As the oncoming train raced closer, the ground rumbled beneath their feet. Is this it? Claude hopelessly wondered. Had they really come this far just to get mowed down like this? But what else could they have done differently?

There was no time for regrets now, unfortunately. Claude, too, squeezed his eyes shut and turned his face away from the bright light. When the horn sounded from right next to them, rattling his eardrums, he half expected to get crushed or pulled underneath the train. Instead, a harsh rush of wind whipped his hair against his neck and cheeks, freezing him in place as he heard the carts swiftly clatter along the tracks.