Chapter 3
592 Words
3
Darren Slade had covered a lot of ground since his release the previous day. He had crossed state lines into California without incident. The Silverado had been washed, and only carried a thin layer of dust from the road. He drove down the highway without the radio on. The only sound was the wind whistling through the narrow gap of his lowered window.
He drove with the visor down. The early morning sun warmed the steering wheel beneath his hands. He hadn’t bothered to pick up any sunglasses along the way. He had barely even bothered to sleep. He still wore the clothes he had walked out of prison in—a white T-shirt and jeans. It was too warm to wear his leather jacket in the truck. He reached over to lift a warm, half-empty can of Red Bull from the cup holder and took a long swallow. His mouth filled with a taste similar to carbonated cough syrup.
He knew he was close.
He had found the small town near the cabin. The locals had been eager to talk about their hometown hero. Everyone knew where the cabin was. Slade felt his lips tighten in a smile. It had almost been too easy.
I’ll be there in a few minutes.
He wasn’t sure exactly what he was going to do when he got there. Should he wait for nightfall? He knew it would be smarter to be patient, but he had already waited four years. And he had never been a patient man.
He allowed himself to fantasize about what he would do to her when he found her. She had probably forgotten all about him. She wouldn’t even see him coming—
Wait. Is that her?
He had reached a level stretch of open highway. A female figure was running toward him on the gravel shoulder, her long, dark ponytail streaming. She wore an unzipped hoodie with a blue tank top underneath. He squinted against the sun.
It was her!
His gray eyes darted to his rear view mirror. There were no other cars behind him.
The road ahead was empty.
His stomach fluttered with a dark rush of excitement. His pulse pounded in his ears. He knew he should be patient…
But the temptation was too much to resist.
His foot pressed down hard on the accelerator.
Kira allowed her mind to empty for at least a few precious moments as she ran. She needed an escape—even if it was only a temporary one.
She spotted a beige pickup truck on the western horizon headed in her direction. She briefly wondered whether this would be another honking yahoo, or a nervous Nellie.
She couldn’t hear the roar of the truck’s engine over her music, but she saw it begin to accelerate.
Wow, he’s really picking up some speed.
As the truck rushed forward, she saw the front tires veer in her direction.
What the—?
As the vehicle hurtled toward her, her eyes focused on the driver behind the wheel. A vaguely familiar man with slick blond hair grinned back at her.
Her thoughts remained frozen, but her body seemed to move of its own accord. She leaped away from the road just as the hard metal grille of the truck slammed into her side. The impact drove the breath from her lungs with an explosion of pain.
She felt herself fly through the air in what seemed like slow motion, her eyes still glued on the driver’s face as her mind fumbled to solve the puzzle of his identity.
Leather Jacket?
It was her last coherent thought as her limp body slammed into the gravel.
- Writer
