Y.E.E.T.

Dangerous Freedom

The world was grey and bleak beyond the tinted windows. The sky was pale baby blue and cloudless, and the sun was still radiant, yet the atmosphere was lifeless.

Dunes gave way to dunes on the horizon. The corpse of an animal near the highway quickly flickered by like a mouse click. The speed gauge was dancing around 120mph. The border was becoming closer and closer.

The AC was cool inside, in contrast to the melting pot outside. Bruce adjusted it higher, to kill any sign of heat under his sweater.

"You could've died you know," he said. He'd been going on about this throughout the whole journey and just wouldn't shut up. " And they were lined up one behind the other. Just one shot and you go with..."

"For the last time!" cried Jessie irked to the core. "I DONT KILL PEOPLE LIKE YOU!"

"They wouldn't have thought twice about killing you! You know this is not some virtuous hero world where morals without consequences rule supreme! This is the real world, and people will kill you just like that!"

"We ended up getting away without me hurting anybody." Her tone had dropped two bars as if she was trying to evade his supersonic shouting. "I didn't have to hurt them."

"Because I was quick enough to drive off...You know what, your right. You're just not cut for this stuff." He always ended like this but would start back at it again after a couple of silent minutes. "You'll be home soon, and you won't remember any of this, don't worry..." Then he murmured the rest to himself saying, "And after that, I get the Atticus..."

He wound down his windows to get fresh air, suddenly the AC wasn't enough. He abruptly put it back up when he realized it was useless; it was hot outside.

A vulture flying along with their truck suddenly steered away from the road. A looming shadow hung right over them, and the muzzled sound of helicopter blades slapping the air.

"They're here," announced Bruce. "Let's go, they're taking us to safety."

"How do you know they're not the other guys?" questioned Jessie.

"Did you see their anti-aircraft guns! They are super cheap, and most of the guns those guys had aren't that top-notch either. That's how I managed to slaughter them; they don't know how to effectively use faulty weapons as I do. But yeah, that's not them. Those are my guys I called them."

Immediately, he skidded out of the highway and ran over a cactus in the process. He stopped the car once a good length away from the choppers landing zone and jumped out of the vehicle.

"C' mon let's go!" he commanded Jessie in a raspy voice.

"Are you sure that's them!" There was a machine gun between two soldiers holding rifles. A gunner behind it pointed straight at them.

Her heart pulse was beyond lightspeed. If they decided to shoot, and Bruce was wrong, death was obviously certain. If they weren't the allies, there was no point in turning back, or hitting the ground to dodge the fire, or running zigzag. She was at the complete mercy of strangers. At the mercy of the unknown. She crossed her fingers, hoping that they didn't fire as she ran toward them. Sand constantly flew back into her eyes.

"Are you sure they are your friends," she repeated herself.

"Of course," Bruce replied. "I know them."

They didn't fire. Bruce was right.

The helicopter was stationed on top of the road. The engine was still on and the blades were still turning.

Two guys dressed in full sand camouflage were at each side of the door, and a gunner in the middle. Jessie almost collapsed on the bars below the door when one of them extended his hand to help her climb aboard.