Chapter 03: Point Blank

“Keep moving!” Alexa shouted over her shoulder at the slowing Kasper. “My car’s just ahead.” She dove behind the wheel of her Audi and unlocked the door for him.

Out of breath and limping, he finally slid into the seat beside her and Alexa peeled away from the curb. “Don’t look now, A, but we’ve got company,” he sighed, noticing his SUV and a black Escalade merge behind them in the rearview. They fired at them and Alexa shouted for Kasper to get down as she rolled down her window to return fire, striking the front bumper of the lead vehicle.

“HEY! That’s my fucking truck!”

“Oh I’m sorry. You want me to pull over so you can kindly ask them to give it back?”

“No, just…shit!” he whined as a bullet shattered the back window.

“Here,” she placed a gun on his lap as she maneuvered around a bend. “Make yourself useful.” Kasper swallowed hard and did his best to keep his head down while he ineffectively shot at the cars behind them. “K, you gotta aim that thing. Try and take out the drivers or their tires!” 

Lifting his head as he crouched in the seat beside her, he pushed the gun further out the window and did as she said. The first shot broke the front right headlight of his truck. The second bounced off the chrome bumper and he pulled himself inside, afraid of where the ricochet would land. Trying again, he fired higher and the bullet splintered through the windshield of the driver side and he shouted in excitement as the truck dangerously fishtailed behind them. “I DID IT! I GOT THEM!”

“Not quite,” Alexa said, watching the driver regain control and continue the chase. Sirens wailed behind them and Alexa knew it was only a matter of time before they called in air support and then they’d be in real trouble. She pushed the pedal to the floor and veered into oncoming traffic, weaving in and out of cars as motorists angrily honked their horns. Gaining much needed distance between them and their pursuers, Alexa took the next exit off the freeway and headed for a less populated area, but detours and road blocks directed them to anything but. “Shit. We’re heading into downtown!”

Not long after, the whirring propellers of police choppers could be heard overhead and, just as Alexa predicted, air support joined the chase. She quickly swerved, landing them on Main Street and listened as the engines of the gunmen roared behind them. “Whoa!” Kasper bounced back inside and glanced at her with an apprehensive look.

“What?”

“I…kinda…sorta…dropped the gun.”

“KAS!”

“I’m sorry!” he shrugged. “Those things are slippery!”

“Here,” she sighed, handing him another from her stash bag. “Try and hold on to that one, that’s my personal weapon.”

Windows of several storefronts crashed beside him as the rain of shots continued. “I don’t think we have enough ammo for this, A,” Kasper said, pulling his head back inside again.

“Yeah well we’ve got another problem,” Alexa shouted as she struggled to keep the car on the road. “They hit the gas tank and we’re losing fuel fast. We’re gonna have to ditch this thing before they get wise and set us on fire.” The back right tire exploded and she did everything she could to keep from careening into a local restaurant. Pumping the brakes, they steadily slowed and Alexa checked to see how close the others were. “You ready?” she asked, rolling the car to a stop just passed the bridge.

“Here?”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Alexa hopped out and Kasper was quickly on her heels. Shooting out the lock of the hardware store on the next block, she pushed Kasper inside and ducked beside the door. The trucks pulled to a stop just behind her car and she waited until they neared. Aiming carefully, she fired at the line of gasoline running off from her Audi. The tank exploded and the car became an instant, raging inferno. One of the men screamed and she watched as he dove over the railing of the bridge, landing in the water below.

Kasper and Alexa worked quickly to barricade the door. Moving behind the gun counter, she reloaded her weapons and continued pulling Kasper with her. “Wait, we’re not staying?”

“Are you crazy? They’d have us pinned down in a second. Not to mention the police are right behind them! Do you really want to try and explain why we were involved in a shootout, breaking and entering, murder, arson and a kidnapping when, technically, neither of us exist? Think, K, we need to keep moving.”

She unlatched the backdoor, wiped down any prints they may have left and headed through the alleyway. Hopping onto a dumpster, she tossed her bag across and motioned for Kasper to go first. Alexa kept an eye out as she waited for him to climb the chain-linked fence to the other side of the wall. When she heard him land, they switched roles and it was him keeping watching as she made the climb. “Where are we going?” he asked, not recognizing their surroundings.

“I don’t know yet. But we need…”

“WATCH OUT!” Kasper yelled. Just over Alexa’s shoulder, an armed man was rushing towards them. Kasper pointed his weapon to fire but the slide locked on the sleeve of his shirt.

Pushing him back, Alexa moved in front of Kasper, aimed, and fired. The gunman fell. His weapon landed on the sidewalk beside him. Someone screamed from across the street and in that instance, both Kasper and Alexa turned. 

The woman had quickly retrieved her cell phone and Alexa feared becoming the star of her amateur home video. “Shit, K! We need to get out of here,” she shouted, picked him up off the ground and took off in the opposite direction.

The Starks sat idly in their hotel room awaiting for the detectives to inform them of when, if ever, they would be cleared to return home. Or to at least update them with the latest concerning the men who’d attacked them. Dylan had long since passed out and was put to bed in the adjoining bedroom while Melissa sat skimming the television channels.

Travis had started in on his fourth cup of coffee and appeared deep in thought. Gavin could only speculate the main topic on his mind. Since he’d learned about the blackmail scheme he hadn’t spoken a word. In fact, he could barely glance in his wife’s direction for long. 

“Huh. There’s been another shootout,” Melissa said, briefly stopping on channel 7 news.

“What?” Travis asked, moving closer to the screen.

“Oh my god,” Gavin gasped and got to his feet. “It’s Hannah! That’s Hannah’s car!”

Snatching the remote from his baby sister, Gavin turned up the volume on the TV and gawked in horror as more footage of innocent people rushed over the screen. “What is this?” Travis asked again as a ticker tape near the bottom reported the event as “live” and happening downtown.

“I have to get down there!” Gavin exclaimed, rushing for the door.

“You what? No, Gavin!” Joan jumped to her feet, grabbing for her eldest child but, Travis held her back.

“Honey, let him do what he needs to.”

“What? Have you lost your mind? I’m not letting him go out there, Travis! Gavin, there is no way you can go down there. Look at what’s happening! There’s a shootout and panic. These things have a way of turning into riots! I won’t let you go out there and get yourself hurt.”

“And what about Hannah? Her car’s on fire, Ma!”

“You have no way of knowing for sure that particular car belongs to Hannah. Gavin, please, be reasonable.”

“I am being reasonable. BM1-2X6, that’s her license plate. I’ve worked enough on it to know that by heart. I watched her drive away and I did nothing! And now look what’s happening. She could be…I have to find her. I’m sorry.” He rushed from the room, passing the police officers posted for their protection and jumped onto the elevator. “Please be ok, Baby. I’m coming.”

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