Will of Man - Part Two (6 page)

WHOOOOO! WHOOOO! The train whistle blew. Dad picked Tanner up and Mom grabbed me. Dad yelled, “Go now! I’ll find you! Go to our meeting place! I promise I will find you!” Mom picked up Tanner and told me to run.

WHOOOO! WHOOOO! The three of us ran along the side of the moving train. Someone grabbed me and pulled me up into a boxcar. I reached out behind me to grab Mom’s hand. She stumbled with Tanner in her arms and fell to the ground.

WHOOOO! WHOOOO! I went to jump out of the boxcar but someone grabbed me by the neck collar pulling me back as the boxcar door slammed shut in front of me. I screamed and fought my way out of the persons grasp.

I frantically attempted to open the door but it was no use. I was stuck in that boxcar – separated from my family. I didn’t even get the chance to say good-bye. I laid down in shock and stared up at the boxcar roof. The train steamed on into the darkness of the night. I was now alone.

Tyler’s Journal Entry: 353

Date: May 15

Day: Friday

Weather: Cloudy and cold

Days Since the LAST DAY: 2yrs, 10 months, 14 days

I woke to the smell of garlic and black licorice which emanated from a chunky kid sleeping next to me. His mouth was wide open and only inches from mine. He had drool flowing down his cheek and he was murmuring something about baseball in his sleep. I rolled over to my other side to find his even chunkier sister staring at me holding a Barbie doll which was missing an arm.

Not wanting to look at either, I rolled unto my back and stared at the roof of the swaying boxcar. It was dimly lit by a kerosene lamp and had a dusty coating all around it. It must have previously been used to haul animals, being the floor was covered by dirty straw strewn with clumps of what looked like animal feces.

Women and children filled the boxcar. Some were talking in small groups, some were sitting by themselves, and others were sleeping. I checked my wind up watch and it read 5:16 am. I estimated I must have been asleep for around eleven hours.

I quickly did the math and realized this train was not heading north towards Standish where my grandpa's cabin was, the place where I was to meet up with my family.

I thought about my math lessons in school and did the math again. If I'd been on this train for eleven hours traveling around 40 miles per hour, that would mean I'm a good 440 miles from home. Grandpa's was only about 120.

I jumped to my feet and asked a nearby adult, "Where is this train heading?"

She politely said, "Hudson, Tennessee."

"Tennessee! I need to go to Standish, Michigan!"

"Oh my dear, you're going in the wrong direction."

"No kidding!" I said realizing I was being a bit rude.

"Where can I...." I began to ask but then was interrupted by a loud CRREEEEEEKKKKK, SCCRRREEEECH, and then a BANG!

Before I could finish my sentence I was thrown to the front of the boxcar, along with the kind lady, the two chunky kids, and everyone else on board. We all collided at the front of the boxcar together. Screaming women and children were all flying around me, and I couldn't understand why. It all happened so fast.

We all fell to the floor of the boxcar in a huge clump. There was a quiet pause then the boxcar started to buckle and jump violently. One by one the boxcars following ours began to run into each other.

There was a loud series of banging and crunching, the boxcar tilted to one side and then went completely upside down. The kerosene lamp burst and the oil spread all over igniting the walls and some passengers into flames.

I know it only lasted a few seconds, but the ordeal seemed to last forever. We tumbled and tossed over each other. I caught glimpses of flames, feet, hands, hair, and then the feeling of falling was prevalent. For a brief moment we all were floating in a free fall, followed by a sudden crash and then a huge splash. We had fallen off a bridge into a raging river below.

Water poured in from the cracks and seams of the boxcar. People were screaming louder and struggling to get on their feet. Many were buried beneath a mound of squirming bodies.

The boxcar door was jarred open and a wall of water poured in. The car was filled with ice cold water. It turned over leaving the door opening towards the bottom. Everyone treaded water to the top fighting for space in the air pocket.

Rather than fight for a spot in the air pocket, I decided to take my chances and swim my way out the open door. I thought of Dad and our incident with the ice shanty.

To do this I had to swim down beneath everyone.

With my backpack securely on, I took a final deep breath and took the plunge. As I fished my way to the open door I found myself being kicked by numerous feet. I was kicked in the face, back, butt, everywhere.

It reminded me of the beginning of the swim phase of a triathlon. In a triathlon, everyone clamors to get in front, pushing and shoving, swimming over each other, until eventually the pack spreads out and you can finally swim your way out of the crowd. Only now I had to swim under everyone and out a slim opening into god only knows.

I began to feel my lungs burn and panic was beginning to creep in. Over the years of racing, I trained myself to cope. I learned to slow my movement, and focus on my heartbeat. I imagine myself moving in slow motion. I adapted to absorb the kicks to my body and focus on what's ahead of me.

I searched for a glimmer of light to show me where the opened door was. It was barely visible since it was still dark out. Fortunately there was a full moon that night and I could see a faint, fuzzy patch of light. I swam deeper to avoid anymore kicking and then towards the light.

I could feel myself relax and I imagined my heart rate dropping. I was focused now and felt confident I was going to make it. Not thinking about what I'd find outside that door, only thinking about getting through it. And then finally, I made it. I was out.

Once outside, I could feel the current pulling me. I still couldn't see fully, so I judged the direction of the current and swam diagonal to it. I assured myself the river bank was close by.

The water was flowing fast and hitting me on my left side. So I did my breathing on the right. Three strokes with my face in the water and then a breath on my right side. I'd repeat that numerous times till finally I felt my finger tips scrape the bottom of the river.

Then gradually, it was shallow enough for me to grab and pull myself, and then finally I reached the riverbank and was able to stand up. I dragged myself out of the river and up on the bank.

I looked for the boxcar I was in, but it was long gone down the river. The remainder of the train was laying in a twisted mess in the middle of the river. I listened for any survivors. I heard nothing but the fast flowing river. I know that silence will haunt me for a long time; for I know many people died tonight.

I fell back and stared at the full moon. My mind went blank and my body was numb. I didn't cry or whine. I just laid there blankly staring upward.

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