us.”
“That’s not an official vehicle. That’s Deak’s personal vehicle. He’s on his own with a few buddies. He wants the person dead for killing his brother and when he saw me driving I became a deserter. He wants me as dead as you.”
As the car came around the last bend, a long stretch of highway lay ahead. “Get ready to fire before they do!”
She aimed her rifle at the SUV and pulled the trigger. The .30-30’s report was three times as loud inside the small confines of the car. Riley emptied the clip,but the SUV still approached as if she’d fired plastic bullets.
“I hit that thing square in the grille,” she reported.
“Damn, must be armor-plated in the front.”
The headrest exploded in front of her face. Jack began swerving the vehicle, no longer as easy a target. Riley, not ready for the maneuver, banged into the door. Dull thuds, like balls of hail, sounded from the car’s trunk as it was riddled with bullets. The radio in the dash exploded, sparks flying out like a sparkler on July Fourth. She steadied herself and popped in another clip.
“You’re going to have to shoot their windshield and hope it’s not bullet proof.” Jack continued to swerve the car, the tires screeching angrily. Riley gripped her seat, fingers white, to keep from tumbling about like a rag doll. “When I straighten out, blow the hell out of that windshield.”
Jack finally held the steering wheel still, the car straightening out. Riley, using the back of her seat, readied her aim and fired upon the approaching SUV. Four bullets harmlessly bounced off the windshield directly in front of the driver.
“No good,” she told Jack.
“Okay, there’s another bend up ahead. We just have to make it there and buy us a few moments.”
Riley didn’t want to wait. A man popped up out of what she guessed was the SUV’s sunroof. He had what looked to be a dark olive-colored tube of some kind. It was on his shoulder. “Jack,” Riley screamed. He glanced up at the rearview mirror.
“Riley, you’ve got to take him out. He’s got a rocket launcher. We won’t survive if he hits us.”
She began firing, nerves taking hold, her shots missing. The wind seemed to be hampering the man holding the rocket launcher, but he finally managed to hold it straight. She exhaled, letting out her breath slowly. A rushed shot was a missed shot. She couldn’t worry about the man with the rocket launcher. If she took care at her end, all would be well. Steadying herself, she pulled the trigger, willing the bullet to its target.
The man holding the rocket launcher was hit in the right shoulder, causing the weapon to point downward a second before it was fired. At the same time Riley saw a man’s arm holding a small machine gun from the passenger window. Yellow flashes of light burst from the weapon’s barrel. She felt the bullets whiz by her head, while others hammered into the Kevlar vest. A stream of gray smoke erupted from the rocket launcher, sending the missile into the road in front of the SUV. The road exploded into a plume of orange flame and smoke as debris flew into the air. The driver tried swerving around the small crater, but the left wheel caught, sending the vehicle flipping end over end at eighty miles per hour.
She watched as the hunk of metal rolled, tumbling down the highway, pieces of SUV scattering about and flying in all directions, landing alongside the road. She cheered, pumped her fist and turned to sit back down when she noticed the grim look on Jack’s face. He was driving with one hand and grimacing. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said, sounding out of breath. He started coughing, flecks of blood dotting the windshield and steering wheel.
The car began to slow as Jack’s coughing grew worse. He pulled the car to the side of the road.
“Sorry, kid,” he said, blood covering his lips and chin as it oozed from his mouth like an underground
“That’s not an official vehicle. That’s Deak’s personal vehicle. He’s on his own with a few buddies. He wants the person dead for killing his brother and when he saw me driving I became a deserter. He wants me as dead as you.”
As the car came around the last bend, a long stretch of highway lay ahead. “Get ready to fire before they do!”
She aimed her rifle at the SUV and pulled the trigger. The .30-30’s report was three times as loud inside the small confines of the car. Riley emptied the clip,but the SUV still approached as if she’d fired plastic bullets.
“I hit that thing square in the grille,” she reported.
“Damn, must be armor-plated in the front.”
The headrest exploded in front of her face. Jack began swerving the vehicle, no longer as easy a target. Riley, not ready for the maneuver, banged into the door. Dull thuds, like balls of hail, sounded from the car’s trunk as it was riddled with bullets. The radio in the dash exploded, sparks flying out like a sparkler on July Fourth. She steadied herself and popped in another clip.
“You’re going to have to shoot their windshield and hope it’s not bullet proof.” Jack continued to swerve the car, the tires screeching angrily. Riley gripped her seat, fingers white, to keep from tumbling about like a rag doll. “When I straighten out, blow the hell out of that windshield.”
Jack finally held the steering wheel still, the car straightening out. Riley, using the back of her seat, readied her aim and fired upon the approaching SUV. Four bullets harmlessly bounced off the windshield directly in front of the driver.
“No good,” she told Jack.
“Okay, there’s another bend up ahead. We just have to make it there and buy us a few moments.”
Riley didn’t want to wait. A man popped up out of what she guessed was the SUV’s sunroof. He had what looked to be a dark olive-colored tube of some kind. It was on his shoulder. “Jack,” Riley screamed. He glanced up at the rearview mirror.
“Riley, you’ve got to take him out. He’s got a rocket launcher. We won’t survive if he hits us.”
She began firing, nerves taking hold, her shots missing. The wind seemed to be hampering the man holding the rocket launcher, but he finally managed to hold it straight. She exhaled, letting out her breath slowly. A rushed shot was a missed shot. She couldn’t worry about the man with the rocket launcher. If she took care at her end, all would be well. Steadying herself, she pulled the trigger, willing the bullet to its target.
The man holding the rocket launcher was hit in the right shoulder, causing the weapon to point downward a second before it was fired. At the same time Riley saw a man’s arm holding a small machine gun from the passenger window. Yellow flashes of light burst from the weapon’s barrel. She felt the bullets whiz by her head, while others hammered into the Kevlar vest. A stream of gray smoke erupted from the rocket launcher, sending the missile into the road in front of the SUV. The road exploded into a plume of orange flame and smoke as debris flew into the air. The driver tried swerving around the small crater, but the left wheel caught, sending the vehicle flipping end over end at eighty miles per hour.
She watched as the hunk of metal rolled, tumbling down the highway, pieces of SUV scattering about and flying in all directions, landing alongside the road. She cheered, pumped her fist and turned to sit back down when she noticed the grim look on Jack’s face. He was driving with one hand and grimacing. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said, sounding out of breath. He started coughing, flecks of blood dotting the windshield and steering wheel.
The car began to slow as Jack’s coughing grew worse. He pulled the car to the side of the road.
“Sorry, kid,” he said, blood covering his lips and chin as it oozed from his mouth like an underground
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