Emotionless »« Newt

SIXTEEN

The car's going slowly through the tunnel, but with every inch it moves, Leandra's worry gets even worse. She can feel it from the others, but it's not the only thing giving her reason. After all, she knows for a fact there are Cranks here, all around them, and getting closer with every movement they make. But it's no reason for her to say anything, right? After all, she told the others already...

"Just take it nice and slow..." Newt reminds Frypan lowly, hesitant, but the moment he does Leandra sucks in a sharp breath and Frypan slams his foot down on the brake. They look up, and there's a Crank standing a few meters away from them, choking on his own spit as his dark, soulless eyes stare at the kids in the truck.

"It's okay," Thomas says lowly. "It's just one, so take it slow, go around him. We'll be fine. Take it slow."

"It's not just one," Leandra mutters.

"You could be wrong."

"I'm not gonna be wrong about something like this, damnit, Thomas!" 

Frypan starts going anyway, Newt slowly rolling his window up as an extra precaution, when Leandra's sudden movement alarms Thomas. He nearly yelps, catching sight of her flinging her arms, only to realise they're over her head as she curls up into a tiny ball on the seat. "She doesn't want to die," the blonde whispers to herself, voice muffled, suddenly near tears. "Let her in. Please, let her in."

No sooner than it escapes her mouth does something crash against her door, but the girl doesn't even look up as the bedraggled half-Crank violently starts trying to open the door. "Please. Please. Help me. Please! Open the door!"

Another Crank hits Thomas's door, grunting incomprehensibly to himself with eyes that seem to cut straight through the kids, Thomas's voice rising as he tries to get Frypan to drive off. Suddenly there are more Cranks all around the car, crashing their entire bodies against it, and just as Frypan gets the car to dash forwards a Crank jumps onto the front, roaring.

No matter what turns Frypan makes, it doesn't seem to fly off, and Leandra doesn't once loosen herself from the tight ball she's in. Newt manages to reach back and put a hand on hers, but either she doesn't realise or she doesn't react, lips pursed tightly as she's oblivious to all the yelling of the boys around her till the Crank goes flying off the windshield.

"FRYPAN, WATCH OUT!" Thomas yells, but it's too late before they've crashed into something they can barely make out on the road, pain in their bodies as the vehicle goes flying, landing upside-down with the sound of shattering glass echoing in their ears.

For a moment, Leandra swears everything goes black. Then suddenly she's brought to by yelling, Thomas tugging on her arm to get her out through the smashed window, and she's small enough to wriggle through without much difficulty. But the pain in her head doesn't stop.

"Look out!" she yells, and they whirl around to see a Crank coming their way fast, snarling and spitting. She reaches for her gun in her belt, pulling it out as the other boys yell for Frypan to hurry what he's doing in the car, but by the time he's emerged with a rifle she's shot it dead already, watching with sad eyes as it writhes around on the ground before finally going still. "They're still coming," she says breathlessly, turning to the boys. "Both sides. There's no way out."

No sooner than she says it do they appear on one side, rushing towards them as fast as they possibly can, and when they boys start running the other way they realise what Leandra said is true, that they're closed off. It doesn't stop Frypan from shooting one side, though, Andi raising her gun and helping with the exit side, but before long Frypan's gun runs out and Leah's is running low, not enough to get them out.