Rescue Attempt

Carson squints at the car as it speeds by him. All of a sudden he realizes there’s a third person in the car…and there’s no mistaking who it is, or the gun that’s pointed in her direction.

His eyes widen, his bag slipping from his shoulder. “Dang it! Dang it! Dang it!”

His mind reels, a million and one possibilities flying through his mind at once. His eyes follow the car to the next block where it hangs a right. Carson looks across the street, zeroing in on an alleyway. Calculating in an instant, he sprints into a dead run.

His tennis shoes pound the pavement as he dodges trash and other obstacles in the alley. He knew the station wagon would head out of town. They were going to turn right again…he knew it. He had to beat them to the street.

At top speed, he still inwardly kicks himself. He had no plan. He had no car. He had no gun. This was insane.

Nearing the end of the alleyway and coming up on the next street, he hears a car motor. It has to be them. If it wasn’t, not only would he have lost them, but he’d have a lot of explaining to do.

Spotting a dumpster near the corner of the brick building, sticking out into the sidewalk, Carson aims for it, not slowing down a step. His peripheral vision catches the fast moving car.

His momentum necessary to keep the timing just right, he uses a couple crates as stairs to clamor on top of the dumpster, his feet spanning it in one stride. The vehicle nears with speed.

Before he even thinks about what he’s doing, Carson hurls himself off the edge of his impromptu platform, spread eagle into the road.

His body slams onto the top of the station wagon, knocking the wind out of him, and he rolls, grabbing onto the roof rack as his only means of staying on.

“What the…” Drew swerves the car, startled by the loud bang to the roof. “What’s going on?!”

Carson fights to stay on top of the speeding car, his hat flying off in the wind. Gaining back some balance, he pulls himself towards the driver side window.

Vance glances upward. “I don’t know! Didn’t you see anything?”

“No! All I heard was…”

Carson’s fist comes flying through Drew’s window, spraying bits of bloody glass in all directions.

Drew yells a curse in surprise and anger as he tries to maintain control over the car while fighting with the unknown assailant, whose hand reaches for the steering wheel.

He swerves to the right and left in an attempt to rid the car of the intruder.

Carson’s grip loosens on the roof rack and his body slides off the side of the car before he can use all his strength to pull himself back up.

“It’s Carson!” Vance exclaims.

“Well get rid of him!” Drew yells.

Vance takes his eyes off Misty to point his gun upward, blasting several holes in the roof.

Carson rolls over and somehow avoids the flying bullets as he tries to lean over far enough to reach the driver’s side door handle without being shot or grabbed by Drew’s flailing arm.