Time Remaining: 36 Days, 15 Hours. (Status: Boiler dying. Fuel empty. Scavenging mode.) Location: Sector 4 - The Badlands (The Tar Pits).
The Iron Horse didn't die with a bang. It died with a cough.
The heavy steam-hauler drifted to a halt in the shadow of a twisted sandstone spire. The massive rubber tires crunched over the red gravel one last time before the silence settled in. The pistons stopped. The rhythmic chug-chug-chug of the air compressor faded.
"That's it," Zack said, tapping the pressure gauge. "Firebox is cold. We are officially a ten-ton paperweight."
Arthur rubbed the grease on his forehead. "Residual pressure?"
"Dropping," Zack read. "80 PSI. We have enough steam left to blow the whistle or turn the wheels for maybe ten yards. After that, we're dead."
"We need fuel," Arthur said, kicking the door open. "And we need it fast."
