Chapter Twenty-One:
The Train's Coming Through

	The handcart made the last stretch of the journey much easier, thanks to the self propelled engine. Scootaloo had been all too eager to share the food  she'd found in the refrigerator. Every bite, no matter if it was a cracker or a piece of cheese it all tasted like the best food Twilight and her had ever eaten. The pair managed to take down  every bit of food she brought with her and easily admitted that they would eat more, if there was more to eat. Scootaloo finished the last gulp of water in the bottle, before placing it back into the lunch box.
	The cart slipped into another tunnel, throwing them back into darkness. Once inside the mountain the corkscrewed it way up towards the train station. The cart slowed it's pace because of the angle increase of the slope, which gave Twilight time to consider their next course of action. There was a possibility that the train station, in the city, would be overrun with infected. If that were the case, this little shortcut would be for nothing.
	Twilight turned the engine of the handcart off taking over control, an eerie silence encroached on them. Scootaloo took over the other handle working in conjunction with Twilight as they pumped the cart up the last few dozen feet into the station. A bright light clawed at the darkness ahead, it disappeared around a corner ahead. It was bright enough that Twilight had to squint to keep from being blinded.
	When they rounded the last corner, Twilight noticed the gate to the train terminal was pulled down preventing entry. She worked fast to pull the brake lever, slowing the cart to a halt. Twilight flinched at the sound the brake made against the tires, the screech of the wheels echoed through the large building. Twilight pulled Scootaloo close, keeping absolutely still. Listening for anything unpleasant that might be coming their way.
	After a long moment of nothing happening, not even a sound, she relaxed and released her death grip on the small Pegasus. “Well, this is another good turn of events. At least the train station isn't overrun.” She thought aloud. Scootaloo looked up at her nodding.
	Twilight sat on the floor of the handcart before lowering down to the ground, giving a quick look around. There was a large plastic banner tied to the gate. It was an orange bio-hazard sign warning any train coming would not be able entry the city. The only other thing of interest was a maintenance door up a small flight of stairs, but it was locked.
	“Well, that's it I guess. We can't get through here. We'll just have to go back and find another way through.” Twilight sighed, sitting on the bottom step.
	“I'd rather just sit here and wait for the infected to get me, just being honest.” Scootaloo dropped her hard hat on the ground and sat next to her on the step shuffling her feet through the gravel.
	“Hey, you shouldn't think that way. I mean, you've made it this far and you're still hanging in there. We shouldn't lose hope just yet.” Twilight wrapped her arm around Scootaloo's narrow shoulders. “Let's just sit here a moment to see if I can figure out a better way.” Scootaloo wrapped her arms tightly around Twilight's waist, nuzzling it into a warm hug.
	“Thank you for being here with me, Twilight. I'm starting to understand why Braeburn didn't want to be alone.” Scootaloo closed her eyes and sighed contently, she shifted closer to Twilight kicking the gravel around as she moved, she stopped immediately when she heard something jingling among the pebbles.
	Twilight looked down and saw something glinting half covered by gravel on the ground. “What's that?”
	Scootaloo leaned down fishing the item from the gravel, it was a set of keys. They all looked similar and none of them were labeled. Twilight took a deep breath not wanting to get overly excited about the prospect that the keys might work on the door. “Do you think...?” Scootaloo asked, holding the keys out to Twilight.
	Twilight took the keys in one shaky hand, the other grabbed the banister helping her get to her feet. “Well here's hoping.” She said more to herself then to Scootaloo.The first key slid into the lock, but didn't turn the tumblers. The second key gave the same result. Twilight heart slowed as sweat starting to bead along her dirty brow. The third key turned with a satisfying click. Scootaloo squealed excitedly, enough to cause Twilight to jump almost dropping the keys.
	The tense moments faded with a soft sigh. They managed to get through another obstacle, Twilight hoped their luck would last, but she wanted to keep that kind of talk to herself right now. Instead she ruffled the young filly's hair. “Good job, sweetheart.” She slipped the keys into her pocket and opened the door.
	What lay beyond was a long hallway, colored pale from the florescent lights hanging overhead. There was a familiar lingering smell of machine grease and coal. Twilight stepped in first with Scootaloo following closely behind. Twilight pulled the door closed behind them, locking it.
	The corridor was narrow, the walls were lined with shelves on either side, each of them packed with machine parts, toolboxes, and other things Twilight never seem before. Periodically, where there was a break in the shelves, she would see a safety sign on the wall, or a motivational poster. There were a few doors that were tucked between the shelves as well, but Twilight thought it would be best not to be nosy unless there was no other way. The hallway went straight for a long time, it wasn't until they found an offshoot to the left that Twilight realized there was a chance they'd have to make a decision where to go next. The hall dead ended ahead with an offshoot to the right.
	“Where do we go from here?” Twilight mumbled, keeping her voice low. “There should be a map around here somewhere. I can't image every railway worker could have this place memorized.”
	Scootaloo started rummaging through a toolbox on the bottom of the closest shelf. The rattling tools were so loud in the tight corridor that Twlight winced and glared at her. Scootaloo blushed. “Sorry.” She whispered, but her rummaging managed to gain her a working flashlight. She turned it on, the shaft of light cut through the darkened recesses of the walls between the shelving units. 
	“There.” Twilight said, pointing a little ways down the hall to the left. Scootaloo aimed the light at an old map posted on some cork board hanging on the wall. Some of the lines had been crossed out, while others were drawn in. Scrawling hand writing jotted down near the changes on the maps were so small, it made them difficult to read.
	“What's it say?” Scootaloo called up to her, her voice was louder than she meant for it to be.
	“I don't know, I can't read this handwriting.” Twilight squinted hard, wishing that she hadn't lost her glasses.
	Something banged further down the hallway from the direction that they'd come. It was one solid hit and then it stopped. Twilight pulled Scootaloo closer, holding her breath. Another bang filled the hall, this one was from another direction. It was more frantic, more violent. The first banging started up again, so hard it sounded like it was breaking through. It was joined by more banging it filled the corridor with a deafening rumble.
	A shriek tore through the hall, joined by another and another. Every room in the maintenance hall must have been used to house the sick and they were about to break out. With rooms on each side of them, they would be trapped. The doors shuttered so hard that the hinges were give way. “We gotta go.” Twilight barked, taking Scootaloo's hand.
	“But which way?” Scootaloo was nearly pulled off her feet as Twilight started running down the hall.
	“It doesn't matter as long as it's not here.” Twilight panted, moving so fast that she thought her legs were going to break. The door ahead of her shook so hard she dodged to the side to avoid being hit if the door broke open.
	Somewhere down the way they'd come, Twilight heard a door give. The shriek echoed louder, whipping the other infected into a frenzy. Another door exploded in, the infected locked in the room started piling into the halls. Twilight could here there hooves patting the ground in uneven steps, they sounded frantic and crazed. The mutation had made these ones even stronger and faster. Their screeches were deeper, gurgling as if blood was caught in their throat. It was enough to freeze Twilight solid.
	Coming into view just ahead of them was a dead end that turned sharply right. It was the only way they could go and if it led to another dead end or circled back around then it would all be over. There would be no going back. Twilight pumped her free arm harder, she could feel Scootaloo losing her footing, but she didn't bother slowly down, there was no time.
	The door in front of them splintered, a bone white arm grabbed for her. Twilight dropped to the ground rolling clumsily into a shelf. The hand frantically tore at the door. It knew they were there and would stop at nothing to get to them. Scootaloo darted under the hand and helped Twilight to her feet. The two of them started down the hall again, the infected were closer now and gaining ground.
	Twilight slammed into the wall at end, her hip and shoulder ached, but that didn't stop her from continuing the run. Ahead of her was a small flight of stairs and a white door that said. 'EXIT' Twilight hit the door, but it didn't open, it was locked. Twilight forced her shaking hand into her pocket grabbing the keys.
	“Twilight!” Scootaloo whimpered as long shadows crawled up the wall at the corner. Twilight tried the first key and the lock didn't turn. 
	“Twilight!” Scootaloo said louder pressing her back to the door, making herself as small as possible. The second key didn't even fit in the lock, forcing her to fumble for the third key. Three infected filled the hallway fighting to be the first to get a bite, there were more behind them jockeying for position.
	“Twilight!” Scootaloo screamed as the key slid into the lock and turned twice. Twilight slammed her bad shoulder into door popping it open, they fell through the door. Twilight lurched, throwing herself at the door again, slamming it closed. There was a heavy thundering on the other side of the door that almost threw Twilight to the tiled floor, but she hung on, fighting to slip the key into the lock securing it once again, before stepping back.
	Scootaloo sat in a puddle of her own urine. She was panting and on the edge of a breakdown, She stared at the door with the same intensity as Twilight did, as if the infected were simple going to turn the knob and open it. This time it had been too close. Twilight shorts faired no better than the young filly's. Normally she'd be upset about it, but under the circumstances it was forgivable.
	“Aw man, I dropped my flashlight.” Scootaloo whined, and the thought brought a tear filled chuckle to Twilight. An uneven chuckle that seemed to yuck in her throat. Not funny in a comedy way, but funny in a frantic way. Soon after Scootaloo join in. The pair clutched each other in a shaking hug as they both laughed themselves to tears.