Thread: A Survivor's Musings

The rail yards at the edge of Eurei were never silent, a near constant stream of trains entering or leaving the city, the only pause happening if there was an accident, and those were growing increasingly rare as technology made the rails safer. The air was thick with steam and everything had a layer of soot caked onto it from the coal-fired boilers. It wasn??t one of the prettiest parts of Eurei, but it was certainly one of the busiest. Alicia McKay leaned against her shovel, lazily watching as one of the Swengel 4-10-4??s let out a massive rush of steam, the roar of the whistle echoing over the yard. The heavy wheels clacked loudly as the locomotive pulled from the yard, a long trail of passenger and freight cars being pulled behind it as a new detachment of troops were sent to the front. She smiled at the sight of the powerful locomotive as it pulled away, watching it as it left the yard under a trailing cloud of smoke and steam. She had always had a strange liking to the metal beasts, the sheer strength held behind the iron boilers. They were a testament to the raw power of steam. Another dull roar behind her made her jump a little, and she turned to see a smaller Marson 2-4-0 shunting locomotive pulling up, with an empty flatbed car in tow. With a hiss and a cloud of steam, it stopped, a long shrill whistle signaling that the brakes were set. Alicia wiped the sweat from her brow, tucking a few loose strands of black hair up under her cap. Girls weren??t commonly seen in this line of work, and most of the boys mocked her because of it. But she was damned proud that she had gotten the job and wasn??t going to let some meatheaded boys get her down. She pulled the shovel from the coal pile and walked over to the boiler that powered the cargo crane. The heat in front of the boiler was sweltering, causing her face to bead up in sweat even before she had come within five feet of the thing. Huge plumes of coiled, black smoke billowed from the twin smokestacks, obscuring the crane that it was powering. She grabbed a heavy pair of gloves and pulled them over her hands for protection. The air in front of the boilers was hot enough to scald the skin off her hands. She grabbed a metal hook and latched it onto the handle to the boiler, pulling it open with one quick motion. A literal wall of boiling air punched her straight in the face, and she turned her head and coughed. A few loose embers singed her cheeks, but she steeled herself and walked over to her shovel. As she watched, three of her ??fellow?? workers approached, their overalls filthy with oil stains and coal dust. The three had constantly irritated her for being the only girl on the workforce, calling her ??princess??, and acting like she was completely helpless and couldn??t do anything without their help. Alicia planted the shovel up to the hilt in the pile of coal and hoisted it up, slugging the load into the firebox. The air surged in temperature and the massive pistons that drove the machine hissed with steam as the pressure started to rise. The three boys stood alongside the station platform, watching her. It was sort of a bet, sort of a dare between them all. They had finally agreed that if Alicia could shovel enough coal to keep the crane running for the time it took to load a single container, then they would never mock her again and be her servants for the whole week. However, it was a task that normally required three people to accomplish, and she was already getting tired from the whole day of work she had already done. Hey, Lady McKay! Edward Calhoun, a grimy, pudgy boy who lived three houses down from hers shouted, You look tired! Why don't you let us guys do it! He snorted-very pig like- and they all broke down into what was little more than testosterone-driven chuckles. This only spurred her on even more, and she once again plunged the shovel into the coal pile, hefting the load into the firebox. Each heavy load made her muscles scream in torment, and sweat poured down her face and neck from the heat of the boiler and the physical exertion. The front of her shirt was soon plastered with sweat, and she could vaguely feel one of the straps of her overalls slipping down, but she didn't care, too embedded in the current task to notice. She was going to beat them, and she would ruin the only work clothes she had if need be. The massive pistons hissed loudly, groaning as they began to rise and fall rhythmically. The crane rumbled, a loud steam whistle roaring over the yard. She paused her frantic shoveling only for a few seconds, long enough to replace the slipping overall strap and to give the boys watching a half-crazed, seductive grin. By now, Alicia??s fingers were stiff, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She hadn't even bothered to check how far the crane had come along she wasn't taking her eyes off the boiler in front of her. Shovel after shovel, load after load. Nothing but the noise and the smoke and the steam, Alicia was engulfed in a symphony of racket and heat, it surrounded her, wrapped around her, caressed her? Alicia??s father had been a machinery-worker all his life, and had told her that working a boiler was like being with a lover. When you got it right, you just knew. Right now, she knew. Surrounded by the steam, it seemed to take on a personality of its own, it was definitely a woman's, the touches gave that away. She knew exactly what to do. Even as Alicia shoveled, the steam cupped her small breasts, warm fingers brushing between her legs. The steam grew bolder, pushing against her, her nipples were hard, visible through the soaked fabric of her shirt. Alicia shuddered and let out a small cry as she felt her legs turn to mush beneath her, and she felt a rush of warmth between her thighs. As if sensing her climax, the massive whistle signaling the job was done erupted with a roar. The thundering pistons hissed to a stop, and she triumphantly stabbed the shovel into the pile of coal. She was filthy, covered in sweat, grime, and coal dust, but it was the best that she had ever felt in her life. Her steam lover slowly dissipated in the wind, and she glared at the boys in triumph, feeling pride at their awed stares. With a laugh, she realized she must have looked like a madwoman, with her heaving chest, crazed eyes, and the smell of climax and oil wafting around me. She felt changed, for once they were in awe of her. Well boys, I guess that means I won the bet, huh? She asked coyly as she left them behind. Not a word was uttered in response. Alicia wasn't getting paid until the end of the week, but the victory was more than worth it. She pulled off her cap and shook her hair down, slipping into one of the washrooms to clean up. She stopped at a washbin and splashed some cool water on her face, clearing some of the soot away from her skin. Cool, blue-gray eyes stared back at her. She felt her face flush as the realization of what had happened set in, but she didn't do anything other than smile a little bit. With a shrug, she turned and headed to the break room, she was damn hungry.