RandomThoughts
Fries or salad?
- Local time
- Today 7:21 AM
- Messages
- 86
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"Come on, faster!" bellowed the fierce man, pushing the muzzle of the gun deeper into Rex's ribs. Like a scream behind him Rex could hear the wail of the police sirens as his Honda sedan sped down the interstate. The accelerator was jammed to the floor as the older car shook its way in fits down the interstate, as Rex's eyes flushed wide with freight. More ominous shutters rattled through the car's frame as he stiff armed the vehicle into a wide banking turn, following the highway out to more rural country.
"Move this thing, damn it!" screamed the man into Rex's ear, clutching the gray canvas sack stuff with money with his other hand. Rex had seen some of the bills flutter from it when the man burst into his car, thrust a gun into his face and told him to start driving. It was not long before the first cop car sped in behind them, lights and sirens blaring, and the man began screaming obscenities and threats at Rex to drive faster; always faster. "If I have a bad day, your gonna have a bad day!" roared the man, moving the gun from Rex's side to his head for added emphasis.
More police cars flew in behind them, maneuvering for position like predators about to take their prey, as Rex's heart pumped madly, promising to rip itself from his chest at any moment. Sweat poured down his face, stinging his eyes, and his body ached with the strain his rigid muscles. "I'm already having a bad day!" Rex yelled back, hating the squeak in his voice. It took great effort to work his clenching jaw, as his brain seemed to nearly shut down with the adrenaline overload. "And now I am missing the appointment with my lawyer!" Rex shook his head, feeling himself beginning to crack.
This actually lauded a humorous grunt from gun totting fugitive. "Oh don't you worry, I have lots of experience with lawyers! He ain't going anywhere as long as you got money!"
"Its a divorce lawyer, so by the time its all over I'm not gonna have any money," bleated Rex, his mouth blurting out information as his brain tried desperately to process what was happening.
One of the cop cars began pulling up on the left, in the mirror Rex could see the fierce look of the officer drilling into him, and he tried to swallow down the massive lump in his throat. The thug pushed the steering wheel right, and for a moment Rex thought he had lost control of the car, but with a screech of rubber the car managed to gain back its traction.
"Well you should've treated her right, and she wouldn't have kicked your sorry ass out," taunted the brute, looking back at the police while waving the pistol with clear intent.
Rex squeezed his eyes for a moment, trying to force moisture back in them. "I treated her like a queen," mewed Rex, a sorrowful sound barely heard over the scream of the engine. "She dumped me for her boss."
On the right, another squad car came charging from the pack, siren wailing, looking to make another charge on the tired old rig. The brute grabbed the wheel and forced the car right, trying to cut off the police cruisers vector, causing the old car to nearly go sideways, as Rex frantically struggled to bring it back straight.
"Quite your damn whining," roared the thug as he eyed the cop car falling back. "No wonder she kicked ya out, ya stupid git! Watch it or you'll crash the damn car!"
Rex sunk his head down between his taught shoulders and stewed. Everything had seem to come apart, his whole life had changed for the worst, and this moment seemed like the perfect metaphor for his life: racing out of control down a highway being chased by problems, with seemingly no good way out. A part of him almost wished the car would crash.
"Here they come!" screamed the thug, as 2 of the police cruisers lurched forward on either side and moving up fast, their sirens like shrill harpies coming in for the kill. "The exit! Take the exit!" bellowed the brute as he drug the steering wheel hard to the right.
Careening hard into the off ramp the car bucked and shuttered, its tires screaming in agony as they tried desperately to claw onto the road as Rex fought desperately to get the car back straight. At their speed the end of the off ramp was flying towards them at break neck speed, with the only options being left and right, with a huge stone building directly in front of them.
"Turn damn it!" bellowed the thug, as he again dragged the wheel hard to the right. Rex's hands let go of the wheel as the mad robber twisted it hard, and instinctively Rex slammed on the breaks with all his might as the giant stone building swam menacingly into his view. Breaking hard rammed the thug's head into the windshield with a solid thud, as cracks broke like lightning across the glass. The car lurched right, tires squealing in terror, then the car flipped over and tumbled through the cross street, and landing miraculously on its tires in the parking lot of the huge stone building; smoke pouring from its now dead engine.
A dazed Rex watched in stunned silence as the mob of police cars screeched up around them, and officers took defensive positions behind their car doors with weapons drawn. The thug who had carjacked Rex was sprawled out in the front seat, blood smeared across his mangled face from a huge wound on his head, knocked out cold. Rex had managed to stay behind the wheel, his tight seat belt cutting into his flesh after the roll. Within minutes the police had Rex and the thug face down on the pavement. They were cautious with Rex, but treated him more gently than the other man; seeming to know that Rex had been forced into this against his will.
"Hey, mind if I take a look at you?" came a young female voice from nowhere. Rex had been allowed to sit up against the car as a lovely young woman in EMT fatigues knelt beside him. "You decided to crash in the parking lot of my fire station, that's a great way to get quick treatment," she quipped with a smile. Rex was silent as she began checking his head and arms for wounds, and a peculiar look washed across her face as she examined him. "Aren't you Rex Randel? Went to Freemont high school?"
Startled to alertness by her question Rex took a good long look at her. "You're Laurie Freedman, right?" Recognition poured back into his mind as he studied his old classmate. "I'm surprised you remembered me."
"Oh I remember you," she mused, her eyes continuing to sweep his body, but being careful not to look again into his face. "I almost asked you to the Sadie Hawkins dance our senior year, but I chickened out." She seemed a bit embarrassed by the admission.
Rex, on the other hand, was completely stunned by it. He had considered asking Laurie to prom, but instead asked his soon to be ex wife instead. "I wish you would have asked me," he continued, his eyes once again meeting hers. "Why didn't you?"
Laurie looked down and away for a moment before turning back to Rex. "Well, you don't look too injured, but I think you should get checked out by the ER just in case," she replied pensively, as if she was steeling herself for something. "My shift is just about over, and your car isn't looking so good. How about I drive you to the ER, and I can tell you along the way?" Her face went absolutely blank as she stared at Rex, waiting his answer.
Rex could only smile, and for once in a very long time felt a ray of hope. "I would really like it if you would."
Laurie sighed softly, as her face broke out into a beaming smile. "Good, I would really like that too."
"Move this thing, damn it!" screamed the man into Rex's ear, clutching the gray canvas sack stuff with money with his other hand. Rex had seen some of the bills flutter from it when the man burst into his car, thrust a gun into his face and told him to start driving. It was not long before the first cop car sped in behind them, lights and sirens blaring, and the man began screaming obscenities and threats at Rex to drive faster; always faster. "If I have a bad day, your gonna have a bad day!" roared the man, moving the gun from Rex's side to his head for added emphasis.
More police cars flew in behind them, maneuvering for position like predators about to take their prey, as Rex's heart pumped madly, promising to rip itself from his chest at any moment. Sweat poured down his face, stinging his eyes, and his body ached with the strain his rigid muscles. "I'm already having a bad day!" Rex yelled back, hating the squeak in his voice. It took great effort to work his clenching jaw, as his brain seemed to nearly shut down with the adrenaline overload. "And now I am missing the appointment with my lawyer!" Rex shook his head, feeling himself beginning to crack.
This actually lauded a humorous grunt from gun totting fugitive. "Oh don't you worry, I have lots of experience with lawyers! He ain't going anywhere as long as you got money!"
"Its a divorce lawyer, so by the time its all over I'm not gonna have any money," bleated Rex, his mouth blurting out information as his brain tried desperately to process what was happening.
One of the cop cars began pulling up on the left, in the mirror Rex could see the fierce look of the officer drilling into him, and he tried to swallow down the massive lump in his throat. The thug pushed the steering wheel right, and for a moment Rex thought he had lost control of the car, but with a screech of rubber the car managed to gain back its traction.
"Well you should've treated her right, and she wouldn't have kicked your sorry ass out," taunted the brute, looking back at the police while waving the pistol with clear intent.
Rex squeezed his eyes for a moment, trying to force moisture back in them. "I treated her like a queen," mewed Rex, a sorrowful sound barely heard over the scream of the engine. "She dumped me for her boss."
On the right, another squad car came charging from the pack, siren wailing, looking to make another charge on the tired old rig. The brute grabbed the wheel and forced the car right, trying to cut off the police cruisers vector, causing the old car to nearly go sideways, as Rex frantically struggled to bring it back straight.
"Quite your damn whining," roared the thug as he eyed the cop car falling back. "No wonder she kicked ya out, ya stupid git! Watch it or you'll crash the damn car!"
Rex sunk his head down between his taught shoulders and stewed. Everything had seem to come apart, his whole life had changed for the worst, and this moment seemed like the perfect metaphor for his life: racing out of control down a highway being chased by problems, with seemingly no good way out. A part of him almost wished the car would crash.
"Here they come!" screamed the thug, as 2 of the police cruisers lurched forward on either side and moving up fast, their sirens like shrill harpies coming in for the kill. "The exit! Take the exit!" bellowed the brute as he drug the steering wheel hard to the right.
Careening hard into the off ramp the car bucked and shuttered, its tires screaming in agony as they tried desperately to claw onto the road as Rex fought desperately to get the car back straight. At their speed the end of the off ramp was flying towards them at break neck speed, with the only options being left and right, with a huge stone building directly in front of them.
"Turn damn it!" bellowed the thug, as he again dragged the wheel hard to the right. Rex's hands let go of the wheel as the mad robber twisted it hard, and instinctively Rex slammed on the breaks with all his might as the giant stone building swam menacingly into his view. Breaking hard rammed the thug's head into the windshield with a solid thud, as cracks broke like lightning across the glass. The car lurched right, tires squealing in terror, then the car flipped over and tumbled through the cross street, and landing miraculously on its tires in the parking lot of the huge stone building; smoke pouring from its now dead engine.
A dazed Rex watched in stunned silence as the mob of police cars screeched up around them, and officers took defensive positions behind their car doors with weapons drawn. The thug who had carjacked Rex was sprawled out in the front seat, blood smeared across his mangled face from a huge wound on his head, knocked out cold. Rex had managed to stay behind the wheel, his tight seat belt cutting into his flesh after the roll. Within minutes the police had Rex and the thug face down on the pavement. They were cautious with Rex, but treated him more gently than the other man; seeming to know that Rex had been forced into this against his will.
"Hey, mind if I take a look at you?" came a young female voice from nowhere. Rex had been allowed to sit up against the car as a lovely young woman in EMT fatigues knelt beside him. "You decided to crash in the parking lot of my fire station, that's a great way to get quick treatment," she quipped with a smile. Rex was silent as she began checking his head and arms for wounds, and a peculiar look washed across her face as she examined him. "Aren't you Rex Randel? Went to Freemont high school?"
Startled to alertness by her question Rex took a good long look at her. "You're Laurie Freedman, right?" Recognition poured back into his mind as he studied his old classmate. "I'm surprised you remembered me."
"Oh I remember you," she mused, her eyes continuing to sweep his body, but being careful not to look again into his face. "I almost asked you to the Sadie Hawkins dance our senior year, but I chickened out." She seemed a bit embarrassed by the admission.
Rex, on the other hand, was completely stunned by it. He had considered asking Laurie to prom, but instead asked his soon to be ex wife instead. "I wish you would have asked me," he continued, his eyes once again meeting hers. "Why didn't you?"
Laurie looked down and away for a moment before turning back to Rex. "Well, you don't look too injured, but I think you should get checked out by the ER just in case," she replied pensively, as if she was steeling herself for something. "My shift is just about over, and your car isn't looking so good. How about I drive you to the ER, and I can tell you along the way?" Her face went absolutely blank as she stared at Rex, waiting his answer.
Rex could only smile, and for once in a very long time felt a ray of hope. "I would really like it if you would."
Laurie sighed softly, as her face broke out into a beaming smile. "Good, I would really like that too."