Chapter 8 - Waking Up in the Dark
The back of the transport van was lit only by a dim, pulsing red emergency light mounted on the ceiling, casting long, eerie shadows across the metal walls.
Mommy looked so small lying there under the gray wool hospital blanket. Her dark hair was splayed out across the thin pillow, tangled slightly from the rain and the ambulance ride, and her face was terrifyingly pale, save for a small purple bruise forming along her left cheekbone where she must have hit the pavement during the accident.
I crawled up onto the edge of the narrow cot, moving as carefully as I could so I wouldn't wake her up. I reached out a small, trembling hand and gently touched her fingers. They were cold.
"Mommy," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Please wake up. We're safe now. Well... we're trying to be safe."
Behind me, the partition curtain parted, and Nurse Brenda stepped into the back compartment, holding a warm blanket and a bottle of water. She set them down on a supply crate, then sat on the bench beside the cot, gently resting her hand on Mommy's arm.
"She's recovering from the surgery, Sarah," Brenda said quietly, her eyes sympathetic. "Dr. Sullivan... your father... he made sure the procedure was a complete success before he went back out there. Her vitals are stabilizing."
"Is he going to come with us?" I asked, looking up from Mommy's face.
Brenda hesitated. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could find the words, the front of the van erupted into a sudden, chaotic roar.
Screeeech!
The tires locked up so violently that Brenda and I tumbled off the cot, crashing hard against the metal floor. From the front cab, Vance let out a violent curse that made me jump.
"What's happening?!" Brenda shouted, scrambling to her feet and gripping the overhead rail.
"We've got company!" Vance roared back over the screaming engine. "They tracked the van's transponder! A black SUV just cut us off at the exit ramp to the East River bridge!"
Through the small front windshield, I could see a massive, dark-tinted vehicle parked sideways right across the two-lane highway, blocking our only way out of the city. Two men in tactical vests and balaclavas stepped out of the SUV, holding long, matte-black rifles that gleamed menacingly under the gray morning sky.
May you like
Vance didn't slow down. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands, his knuckles turning white, and slammed his foot down even harder on the gas pedal.
---
