Pudgy screamed an animalistic howl.
Elmer cussed a stream of profanities under his breath and put his hat back on, finally looking at Emma in disapproval. “You got a medical kit in that bag? We can’t leave him like this.”
Emma shook her head slowly side to side, still not speaking. She was lying. The first aid kit was in the bag; quick-clot, too. She could probably stop the bleeding, at the very least, if she wanted.
But she didn’t want to.
Elmer turned back to the bleeding, screaming man, and visibly flinched at the red spreading so quickly. “Yeah. I’m not sure patching him up is gonna be doing him any favors anyway.” He held his hand out to Emma. “Give me your pistol.”
Robotically, she handed it over.
Elmer stepped up to Pudgy and put the gun against the back of his head, and he hunkered over, screaming. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and pulled the trigger, putting the man out of his misery, and putting the fear of God into his buddies. They screamed and tried to back away, scooting like crabs, dragging the dead man with them as they circled the tree.
“Hold still, darn it,” Elmer cussed. He pulled his knife out of his pocket and cut Pudgy loose. “I did him a mercy. Ain’t no medical care around here. He’d of suffered mightily.”
Cowboy leaned over and vomited, and Rake sobbed, his face a mask of terror as he tried to flinch away from Elmer.
Elmer scoffed. “Stop your sniveling. I ain’t gonna shoot you. We’re leaving, but like the lady said the first time, don’t move until we’re long gone!”
Cowboy tried to wipe his mouth on his shoulder, missing it by inches. “What about your watchers? They might kill us now. If not them, then someone else could come by and kill us, too!” he screeched.
Elmer ignored his question about their ‘watchers’ and re-checked the zip ties on Cowboy and Rake, making sure they were as tight as possible. “You been watching too many movies, boy. Things ain’t got that bad. Ain’t nobody’s started senseless killing yet…” He looked at Pudgy, laying face down on the ground. “Well, at least not for no reason. You boys ain’t got nothing to kill for. It’s not like you’re purdy or anything. No food, no water… ain’t gonna have any guns when we leave. You ain’t got assets worth wasting a bullet on.”
“Get back in the wagon,” he said to Emma, turning to go. Then he stopped and turned back, whispering to her, “And don’t shoot the other two.” He hurried to his tractor.
Cowboy slumped against the tree, and looked at Emma. “He’s wrong about that. The killing has started. You’ll see.”
The man couldn’t have been more right.
25
Jake had breathed in relief too soon. Two minutes later a glance in the mirror told him the bike was not giving up. It The driver twisted to full throttle and sped forward, gaining on them again. He was already pushing Ruby almost to her limit… the old girl was rattling frantically under her shiny red coat of paint, groaning in exertion.
These idiots have a death-wish. Can they not see we have five freaking guns back there?
The motorcycle moved in fast behind them again and Tina and Tarra set up the same position, this time the three men knowing to move back out of their way.
Jake looked ahead. The road was lined with abandoned cars, blocking the right lane, and the left shoulder of the road. They were bumper to bumper. There was nothing he could do but take the left lane between the rows of cars… a straight shot through the tight tunnel of metal and glass, with no room for swerving
He cringed, his foot steady on the gas, still going way too fast, and waited to see what would happen, trying to keep his eyes on the road in front of him. “What’s going on, Grayson? Talk to me!” he yelled.
Grayson turned in his seat to get a better look. “The bike is still behind us. Two hundred feet away…”
Jake sped up a tiny bit, hoping Ruby held together at that speed long enough to get through the two rows of cars before the bike caught up. The riders didn’t have a long gun, so the only way they were really in danger was if the bike got close enough to take a shot with a pistol—if they had a pistol.
But they weren’t close enough yet, not at these speeds.
On one hand Jake hoped Tina held her fire; but on the other hand, Tarra and Tina were both on the front line. It was likely one or both of them could spout a hole any second. “Tell those women to get down!” he yelled at Grayson.
“They’re not gonna listen to me! The bike is ‘bout a hundred-seventy-five foot away, and gaining now…” Grayson said.
Jake took a deep breath and held it. What if they shot and it hit him in the back of the head while he was driving? The hair on the back of his neck stood up and a chill went down his spine. He tried to watch the mirror and the road in front of him. He wanted to see it coming if he was about to check out, but he couldn’t see past Tucker and the guys.
If he were shot, it wouldn’t be just him biting the bullet… he’d wreck Ruby and probably kill all seven of them, or at least severely injure the others.
He quickly tried to count the cars they had yet to pass through, but the metal and glass was just a glittery blur. If they could just make it past the cars that had them pinned in, then he could swerve again and maybe everyone would miss their shots and he could make a get-away.
“Hundred-fifty-feet away…” Grayson said, his voice raising.
Damn these cars.
If they shot Tucker, what would Katie and the kids do? He’d feel awful if he lost anyone else, but he didn’t really know Mickey or Frank well. Or Tina and Tarra. But Tucker’s family… he knew. Tucker had four kids! Katie would be devastated. She might even blame him. He was the driver after all. She’d wonder if there’d been anything else Jake could have done.
Was there anything else he could do? Frantically, his mind raced, looking for a plan.
“Hundred-twenty-five feet away…” Grayson yelled in a frenzied voice, ducking lower in the seat. “Take your shot, girl.”
“No! Don’t say that. We don’t know if they’re armed,” Jake yelled back.
Visions of the dead man at Nick’s lot flashed through his head… the blood… the guilt… all over one four-wheeler.
Grayson yelled back at him, “We don’t know that they’re not armed, either!” He turned back to stare at the scene unfolding. “Hundred-fifteen-feet away!”
Come on, Ruby…
Tina was patiently waiting, her gun as steady as it could be while driving sixty miles an hour down the road. Jake hoped she wouldn’t pull the trigger unless she saw a gun. There was no need for anyone to die today.
“Less than a hundred feet! What’re you waiting for?” Grayson yelled, although there was no way Tina could hear him.
Jake’s hands were shaking. Only two more cars and he could swerve to the left. Then swerve to the right… and keep on swerving until either the bike gave up, or he found a way to get away from them.
“Shit!” Grayson screamed. “They’re gaining—”
—BANG
A shot rang out, just as Jake zipped past the last car.
He watched with dread as the motorcycle disappeared from the rear-view mirror, followed by the horrifying screech of sliding metal and an ear-splitting crash as it slammed into an abandoned car in the right lane, and came to a dead stop.