She cursed the recoil of the big gun. Shooting behind her back so she could keep eyes the guys in the back, each round sent shock waves up her clumsily positioned arm. I’m gonna be bruised, she thought. Deaf too.
It fired seven times, then clicked on an empty chamber. She tried to listen for sounds of engine dysfunction but wasn’t sure she’d be able to hear anything.
The car kept going though.
She dropped the big gun in the footwell and started feeling for the other gun. She lowered her head as she did so. When her ear got close to her phone where it lay on the center console, she faintly heard it making sounds. She told the phone to increase its speaker volume to max.
The 911 guy was saying, “What happened? Was that a gun? Is anyone there? What happened? Did someone fire a weapon?”
“Yeah,” Dez said, “I fired one of the kidnapper’s guns into the engine compartment to try to stop the car.”
She’d just found the second weapon as the 911 guy responded, “Don’t do that! If you hit the battery pack the whole car could catch on fire!”
“It’s an old gas-engine car,” she said, looking at the other gun. She felt relieved to see it was a 9mm. “It’s not stopping so I’m gonna shoot the engine some more.”
Just as she swung the 9mm around to point up toward the engine, a muffled clatter came from the front. The car lurched a couple of times, then slowed rapidly. Its electronic voice announced, “Multiple engine faults including sudden overheating. Suggest you exit the vehicle as soon as it is stopped.”
The car started to repeat the message.
Dez glanced over at Kaem. He was still slumped against the door.
Suddenly an arm slammed around her neck. It was the guy who’d been behind her. Evidently recovered from his panic and trying to get back in control. He was smashing her face into the headrest with his right hand while his left scrabbled along her right arm, evidently hoping to get control of the gun.
Dez bent her right elbow and flexed her wrist enough to point the 9mm at the guy’s legs.
She pulled the trigger.
There was another deafening blast.
The guy let go, screaming.
The car had almost stopped. Dez dropped her own gun out of her left hand to between her knees, then felt behind her for the door handle. There isn’t any door handle! she mentally screamed at herself.
Picking up her own gun with her left hand, she pointed the 9mm in her right hand at the guy in the left-back. “Open the door and get out!”
He just kept moaning piteously.
She pointed the gun at the guy in the center-back. “Reach past your buddy and open the door. Then push him out.”
Middle-guy gave her an alarmed look, then turned to the guy in the left-back. “Joe, I’m gonna open your door so you can get out. The car’s on fire.”
What?! Dez thought, risking a glance forward.
There were, in fact, a few flames licking out of the hood. In real life, cars don’t explode the way they do in the movies, she reminded herself.
Middle-guy had opened Joe’s door and Joe was getting himself out, apparently more afraid of the flames than the pain in his deformed arm.
Dez looked at the guy directly behind her. His left mid-thigh had an angle in it and the thigh was short. Thigh-bone’s broken. He’s not gonna get himself out of this car, she thought, not feeling bad about it.
Middle-guy climbed out behind Joe.
Dez started to wriggle between the seats but she still had a gun in each hand. She jammed them both into her purse, partially splitting a seam, then scrambled through the seats and out the same back door. She only remembered at the last moment to check for traffic since—even though the car had pulled just off the road—the left side door opened onto the roadway.
As soon as she was out, she turned to the left front door. Kaem was still slumped against it. Is he dead? she wondered. She studied him a moment. No, he’s breathing.
Dez looked around, thinking she could force middle-seat guy to help her get Kaem out of the car. The guy had circled behind the car and was hoofing it down the embankment.
Left-seat wasn’t far behind him clutching his right arm to his chest with his left.
For a moment, she thought she should stop them, then realized, No. My duty’s to Kaem. I may not think this car’s going to explode, but it’s on fire and the fire could get worse. She slowly opened Kaem’s door and caught him as he slumped out through the opening. His head was flopping around. She felt pretty sure a pistol-whipping couldn’t break your neck. I sure as hell hope not, she thought, checking behind her for oncoming cars, then getting a grip in his armpits and dragging him out. She pulled him around behind the car and laid him out in the grass.
His head was crooked.
She straightened it out, hoping, if his neck was broken, that she wasn’t doing even more harm.
She stood, hands on her hips. Where the hell’s that ambulance? she wondered. Damn! she thought, running to the car and diving in to get her phone. Crap! It’s getting hot in there, she thought as she climbed out. More flames were coming out from under the hood.
Dez ran around to the right rear door and opened it. Immediately, the right-seat guy started falling out. She caught him under the arms and dragged him screaming out onto the grass. Damn, he’s big! Not as dense as Kaem but just more massive. Good thing I’m stronger than your average girl.
She was glad she’d pulled him out. When she bent to put
