Thirteen

I'm afraid I must inform you that this is the last chapter of this particularly jarring journey of the Baudelaires a phrase which here means "the four siblings had experienced nothing but harsh treatment ever since boarding the In-Finite Express" and it is my duty to inform you that although something good will happen once they escape the dangerous train that was about to derail, that many terrible tragedies will occur before the Baudelaires manage to evade their nemesis Mister Dominic, so if you are hoping to find a good ending to this story I would suggest you skip down to the last page and read that and skip all of the details I am forced to write down between then and now.

The termite collection which had been missing for quite some time had finally been found by Violet Baudelaire, albeit by accident as she was opening the door to the Burning chamber in an effort to evade Mister Dominic and Professor Edwick to rush to the intercom and warn the passengers. But now she had found the termites, Violet had caused the very unfortunate event that Mister Dominic had been plotting and the nefarious villain declared, "This truly is priceless! You children may not be just as tenacious as termites, but you are certainly are as much trouble as them!"

"If those termites eat up the Burning Chamber, the In-Finite will lose control!" Donald realized. "This doesn't fit in with my plan to rob this train!" Mrs. Remora declared. "I don't care one bit what you idiots want!" Mister Dominic snarled and then pushed the teachers aside and watched as the termites continued to eat the emerald lumber and then told the Baudelaires, "Looks like you truly have reached the point of no return!"

While all of the adults had been discussing among themselves what to do, Violet had been trying hard to come up with a plan to save both herself and her siblings as well as the other passengers onboard the In-Finite Express and then decided, "Klaus! Use the intercom now!" The middle Baudelaire didn't hesitate and rushed thru the Burning chamber past the terrible termites as Mister Dominic laughed and said, "That won't do any good, orphan! None of the passengers will believe you!" "It depends on how you look at it," Violet countered and then heard her brother say over the sound system, "Attention everyone! The illustrious In-Finite Express is out of control! Please hurry to escape as soon as possible!"

"There is no way to get off of this train!" Donald realized.

"Unless we jump," Mrs. Remora was considering.

"Dominic what are we going to do about this?" Nero asked, and as their nemesis was distracted; the eldest Baudelaire rushed past him, taking hold of Beatrice's hand and running toward the Dining car.

"I believe you heard what that orphan told you! We're leaving this train now before those termites devour the engine!" Mister Dominic declared and then ran into the Burning Chamber and took the fiery poker and pointed it toward Klaus as he left the Administrator's car and stated, "You're coming with me orphan!"

The middle Baudelaire knew better to object to their archenemy and the two of them followed Violet thru the remaining passenger cars of the In-Finite Express. Violet and Sunny and Beatrice didn't stop rushing thru the treacherous train, they past thru the Filing car and Violet pushed aside a cabinet to block Mister Dominic's path and as they walked thru the Inventory passenger car; Sunny pushed some of the luggage aside and whenever they ran thru the Lounge, the volunteers fighting disease were still singing their annoying and repetitive song and Monday spotted them and asked, "Did I hear right, orphans? Is this train going to crash?"

"If those termites finish eating the Burning chamber it will," Sunny answered.

"Where are you running to?" the frilly haired woman asked and then added, "Is this all your fault, orphans?"

"We didn't do anything!" Violet said as she caught her breath and then glanced back and saw Klaus and Mister Dominic entering the kitchen and declared, "But we are trying to escape this express before it derails!" Before Monday could ask another question, the three Baudelaires ran thru the Manicure passenger car where passengers were telling the barbers to hurry and finish their haircuts so that they could escape as well and as they continued, Sunny asked, "Violet do you have any idea where you're going?"

"We're going to do just as that map told us to! Up and out!" she answered as they approached the Bistro Smelt and then explained to her siblings, "Even if no one believes us, there is at least one person who will listen to what Klaus has to say."

"Who is that?" Sunny wondered. "The volunteer who has been assisting us since we boarded the train," the eldest orphan explained.

"I thought that was Mister Caliban," the former infant remarked in confusion.

"But we received another map after Thursday died, so it couldn't have been him," Violet answered.

"Deifitendinu!" Beatrice stated, which probably meant, "But we have no idea who drew those maps!" "I think I do," Violet Baudelaire declared and then said, "Hurry, we need to get to the twenty-seventh passenger car!"

Mister Dominic and Klaus had just made it to the Lounge whenever a volunteer was singing about a surgeon cutting someone in half and Mister Dominic felt the train beneath him shift and then remarked, "Hear that orphan? I think the termites have completed their task! This train is going to derail in a matter of minutes! You and your siblings have failed!"

He gestured with the hot poker for the middle Baudelaire to continue down the passage and Klaus did so without question, eager to join his siblings in their escape. Violet, Beatrice and Sunny had made it to the Waterbed passenger car and the eldest Baudelaire told her siblings; "I hope that our friend heard the message and ran here." "But who is it?" Sunny asked. Violet glanced back and spotted Mister Dominic approaching and said, "Hurry! We haven't any time!"

They passed thru the empty cars of the In-Finite Express and finally Violet reached the final passenger car and opened the door with ease. "It isn't locked anymore!" Sunny realized in surprise. The oldest orphan merely smiled and the trio stepped into the caboose of the train and Beatrice and Sunny were quite surprised to see that they were not alone.

There standing next to the crate door which was used to load large cargo onboard the In-Finite Express stood a tall figure in a dark cloak so that his face was obscured. Before Violet could say a word, she felt a push from behind and fell to the floor as Mister Dominic pushed Klaus into the final passenger car and then smiled wickedly at everyone standing in the passenger car. The villain then closed the door to the caboose and stated, "It looks like you've run as far as you can go, Baudelaires."

Mister Dominic spotted the cloaked man standing next to the cargo door and muttered, "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" the cloaked man countered and then turned to the Baudelaires and stated, "We haven't much time before this train derails! We're going to have to jump!"

"This express is going to fast for you to jump, orphans," Mister Dominic told them with a smirk and then laughed and said, "It is rather ironic that you came here to find the answers you were searching for and now you've reached the end of the road!"

"That's where you're wrong," Violet said as she got to feet and then grabbed Beatrice and took a step back from the dangerous villain.

"Have you looked around, children? There behind you, don't you realize what that is?" Mister Dominic asked with a wicked gleam in his eye. Klaus spotted the crate right away which had the large words of DANGER! DON'T! OPEN! And the middle Baudelaire guessed, "More termites?"

"The very fearsome fungus that you have been searching for! The Medusoid Mycelium! If this derailment doesn't dispose of you, that will!" Mister Dominic told them with another laugh. The children all froze in their steps, not daring to move any closer to the cargo and then the cloaked man standing near the door stated, "Don't worry, we'll be ok!" Then he pulled on the cord and the door to the last passenger car opened.

The Baudelaires stared out at the hillside as it continued to roll by and I can say with an absolute certainty that not one of the four orphans were convinced that it would be all right for them to jump from the ferociously fast freight, but then they also knew that staying onboard the train along side Mister Dominic was also not safe; especially since their nemesis had just told them that the dangerously poisonous Medusoid Mycelium was sitting there in the caboose of the In-Finite Express. And as if to state this obvious fact, Sunny declared, "We can't jump! The train is moving too fast!"

The cloaked individual was now staring out at the forest and then looked back at the oldest of the Baudelaires and told her, "Violet, you can trust me." Without another word, their mysterious companion leapt from the train and rolled down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down from the In-Finite Express into the forest beyond.

Violet kept a firm hold on Beatrice and told her siblings, "We haven't a moment to lose!" and then leapt from the train and rolled down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down from the In-Finite Express into the forest beyond.

Klaus and Sunny looked to where their sister had rolled and then back at Mister Dominic who still holding the hot poker toward them and he declared, "If you escape now you'll never know anything that you really want to! I have the answers that you're seeking. Don't worry about your sister."

Klaus took Sunny's hand and whispered, "On the count of three." Before Mister Dominic could get a step closer to them the two younger siblings leapt from the cargo hold of the In-Finite Express and rolled down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and well you get the picture; from the train and this experience was so frightening for all of the children combined that to this very day they refuse to comment about it.

Once they had stopped rolling, the four orphans stood and watched as Mister Dominic glared at them from the caboose and then the In-Finite Express disappeared; although each of them knew right away that it was headed straight toward disaster. Then they turned their attention to the reason that they had escaped the dangerous train, besides the termites that is; the cloaked man who had just finished dusting himself off and was standing in front of them. His face was still obscured, so Sunny immediately asked, "Are you the one who has been trying to assist us during our time aboard that fearsome freight?"

"Yes, I drew those maps, I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help more; but I had to keep myself hidden whenever I found out that Mister Dominic was on the train," the cloaked figure stated and then added, "But I'm so glad to see all of you again!"

"Have we met before?" Klaus asked in confusion, finding his voice familiar and then the cloaked individual laughed and said, "I'm sorry it has been quite a while since we've seen each other."

Then their companion pulled back his hood and all of the Baudelaires gasped in surprise whereas Violet merely smiled and perhaps shed a few tears as the man who was cloaked turned out to be a seventeen year old boy; particularly one whom the eldest Baudelaire had been fond of a year ago. The boy stood there for a moment as the Baudelaires all smiled and felt that their luck had indeed finally gotten better, and Violet said, "I just knew it was you!"

"Knalb!" Beatrice said, which Sunny translated stating, "She is confused because she has never met you before." The boy knelt down to the infant and apparently his voice had changed too since the last time they'd met.

"I'm Quigley Quagmire," Quigley Quagmire explained, and then turned to his three older friends and told them, "Lemony Snicket sent me to find you."

Ba Ba Ba! the truth revealed! what did you think? excited? please say yes! the stirring conclusion! what will happen next? stay tuned for more secrets and clues! read and review please!