Her Body of Muscle: Winter vs the Nanobots

Chapter 18

Jackson and Winter frantically scanned one another for injury.  Winter was bleeding from her head somewhere, but Jackson seemed miraculously unscathed save for the blood slowly seeping through Winter's blue jean bandage.  The car puttered but was still running.  Jackson slipped it back into gear and ripped into the acceleration.  The tires spun uselessly.  The car was running, but suspended from the rear axel on the short guard rail protecting the parking lot from the hill.  Peering back up out of the window, Winter saw the BMW pointing out over the hill.  The headlight beams piercing the rain as a man peered down the hill at them.  They had to move.

Looking up Winter realized that they had skidded right into the parking lot of a gas station.  A decrepit looking door had a bathroom icon on it.  Her entire body was quaking in panicked terror.  She couldn't think cogently.  Her arms seemed numb, her legs shivering like jello.

"The bathroom!" Winter yelled urgently.  She didn't have a plan, just knew they had to get out of sight and fast.

Jackson shook his head, clearing his dizziness and looked where she was pointing.  "Ok, let's go." He said resolutely.  Winter felt some comfort in Jack's relatively calm demeanor.  He wore very little expression save that focused determination.

Winter unbuckled and reached down and picked up the black case.  Is this what this is all about? Her hands shook as she gripped it with two hands.  Standing up she felt dizzy and threw a hand back on the top of the car to steady herself.  Jackson unbuckled as well.   Feeling her strength returning, as she exited the car Winter looked back into the front seat and noticed the raincoat underneath Jackson.  Damn, had she known it was there she wouldn't be prancing around in her birthday suit.  Too late now.  Turning around, she sprinted after Jack as he rushed towards the bathroom door.

Ripping the door open, Jackson held it for Winter as he glanced up the hill shivering.  The BMW's front lights blasted through the rain drops as he saw it flying down the hill, whipping around the road towards them.  He slammed the door shut and flicked on the light.

The horrifically dirty bathroom showcased broken tiles and half shattered halogen lights above.  Jackson flipped the deadbolt closed, locking them in the bathroom.  They both scanned the room and noticed the pedestal sink.  Despite a bum arm, he squatted down and tried to pull the sink from the floor.  It creaked but didn't budge.

"I'll take the other side." Winter said and squatted down next to him.  Her nakedness completely irrelevant in the moment.  Together they torqued and twisted and succeeded in wrenching the fixture from the ground.  They propped it under the doorhandle further solidifying their barricade.

Jackson slumped down on the floor, absolutely wiped out.

He looked up at Winter.  She was trembling, scanning his face apologetically.

"What. The. Fuck is going on."  He looked at Winter accusingly.

Winter looked down at the ground shaking.  Oh god if only she knew.

"We could have died.  Goddamnit I was shot.  I mean, what is going on?" Jackson said again softly already feeling like he let his fear get the best of him for a moment.

Winter slouched down beside him, hanging her head in dismay.  Her eyes involuntarily welling up with moisture.  Jackson looked over at her, seeing that she too was on the absolute brink of totalitarian horror and despair, he immediately softened.

"I'm sorry, Winter, I'm so sorry.  I just... I just... what is going on, this isn't your fault I know, please, it's not your fault."  He threw his arms around her naked shoulders pulling her head into his injured shoulder-well.

Winter looked up as tears streamed down her face, flustered, terrified, naked, cold she had never felt as hopeless as she did at that moment.  Casting her head back down her eyes focused on the black case once more.  Jackson followed her eyes down to the box as well.