Sarge's Coat: Derail John's Brother

To save the living, he must become a ghost. Julian was a man of cold calculation—a successful professional who spoke in spreadsheets and valuations. Until the call came from the Galesburg railyard, and the sterile world of finance collided with the steel-and-rust reality of the American freight lines. His brother, Caleb—the legendary "Derail John"—was dead, found under a moving boxcar with a notched knife and a map to a hidden war. Inheriting only his brother's tattered military jacket, Julian takes the dive. He sheds his identity to follow the hobo signs, guided by the wisdom of "One-Eyed" Blackie and the desperate resilience of a young runaway named Mimi. But the tracks are not just a place to hide; they are a market for the Shadow Crew—a vicious gang that trades in "The Harvest" of lost children. To infiltrate the crew run by the brutal Rooster, Julian must become The Ghost, a man willing to walk away from the only life he knew to track down his brother's murderer. But as the mission draws him closer to the High-Bridge—a structural nightmare where Rooster holds his shipment—Julian faces the ultimate audit: can he risk Mimi's life and the souls of the children to settle a debt with the dead? A grit-and-iron thriller about redemption, sacrifice, and the heavy price of wearing "Sarge's Coat."