Page 33 of Raven

“Can I help you?” I asked.

“We noticed that this car is from a different place.”

“Yes, I stole it from Ukraine. They won’t need it anymore. If you're taking it away, let me grab the snacks I got for my sister’s kids,” I said, reaching inside to retrieve the bag. I also took my pack. In doing so, I knocked both men out and placed them in the trunk before anyone noticed.

I saw it in their eyes: They wouldn’t let me leave. I ran back inside and hurried everyone up. I explained that I had to knock the guys out, and they were in the vehicle's trunk. “We need to hurry before the neighbors wake up.”

“We are ready. Let’s hurry, kids,” Mary said. “Momma, hurry before we are left behind.”

We got into the vehicle, the grandmother and kids went to the back of the SUV, and Mary climbed into the back seat. I drove behind the motel, and there they were waiting. I stopped, and they climbed inside. I wished I could have given the family some privacy, but we didn’t have time for that.

It sounded like an army was crying. They all cried when Sam got into the vehicle. He had Mary and the kids on top of him, and the mother had him around the neck. I looked over at Cyclone, who climbed into the front seat. We both looked at Tag, who had half of Mary’s mother on him and some little arms and legs.

I couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped. Sam looked at Tag, and they both laughed. “Let me trade seats with these kids; they want to be with their father,” Tag said.

“We’ll hold them on our laps for now,” Sam said.

We all took a deep breath. “Now what do we do?” I asked.

We can’t go back the way we came because they said they would shoot us. We need to get to the nearest country that isn’t our enemy,” I said. I felt like my eyes had sand in them; I was so tired.

We hit the road, eyes on the horizon and ears tuned for sirens. The SUV was heavy with bodies and heavier with emotion. No one said much after the initial reunion. Sam clutched his family like they might vanish again if he let go.

I kept my hands tight on the wheel, navigating the narrow, cracked roads that twisted through small villages and remote farmland.

We had six hours to drive without guaranteeing we wouldn’t be stopped.

“Do you think the police will wake up soon?” Cyclone asked quietly from the passenger seat.

“If we’re lucky, not for another hour or two. If we’re not—well, let’s just hope they’re not good at remembering faces.”

Tag gave a low whistle from the back. “Let’s also hope they don’t have GPS trackers on those patrol cars.”

I pressed the gas a little harder.

* * *

We’d madeit two hours before I spotted the first checkpoint ahead.

“Hold on,” I muttered. “There’s something up ahead.”

Cyclone squinted through the windshield. “Looks like a checkpoint… three officers, some barricades. There's no way we’ll pass without them asking us questions.

Sam shifted forward. “We can’t turn around. That’ll draw suspicion.”

I nodded. “Let’s play it cool. If they ask questions, I’ll handle it.”

Mary moved the kids off Sam’s lap and whispered something calming. Her mom sat straight, quiet but alert.

As we rolled up to the barricade, one of the officers motioned for us to stop.

I brought the SUV to a slow halt and rolled down the window.

The officer stepped forward, eyes scanning the packed car.

“Where are you headed?” he asked in Russian.

“Family trip,” I replied in fluent Russian. “My sister’s kids haven’t seen the countryside. We’re on our way to visit our other grandmother.”

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