Mission in Paris

On the Road

The raging storm had quieted to a light pitter-patter.

They all just sat there in silence, not knowing what to say or do but wait patiently. They'd been driving for hours without stopping. Dawn was already breaking.

Holiday, in the backseat of the old, rusty truck, had her chin cupped in her hand, eyes out the window, watching the fields and houses whiz past.

Badger, also in the backseat, was leaning back in his seat, face tilted slightly upward as he too was staring out beyond the truck's safe doors.

Cam, in the passenger's seat, looked bored as ever. Her foot tapping lightly as her cheek rested in her palm.

Adam, the last of the group and driver was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel to nonexistent music. He kept his eyes on the road though wishing, like everyone else, that the ride would just end.

A flash of white and black caught Adam's attention and he sat up straighter, checking the rearview mirror. Sure enough, it was exactly what he'd been dreading. A police car. Though he'd caused no trouble, he'd hated them ever since they'd held him up and refused to let him go a few years back. He did only look sixteen and had he been a normal person, he would have been around that age so people tended to look at him funny when he drove.

Then there was also that fact that he had no driver's license. If a policeperson stopped him, he'd be forced to make some stupid, risky escape again that'd result in having his picture on wanted posters all around town. Drawing attention was the last thing he wanted. Especially now that it was so crucial to get the Whittier Corporation of their scent.

He swore under his breath but the silence was so quiet, everyone heard him clearly. They looked at him, wondering what could possibly piss him off now.

"I think we'll have to ditch this heap of junk," Adam groaned.

"Why?" Badger asked surprised.

"We have a follower."

Three heads turned towards the back. Gasps and groans immediately replaced the silence.

"Maybe it's just passing by," Holiday suggested. "I mean, they have no reason to hold us up. We're going at a reasonable pace."

"Remember the last time something like this happened?!" Adam drawled sarcastically. "We didn't do anything then either."

"No, you were just underage," Holiday crossed her arms sarcastically.

Adam glared at her.

She sighed and glanced at the slowing police car just feet away now.

"Do you think it's because we stole the truck?" Cam asked, her brow creased in worry.

"How could they know?" Badger cried.

"Well someone could have called in. It's not too early to wake. And no one could not notice a missing vehicle. Especially if it stood right in front of a window."

"Well, we've been driving all night. They can't have caught up already," Holiday reasoned.

"Didn't you see that police station just ten minutes ago?!" Cam sighed. "It's the closest one to that ruddy town and the only one they'd call."

Adam put on a burst of speed and the police car did the same. Adam cursed loudly and put on more speed. The car followed, now attempting to block them.

Adam, being extra skilled at most everything, veered around and dodged it expertly. "Yeah, it's definitely after us."

And with that, he sped even faster, going triple the speed limit.

"We gotta ditch-and-dive," Adam cringed as he scraped the side of the road. Groans and protests rose immediately. They'd only done that a handful of times and though it'd always been a success, it wasn't fun. Once, they'd almost rammed into an innocent pedestrian, doing it.

"We'll do it here," Adam shouted as they bumped and soared over potholes. He pointed towards a narrow, dirt bridge that went from the road to a wheat field. It was just to walk across the ditch. Not for vehicles.

"On the count of three."

They all unbelted and gripped the door handles.

"One."

Adam tried to hold the truck steady, making it slightly easier for the big moment.

"Two."

He looked behind him.

"Three."

All four of them opened the doors and jumped. They rolled to the sides and scrambled to their feet.

"This way," Adam shouted, pointing at the field.

"It says 'no trespassing'," Badger gestured to the bright red sign.

"Who cares. Just go."

The police car skidded to a stop as the rusty truck they'd abandoned went barreling down the street, out of control. It was very near an owned property so it could cause damage.

Sheep started bleeting, dogs barked, and chickens scattered.

A woman got out of the car, talking fast into her walkie talkie. She ran towards the crazed truck and directed everyone out of the way. It crashed into a fence and stopped. The wooden barrier broke and toppled over.

This moment of distraction was all the Four needed to escape. Into the field they ran, heading for the opposite side.

After settling the chaos, the policewoman ran after them but they'd already had a good head start and were way ahead of her. She shouted for them to stop and hollered out threats but they couldn't care less.