Chapter 5 - The Fight for the Wheel
Glass showered over the dashboard as the man reached into the cab.
His thick, gloved hands lunged straight for Maya's throat.
Maya screamed and slammed her foot down on the accelerator.
The old truck lurched forward, throwing the attacker off balance.
He cursed loudly, pulling himself back toward the shattered window.
I desperately searched the messy floorboard for anything I could use as a weapon.
My fingers brushed against a heavy, metal tire iron hidden under a torn floor mat.
I gripped it tightly, ignoring the agonizing pain in my arthritic hands.
The man lunged forward again, wrapping his arm around Maya's neck.
He pulled her backward, trying to force her away from the steering wheel.
The truck swerved violently off the dirt path and into a field of tall grass.
"Let her go!" I screamed with all the strength I had left.
I swung the heavy tire iron upward, striking his forearm with a sickening crack.
The man howled in pain and instantly released his grip on my granddaughter.
Maya regained control of the wheel and slammed on the brakes.
The sudden halt sent the attacker flying forward into the truck bed.
He hit the metal with a heavy thud and lay completely still.
"Keep driving!" I shouted, watching his body through the rearview mirror.
Maya hit the gas again, tearing through the field toward the main highway.
Lily was whimpering softly, her tiny face pale and covered in sweat.
I pressed the towel harder against her stomach, praying the bleeding would stop.
We finally reached the paved highway and turned toward the city hospital.
The truck rattled loudly, but it was putting distance between us and the nightmare.
"We are going to make it," Maya cried, wiping blood from her forehead.
I wanted to believe her, but I kept my eyes on the dark road ahead.
Flashing red and blue lights suddenly appeared in our rearview mirror.
A police cruiser was speeding up behind us, its siren wailing through the night.
"Thank goodness, it is the police," Maya said, slowing the truck down.
"Do not stop," I warned her, a sudden intuition twisting in my gut.
But she had already pulled over onto the gravel shoulder.
The officer stepped out of his cruiser and walked toward our shattered window.
He shined a blinding flashlight into the cab, illuminating our terrified faces.
"Step out of the vehicle, Maya," the officer said in a cold, familiar voice.
I squinted against the bright light and recognized the man in the uniform.
May you like
It was Evelyn's younger brother, the corrupt county sheriff.
He unholstered his service weapon and pointed it directly at the baby in my arms.
