I had some technical difficulties last night, during which a lot of things got out of order, and so were deleted, re-uploaded, and promtly got out of order again. my apologies to anyone who was trying to read this during that time. i think everything's okay now, but let me know if there are any errors in how the chapters are ordered. whoops. my bad.
anywho, please review!
Chapter 19; I Must Be Crazy
We dropped off the roof onto the dumpsters at the back of the building. There were no windows or doors back here, and there was another building right in front of us. Luckily, the police, or Erasers, weren't covering this area.
We crept up to the side of the building. Max took Mollie's hand, and they both snuck off towards the car I'd picked out. I came behind them, stopping at each police car I came across. I went out of my way a little bit, passing as many cars as possible. Finally, I came up next to the car we were "borrowing" and slipped into the passengers seat.
"Did you do it?" Max asked, pale-faced. I nodded grimly.
"We all set?" I asked him. He managed a smile.
"I think so." he said I took a deep breath.
"Then let's go." I said. Max bent over and did something under the dashboard. The car came to life much quieter then I had hoped for. I breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Max and I switched seats quickly. I inspected the various dials and knobs for a minute, then nodded to myself. It was an automatic, for which I was extremely grateful. Gently, I eased into reverse, then pressed the gas.
Man, oh, man did we move! I slammed into the car parked behind us with a really nasty crunch and the sound of breaking glass. Wincing, I threw the car into drive and hit the gas.
"Man alive!" Max shouted, paling and grabbing his seat. I glanced out the window and saw Erasers running out of the building. The car jerked forward.
Miraculously, I actually made it out of the lot and onto the highway. Max let out a whoop, while I whispered, "Oh man oh man oh man…" frantically under my breath. Mollie was screaming in the backseat. I really hoped she was buckled, unlike me. In afterthought, it seemed like kind of a stupid decision. The Eraser/policemen were all getting in their cars, preparing for the chase. That was when they discovered their slashed tires.
"Yes! Go team mutants!" Max cried, watching our pursuers get out and start inspecting their cars. I gritted my teeth and ignored him. I was busy trying to keep the car under the control.
"Max, sit down and shut up a minute." I said through my teeth. A bullet hit the back windshield, splintering the glass. Mollie screamed. I sped up, which I hadn't thought was possible.
I kept the car mostly under control for all twenty miles. To my surprise, we weren't pursued at all. I must have gotten more cars than I'd thought. I knew immediately when we'd reached the twenty mile limit, because the Flock was waiting for us on the side of the road.
I hit the brakes, and the car came to a squealing, screeching stop. I leaned back in my seat, closing my eyes and concentrating on my breathing. Mollie was out of the car in a second.
"That. Was. AWESOME!" Max shouted. I made a noncommittal noise. My door opened and a familiar, anxious voice asked, "Alex?" I opened my eyes and looked at Fang.
"I'm okay." I said in a small voice. He nodded. I glanced at Max- Maxwell.
"You okay?" I asked.
"Are you kidding? That was amazing! Let's do it again!" I groaned.
We decided to keep the car. The Flock flew above us as we drove. Or, I guess I should say, tried to drive. I was still learning. Hey, I'm only fourteen! I don't even get my temps for another year and a half! All things considered, I think I was doing pretty well.
We'd found a road map in the glove box, and we'd mapped out most of our route out of California. I figured we'd have to stop in the next state over to get a new map.
Several times throughout the day I leaned forward and peered out the windshield. If I squinted my eyes, I could just barely make out six tiny black dots whirling through the sky above us. I wished I could be up there too.
We stopped for the night in a park about three miles across the California-Nevada border. The Flock made a little fire on the ground and cooked just about anything they had on a stick. Hot dogs, canned beans (which didn't work out so well), berries, marshmallows, cheese sticks, anything.
Maxwell, Mollie and I ate with them, then went back in the car to sleep while the Flock settled on tree branches. I locked the car doors, but I still felt a lot less safer than I would have high up in the tree.
I don't remember exactly what I dreamed, but I woke up in the early hours of the morning in a blind panic. I didn't fall asleep again for the rest of the night (or morning).
I was surprised by how far we got before we ran into trouble. We drove all day, through Utah, Colorado, and half of Kansas before the Erasers caught up. We were eating lunch at a picnic table in a rest stop, minding our own business. Maximum had used her amazing credit card to buy the Flock their usual ton of food. Maxwell, Mollie and I had finished our lone sandwiches a long time ago and were watching in amazement as the others plowed through sandwich after sandwich.
Suddenly, Angel looked around, frowning.
"Is anyone here thinking of ripping my throat out?" she asked timidly. We all froze for a second, then everyone sprang into action at once.
The Flock left the remainder of their food on the table and the younger kids immediately jumped into the air and hovered several feet up in the air. Maxwell, Mollie and I ran for the car with Maximum, Fang and Iggy waiting and fidgeting on the ground. Just as I opened my door, two things happened simultaneously.
First, someone by the picnic table shouted a warning. I barely heard it, because someone else had grabbed me by my hair and yanked my head back, hard enough to make me cry out. My eyes watered. Someone laughed in my ear, making my skin crawl. The voice was rough and hard.
"Surprise!" Ari growled.