Chapter 6 - The Escape
The heavy truck bounced violently over the curb, tearing through Claire’s prized rose bushes.
One of the men raised his gun and fired, the bullet shattering my passenger side mirror into a million pieces.
“Get down!” I screamed to Maria, who was already huddled on the floorboard clutching Lily.
I swerved around a large oak tree, the tires spinning wildly on the damp, muddy grass.
The truck burst through the wooden side fence, splintering the heavy planks into flying debris.
We crashed onto the neighboring street, the sudden impact throwing me hard against the steering wheel.
I gripped the wheel tightly and floored the accelerator, leaving the quiet suburban neighborhood behind.
I drove erratically through the dark streets, constantly checking my cracked rearview mirror for any headlights.
For the first twenty minutes, the road behind us remained completely empty and dark.
“Are they following us?” Maria asked, her voice trembling with raw fear.
“I think we lost them, but we cannot stop moving,” I replied, my knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel.
I merged onto the highway, trying to blend in with the sparse late-night traffic heading out of the city.
We needed to get far away from Boston, but I knew my truck’s license plate would eventually be tracked.
I pulled into a dimly lit gas station on the outskirts of town, parking behind a large delivery truck to hide.
“Wait here, I am going to buy a prepaid phone and some cash cards,” I instructed Maria.
I ran inside the small convenience store, keeping my head down to avoid the security cameras.
I bought three burner phones and loaded everything I had from my wallet onto anonymous gift cards.
As I walked back out to the truck, I saw a sleek silver sedan pull up to the gas pumps.
A woman stepped out of the driver's side, pulling her dark hood down over her face.
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It was Claire.
She looked directly at my truck, a cold, calculated smile slowly spreading across her face.
