Chapter 6 - The Forest Fire
The shotgun blast shattered the spotlight into a thousand pieces of glass.
The deputy returned fire instantly, hitting the side of the stolen cruiser with three loud pops.
My stepmother dove behind the metal door of the police car, completely pinned down.
"Run into the woods, I will cover you!" the deputy screamed at me over the gunfire.
I didn't hesitate for a single second.
I turned and sprinted blindly into the dark, terrifying forest with my baby clutched to my chest.
Thick branches scratched my face and arms, but the adrenaline masked all the pain.
I could hear the chaotic gunfight raging on the highway behind me.
I ran until my lungs burned and my legs felt like heavy lead blocks.
I found a small, hollowed-out embankment near a dried creek bed and huddled inside it.
The forest was eerily quiet now, the gunfire having stopped completely.
I rocked my crying baby, desperately trying to keep the newborn quiet in the darkness.
Suddenly, a strong smell of gasoline drifted through the cold night air.
I peeked over the edge of the dirt embankment and saw a faint orange glow spreading rapidly.
My stepmother was walking through the woods, carrying a red plastic jerrycan and a flare.
She was purposefully setting the dry underbrush on fire in a massive circle.
"If I cannot shoot you, I will just let the smoke do the work," her voice echoed through the trees.
She dropped the lit flare into the gasoline, and a wall of fire instantly shot twenty feet into the air.
The flames quickly surrounded my hiding spot, trapping me in a deadly ring of intense heat.
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I covered my baby with my jacket, coughing violently as the thick smoke filled the air.
Just as the fire began to creep down into the creek bed, a pair of strong hands grabbed my shoulders from behind.
