Second Chances(117)

"Paige," he shouted at her.

"O...okay. I am okay," she tried to assure him though she had no clue if she were telling the truth.

"Get her in the car now," Julie screamed at them.

In the BMW Cameron managed to free himself from his seatbelt and reached for the gun. His hands slid under Linda's damp pants and he grabbed the barrel of the gun and pulled hard. The effort was more than he intended, his head was throbbing and the world threatened to go black. He fought against unconsciousness, willing away the darkness. He could feel blood trickling down his forehead and into his left eye. He tried to focus and saw Nathan helping Paige into the backseat. He raised the gun and pulled the trigger.





CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX



The sound was deafening. The back window exploded in a hail of glass shards. Julie and Paige both screamed. Nathan glanced over and saw the man behind the wheel of the BMW. He had a twisted smile on his face.

"Stay down," Nathan screamed as he slammed the door shut on Paige. Another shot rang out but it didn't hit the car. He heard it slam into the side of the building. Either the man was a horrible shot or he'd scrambled his own brains a little in the crash. He didn't care which. In the distance he could hear sirens. He didn't know how far away they might be. Part of him was tempted to wait for them to arrive, though he was certain neither Jason nor Julie would be too happy with him, but he knew there was no way he could count on the idiot in the BMW to keep missing them.

He slipped back behind the wheel. The car's engine was still running. He popped the car into reverse and gunned the engine. The two cars screamed as they again met, metal scraping against metal. He heard another shot ring out and felt a pinch on his neck. As soon as he had enough room, Nathan slammed the car into drive and the car leapt forward, pulling the BMW's bumper along with them.

He heard another shot and then the sound of the BMW's engine revving. He wiped at his neck and his hand came back bloody. He tried his best to ignore the pain. His foot slipped and he stomped on the brake. Julie swore as she slammed against the dashboard. Nathan cursed and then gunned the engine again as he pulled out of the motel parking lot. Car horns blared as he swerved back and forth between the oncoming lane and the cars ahead of him.

The sirens were growing louder, but he couldn't tell which direction they were coming from. He struggled to focus on the road ahead. He was seeing double, maybe triple.

He didn't know the area well, so he took the road he was most familiar with. He clipped the back end of the car in front of him, sending it spinning off the road. The area ahead of him was suddenly clear so he gunned the engine and was soon racing up the bridge.

Nathan slammed on the brakes. The cars on the bridge were moving so much slower. Unlike him, they appeared to be obeying the speed limit. He saw the BMW only seconds before impact. He twisted the wheel and tried to yell a warning to the others, but he wasn't sure if any sound ever passed his lips.

The BMW slammed into the side of the Camry with enough force the send it rolling over. Paige and Julie screamed as they were tossed around inside the car. The rolling stopped when the Camry slammed into the back of a black Ford F-150.





CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN



Cameron ached everywhere. He'd braced himself as best he could, but the impact was more then he'd anticipated. His chest slammed against the steering wheel and for a minute he struggled to take a breath.

He lay against the steering wheel sucking in air. He could see the Camry resting upside down before him.

"Not getting away," he coughed.

In the distance he could still hear the sirens approaching. He needed to make sure this was over.

He saw movement. There was a man reaching into the car. He was pulling someone out. Still struggling to catch his breath, Cameron pushed against the steering wheel and shouldered his door open. He stumbled out of the car, dropping the gun.

In the distance, he could see that the man who had helped Paige out of the car was now trying to help someone else. Nathan was trying to crawl out his shattered window.

Cameron snapped up the gun and began to hobble toward the wreckage. He fired off a shot and then another. They slammed into the Camry, but didn't hit anyone. People began screaming and the man who'd been attempting to pull Jason free tumbled backwards, retreating as fast as he could.

Nathan pulled himself clear of the car and leaned against the F-150, trying to struggle to his feet. He grabbed the side of the truck and pulled himself up. His hands touched on a tool box in the bed of the truck.

Paige lay against the car where the man who had pulled her free had left her. She could see Cameron coming towards her, but no matter how hard she willed it, her body wouldn't get up. She coughed hard and blood sprayed out before her. Her chest burned as she tried to take a breath. She briefly wondered if she had a punctured lung, but as Cameron came to a stop before her, she decided it didn't much matter.