On the Run by M Zeigler (short story to read TXT) 📖

everything included in all ink I have has sentimental meaning, and my full sleeve is no exception. After taking in the tattoo’s she turns for the car not bothering to say anymore, she’s been quiet, almost relaxed the entire way here.

“Barrette, where’s the tank at?” Bonnie asks nervously, I look over at her when I answer. “A little over half, Why?” I reply to her, she yanks open the car door still looking towards the far end of the truck stop parking lot with worry in her eyes. “Because we have company and it’s not black and white’s either.” Bonnie announces, I look back to the driveway and see Devon’s black Jaguar almost at the big rig gas pumps twenty feet away. Deciding that the last, now dollar and some change is not worth waiting for I put the nozzle back in the pump and jump into the car. I don’t bother with a safety belt at this time because I’m more worried about getting shot, again, compared to getting into a car accident and dying.

“I hope you can drive like the devils on your heels.” Bonnie warns as I drive out onto the side road that doubles as an onramp. “Me too.” I reply focusing on the road as Bonnie watches her crazed lunatic of a cousin behind us.

“Get into the fast lane-

“Bonnie I’ve got this.” I interrupt her sternly when she starts instructing me on where to go. “Barrette, he is gaining ground you cannot let him get close to us.” Bonnie says anxiously until I reach up and grab her by the belt and shove her back into her seat. “Put your damn seat belt on, close your eyes and your mouth and hang on.” I finally regress to having to yell at the woman riding shot gun, she gives a pathetic growl as she crams her seat belt buckle into the latch and takes hold of the door panel.

Looking to the rear view mirror I see exactly where that black jaguar is, taking a good look at the front license plate I see that the car was just purchased from a dealership within the last thirty days. It doesn’t even have its plate yet. “Bonnie, how many people know how to remove the shut-off switch on a twenty fourteen Jaguar?” I ask her, she looks at me incredulously.

“How am I supposed to know?!” She yells back clearly distraught that I am the one driving right now. “Only two, the car designer and a redneck with a score to keep and a bone to pick. Watch this!” I announce sarcastically looking at the road ahead where one lane is shut down with construction workers lounging in the shade cast down by their work truck. I drop back a few car spaces so that Devon is right behind the Mustang which only has Bonnie worrying even more than she already was. Devon thinks he’s won when he sees the chromed bumper of the mustang; he leans into the steering wheel more. I can almost see him urging the gas pedal further to the floor in his car; I swap lanes so that I’m in the center lane between the fast lane and the slow lane which is closed up ahead because of the construction.

I let Devon get right up on the fender, probably almost touching the back plate before I shift up to top speed bringing up a good fifteen feet ahead of the car chasing us. As soon as I pass up the first road cone I give Bonnie a last minute warning. “Hang on!” I shout locking up the breaks on the mustang, Devon’s car tries to stop but the moron realizes that is not going to happen so he instead swerves towards the construction workers. His car slams straight into the back of the road crews work truck easily eliminating Michael for the time being.

To avoid us getting hit I shift back into gear and take off as fast as I possibly can, glancing in the passenger’s side mirror I see that Devon is stepping out of the car holding the side of his head as the construction workers run over to make sure he’s okay. Michael throws his car keys to the ground in a fit of rage only making the roads workers worry more.

“Barrette.” Bonnie’s shrill voice chirps from the passenger’s seat. “Yeah darlin?” I ask as if nothing was amiss, she doesn’t take her eyes off the windshield when she speaks. “That, was by far…the most brilliant trick ever!” She exclaims at the last of her sentence, I can still see she’s quite shaken but the sense of proud overpowers her fear.

“Thank you, and we are now ten minutes from the Mayors house.” I announce driving down the off ramp into quaint, beautiful, small town, Auburn. This beautiful, peaceful town is about to be turned up side down and shaken by the time we leave.  “Are we going in guns blazing?” Bonnie asks, at this point I feel the urge to smack my head on a steering wheel. “No sweetie we are not going in with plans to shoot anyone. We are going in disguised, I’m going to rough up the Mayor, and you’re going to ask the questions. Got it? No shooting unless someone deserves to be shot?” I confirm that she’s understanding what I’m telling her.

“Bummer.” She whispers under her breath, my jaw strains with irritation, even after all of this she still enjoys shooting people. “DO you understand, Bonnie?” I growl through clenched teeth. “Yes, yes, fine, no shooting the bad guys unless they shoot first.” Bonnie moans painfully as if I’m pulling her teeth or something.

“Good, now where do I turn?” I ask, the raven haired cutie riding shot gun looks at the GPS I got from the tour bus and starts pushing buttons. “I don’t know, how does this thing even work?” Bonnie asks when about ten error screens pop up. “Give me that.” I grumble snagging the digital map from Bonnie’s hands. “Well excuse me sir, for having a distinct distaste for modern, electronic, crap.” Bonnie says sounding very much like a teenager with an attitude problem.

“That was easy.” I say setting the device on the dash board. “Turn left on Broad.” The machine chimes in it’s robotic girl voice. “That is disturbing.” Bonnie says with a mortified look on her face that is aimed solely at the GPS.

“Says the woman who likes shooting people.” My rebuttal goes unnoticed by Bonnie who’s busy staring nervously at the GPS. “Honestly, you’ve never seen a GPS?” I ask when she makes a funny face at the robotic voice. “Ya know what GPS stands for in my book? Gosh-darn piece of scrap-metal, and that’s usually what I say when I’m on the side of the road looking for the flash light to read a road map!” Bonnie shouts back in a goofy joking manner, but still trying to sound like she’s genuinely irritated with my comment.

“You missed your turn. Re-calculating.” The device says and Bonnie glares at it. “Who asked you?” Bonnie argues. “Turn left at Johnson Avenue.” The device replies to Bonnie who looks at me with an entirely serious face. “Barrette, it’s me or the GPS.” She says, giving an eye roll at her antics I reach over and shut the machine off. I’m already taking a left on Johnson, at this point I know which house I’m looking for and I missed the first turn for a reason.

“Okay goofy goober, that’s the house.” I say pointing to the largest one on the block that takes up two lots, one on each street. Bonnie takes one look at the house and notices the same thing I do, security guards. “How do we get past the guards?” She asks, I look from the two medium build guards over to Bonnie. “What’s on our criminal charge list so far?” I ask her, she thinks a moment. “Murder, running from the law, armed robbery, crossing state lines with a felony warrant, transport of illegal stolen police evidence…I think that’s it.” Bonnie replies, I nod giving my best not bad look. I light up a cigarette as we watch the house to see if any more guards become present, Bonnie lights up a cigarette of her own as she watches the street for any of Devon’s goons or anything that could possibly put this mission in the slammer.

“Barrette, up there parked at the curb.” Bonnie announces, looking in the direction of where her finger is pointing I see a midsized Buick with a woman driving the car, a woman in the passenger seat, another woman in the back and a screaming baby in the middle of the back seat. All three women are arguing crazily and hollering causing the baby to scream more. “That doesn’t look strange at all.” I remark being entirely sarcastic reaching to the back seat to grab my white men’s short sleeve shirt.

Bonnie watches as I change out of my black shirt into the white one, then put on those leather gun straps that I had on at the roof top shoot out. “There’s another black SUV over there.” Bonnie informs pointing ahead on our side of the street. When I’ve got myself looking battle ready I step out with Bonnie not far behind me. “Really? And I’m the one who got carried away?” Bonnie comments when I pluck the hat from the back seat and place it on my head.

“You’re the one who said we kind of had the right to.” I respond as she pulls her guns out from under her seat. This is the first time I’ve really looked at the two revolvers, they are guns of legend, there was a rumor that started in nineteen twenty nine that one of Jesse James men gave Clyde Barrow two python Colt.45 revolvers that were kissed by the rose. Of course everyone put the legend to rest because you cannot have a python and a colt revolver, unless of course it’s a Colt with a python inlaid into the steel.

“You ready?” I ask Bonnie. Without missing a beat Bonnie looks up at me and gives the last sarcastic remark I thought she’d bring up seeing as I was trying to save her. “I’m ready, just try not and become Swiss cheese this time? The idea is to not get shot!”

“Hey, I was watching your back woman.” I snap at her as we cross the street, the moment we hit the decorative road divider the men in the black SUV step out and so do the three women in the car. I pull my twin Kimbers from their holsters and click the slides together like I seen done in a movie one time which is what brought me to buying the guns to begin with. Both guns load perfectly and are ready for full action. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just Denzel Washington this case.” Bonnie says tucking one of her revolvers into the back of her pants.

Upon getting to the back fence I take lead and kick the back gate down, the guard who is right beside the back door radios to the other guards. Within seconds several armed men come into the yard with guns locked and loaded. I feel Bonnie’s back press against mine. “Do we shoot?” She asks me, I look at all six guards I’m facing and realize the only way to get in is by open firing. “Try not to kill anyone.” I reply, with those words spoken I fire several shots from both guns, hitting two guards at a time; each one takes a bullet to the shoulder or leg. Bonnie’s gun fire rings out four times before she presses her shoulder against mine urging me to let her in the yard.

“I’ll cover the front door, you take the back.” Bonnie says as she runs down the side yard towards the front, without defect I attempt to slide open