Page 9 of Burdens
“I’m hungry. Can we stop?” Dale whined.
Why did they pair me with this guy?
“Can’t you wait until we get there?” I said, glancing at him, only to find him giving me a pleading smile. If I didn’t agree, he would keep talking and I’d rather delay our arrival than listen to him complain.
I shook my head and scoffed. “Fine, the next exit has a—” Before I could finish my sentence, I heard the skidding of tires and snapped my attention back to the road.
“Watch out,” I shouted at Dale as I grabbed the wheel to get out of the way of the two black SUVs now halted in front of us on the previously deserted road.
Dale stomped on the brakes and we swerved to the right in a haste. I whipped the steering wheel back straight in hopes of redirecting the car so we could flee away from whoever was ambushing us, but it was too late.
Everything happened so fast. Our vehicle veered off the road, hitting the roadside ditch with such force that it lifted us in the air and landed on its rooftop.
The moment stretched into what felt like an eternity before everything stopped. The front shield shattered into a million pieces and broken glass and gravelly dust flew all around us.
Sharp pieces pierced my skin and my head throbbed from the impact. Everything was such a blur when I opened my eyes. I shook my head and ignored the searing pain on my right shoulder because if we were to make it out alive, I had to act fast.
The engine was still running and smoke poured inside. The smell of gasoline overpowered my senses and I could hear Dale coughing in the distance, but I forced myself to tune him and everything else out to focus on how I could get out and get us out of here before we ended up gunned down.
Groaning, I reached for my seat belt to unfasten it. “Tfou?1,” I cursed through gritted teeth when it didn’t give way. “Unlock, you son of a bitch.” I struggled for a few more seconds until I heard it click.
Then gravity pulled me with such a strong force that my breath caught in my throat as I fell down with a loud thud. I briefly glanced to my left and noticed Dale was barely moving. Gravel and glass grated my skin as I reached over and shook his arm to make sure he was still conscious.
“Dale, you good, man?” I whispered, praying I wouldn’t have to drag his ass out on top of fighting my way out against whatever was waiting for us outside.
“Yeah,” he coughed up. “Should be better once we get out of this mess.”
Couldn’t agree more.
I shifted my body under the crumpled metal and moved to scoot toward the glove compartment to grab a firearm. I was pulling my arm that was closest to it from under my body when I heard doors opening outside and footsteps approaching—five pairs of them.
Fuck.
I hurriedly popped the glove box open and grabbed my gun, then clicked the safety off. But before I could manage to get out and rid myself of whoever fucked with us, the sound of a bullet perforating skin pierced the air around us.
I looked up at Dale to see if he was injured, only to find a stunned expression on his face. His eyes widened and I spotted a familiar realization in them. And when he opened his mouth to say his final words, only blood poured out of it and ran down his face.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I have to get out of here before I’m next.
I crawled out of the passenger window, the broken glass scraping against my body as I did. I stayed crouched behind the car, my back against the indented passenger door.
“No need to hide from us,” a voice mocked. “You’re outnumbered and outgunned, so why don’t you take the easy way out?”
I wasn’t here to die. I was here for someone else’s last breath and I wouldn’t give up that easily. I closed my eyes and counted to three before I whipped around and started shooting while keeping cover.
Bullets rained in my direction from different angles and by some miracle, I managed to dodge all of them except one that grazed my already injured shoulder. Fire sprouted across my skin and blood trickled down my arm.
I pushed the pain aside and kept shooting until my chambers were empty. I managed to hit two of them in the head andwatched them collapse to the ground before I ducked down again to reload.
I took a quick glance from beneath the car to determine their positions. I was about to come out and fire again when the one who seemed to be their leader spoke again.
“Throw your gun out, Noah.” The sound of my name out of his lips sent a shiver down my spine.How the fuck does he know who I am?
There was only one person in this region who knew who I was.
My father.
That motherfucker. I should have known better. I should have known he would find out I was back.
