the truck was going to drive. It was parked on grass, smooth black pavement just in front of the front tires.
His eyes followed the jet black void cutting through the dark lawn. It went on about ten yards then veered to the right. Wolf swung his body to the right and followed the road all the way out to a gate, which then veered right again, where the road lowered below the level of the property as it descended downwards.
A secondary punch of adrenaline hit him when he realized the road was the same perimeter road his scooter was parked on, right out in plain sight with a stack of coats on the fence directly above it.
Facing the back of the truck again, his eyes widened as four fingers came into view gripping the back corner of the truck.
Just then Vlad, illuminated from the floodlight, stepped into view from the back of the truck. He turned and looked directly in the direction of Wolf.
Wolf moved to the front of the truck, eyeing the open gate to the perimeter road. If he ran out to the gate, he could do it without detection, but getting the scooter as well? Not unless they stayed inside the truck for at least a full minute so he could slip past the good fifty foot section of road that was illuminated through the iron fence. He didn’t want to bring attention to himself in case they recognized him.
Vlad and Cezar launched into a loud argument which sounded right next to his ear. They were deep into the back of the truck.
Shaking his head, he clenched his teeth, cursing his options. He shuffled to the rear of the truck and inched his eye around the back corner. Wolf saw the faint flashlight glow and heard them talking probably eight feet in — hands rummaging through materials.
He eyed the dangling rope on the truck door.
Wolf sucked in a breath and lunged, gripping it with both extended arms, and pulled with the full force of his body weight. The door slammed all the way down faster than he expected, bouncing up from the floor a good three feet as he stumbled backwards onto his backside. He immediately bounced back up to the now slowly rising door and pulled down hard, catching a glimpse of shoes right at the door interior. The door began to rise, and Wolf knew the leverage they had trying to raise the door from the standing position was much more than he had holding it down with his arm. It inched higher.
The locking latch was right there in front of his face, but the door needed to be completely closed. Putting both of his hands on the exterior handle, he pulled down with the force of his two hundred pound body. Just as it slammed, he flipped the latch with his right hand.
Instinct told him he was already too late. He laid back and rolled just as loud reports from inside pealed open holes next to the door handle. He got up and sprinted back the way he came in. Muffled gun shots rang out behind him. Huffing loudly, he reached the fence and vaulted it in a single bound, barely touching his left hand to the top.
Wolf was suddenly flying ten feet over the scooter towards the rapidly approaching dirt road. Wind filled his ears as he finally landed — hard on his heels, instantly rolling and smashing his hipbone into the rough road, elbow bashing a split instant later. He gasped and stumbled to his feet gripping his elbow hard to contain the pain.
Suddenly the sound of a diesel engine roared to life from within the property fence. He heard a yell of a man, then the deep thundering of the gurgling engine.
“
Acceleration gently took over and he propelled down to the main road. To the right was the direction of John’s apartment, but it was an uphill jaunt for a hundred yards or so past the front of the observatory property. The street slanted downhill to the left, which would give him more acceleration from the small engine.
He went left, shooting out onto the black pavement in a deep lean, just keeping his balance, barely maintaining tire contact with the road.
Vibrating handlebar mirrors showed the bright lights of the truck passing where his scooter had just been parked seconds before. Out of nowhere a sharp turn to the right came up fast. He hand-braked hard and leaned deep again, the rear tire sliding a good foot before grabbing purchase with a jolt, kicking the scooter hard right, leaning him into a sharp involuntary turn to the left. He maintained control, but lost all speed.
A straightaway stretched for a hundred yards, corn fields on the right and left, ending in a dim lit township. He cranked the throttle wide open and leaned down, the scooter inching forward painfully slow. The hairpin turn in the handlebar mirrors was illuminated with bouncing light.
Suddenly a dirt turnout materialized on his right. He jammed the brakes, went up the road, and crashed into the cornfield. He turned the key off and laid the moped down. Reaching up, he steadied two corn stalks that swayed wildly with his hand.
Wolf calmed his heaving breaths and listened carefully, hoping to God he hadn’t kicked up too much dust. The diesel engine was getting louder from the distant left. It slowed considerably, taking the turn carefully, then swung out onto the straightaway, faint light illuminating Wolf’s sliver view of the road. It coasted onwards, slowly and quietly at low RPM’s. It braked to a slow halt, pausing for a few seconds, then turned onto the road. Light swept across him through the stalks as it bumped onto the rough turnout with a slow crunch.
His heart thumped in his chest. Chances were good he could out-run Cezar. Cezar was a smoker, and he could use the corn to stay a hard target. Of course, he would have quite a stride on him being at least a couple inches taller than Wolf, and who knew what kind of shot he was.
The truck came to a halt. It was fifteen feet from Wolf. From Wolf and his
Cezar lit a cigarette, momentarily lighting the interior of the cab, and rolled down the window.
Wolf narrowed his eyes and kept an eye on the cab, for any sign of a pistol aiming directly in his direction. Light blue writing on the outside of the white truck momentarily distracted him. It was the same light blue writing as on the wooden Albastru Pub sign. In fact, it said “Albastru” on the side. However, underneath it, it said “International Shipping Co.”
Wolf darted his eyes back to the truck cab as the truck rocked slightly on its wheels. The rear lit up and a continuous beep filled the air. The truck slowly backed up, pulled onto the road, and went back the way it came.
Chapter 29 — Friday
Drool ran up Wolf’s face as he watched Connell laugh and sharpen a stick with a camping axe.
Wolf woke with a start.
He looked at his watch, it was 8:15. When? P.M.? Did he sleep through the whole day? He got out of bed, then stared at it for five seconds. Looking slowly around the room, he couldn’t remember where he was to save his life.
He moved towards the sound of the knocking, wincing at the hot stabbing in his left hip. He opened the door. Lia was wide eyed looking at him. Wolf came to the present moment in a sudden instant. He looked down at himself and straightened his twisted boxer shorts.
“Oh shit! Sorry! I don’t know what happened. I forgot to set the alarm last night I guess. Here, come in…”
Lia’s stiff expression melted to a slight smirk as she walked in.
