Death Defy

Part 16

“Drive Jackson drive,” Lily yells at my brother and I feel our speed increase slightly.

“We can’t miss it. Brace yourself,” I shout as I see a wave of dust getting ever so closer.

We both chuck our guns out of the truck and hold onto the sides as the wave makes contact. The back of the truck gets lifted off the ground for a moment then slams back down, Jackson seems completely oblivious to the event, Lily and I on the other hand are slammed down with the truck and we both almost lose our grip. After tightening our grip another, more powerful, shockwave hits and the truck careens off the road and crashes into a forest. Lily smashes into the cab of the truck while I'm sent over it. I groggily stand up; I had the good fortune to smash into a bushy tree so I am mostly uninjured. The others, not so much.    

Lily falls out of the back of the truck and lands with a thud. She tries to stand but is forced to lean against the truck for support. Jackson stumbles out of the cab, a large gash on his forehead where it must have been cut by some glass. Jackson looks fine so I go check on Lily.

“What happened?” I ask as I approach her.

“We had an unexpected companion,” she tells me.

Before I press any further, I get a look at her leg. Bite marks have pierced the fabric of her dress and also her skin.

“Damn buggers can twist,” meaning that when it bit her, it broke her leg by yanking its head vigorously.

“What happened to it?”

“Their necks can only twist so far,”

“You can’t walk,” I don't ask her, I tell her.

As if to prove my point she tries to put some weight on her leg but winces from the pain.

“Stay,”

Jackson is leaning against a tree trunk; car crashes do take a lot out of a person. There is blood dripping from his head to the ground, but luckily it isn’t much.

“You ok?” I ask him.

“Yeah, it's just a scratch,”

“Look, I'm sorry about what just happened, it's all my fault. I should have stayed away,”

“Rory look, I don't blame you for anything, but I will if we don't get out of here soon,”

“I’ll go see if there are any cars,”

As I climb up the embankment that the car came off I see Jackson move back to the truck and stand with Lily. Both of them should be fine, I was lucky not to get injured aside from a few cuts and bruises. I get on the road on look back to where the town used to be. Only a smouldering wreck remains. I turn around and get blinded by headlights. A car pulls up in front of me and a bearded man gets out.

“What are you doing standing in the middle of the road like that?” he then sees the truck in the forest. “Is anyone hurt?”

“The others are. Can you help?”

“Sure, let’s get them,”

I have never met a man so trusting in someone he has just met.

We head back down towards the crashed truck; the man has brought a torch with him.

“Jackson? Is that you?” the bearded man asks.

“Keith? Oh thank god you’re safe,”

“Pleasantries later. Jackson, Keith, get Lily to the car. I’ll get the baggage,” I cut in.