Chapter 25
Pat had been driving the big ones for years. He knew the roads like the back of his hand. This little blow up should prove no problem as long as he took it easy. He corrected gently as he felt the wheels slip and catch again. He wasn't going anywhere fast, but he would get there.
Heavy metal music poured out of the expensive stereo system of young man's car. He enjoyed the dip and sway of the car as it slid around the road. This was as fun as a roller coaster ride. He easily caught up to the truck which was going all too slow for the beat of his music. He decided to pass.
Pat cursed as he saw the lights of the sedan come up the side of the truck. He peered up ahead and prayed that there was no ongoing traffic coming. He was dismayed to see a flicker of light coming and he slowed down edging towards the side of the road. The back trailer caught momentarily in soft snow drift. Pat compensated, but the truck continued sliding folding itself across the road. The young man and his car were batted like a golf ball across the road and ended up spinning crazily into fence. The car in the oncoming lane slammed into the side of the truck collapsing like an accordion.
They came on the site suddenly. The large truck was spilled across the road. Skewed lights and dark shadows met them. Gordon's excellent reflexes and experience saved them. He tapped the car into a skid bringing them to a halt with the back of their car shoved under the truck.
The airbags had saved them from most of the potential damage.
"Call for help. And wait in the car!" Gordon ordered and was out and sprinting over to the truck to assess the damage.
Em did as was ordered - almost. After making a call to the emergency number, she flicked on the car's emergency lights and set out to help Gordon. She saw Gordon climb up the side of the truck and disappear into the cab. She ducked under the trailer to find the remains of sedan that was crushed into an unrecognizable mass. She swallowed convulsively as she saw the decapitated mess that had been the driver of that vehicle. No one else seemed to be in the car. The truck body shrieked over the wind and listed a few more inches. She'd better warn Gordy. Just as she was rounding to the other side of the truck a lull in the wind carried a strange sound to her. It sounded like an over excited heartbeat amplified a thousand fold. The wind then howled around her again. Or was it wind? She followed her senses and came across a car half buried in the snow. Loud music was muffling the sounds of the driver screaming and cursing.
She looked around quickly and found a large portion of the battered fence nearby. It was heavy and slick with snow and ice. She dropped it several times gouging her hands with splinters before she got it hefted through the passenger side window to break it out.
"Just take it easy. No need to panic." She shouted over the music. "Can you turn that thing off?"
"Oh God, help me. Don't leave me here!" The man was hysterical and hyperventilating.
"I need to get help." Em wasn't about to move the man on her own and if he had the energy for screaming and carrying on he surely wasn't that badly hurt - she hoped. She ventured a pat on his arm, which was a major mistake. He grabbed her hand with the strength of a drowning victim and pulled her across the shards of safety glass towards him. Safety glass or super strong plexi didn't cut, but it could gouge.
Em Jones was strong. You don't handle rusted fittings and heavy tools with mere finesse. It took muscles. She should have been able to pull herself free from the victim, but she had not counted on the strength of desperation. Gordon, or any other of the Tracys could have told her their own experiences, but she had no idea of that side of their lives. Not even her lively imagination would link the Tracy family to International Rescue.
Her own desperation about Gordon fueled enough strength for her to wrest her arm free from the clinging man. She ignored the bloody scrapes left by the glass and his fingers. The faint wail of sirens lifted over the breeze as she moved with almost a slow motion quality towards the big truck. A tricky patch of snow sent her skidding to her knees.
Gordon found the driver unhurt, but in a deep state of shock. He had to literally pry the man's fingers off the steering wheel, even breaking one in the process. Gordon had felt the tremors in the cab and knew that there was a good chance of the whole truck going over.
"Pat?" Gordon remembered the man from the truck stop.
"Huh?"
"C'mon buddy, give me a hand here." Gordon coaxed.
"I musta killed the guy." Pat muttered and peered into the darkness as if seeking for answers.
"We are getting you out first, then I'll see about the others." Gordon had seen at a glance that the car jammed under the truck hadn't a chance. Thank heavens Em was in the car. He didn't want her to see that grizzly sight.
The truck gave a startling groan and started to shift. In the wrong direction!
"She's going over." Pat whispered and was suddenly very cooperative to get out of the cab. He scrambled down. Gordon was then very aware that the truck was going to land on his car, with Em waiting in it.
He scrambled to the driver's side to wrench open the door. He had to get to her. The door resisted. He had to get out. He braced both legs against the door and kicked just as the truck gave an ear shattering squeal of tortured metal and plastics and flopped on it's side raising a mini tidal wave of snow.
"Emmm!" And it became very dark and very quiet and very - still.
Pat had been driving the big ones for years. He knew the roads like the back of his hand. This little blow up should prove no problem as long as he took it easy. He corrected gently as he felt the wheels slip and catch again. He wasn't going anywhere fast, but he would get there.
Heavy metal music poured out of the expensive stereo system of young man's car. He enjoyed the dip and sway of the car as it slid around the road. This was as fun as a roller coaster ride. He easily caught up to the truck which was going all too slow for the beat of his music. He decided to pass.
Pat cursed as he saw the lights of the sedan come up the side of the truck. He peered up ahead and prayed that there was no ongoing traffic coming. He was dismayed to see a flicker of light coming and he slowed down edging towards the side of the road. The back trailer caught momentarily in soft snow drift. Pat compensated, but the truck continued sliding folding itself across the road. The young man and his car were batted like a golf ball across the road and ended up spinning crazily into fence. The car in the oncoming lane slammed into the side of the truck collapsing like an accordion.
They came on the site suddenly. The large truck was spilled across the road. Skewed lights and dark shadows met them. Gordon's excellent reflexes and experience saved them. He tapped the car into a skid bringing them to a halt with the back of their car shoved under the truck.
The airbags had saved them from most of the potential damage.
"Call for help. And wait in the car!" Gordon ordered and was out and sprinting over to the truck to assess the damage.
Em did as was ordered - almost. After making a call to the emergency number, she flicked on the car's emergency lights and set out to help Gordon. She saw Gordon climb up the side of the truck and disappear into the cab. She ducked under the trailer to find the remains of sedan that was crushed into an unrecognizable mass. She swallowed convulsively as she saw the decapitated mess that had been the driver of that vehicle. No one else seemed to be in the car. The truck body shrieked over the wind and listed a few more inches. She'd better warn Gordy. Just as she was rounding to the other side of the truck a lull in the wind carried a strange sound to her. It sounded like an over excited heartbeat amplified a thousand fold. The wind then howled around her again. Or was it wind? She followed her senses and came across a car half buried in the snow. Loud music was muffling the sounds of the driver screaming and cursing.
She looked around quickly and found a large portion of the battered fence nearby. It was heavy and slick with snow and ice. She dropped it several times gouging her hands with splinters before she got it hefted through the passenger side window to break it out.
"Just take it easy. No need to panic." She shouted over the music. "Can you turn that thing off?"
"Oh God, help me. Don't leave me here!" The man was hysterical and hyperventilating.
"I need to get help." Em wasn't about to move the man on her own and if he had the energy for screaming and carrying on he surely wasn't that badly hurt - she hoped. She ventured a pat on his arm, which was a major mistake. He grabbed her hand with the strength of a drowning victim and pulled her across the shards of safety glass towards him. Safety glass or super strong plexi didn't cut, but it could gouge.
Em Jones was strong. You don't handle rusted fittings and heavy tools with mere finesse. It took muscles. She should have been able to pull herself free from the victim, but she had not counted on the strength of desperation. Gordon, or any other of the Tracys could have told her their own experiences, but she had no idea of that side of their lives. Not even her lively imagination would link the Tracy family to International Rescue.
Her own desperation about Gordon fueled enough strength for her to wrest her arm free from the clinging man. She ignored the bloody scrapes left by the glass and his fingers. The faint wail of sirens lifted over the breeze as she moved with almost a slow motion quality towards the big truck. A tricky patch of snow sent her skidding to her knees.
Gordon found the driver unhurt, but in a deep state of shock. He had to literally pry the man's fingers off the steering wheel, even breaking one in the process. Gordon had felt the tremors in the cab and knew that there was a good chance of the whole truck going over.
"Pat?" Gordon remembered the man from the truck stop.
"Huh?"
"C'mon buddy, give me a hand here." Gordon coaxed.
"I musta killed the guy." Pat muttered and peered into the darkness as if seeking for answers.
"We are getting you out first, then I'll see about the others." Gordon had seen at a glance that the car jammed under the truck hadn't a chance. Thank heavens Em was in the car. He didn't want her to see that grizzly sight.
The truck gave a startling groan and started to shift. In the wrong direction!
"She's going over." Pat whispered and was suddenly very cooperative to get out of the cab. He scrambled down. Gordon was then very aware that the truck was going to land on his car, with Em waiting in it.
He scrambled to the driver's side to wrench open the door. He had to get to her. The door resisted. He had to get out. He braced both legs against the door and kicked just as the truck gave an ear shattering squeal of tortured metal and plastics and flopped on it's side raising a mini tidal wave of snow.
"Emmm!" And it became very dark and very quiet and very - still.