The car drove down the bumpy road. I heard the birds chirping and the waves roaring off the beach next to the hill we drove along. All was calm, quiet. It was a beautiful day for fighting off hardened criminals. All of us sat quietly, anticipating the worst possible scenario. Even Cameron didn't speak for once.

In the car, Annie was driving and Cameron and I were in the back. Finally, Cameron broke the silence, "I'm bored. Are we there yet!?" He sounded like a two-year-old.

"No, Cameron, we aren't there yet," Annie said, rolling her eyes, "we still have several miles to go."

"Ugh," Cameron complained.

"Sorry, Cam," I reassured him.

"Look over there!" Cameron yelled, "A murderer!"

"Huh?" Annie asked, trying desperately to keep her eyes on the road.

"Stop the car!"

"No! What are you talking about!?"

"Stop the car!"

"No, Cam, don't be a freak, what are you talking about?"

"STOP THE CAR! Someone's in trouble!"

Annie turned the steering wheel fast and the car skidded to a halt. "What happened?" Annie bellowed, "Where!?"

Cameron giggled, "Gotcha!"

"You got me so scared!"

"I had to break the awkward silence,"

Annie and I rolled our eyes. Annie turned the car around and we were back on the road. Several minutes passed, with each the hills flattened and the trees thinned. After about twenty minutes, we were driving along a dirt road with a flat, rocky landscape to all sides.

I saw a car coming our way. It was a black van with red markings. A tourist maybe? No, it couldn't be. We were in the middle of nowhere… who were they?

"Those goons found us again!" Cameron yelled, eyes wide, "they are coming our way."

"It's not funny, Cameron," Annie turned around but kept her hand on the steering wheel, "stop trying to trick us."

"No, he isn't joking, look," I pointed toward the speeding van.

"It's those lunatics again," Annie protested.

She slowed the car and Cameron swung his door open, a crutch in his hand. Annie turned around in her seat, "You stay here," she said, sternly.

"But I want to help," I said, ignoring my injured shoulder.

"Katie, you are too injured to fight," she said sympathetically, "stay put!"

Before I could argue, Annie slammed the door shut and waited while the van approached.

The black van skidded to a stop a few yards away from Annie. The man stepped out of the car, Annie held a black leather wallet behind her back. The man was wearing a gray suit with a black checkered tie. Annie walked slowly and calmly up to the man and presented her FBI badge. "Sir, you have committed a serious violation of code 8.9963 and code 3 dash 7. I'm afraid that if you do not remove your hands from your pockets, I will have to call the police and you will be in serious trouble. Please turn around and put your hands behind your back," Annie said, calmly, as if she had said that same speech dozens of times.

"I'm sorry, young lady, but I am afraid I don't know what you're talking about," he said slyly with a slight smirk on his face.

"Stay down," said a voice behind me.

I almost screamed but a hand covered my mouth. I turned around and he removed his hand.

"Dude, chill, it's just me," whispered a familiar voice, it was Cameron, "lay low and don't let him see you, he's got a gun in his pocket. I'm Annie's backup, if he threatens her, I come up from behind and get him with my little friend," said Cameron, gesturing to his crutch, "If it's absolutely necessary, you can come in and set that chump straight."

I nodded in reply.

"Sir, that is not necessary," Annie said, sounding panicked, "If you do this, you will get in even more trouble."

"Sounds like that's my cue," whispered Cameron.

"Cam…"

"Yea?"

"Be careful," I said. The truth was, I cared about Cameron, a lot. I really didn't want him to get hurt. I knew that he thought of us as just friends but I thought of him as more than that.

"I will," he said with a comforting smile.

As he stepped out of the car, he whispered the plan, "Shimmy out next to the car. If he shoots one of us, run. Make sure he doesn't see you. If you drive away, he will get you too, for sure. If he threatens one or both of us, don't try to reason with him." He handed me a pistol and told me to put it in my pocket and keep it handy at all times. "If you need to use it, don't hesitate. If he hurts one of us, you return the favor." In all of my many months working with Cameron, I had not once seen him so serious before.

"Got it," I whispered.

Cameron snuck behind the man with his crutch and knocked the gun out of his hand. He's got this, I thought; it's only one goon against two highly qualified secret agents. I shimmied next to the car on the side no one could see, awaiting our victory. Although I didn't look, I could hear that we were winning. Suddenly, I had a moment of realization, what if we didn't win? What if I went out there to save my friends and I got afraid and I froze… What then? What if I had to use the gun and I killed a man and had to remember it for the rest of my life? What then? My mind swirled with thoughts.

My thought process was interrupted by a scream. Cameron! I had no time to make a plan. I sprung out from behind the car. "Cameron!" I looked around for him. A man leaped out of the black van except it wasn't the man with the gray suit. It turns out he wasn't alone. I looked over at Cameron who lay on the ground holding him forearm in pain.

I heard a yell, "Katie, help! We've got company… I'll take the new one," Annie yelled desperately, "You cover the old guy!" I had to assume that the old guy was the man with the gray suit and black tie.

I looked around for him… where was he? I averted my attention towards Cameron for a minute. "Help," he managed through gritted teeth. Next to Cameron stood the man with the gray suit… pointing a gun at Cameron! I had to act fast! I jumped in front of Cameron and pointed the pistol at the man with the gun. I used my right hand to hold up the gun and my left hand hung limp at my side. My heart was pounding and my shoulder was throbbing

"Don't…you…dare," I said to the man. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Was he really going to shoot me!? No, he seemed too afraid. I had to protect Cameron.

A hand came up from behind the man and knocked him down with a metal crutch. Annie stood above the man. He lay unconscious on the ground. Annie smiled down at him. She seemed proud of her accomplishment. I knelt beside Cameron. "You okay," I asked him

"You saved my life," He said. I smiled back at him.


"So there's no permanent damage to your wrist?" Annie asked Cameron.

"No, it's just a little sprain, that's all," Cameron responded.

Annie turned towards me, "I've got a lot of papers to fill out back at the office, I'll catch you guys later?"

"Okay, see you later," I said back.

Cameron held my hand, "Can I treat you to lunch, since you're the reason I'm still alive?" he asked with a sly smile.

"I'd love to."