Chapter 5 - The Highway Chase
The blinding red and blue lights of the police cruisers flooded the interior of Peter’s speeding truck.
He realized immediately that the corrupt officer had broadcast a fake warrant for his arrest across the radio.
If Peter pulled over to surrender, he would be executed on the side of the road and the evidence would vanish.
He slammed his foot down on the accelerator, pushing his heavy truck to its absolute mechanical limits.
The powerful engine roared aggressively as he swerved wildly through the thick evening highway traffic.
The police cruisers stayed right on his bumper, their sirens wailing like mechanical banshees in the twilight.
Peter desperately needed to shake his pursuers so he could save his niece and nephew from the abandoned lumber mill.
He spotted a narrow, unpaved logging road rapidly approaching on the right side of the dense forest highway.
Without hitting his brakes, Peter yanked the steering wheel hard and plunged the truck onto the hidden dirt path.
The vehicle bounced violently over massive potholes and exposed tree roots, threatening to flip over at any second.
Two of the police cruisers attempted to follow him, but their low suspensions caused them to crash into a ditch.
The third cruiser, a heavy-duty interceptor, managed to navigate the rough terrain and continued the aggressive pursuit.
Peter knew the dirt road eventually led to a dangerous, steep drop-off near the edge of the old stone quarry.
He unbuckled his seatbelt, formulated a desperate plan, and braced his body for an incredibly painful impact.
He accelerated toward the edge of the cliff, opening his driver-side door just as the truck approached the massive drop.
Peter threw himself out of the moving vehicle, tumbling violently through the sharp gravel and tearing his clothes to shreds.
His empty truck launched off the edge of the quarry, plummeting into the deep, dark water at the bottom.
The pursuing police officer slammed on his brakes, stopping his cruiser just inches away from the dangerous cliff edge.
Peter hid behind a massive oak tree, holding his breath as the angry cop stepped out of the vehicle with a flashlight.
The officer shined his beam down into the dark water, assuming the suspect had died in the horrible crash.
He muttered a curse into his radio, reporting that the target was eliminated, before driving back toward the highway.
Peter waited until the taillights completely disappeared before allowing himself to groan in agonizing pain.
His shoulder was deeply bruised and his face was bleeding, but he still had the poison vial secured in his pocket.
He had successfully faked his own death, buying him the crucial element of surprise against Reena and her partner.
He began the grueling, five-mile hike through the dark woods toward the abandoned lumber mill to save his family.
As he limped through the freezing forest, he pulled out his phone and attached photos of the evidence to an email.
He sent the message directly to the FBI field office in the city, ensuring Reena could not escape justice.
Peter finally reached the edge of the rusted lumber mill just as the clock on his phone struck midnight.
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He peered through the broken windows of the main warehouse and saw Reena holding a lighter next to a massive puddle of gasoline.
In the center of the highly flammable puddle, Drew and Lily were tied tightly to a heavy wooden support beam.
