Titanium Promises

Twenty-one

I can't let myself freeze, there's not enough time. I immediately grab Luke's shirt and flip him onto the ground behind the bed. Luke gives me a look right before the sounds of a hundred bullets fill the air.

The window shatters first, sending a spray of bullets into the bathroom door. I can make out the faint sound of fabric ripping as it attacks the bed, though it's drowned out by the gunshots. Luke and I lower ourselves further to the ground, trying to avoid the bullets. Luke wraps himself around me before I can stop him, shielding me from the guns' rage.

Eventually the bullets stop, but my heart beats just as loud as the shots. Luke rips his gun from his pocket and sits up, laying his arm on the bed. He fires five shots, but he's interrupted by the sound of squealing tires. He curses under his breath before looking at me.

Luke looks at me. "Thanks," is all he says.

"No problem." I barely peek my head over the top of the bed to see that they're gone. I stand up, helping Luke onto his feet.

"Where do we go now?" I ask. I'm not going to keep waiting here for another assasination attempt.

Luke's already grabbing his bag and shoving loose clothing inside of it. "I don't know. We'll figure it out in the car, let's go."

That's how we do everything nowadays.

We frantically pack everything, including three guns, and go out to Luke's car. Or at least what's left of it.

"Fuck!" Luke yells, ramming his fist into the hood of his car.

The men in the cars completely tore the tires apart with the bullets and shattered the front windshield. Luke barely takes a moment to mourn over the trashed car before storming over to another car in the parking lot. It's a small Toyota that has to be at least ten years old. The silver paint is chipping, the windshield covered in dirt and bird shit.

"What are—"

Luke interrupts me by breaking the window with the butt of his gun. People have started gathering outside by now, and a thin woman yells, "That's my car!"

Luke ignores her, getting into the driving seat as I frantically get into the passenger seat and close the door behind me. He opens a compartment and finds the keys resting inside.

I nearly laugh at how someone would leave the keys in the car.

Luke swerves out of the driveway before the lady can reach us.

"Stop him!" I hear the lady scream.

Suddenly, a man leaps in front of the car. Luke slams his foot onto the breaks, the seat belt digging into my sternum. He doesn't tell the man to move as he twists the steering wheel and puts his foot back on the gas. We speed past the man, tearing through the secluded rows of flowers that were in front of the motel. The car shakes, throwing me left and right until we finally make it onto the open road.

Luke floors it, and the road screams into view as I'm pressed back into my seat.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Luke shouts, slamming his hands into the steering wheel at every curse. The car swerves to the left, and my heart leaps.

"Luke!" I yell. My anxiety is replaced with worry for him.

Fuming, he snaps his head in my direction. He exhales breath after breath, the intensity never leaving his eyes.

"It's okay," I say quietly.

He sucks in a breath and turns his face back towards the front of the road.

"Where are we going?" I ask, keeping my voice placid in hopes that he'll feel calmer too.

"My dad's cabin," he says, losing only an ounce of intensity.