The steel rungs of the ladder set into the Rail support strut were freezing cold, even through the thick gloves Katka wore. And everything shook... Through the blur of rain and wind the rungs of the ladder actually moved and jolted, jarring in her grip as she fumbled with every step. Faster, she climbed down, swearing under her breath as the roaring of the approaching train drowned out everything else. "Christ... Need to get down fast... Need to get down, christ, how did I not hear it coming before now?"
She brushed tears out of her eyes roughly with the back of a gloved hand, her boot slipping on the next rung below, the steel under her shook and rumbled as the roaring mass of the high speed train approached faster and faster. A great seething tail of steam billowed off its flanks as it powered forwards, suspended under the great ribbon-like steel rail as support struts whipped past in a blur. A single white light lanced out from the front engine, diesel fumes belching from it to be whipped away in the wind. And the noise. It roared and clattered, a noise great enough to drown out everything, even the massive steel rail hummed and stretched as it approached, close enough to blind Katka in that stark white headlight, the sound of a horn bellowing and echoing over the treetops through the whistling wind.
Somebody grabbed her wrist as the roar of the high speed train approached. Swung her bodily from the ladder onto a platform set into the support strut. Slammed her hard against the steel wall, looming over her. Set into stark contrast by the harsh white light, a large figure, black gas mask with tinted glass eye pieces glinting in the light. They stood over her as the train rushed past overhead, a great roar of air tugging the pair heavily, trying to drag them into the speeding rush of steel that passed by in a blur of smoke and clatter. Her heart pounded, wind whipping at her scarf as the figure kept a strong grip on her wrist, holding her down against the pull of the wind with a strength greater than her own.
Then the world exploded around her. A great rolling wave of heat, the sound a great roar and blast to drown out even the high speed train. The shrieking horn and sparks flying as the train sped by, a plume of fire and heat, great oily rolling flames and the entire steel strut shuddered, steel shrieking as the blast wave hit with as much force as the train would have. An instant slam into the darkness of unconsciousness.