Ok guys, sorry for the wait, life happened. I'm not happy with this chapter, as I think it's short and disappointing but I've held it hostage too long so... Also want to thank everyone because this story got way more attention than I thought it would.
-minutes before the incident-
The large expansion of trees in the outskirts of the city swayed lightly in the breeze, a small warning of the storm to come other than the foreboding darkening of the sky. A peaceful silence had started to befall the area, but the tranquilness of nature was interrupted by the sound of an approaching car engine in the distance. The four door, 1972 Dodge Coronet turned sharply around the curve of the road, tires squealing as the muscle car strained under the stress of the chase. The setting sun glinted off the windshield and gleamed on the black hood of the car, the engine roaring as the vehicle was pushed to higher speeds. The occupants were also stressed as the driver shifted gears yet again, trying not to yell at the panicked passengers of the vehicle while he kept his eyes on the approaching number of cars behind them.
"How are we going to get out of this?! There are people with guns and they want us dead! Not to mention they are the Russian Mafia!" Hardison was hyperventilating in the passenger seat, right hand holding the dashboard while he twisted to talk to Nate in the backseat. The mastermind was holding his head in his hands, fingers threading through his hair as he tried to formulate a plan.
"Don't forget that this is their car too. And I might have set fire to Balagula's self portrait..." Parker cut in as she reached into her jacket pockets, trailing off for a second. Her fingers fumbled around and she removed them to assess her goodies. She chewed on her lip in concentration as she added her last point, "and I don't think he appreciated Eliot punching him in the face when he got too handsy with Sophie. That and taking down his other guards on the way out. I think that last guy will be in traction for a loooooong time." Parker smiled at the thought, a little too happy for the events that went down and were still occurring. A few bullets ricocheted off the back of the car, bringing the thief back to the current predicament, and she squirmed in her seat until she was turned around and facing the cars behind them. A clicking noise assured her deed was accomplished and she brought her left hand up and quickly put it out the window, throwing the object in her hand at the cars behind them. An explosion rewarded her success and there was one less vehicle following the old dodge as it tore it's way down the road.
"And I stole a grenade."
A loud curse from the driver's seat followed a slight swerve of the wheel as the explosion shocked Eliot. "Parker! You don't just..." Bullets shattering the rear view mirror on the driver's side silenced the hitter's rant.
Hardison made a gasping and high pitched squeal in surprise, eyes wide as he saw Parker turn back around in her seat, a happy grin plastered on her face as she still held the pin lovingly. Half of the hacker's face was hidden behind the headrest as he hunched down in the seat, cowering just in time as the hail-fire of bullets returned full force, making the team duck down instinctively with the hacker. Eliot growled at the sight of the team hunched down and he pushed the old dodge faster, trying to avoid the bullets. The back window shattered as the bullets finally found their target, glass shattering and covering the three in the back. Sophie gasped as she felt the shards fall over her, though she also felt Nate holding on to her, trying to shield the grifter from harm. She was in the middle of the backseat, squished between Parker and Nate as they all tried to avoid the bullets.
"You wouldn't happen to have another grenade would you?" Nate shouted over Sophie to Parker in the backseat. The gunfire wouldn't stop and there was little hope of it ceasing anytime soon. The car swerved a bit and a muffled curse was heard from the front seat. Sophie glanced up but saw nothing concerning, so she went to put her head back down. That was, until she saw a spreading redness on the sleeve of Eliot's shirt. She was about to comment, but one of the remaining cars pulled up beside them and let loose chaos before she could even inhale. The huge car rammed into the old dodge and Eliot fought for control of the wheel, tires screeching under the stress of the other car's weight. The huge car tried to push the vehicle off the road again, and Eliot knew he was going to lose the battle soon.
"Seatbelts?!"
He barely got the words out and heard the responding clicks when the huge car rammed them off the road. The dodge turned sideways from the hit and flipped off the road. It turned once more as it finally landed upside down in the ditch. Silence followed, from the outside and inside of the car. The passengers were stunned from the impact, three unconscious, the other two dazed. The shock was enough to provide and support the silence, the only sound to penetrate the noiseless trauma being the screeching of the tires of the cars that orchestrated their demise. But even they faded in the distance as they receded, returning the silence to the forest. Though this time, it carried no peaceful swaying of the trees or the content feeling of nature, it's purpose changing and only highlighting the rumbling of the sky that proved the storm was closer than before.