front of him. "Where are you?" He thought while trying to pinpoint the location of his locomotive. After scanning the yard as best he could, he was able to spot the diesel in question as it sat on the siding, lights on and engine idling. "Kyle must've had it prepped before he came in." He thought as he began making his way towards the massive yellow and silver object. Getting closer, Nathan could see the "Union Pacific" painted in big red letters on the side along with the number "1506" just beneath the cab window.

As he climbed aboard, Nathan heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

"Nathan!" Gary's voice said before he turned around to see his friend jogging up to him, waving an object in his hand. "You forgot your lunch box!"

"Knew I was forgetting something." Nathan thought as Gary jogged up to the side of the locomotive. "Thanks Gary! Don't know what I'd do without you!" He said before grabbing the lunch box out of his friend's hand.

"No problem!" Gary called back, his voice barely being heard over the noise coming from the idling 3,000 horsepower engine. "Like I said!" He yelled. "Be careful!"

"I will!" Nathan yelled back, flashing Gary a thumbs up before making his way into the cab. Watching as his friend made his way back to the office, Nathan turned his attention to the gauges. "Alright." He thought as he looked at each gauge. "Fuel gauge is at full. Engine seems to be running normally. Should be considering we just fixed it." He then pulled on the brake lever, watching the pressure gauges before releasing. "Brakes check out." He then grabbed the radio receiver and turned the radio itself on. "Union Pacific 1506 calling Victorville Dispatch. Over." A few seconds pass before he hears someone respond.

"Union Pacific one five zero six, this is Victorville Dispatch. We read you loud and clear. Over."

"Copy that." Nathan replied. "Requesting permission to proceed onto the main line. Over."

"Stand by." The voice on the other end replied. Nathan looked down towards the southern end of the yard, all of the signals still showing red. Soon, one of them changed to green. "Union Pacific one five zero six, you are cleared to proceed onto the main line. Due to visibility, speed is restricted to 35 mph. Do you copy? Over."

"Cleared to proceed onto the main line. Speed restricted to 35 mph." Nathan repeated. "Thank you. Over."

"Be careful out there." The voice said before Nathan hung up the receiver. Grabbing the whistle lever with one hand while pushing the reverser into forward with the other, he pulled down on the wooden lever twice, sounding the horn before pushing the throttle into the first notch. The engine then roared to life as the locomotive slowly began to move forward. The familiar sound of steel wheels passing over the various switches made him smile as the lone diesel made it's way onto the main line. As the locomotive approached the signal gantry, Nathan shook a little as he stared at the lone green light among the many red lights surrounding it. "Steady, Nathan." He thought as he passed underneath the structure. "This is just like any other trip. Only just slower and it's storming like hell out there."

As the train moved along, Nathan took out a little booklet named "Radio Channels" before turning to the page he was looking for. Glancing back and forth between the book and the dial on the radio a few times, he then turned the dial to a different number before grabbing the receiver again. "Union Pacific one five zero six calling San Bernardino Dispatch. Over." As he waited for a response, the various flashes of lightning kept him entertained.

"Union Pacific one five zero six. This is San Bernardino Dispatch. We read you loud and clear. Over." A new voice on the radio said.

"Copy that." Nathan replied. "I am one mile south of Victorville yard, proceeding southbound at 35 mph. Over."

"One mile south of Victorville. Proceeding southbound at 35 mph." The voice repeated. "So you're the one who is inspecting Cajon Pass?"

"Affirmative."

"Acknowledged. We'll have a siding cleared for you to park your diesel once you arrive. Over."

"Copy that. 1506 out." Nathan replied before hanging the receiver up. As he did, the sound of thunder boomed across the desert as the locomotive began the long climb up towards the summit. At normal speed, the journey to the summit would take anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. But since he is going at half the speed, it was going to take twice as long. "This is gonna be a long ride." Nathan thought as the wind howled outside the cab.

Half an hour into the journey, Nathan found the line to still be in good shape for freight service. "So far, I'm not seeing any problems." He thought as he looked out the window. "Better let Kyle know about this." Soon he took the radio into his hands again before turning the dial. "Union Pacific 1506 calling Victorville. Over."

"This is Victorville Dispatch." The voice on the other end said. "How's the inspection coming along? Over."

"So far, everything is alright. Over." Nathan replied.

"Good enough to start sending southbound traffic? We have a tanker train coming in from Barstow. Over."

"Hold them until I reach the summit. I'm about 8 miles til there. Over."

"Hold the tanker train til you get to the summit. Will do. Over."

"Alright." Nathan replied before hanging the radio back up again. "Wow! I've never gotten to tell a train to wait for me before." His hands shaking at the feeling. "If it weren't for this restriction, I'd already be at the summit." As he looked out the window again, a small yawn escaped his mouth. Letting his gaze go over towards his lunch box, he reached down and opened the lid. "Good thing I packed this." He said, chuckling to himself as he picked up a Red Bull energy drink. Cracking the lid open, he put the can to his lips before taking a few gulps down. The contents making him shudder slightly before he found himself a little more awake than he was.

Minutes passed by as the locomotive neared the summit. Occasionally the wheels would begin to slip on the wet rails, causing Nathan to activate the sander to gain more traction. Finally, after a long hour of trudging up the mountains, Nathan and 1506 reached the summit. "Made it!" Nathan screamed internally as he brought the diesel to a halt just a few feet away from a red signal. Grabbing the radio one more time, he turned the dial. "UP 1506 calling Victorville Dispatch. Over." He then waited for a response, only to get static in return. "1506 calling Victorville. Over." He said again, only to hear static again. "Strange." He thought before turning the dial on the radio. "Union Pacific one five zero six calling San Bernardino Dispatch. Over." He said, his hands getting a little sweaty from nervousness. Just like Victorville, San Bernardino wasn't responding to his messages.

Hanging up the radio, Nathan looked forward toward the signal. Just as he did, the signal changed from red to green. "Okay. That just scared the hell out of me!" He thought, but released his brakes anyways to begin the descent. "No one replied, yet the signal changed." Rubbing his hand against his chin, he couldn't figure out why. As the locomotive passed by the signal, Nathan found himself watching as the signal changed from green to blue, then yellow, orange, before finally stopping on red. "What the....?" Nathan said out loud as the diesel rolled past. "Our signals don't flash blue or orange! That doesn't make any sense at all!" Before he could breathe after yelling that, a familiar low chuckling voice could be heard.

"Make sense?" The voice asked. "Oh what fun is there in making sense?"

"That voice..."

"It's good to finally see you outside of the dream realm, Nathan." The voice said before a snapping sound could be heard.

"What do you want?!"

"Oh nothing really." The voice replied before chuckling again. "Just wanted to have a little fun with you before you leave."

"Leave? Leave to go where?" Nathan asked. Before the voice could reply, his eyes caught sight of the speedometer on the control panel. The locomotive was rolling down the hill at 50 mph, nearly double the speed allowed on the curves. "Now is not the time for this!" He yelled in thought before grabbing hold of main brake lever. Pulling it forward, he looked at the gauges. But to his horror, they didn't respond. The voice chuckled again as he shoved the lever all the way to 100% braking power, but still, the needles of the gauges didn't budge and his speed was increasing.

"What the fuck is going on?! Where are my brakes?!" He cried out.

"Oh you don't need brakes for where you're going." The voice said.

"What are you talking about?!"

"All will be revealed in time." The voice replied. "In the meantime, you might wanna look out for that turn. It looks like a sharp one."

"Turn?" Nathan asked before looking out the cab window. Directly ahead of him was one of the first turns of Cajon Pass. The speed down these tracks was limited to 30 mph, but 1506 was doing twice that. "There's no way I'm gonna be staying on the rails!" Nathan thought as he neared the turn. Just before the curve stood another signal gantry. The lights flashing overhead were flashing in all sorts of different colors. "Well....." Nathan said as he approached the gantry. "Never thought I'd go out this way...." But just as the front of the locomotive passed underneath the gantry, instead of impending demise in the form of a sharp curve as the thing he could see, all he could see was a blinding light. Nathan threw up his hands to try and shield his eyes, but it was too late.

"What the fuck?!" He yelled before getting thrown forward as the only sounds he could hear were the sounds of glass shattering and metal grinding against something else before the locomotive came to a halt.