"I'm here! They pushed the other car off the road," I began to babble, trying to get him all the information I could. "They're trying to run us off the road too."
"Where are you?" Matthew asked. It didn't make me feel any better when I heard the worry in his voice.
I knew the area, but the adrenaline I felt made it hard to concentrate on the road names and for the life of me I couldn't remember them offhand.
"I don't know," I said, on the verge of tears. "I can't remember."
"It's okay," Matthew said, calmly now, completely different from how he'd sounded at first.
Mark rattled off the name of the road we were on and the upcoming intersection. I repeated it to Matthew.
I nodded and pressed the phone closer to my ear. I whimpered when we suddenly jolted to the side and I put my hand out to steady myself, but the force was so strong I felt a sharp pain in my wrist.
"What happened?" Matthew asked.
"I'm okay," I assured him, keeping my injured arm close to my chest.
"Stay on the line with me." He didn't have to tell me that—I didn't have the courage to end the call. It was a lifeline.
The constant swerving was making me ill and I didn't know how much more I could take.
I heard Matthew talking in the background. Mark swore beside me and it was the first time I had ever seen him visibly alarmed.
"I've got people on the way. There's an ambulance for Charles and Ben," Matthew said when he came back on the line. "Tell Mark they'll be there soon."
"He has help on the way," I said to Mark, who clenched his teeth as he held the steering wheel like a vise grip in his hands. His arm muscles strained as he continued to fight for our survival.
"He is sending an ambulance for Charles and Ben," I relayed the information in a shaky voice.
He never answered as I held the phone against my ear, listening to Matthew on the other side. "Stay with me, Sarah. They should be there soon."
I closed my eyes tightly, trying to block out everything but his voice. He kept talking to me, like he knew how much I needed him to stay on the phone with me.
"Everything will be okay." I didn't believe a word he said. I was in the middle of a situation spiraling out of control with every minute that passed. But the sound of his voice held me together like glue.
Mark swore beside me and I knew we were in bigger trouble than before.
I opened my eyes to see a car pull up alongside us. I gasped when the driver smashed into the side of our SUV.
I screamed as the action jolted us.
"Sarah?" Matthew prompted, but fear had locked my throat closed and I was unable to say anything. All I could do was watch in slow motion as the car swerved at us again. The sound of the car scraping against ours made me gasp. The driver pulled out a gun and aimed it at me. The shot hit the bulletproof glass. My mind reeled from the action.
In the distance outside my bubble of fear I heard the faint sound of a police siren.
"Sarah!" Matthew yelled through the phone, and I pressed the phone against my ear.
"They're shooting at us," I breathed, closing my eyes tightly and trying to stop the hysteria from taking over. If I couldn't see it, I would be okay.
"Mark will get you out of it," he assured me, his voice only wavering for a split second. It was enough for me to know he was worried, really worried.
His words made my tummy feel warm. It was difficult to keep my feelings for him suppressed.
"Help is on the way. They should be there soon," he continued.
The sounds of sirens got closer and closer.
"The cops," I murmured.