Wreaking Havoc

by Angel Steel

  There’s no way we’re going to make that turn with the speed we’re going.

  “Zane, we need to slow down now.” He doesn’t listen. He slams his foot down harder on the pedal and the truck hurls forward faster than before. I turn around again in my seat and look behind us, but nothing is there but dust and a lot of it. I spin around completely, kneeling on the bench seat trying to see where the SUV is. I find it pretty quickly. Out of nowhere the SUV comes into view and slams straight into us from behind. My truck jolts forward from the contact and I lose my grip on the seat and I’m tossed forward straight into the dash.

  “Shit,” I grunt out, holding my left side, breathing through the pain now as it shoots through my ribs.

  I’m suddenly being pulled from where I was against the dash as Zane grips my hand and drags me back into the seat next to him, gripping my hand in his lap.

  “Are you all right?” he asks hoarsely. I can feel his eyes on me as he waits for my answer.

  “I’m fine,” I hiss out. I’m not. I’m far from it right now. My ribs hurt like a bitch and someone is following us. He grips my hand firmly, but I rip my hand from his and shift away from him across the seat. Zane leans sideways and grabs my hand yet again and gently tugs me back to his side and places my hand back on his thigh. Then he changes down a gear and places his hand atop of mine, stroking his thumb over my fingers.

  “I need for you to sit still beside me Amelia, so I can fully concentrate on what’s happening right now. And no more looking behind us,” he berates beside me.

  Zane steers my truck around the bend, sharply, and the ass end of the truck swings out spinning the tires trying to grip onto the dirt road we are on. Before he can even straighten the truck, the SUV hits us again, on Zane’s side, jolting us around inside the cabin.

  “Fuck,” Zane yells and plants his foot down hard and changes gears again, shifting us away from the SUV.

  I grip onto his leg and hold onto the front of the seat to my right, trying not to allow my body to move too much. But every ditch in the road the tires hit, jerks the truck, if it’s not left then its right. I grind my teeth together as the pain in my side intensifies.

  I glance toward my window, trying to figure out a way out of this whole mess. I’m about to tell Zane to head toward the Walker’s farm, when the black SUV comes into view right beside us. The driver’s window slides down halfway and stops. But I don’t see who’s driving, only the gun that’s pointing straight at me.

  I squeeze Zane’s thigh so hard my fingers ache. “Zane,” I scream.

  “Down!” he roars then pulls me to the side, sending me crashing to the seat. My head missing the door as the sound of a gun going off fills the air.

  Brap. Brap. Brap.

  I wrap my arms around my head just in time as the glass shatters around me, spraying onto my exposed skin like water. Sharp, stinging water.

  “Fuck,” Zane growls. I drop my arm a little and look over to where he’s sitting. He glances my way slightly, “Amelia, stay down. Don’t move.”

  I stay where I am. Zane grips onto my leg keeping me close to him and swerves away from the SUV. I curl my arms around my head and body, as the truck skids around the sharp bend, on two tires. Bullet after bullet projectile against the metal of the truck. I scream out again and curl my body into a ball as best I can as the SUV rubs up against us, pushing us into the ditch on Zane’s side.

  Once the noise of gunshots dies down, I sit up slightly and watch as Zane’s grip tightens on the steering wheel and spins the wheel a hard right, slamming us into the SUV. Sparks fly between the two trucks as they grind against one another. I watch as the driver of the SUV slides the window down all the way and reaches out trying to grab me.

  I turn my body around and lean against Zane and kick out at the arm coming in the window trying to grab a hold of me. Their faces are covered, as are the rest of what I can make out. The body beside the driver shifts forward and raises a different gun my way. I lean more into Zane, pushing him along the bench seat closer to his door, and out of the view of the shooter. He steers the truck away from them and wraps his arm around and across my chest and pulls me against his leg.

  “For once in your life, Amelia, would you do what you’re fucking told and stay down?” he shouts, as he veers away from the SUV and into the field.

  “Sorry for trying to help, asshole,” I grit out and turn away from him crossing my arms over my chest. My heart’s racing, I can feel each thump against my arm. I dig my fingers into my forearm, trying to stop my body from shaking.

  “I know what I’m doing Amelia. Just sit there and be quiet,” he says behind me. I glance up and look around the field as we begin to venture into it.

  “Really? Seems to me you have no idea,” I couldn’t help it as the words slip from my lips.

  “Amelia,” he growls deeply. “Please, will you just shut up and sit there.” I can feel his eyes boring into my back as he turns right sharply. I shut my mouth and turn fully toward the passenger window and look out across the green field.

  My truck swerves left, and we begin to drive at an angle as the truck tilts left, pushing myself against the back seat and holding on. I shift as close as I can to Zane while reaching for my seatbelt. Feeling around for the buckle, I curse when my hand can’t find it. I throw the belt over my lap, holding it to me with a death grip, as Zane rights the truck back on the dirt road near the field.

  “We need to get away from them,” I hiss beside him as my grip tightens on the seat. I sit up straighter against the seat and begin to turn around to face Zane. I open my mouth ready to say something, when the rear window shatters behind us. I scream out dropping my head forward wrapping my arms around my head as shards of glass fly everywhere in the cabin.

  “Fuck,” Zane curses from beside me as he rips the steering wheel hard to the left away from the SUV.

  I begin to slide against the seat, as we round the next corner. My body is pressed against the door. I reach my hand out pushing against it stopping me from hitting it anymore, which is only short lived. My body slams hard into the door, as Zane veers to the edge of the dirt road.

  “Zane,” I hiss out, as I begin to fumble for the buckle again.

  The SUV slams into us from behind several times, each hit harder than the first. Frantically pulling the buckle out and finally clicking in my belt, I grab on to the door and the top of the seat and brace myself for each impact from behind. I quickly scan our surroundings trying to figure out somewhere for us to go, but nothing comes up as we are propelled forward. More bullets ring out from behind me and I flinch several times as each one collides with the metal of the truck.

  My grip tightens as we fishtail around another bend in the road. I turn quickly in my seat as we round the next corner and look on in horror as the SUV behind us rams into the tail end of the tray on Zane’s side, sending the truck sideways and sending us airborne. My body pulls against the belt as I’m lifted from the seat then back on it as the truck begins to roll.

  The crunch of the metal as the roof connects to the road is deafening. My body is flung from left to the right, then up out of the seat then down again. I twist in my seat, getting a look at Zane, his head is facing my direction, his eyes on my own. His hand shoots out grabbing mine and tightens his fingers around my hand. It’s hard to tell who’s holding onto who now, as both our bodies jolt from each impact as the truck hits the road, then our bodies begin to lean to one side as we decline.

  My seatbelt pulls over my shoulder as my body leans up against it, then a burning sensation begins at the base of my neck. My hand comes up quickly covering the spot, noticing my seatbelt cutting into my skin. I wrap my hand around the belt and pull it from my body as I slam into the side yet again.

  My head hits the dash as the cabin of the truck throws our bodies around inside it, as the front of the truck starts to crumple towards me. I groan and close my eyes as pain shoots through my head.

  “Amelia,” Zane yells. I feel his
hand squeezing mine, as the roof crumbles inwards.

  “Zane,” I mumble, as white stars form behind my closed eyelids.

  Zane’s hand is ripped from mine as my body is thrown into the door. My head hits the window and glass cascades around me, cutting along my arms and thighs. I scream, at the slicing pain through my body, then my voice begins to muffle away from my own hearing. Time slows as I sit there weightless. I start to feel things float past my body, and then blackness begins to take over, complete blackness engulfs my sight, then all sounds disappear, except my name coming from Zane’s lips, ‘Amelia,’ before I slip into complete blackness.

  I groan when a slight pain twinges in my neck and the roar of the engine as it wakes me. Shaking my head somewhat and opening my eyes slowly, pushing against the seat where my hand rests above me while I brace myself as my body leans left. My right-hand fumbles where the key sits in the ignition and turn it off and blink several times then I sluggishly look out the windshield. I shift against the seat holding my body still and lock my feet under the steering wheel.

  “Amelia,” I call out hoarsely as I turn my head toward her. Her head rests against where the window once was. One of her legs bent back at the knee, the other straight out in front of her. Small lines of blood line her arms and legs. Her hair covering her face so I can’t see her eyes. Not taking my eyes away from her, I let go of the seat and reach down and unclip my belt, holding my weight as the belt retracts away from my body. Pulling my left leg up and out from underneath me, I lean across the exposed area between us and hook it on the bench seat then move my hands to the window to hold my weight as I remove my other leg and place it on the dash. I slide down weirdly and release my hold on the window and stand over Amelia’s body. Kneeling down over her, I unhook the seatbelt still around her and shift it aside as my shaky hands begin to slide over her body. “Amelia,” I whisper wiping her hair away from her face and tap her on her cheek.

  I flatten my fingers at the base of her neck, feeling for a pulse. I breathe a sigh of relief as her pulse thrums strongly under my fingers. Shifting my body around to the side of hers, I begin checking over her body for any tell-tale signs of serious injuries. Then the sweetest sound hits my ear, Amelia moans and slowly begins to move.

  “Amelia, are you okay?”

  “Zane,” she replies in a muffled tone.

  “Does anything feel broken?” I ask as she pushes herself up slightly.

  “Everything feels broken,” she mumbles under her breath.

  “We need to get out of your truck,” I tell her and glance toward the cracked windshield. I push against the glass trying to push it out, the creaking under my hand as the glass tries to expand stops short as it hits something on the other side. Squinting my eyes, I get a better look through the cracked glass and see a tree base completely covering the whole of the windshield.

  Fuck!

  There’s no way we can get out through the glass. The damn tree is stopping that from happening. Glancing to the back, relieved that the back window is gone it’s the only escape for us besides climbing.

  Kneeling down beside Amelia again. “We need to climb out of the back window. Can you stand?”

  Her eyes are closed again and resting her head on the roof. Her breathing is shallow as her chest rises and falls continuously. I shift to her side and wrap my arm around her shoulders and begin to stand up pulling her with me.

  “Shit,” she hisses as she wobbles on her feet, grabbing for her right side.

  “What?” I question.

  “It hurts,” she replies bending forward slightly.

  “Amelia, look at me.” I wait till her eyes open and look directly at my own. I hold her chin steady in my hand. “We need to get out of here, now. Okay? I’m going to climb through the back window then you are going to follow. Got me?” I search her face as her eyes search mine.

  She nods her head, letting me know she’s understood the words I’ve just said.

  “Lean against the roof till I get out. Then I’ll help you through.” Once I know she’s heard me, I quickly slide through the window, glass slices at my shirt as I squeeze through the small space. Once I’m out and leaning against where the window once was I push my arm back into the cabin of the truck. “Your turn, Amelia,” I tell her. She grips my arm and turns her body to slide out. Wrapping my arm tightly around her waist I start pulling her carefully out of the wreckage. She leans into my body as I step over the edge of the truck and out of it, then place her down on the ground near the roof where the truck now lays against the base of a tree.

  She closes her eyes again as I stand up completely. Then it hits me. Raw fuel! Fuel is leaking from somewhere on the truck. Stepping back, I glance around the tree and notice smoke billowing from the engine.

  Shit! Not good!

  Quickly walking around the truck and around the other side, sizzling noises hit my ears, as I find where the fuel is coming from. Whatever we hit put a good crack in the fuel tank as it streams toward the engine. I hear another engine and look to where the sound is coming from.

  Up above, lights shine towards the north, the sky darker behind them. Several shadows pass in front of the lights and the sounds of their footsteps echoed down to our level. I clench my fists at my side wanting to kill whoever it is that’s pushed us off the road and hurt Amelia.

  More sizzling noises come from the engine, shaking me out of what I want to do right at this point, I turn quickly back to Amelia and drop to my knees in front of her.

  “The truck is going to blow, Amelia. We need to move now,” I don’t wait for a reply as I pick her up, spin and take off running away from the truck. She tightens her arms around my neck, pushing her face into my chest as I pick up speed. Everything goes dead quiet behind me. Then as I take the next step, the truck explodes behind us, the force of it propelling our bodies forward. Curling my body around hers, twisting in mid-air, ready to take the full force of the fall as we hit the ground… hard.

  I grunt out as we crash to the ground, and then quickly roll Amelia under my body protecting her with my own body. Her hands grip onto my shirt as an intense heat passes us from the explosion. I dip my head next to hers covering her body as objects are thrown from the wreckage. When the heat subsides, I glance up and watch as the flames rip through the truck.

  The light from the flames is lighting the area all around us and exposing us to the SUV that’s still parked at the top of the hill. Within a couple of minutes, the lights on the SUV move down the road and away from us. Relieved, I raise my body up and away from Amelia’s.

  “There’s a house close by that we need to get to,” I tell her and rise off of her completely.

  I glance back to the truck and notice the lid of the toolbox has flown and the contents spewing over the ground on the opposite side of the tree. “Did you have anything in the toolbox that we can take with us?”

  “There’s a bag with extra clothes and some rope and other things,” she mumbles.

  “The SUV is gone now, but it might not be too far away. So I want you to stay here, while I go and get what I can,” I say then turn and make my way back to the truck. I shield my eyes from the intensity of the flames as it rips through the truck. Flicking my eyes over the tray of the pickup, I follow the trail of items leading away from the truck. Several tools lay here and there, the rope that she said was there is now in a bunch at the base of another tree. Her bag was four feet away from the rope. Picking them both up quickly I scan the area and pick up what else will be useful to us and turn back and walk to where I left her.

  I drop everything at her feet when I stop in front of her. Her face is pale white with blood smudges across her cheek. Both her hands shake as she lifts one up to her neck and hisses in pain as her fingers travel along the open wound.

  I quickly shove everything into the bag that will fit and throw it over my shoulder crouching down. I grab a hold of her shoulder and carefully lift her up till she’s standing on her feet, leaning against the tree. �
��Do you want me to carry you or can you walk?” I’ll carry her as far as she would let me, then I was going to spank her ass for not listening to me back in the truck. Bloody stubborn woman!

  “I can walk,” she grunts out as she pushes herself away from the tree and takes a step, only resulting in her stumbling forward. I quickly wrap my arms around her holding her up against me.

  I bend down and place my arm under her knees and around her back and lift her up and into my body. I shift her weight in my arms more comfortably and start to walk north, where I know the house will be.

  Neither of us says a word as I walk through the trees down the embankment away from the burning truck. Amelia shifts slightly in my grip and I stop walking and look down at her. Before I can speak, she opens her mouth and talks. “I can walk now, Zane,” she whispers.

  I place her down gently on her feet and wait till her legs are steady and step to her side, ready in case she falls.

  “How much further do we have to go?” her voice strains with every step she takes.

  “About ten minutes and we’ll be at the house,” I tell her and slow my pace meeting her own.

  “How do you know about the house?” she asks as we walk side by side.

  “It’s a safe house. It comes with the job.” That’s all that’s said.

  “Of course,” she mumbles.

  I don’t look her way as I stare in front of me and continue to walk, but I stay close by her in case she falls.

  Grass and leaves crunch under each of my footsteps as we make our way down the dugout walking track. I lift the strap of the bag further over my shoulder and glance sideways at Amelia. Her left-hand grips at her right side, pain lacing her face with each step she takes. I slow my movement till I’m directly in step with her.

  Dropping my eyes back to the ground in front of me, anger boils in my blood. My fist tightens around the handle of the sport’s bag on my shoulder.