Pitstop, CH 17 (Patreon)

It’s the distance I keep from the truck that keeps us from getting stopped. I don’t know, and really don’t care, if they miss timed it, but the headlights come on just early enough I can make a right before the impact, so that instead of the Humvee colliding squarely into us, it’s more of a sideswipe, and, believe it or not, turns out the RV out-massed it. I do lose sight of the tow truck since Tristan kept going.

“Just what did you use to reinforce the walls?” I demand the ex-mechanic. Don’t ask me how that’s possible, but it’s like he’s someone entirely different.

The Humvee leans into us, trying to push us onto one of the pretty house’s yard, but I hold the RV in place.

“What road are we on?” he replies.

“How the fuck should I — Whatever road’s Chevie’s is on.” I can see the Busch sign in the distance, and knowing that, I know something else. I speed up, but the Humvee keeps pace with us. No, it’s keeping us from speeding up. We’re stuck, somehow.

“Go left on Front,” he orders.

“This road goes to the highway—” I jank right and something rips. Then hard left and the RV slams into the Humvee. It moves away, sliding off the gravel road and into the ditch and the field. “I want to be on the highway before they—”

Something thumbs on the roof.

“Take front,” Ralf snaps.

Where the fuck is the distracted mechanic with his head so deep into what he’s building to raise his voice?

The gunfire is deafening, and I look over my shoulder. Ralf’s looking at the hole he made in the roof. “Do you have any idea how much I was looking forward to the inside remaining dry when it rained?” I’m looking ahead again, and in the side mirror, I see someone fall off the roof.

“How the fuck did you manage to hit him?” I demand.

“By paying attention. There’s two more.”

“What?” how does he… you know what. How about I deal with this? I see the turn for front in the streetlight. It’s a smooth one, taken at a reasonable speed.

I am not feeling reasonable right now, so I gun it. I also make the turn at the last moment instead of preparing for it. That means that when two of the wheel lift off the ground, I am not surprised by it and I keep the speed steady, keeping up that way until.

With a series of thump and a scream, someone falls off.

With a smirk, I almost look over my shoulder, but the RV is tipping over more, so I focus on that. When the wheels hit the road, I’m gunning it again while we’re bouncing and keeping control becomes…interesting, but while we’re sliding on the gravel for a bit, we stay on it.

“What do you think of that!”

The answer I get is someone crashing through the large window over the bench.

“We just got that replaced!” I yell. “Ralf, kick his ass!”

“I don’t take orders from you.”

The intruder is sent into the dash. Military camouflage, and the gun that’s moving to my head.

I grab that in both hands, twist and before I can think better of it, I throw it out the window. It’s closed, so it drops to the floor.

“Get your hand on the wheels!” Ryan orders, grabbing soldier by the collar and sending him to the back of the RV.

“How about you take over the driving if you don’t like how I do it?”

He doesn’t answer, so I grab the wheel and pull the RV back to the center of the road. Ahead, three sedans are parked in the road.

“I hope you reinforced the engine compartment!” Pedal to the metal, I aim for the back of one that’s before the front of the other. That’s the place with the least metal between me and the other side of the road.

Someone yells in pain in the back, and I hope it’s not Ralf. I’m too busy driving to deal with the fight.

One of the sedans pulls away, the smart ones realizing that of all of us, I’m the craziest one. Unfortunately, it’s not one of the two before me, and it’s too late to take advantage of the opening.

The impact slows us enough, my hands slip off the wheel, and my chest hits it hard enough I might have cracked something. Forgot to buckle up.

I grab it, and we’re through. Bullets hit the sides and back, but don’t make it through. I pass Sunshine and someone goes flying out the broken window. I glance over my shoulder and Ralf is lifting the bench’s seat. Ahead, I see why he wanted me on this road. Instead of ninety degrees to get on the highway, it’s a merge.

“We have one chasing us,” I call out as the smart sedan takes up the chase.

“I’ll deal with it.”

“How?” Another over my shoulder and Ralf is pulling the rifle out of its restraining clip. “That’s Tristan’s!”

“I don’t care.”

“You—what? Have you seen him? You don’t ‘don’t care’ about a guy built like him. You drool or you run away in fears.”

“Or I kick his ass.”

Oh, I would so kick his for talking about my man that way. “You are so lucky I’m stuck driving, you know that?”

The look he gives me is pure disbelief. Like the idea I’d even try to punch him is more than he can understand.

“Eyes on the road.” He pulls the drawer with the rifle’s ammo open.

“They are on the road,” I reply, looking ahead in time to get on the highway. With steadier road under me, I take out my phone and punch a number.

“We’re busy,” Tristan answers.

“So are we, just one thing. Where the fuck are you? We made it to the highway, but I don’t see your lights anywhere.”

“Six or one-forty-nine?”

“How the fuck am I supposed to know that?”

“You heading east-west or north?”

“East.”

“You’re on six.”

“And you’re not.”

The rifle shot’s loud and a glance in the mirror shows me Ralf partially out, and the sedan missing a headlight. I smirk. He missed the engine block.

“What was that?”

“Ralf using your rifle to get the sedan off our asses.” I wait for the comment. “You don’t care, do you?”

“If it will keep you safe, he can use any of the weapons in the RV.”

“Yeah, well, he missed.” A second rifle shot, and the remaining headlight points in the wrong direction, and spins around. “Never mind.”

“I’m passing the phone to Emil.”

“I don’t need to—”

“Pop. You’re going to take the 143A when you come to it. It makes a right then you—”

“Emil,” I say in a calm voice. I mean, come on. My son should know better than just tell me stuff like that. “Text me the directions you want me to take. I’m not in a position to write stuff down.”

“I’ll do you one better.”

“Better is good.”

“Anyway, we’re going to meet you along the route, not sure where. We have a bunch of jeeps after us.”

“You be careful, okay? And look after your dad for me.”

“Love you too, pop.” He disconnects to the sound of an arriving message. It’s a link that opens google with the route he wants me to take. I enable the GPS because I am not navigating that without help, and nearly drop the phone as I slam the brakes to make the turn onto the small road.

“I really could have used more warning, you know. You okay back there?”

“Is anyone pursuing us?”

“After that turn? How would they—” Headlights turn onto the road. I sigh. “Yes.”

“Keep it steady.”

“Oh, I would love to see you do a better job than this on a gravel road no one has maintained in a century!” We aren’t being bounced all over the place, but it’s close.

He leans out the window again and fires. The vehicle careens out of control, revealing five lights and I’m still trying to understand what those are when two get bigger and move away.

“They have bikes!”

Ralf fires, but they zigzag, getting closer until they’re in the blind spot behind the RV. We so should have sprung for a model with rear camera.

The other bikes are approaching. A quarter of a mile until the next turn.

“Ralf, you need to get them off us. I can’t take the coming turn at speed on gravel.”

“I’m trying!”

“Do or don’t! There is no try!” I don’t get a response. You have got to be kidding me. All those DVDs and nothing covering Star Wars?

He fires quickly and one of the far light vanish. Then two bikes fall to the side. The problem is that they were the ones in the blind spot, and their drivers weren’t on them anymore. Which means we have unwanted passengers again.

I slow more reasonably this time. And it’s like the bike riders read our minds because in that time, and Ralf reloading, they’re on us. When I make the turn, it’s four passengers we’re stuck with.

I make a snap decision. “Hold on to something!” And slam the brakes. Two bodies go flying ahead, but before I can get us moving again, there’s a gun in my window.

I throw myself down as the glass shatters. I reach under the seat, take the gun there, rack the slide, and point at the window. Of course, the gun’s not there anymore.

“Ralf, cover—” He’s putting Ryan back in the bed. Before I can snap, someone is in the RV through the window and a kick sends my gun out of my hand. I’m up before the foot lands, and she blocks my punches until she slams a hand in my chest and fuck, does that not help the damage I already cause there. I push through and deflect her attacks. Then Ralf has an arm around her neck, only to back away into another soldier as she elbows him hard enough I think I heard bones break.

I catch the punch and plant a knee in her side. I don’t let go, and do it again because there’s armor there and—the pain as she twists my hand is blinding. Fortunately she lets go, and I see the reason is Ralf, now fighting with her. That means the other one needs to be dealt with, but before I can do so, she reaches for me while keeping Ralf from landing a hit.

So it’s her and hope the other guy doesn’t decide to—the gunshot startles us. Except the guy Ryan shot in the leg. He’s on the ground, holding it. Ralf uses the inattention to punch the woman in the face. I step out of the way because I’m not going to cushion her fall.

“Stop!” Ryan yells, just before Ralf shoots her in the head. “I said stop!” 

Ralf turns the gun on the injured soldier. “I don’t take orders from you.” He shoots him in the head too.

I look out the windshield at the two who fell.

“Ralf, stand down!”

“What is their status?” Ralf asks me, ignoring Ryan.

“Down, not moving. I can’t tell if they’re breathing or not.”

Ralf heads for the door, but Ryan grabs him. Ralf reacts, and Ryan is just as fast and I barely follow the exchange of blows and counters.

Five seconds is the most it took, and it ends with them a step from each other on the defensive, Ralf looking determined, and Ryan… looks confused.

“Why did you attack me?”

“I defended myself from an attempt at capturing me.”

“I’m trying to stop you from killing in cold blood.”

“I’m terminating threats.”

“Ralf, I’m changing your parameters. Killing in cold blood isn’t an acceptable action. It’s acceptable in the heat of the action, but afterwards, they are prisoners.”

“You don’t have the authority to alter my parameters.”

The confusion on Ryan’s face would be funny in other circumstances.

No, it’s funny here too. But I keep the smile off my face.

“How the fuck does that happen?” he demands with a vulgarity that takes me by surprise.

“I’m under the command of General Crimson.”

The gun is in my face fast enough I might get whiplash.

“What the fuck did you do?”

“I drove the RV while you were unconscious.”

“Don’t fucking mess with me. You have no idea what you did. Ralf isn’t someone—”

“It wasn’t me. It was Emil. And I have no idea what he did. He just stepped up, announced he was General Emil Crimson, and started ordering Ralf around. And a good thing too, because your boy wasn’t good for much until then.”

Two gunshots remind us Ralf didn’t stick around for this little argument.

This time, the confusion doesn’t last. “Where is he?”

Oh no, you don’t.

I step in his face. “I’m warning you right now. You even think of glaring at my son, and I will fillet you so thin, I’ll be able to lay your flesh from one end of the country to the other.”

He reins in his anger. “I need to talk with him. You don’t know how dangerous this is.”

“You definitely don’t know my family if you think danger worries us.”

Ralf enters the RV. “We can continue.”

“And where are we going?” Ryan asks.

Ralf takes my phone out of the glass debris, looks at it, then hands it to me.

“They’ll render-vous with us somewhere along this route once they’ve dealt with their own spot of trouble.”