Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
I crawled forward a little more, this time not bothering to conceal the sound of my movement, and Brenda’s head appeared over the side of the car that was still in the air.
With it up on its side, the roof protected her at her front, and the undercarriage of the car at her back, meaning she thought she was safe…but she wasn’t.
I raised my gun and aimed it at her face.
“Drop the gun over the side and put your hands in the air,” I told her, my finger tightening almost imperceptibly on the trigger.
She ducked back underneath the cover the car created, and then came back up. Only, she didn’t drop the gun. Instead, she confirmed my fears, and aimed the weapon directly at my chest.
Before she could even squeeze the first shot off in my direction, the entire late afternoon sky lit up with gunfire. And none of it came from me.
***
Audrey
My head hurrrrrrt.
Oh, God.
I’d never even been drunk before, yet hitting my head felt like something akin to death.
“Tobias?” I called out, barely opening my eye to take a look at my surroundings.
What had woken me? Better yet, what had happened to give me the mother of all headaches?
Nothing looked familiar…not at first.
It took me seeing the lights flashing on the console of what I assumed to be Tobias’ police cruiser, as well as the computer lying in a crumpled heap against my leg, to realize where I was.
“Tobias?” I called out, a little more loudly this time.
There was no answer, and it was then that I saw the spider webbing of the glass belonging to what was left of the windshield.
A really bad feeling started to roll through me, and I swallowed, ready to call out once again, when movement from the door I was obviously leaning on had me nearly toppling out of the car.
The only thing that held me secure was the seat belt, which was only attached around my waist, and a hand that came up to catch me before I could hit the floor.
“Don’t move, honey.”
My breathing hitched as I heard my brother’s voice.
Even after all this time, it was still such a soothing sound to hear. Not because he had a nice voice, because that was for sure not the case, but because I’d never thought I would hear it ever again.
“Tunnel,” I whispered, my lips thick and tongue even thicker. “What’s happening?”
I could hear a rhythmic pop-pop-pop-pop-pop, but I didn’t pay it much attention while I opened my eyes even wider and stared at my brother expectantly.
“You were in an accident,” he said. “I’m going to cut you free of the belt,” he said. “It might hurt. Your head’s got a large gash on it, and you probably have a concussion.”
That explained why my head was throbbing so badly.
“Okay,” I cleared my throat. “Where’s Tobias?”
I was in his cruiser, after all. It only made sense that he was somewhere around.
“Cutting,” Tunnel grunted, pulling out the knife he always held on his person, and cut me free of my restrictions.
When I started to fall, Tunnel caught me up in his arms, and then immediately started to carry me off into the woods—not the way that I would’ve expected him to move me.
“Tunnel?” I repeated.
“Shhh,” he hissed. “Don’t talk.”
Then he crouched down, and leaned me up against the tree.
“I think you might need an ambulance,” he said. “Your eyes are so dilated that I can’t even see the iris. Does anything else hurt besides your head?”
He pulled off his shirt and pressed the white fabric against my head, making me wince.
“No,” at least I didn’t think so.
And why wasn’t he answering my questions?
Which apparently, I’d voiced aloud since Tunnel answered me.
“Because you’re not ready to hear the answers,” he said. “And I will…just not yet. Can’t have you going off all half-cocked like you used to do when we were younger.”
I glared at him. It would’ve been a whole lot more intimidating had he been looking at me at the time of the glare, but he was too busy looking at something over my shoulder.
“Tunnel,” I said again. “Tell me what’s going on?”
So what if I had to puke each time I said a word. I could handle whatever he had to tell me.
Which I tried to relay to him while he held my gaze for a few long moments, before seeming to come to a decision.
“You were in an accident, and the person that hit you is now holding the police at bay by shooting anyone that comes within twenty yards of the cars.”
I blinked.
“You got here,” I pointed out.
He nodded. “I came through the woods. Had to run about a quarter mile back down the highway only to double back once I reached a bend in the road that would conceal my movements into the wood line.”