Chapter 16 - The Flight through the Dark
The SUV sped down the deserted highway
the headlights cutting through the thick darkness like a knife.
My mind raced
desperately searching for a way out of this nightmare while my mother watched me with her cold
unblinking eyes.
"You think you've won
don't you?"
I asked
trying to keep her talking to buy myself time.
"I always win
Jake
because I understand how the world works,"
she replied
taking another sip of her tea.
"Love is a weakness that makes you foolish
but power is absolute."
I noticed that the driver was looking at the GPS on the dashboard
frowning as the screen began to flash red.
"Ma'am
we have a problem,"
the driver called out
his voice tight with sudden anxiety.
"What is it?"
Linda snapped
her elegant composure slipping.
"There's a police checkpoint up ahead
both lanes are blocked off,"
he reported
slowing the vehicle down.
Through the front windshield
I could see the distant glow of blue and red flashing lights
illuminating the highway like a neon wall.
Detective Miller had realized I was missing
and he had mobilized the local authorities faster than my mother anticipated.
"Turn around!"
she ordered sharply
her face turning ugly with rage.
"Take the old logging road through the woods!"
The driver slammed on the brakes
spinning the heavy SUV around in a cloud of burning rubber and gravel.
The vehicle lurched off the main highway
plunging onto a rough
unpaved dirt track that twisted through the dense forest.
The ride became violent
the SUV bouncing over rocks and deep ruts
throwing us around the back seat.
I saw my chance.
As the vehicle slowed down to navigate a sharp bend beside a steep ravine
I lunged forward.
I grabbed the steering wheel from the backseat
yanking it hard to the right with all my strength.
"What are you doing?!"
the driver screamed as the vehicle veered off the road.
The SUV crashed through the thick underbrush
the branches scraping against the metal with a deafening roar before slamming into a large pine tree.
The impact was violent
the airbags deploying with a loud bang and filling the cabin with white smoke.
For a moment
there was absolute silence except for the hissing of the radiator.
My head throbbed with a sharp pain
but the adrenaline kept me conscious.
I looked over at my mother
who was slumped against the door
groaning in pain but alive.
The guards in the front were dazed
struggling to free themselves from the deflated airbags.
I didn't waste a single second.
I kicked the damaged rear door open with my boots
scrambling out of the wrecked vehicle and into the freezing night air.
"Stop him!"
my mother screamed from behind me
her voice filled with pure fury.
I ignored her
May you like
running blindly into the dark woods
the thorns tearing at my clothes and skin as I fled into the shadows.
