My Life Underground ~ 11 ~ The Great Escape

PART ELEVEN:

I crouch down under the window. My heart racing. I wonder if there is any way we can get rid of them. I rise up and peek out through the blinds, as carefully as I can. They are pulling guns out of the trunks of the cars. Big guns. They mean to do this quickly then and just get rid of us, because there is no way they are going to go unseen with guns like that. The cops will be on them like a fat kid on a cupcake. Keenan and Andy are talking about something in hushed voices. I crouch back down in fear. I try to listen to what Keenan is saying, focus on his voice but there is something louder. There is a voice in my head that is louder than all the commotion. It's telling me that I'm going to die. That I won't make it out of here alive. I believe it.

Keenan approaches me, quietly and calmly. Andy is talking on his cell phone now. Pacing in circles. Keenan crouches down beside me.

"I think we have this figured out girl. We just gotta hope this is going to work."

"What? What are we doing?"

Andy is off the phone before Keenan can answer.

"Let's go, NOW." he yells.

"No time." Keenan whispers to me.

I want to tell Andy to stop yelling, that he is just going to alert the fuckin enemy that we are in here. But I don't. Keenan is right there is no time. There is banging on the front door. Keenan grabs me and we follow Andy to a side door on his house. He swings the door open and leads us out into the garage of his house. His car is parked in here.

"Get in." he says.

"There's gotta be some other way out?!" says Keenan, he is getting frantic, scared, I can hear it in his voice.

"Well, there isn't, they were gathering out the back door too, while you guys were having a moment I was keeping a look out. They're everywhere, this is our only chance out. I don't wanna do it any more than you do, so if you think of anything better than let me know."

Keenan and I stand in silence.

"Okay, then get in the car."

We listen. Keenan opens the back door and I get in. He buckles my seat belt on me. He opens the passenger door and gets in, buckling his own belt too. Andy climbs into the drivers seat.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Keenan asks him, "Isn't this a only-works-in-the-movies kind of thing?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out. And we only have one chance at this."

Keenan turns back to me. "Ainslee, if this doesn't work you only have one chance at living. Run."

"Let's do this." says Andy.

It all happens in a matter of seconds. Andy starts the car, revving the engine high. He throws it into drive and slams the gas. We fly forward through the garage door in a grinding screech of broken metal and shattered glass. I throw my hands up over my head and duck down in the back seat. The car sways around as Andy navigates us out of his driveway. This is when the shooting starts. It starts from in the car first, I glance a peek up and see Keenan, shooting out of the passenger side window. The sound of their response to Keenan's shooting hits. The sound of automatic weapons. I hear the loud sharp cracks, ripping through the calm suburban air. The sound of metal on metal as the car is hit. Our tires squeal as we get onto the road and the shooting from inside the car stops. Keenan has put his gun away.

"I took out at least one tire on each of their cars." Keenan says, laughter slipping into his voice in what must be an extreme moment of relief.

Andy is laughing too now. The relief is tangible in the car. We did it, we got out. We aren't off the hook yet, but we got out. I laugh too. I laugh in the face of my own doubts. I laugh at the voice that tells me I will die. Even through my laughter that voice is there. Still telling me that this isn't over yet.

"Do you mind if I smoke in here?" I ask Andy.

He gestures to the broken windshield. "No, not at all, I don't think a little smoke is going to hurt this thing anymore than it already is." He is laughing again.

I light my smoke and sit in silence. Listen to them talking. I close my eyes and I listen. They have a plan. They know what we are doing, I don't. I almost feel bad for involving Andy. but he might be our only chance.

A little while later we pull up into an alley. Andy throws the car in park and we all get out. We walk silently down the street together until we get to the hotel Keenan paid for and we go up to our room. I am suddenly angry. This is their big master plan. To hide in here. Keenan closes the door and Andy sits down on the bed, relief all over his face. I am still angry.

"So this is it," I yell, "we just sit here and wait for them to find us, I know we bought time, but seriously guys."

Keenan and Andy look at me, shocked.

"Ainslee, sit down." says Andy, " I will tell you what is going on. My contacts will be here in a few, as soon as they can."

I look at him, doubtfully.

"Sit down."

I sit.