Page 11 of Alex

If he wanted me to watch my mouth maybe he should have chosen a different car to hide in. He groans loud and drops his hands from my hair to his leg. I look back and see him pressing his hands to a wound in his leg. It's bleeding but not enough for me to think it's life threatening.

"Where am I going? You have to direct me here." I need to focus on getting to safety then I can curse him out for dragging me into this.

"Stay on the back road. It's a straight shot. ”

"Okay, okay, okay” I repeat myself over and over. The repetition calms me slightly.

“Shit! Fucking hell!" the man curses and scrambles from the back into the passenger seat.

"What?" I screech out but keep my eyes on the road. These back roads can be dangerous when driving at normal speeds. Driving seventy-five miles on an unpaved road is nearly suicidal with all these twists and turns.

"They're behind us." He says and I squirm in my seat. “They're going to catch up. Right as I'm about to turn around and look, the back window blasts out and wind and glass burst into the car.

“Ahh! ” I scream loudly and pick my hands up to cover my face.

"Are you crazy! Don't let go of the wheel!" The man screams at me before he lunges over to grab the steering wheel. "You're going to get us killed!"

"Me! Are you fucking kidding me? " My voice is so high pitched if the back window wasn't already shattered that would have done it.

Something pings off the car and I look around for the cause. It’s gunshots! "Are they shooting at us? What the hell! What did you do to them?" I question and struggle to keep the car on the road.

"Nothing, pay attention! " The man orders me.

I look ahead of me but this time instead of an open road, two men on motorcycles are coming straight toward us. "Are those your friends?" I ask him.

He doesn't have to answer. His face drains of color and I know it’s more of the enemy. Instead of going straight, I drift to the side trying to get passed them. One of the men on the bikes quickly u-turns and comes up right beside me. My window is rolled up but he just uses his gun to break it. I scream my head off but I don't let go of the wheel. The man in my car reaches over me and pulls the guy halfway into my car. He proceeds to bang his head against the jagged broken window of my car door. After a few times, the man outside goes limp and my stowaway lets him go. The car behind us catches up and all at once, it seems like bullets start flying in every direction. But none from inside the car. He lied, he's not armed which only makes me want to get him away from these bastards more. We’re not going to make it to his clubhouse with them so close to us. I look to the side and even though I would have never done this on my own, I take a chance. I turn the wheel abruptly so we ride down the steep hill. My car is more than twenty years old. The engine is fucked up, the transmission sticks but the frame is solid. I'm hoping that will be enough to protect us. The car groans and thunders as we go barrelling down the cliff and into the small stream below. I don't even have time to worry about seatbelts. All we can do is survive. I hope I made the right decision .

Alex

Darkness and pressure surround me.

I try to move but something has my leg caught. A small hand reaches down and pulls me up. When I look to the side, I see it’s the woman whose car I decided to hide in.

“Hey! You awake! We have to get out. The stream is moving the car, we have to move!”

I try to move but I’m still stuck. A large splash of water slams into the car and suddenly I can’t breathe again. I wait for a long while for the water to clear, but it doesn’t. Finally, after a few seconds the woman pulls me back up and I can see her crying.

“You have to help me! Tell me what to do!” She screams at me.

I try to pull my leg again, but It doesn’t budge. I blink the dirty water out of my eyes and do my best to get a feel of my surroundings. Looking out the window, I see the trees flying by. The car is in the same stream that was moving slowly just a little while before. Now it's strong enough to push a car with myself and a small woman down the river. There’s no massive waterfall or anything that we’re going to fall off, but this stream can get very rough. There’s no way that we’re going to make it trapped in the car.

“You have to get out. Climb out and try to swim to shore.” I order her and slip back under the water. She grabs hold of my kutte and pulls me back over the water. My weight is pushing the car down on my side. The second she gets out of the car, I’ll drown. I’m going to die here today no matter what. I’ll be damned if I’m responsible for her death as well.

“What? What about you?” She asks as her hands struggle to keep me up.

“You have to leave me. The river is moving too fast, and this car is just going to keep sinking.” I sputter out some water that gets into my mouth.

“No! I’m not going to leave you. You jumped into my car for a reason. I’m supposed to help you.” She rationalizes.

“I jumped into your car because it was open. I made a play, and it was the wrong one. You don’t have to have the same fate as me. Get the fuck out of here!” I scream at her.

At that second, her hand lets go and I dunk back under the water. I can’t breathe and, in a panic, I try to pull at my leg again.

She grapples for my vest and hauls me back up again. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t on purpose. I can’t feel my fingers.” She shakes her free hand, before she grabs hold of me with that one too. “I don’t care what you say. I’m not going to leave you here. Why can’t you move?" She asks me. I see the desperation in her eyes and the strength behind that. There’s nothing I can say that’s going to get her to leave. I know that even if I don’t understand why.

“My leg is either trapped or hooked on something.” I try to pull futilely.

“Is it broken? Or just caught?” She yells just as another large wave splashes into the car. This time instead of bobbing back to the top the car sinks further on my side. Now she can’t pull me back up and she’s underwater herself. Her eyes find mine in the water and I push her away trying to force her not to die.

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