Kimber remained focused on the road behind us throughout our ascent. It was slow-going at times and we got stuck every mile or two. I wondered if Kimber could even get the car back down in the morning. There seemed to be no fear in her: no anxiety in her voice, no agitation in her movements. Kimber knew as well as I did that this was the end. And she didn't hesitate to meet it.
Finally, I saw what I was looking for: a turnoff to a more level road that would move us laterally around the mountain. I took the corner and drove a mile and a half down the road before finally putting the car in park. Kimber turned around in her seat and stared out the back window.
"They're not following us." I said.
"How do you know?"
"Because I've been followed before."
Kimber turned back around in her seat and chewed on her thumbnail.
"But just because we're not being followed doesn't mean we can go back," I said. "They're not gonna let us off this mountain." I choked on a deep breath of thin mountain air hoping to calm my racing heart.
Kimber patted my back. "Breathe, Sam." She leaned forward and popped her glove compartment open, then took out a large, folded paper target.
"Why do you keep that in your car?" I asked.
Kimber shrugged. "Practice." She opened the door and stepped out into the snow. I followed her.
"You think they're following us and you want to shoot a gun out here?" I said.
"You said we weren't being followed. I trust you." She gave me a small smile as if she hadn't said anything significant. Kimber trusted me. It was a bittersweet victory that wouldn't last long.
"Come on," she said. "You need to learn how to shoot. Use the Beretta since you favor it so much."
"Honestly I just thought it looked cool." I admitted.
"It does. And it sounds cool, too. Have you ever shot a firearm before?"
"Once. But I didn't hit anything."
"Well, that's not going to be acceptable up here. We have a lot of ammunition but it's not going to help us if you can't hit anything."
I couldn't argue with that.
"Now the sheriff is probably going to be wearing a vest so you can't aim for body mass - you'll need to hit him in the head. Same with Jimmy and anyone else that shoots at you."
"Okay." I said, as if we weren't discussing murdering cops.
Kimber walked twenty yards away and pinned the target to a tree branch. "Now the Beretta is a semi-automatic gun so you won't need to chamber every cartridge. Just point and shoot in succession."
"Right," I said.
"You don't need to rack the slide because there's already a bullet in the firing chamber. Your left foot should be in front of your right, about shoulder length apart. Hold the gun with both hands. Good. Now align the sights and fix on the target. Squeeze the trigger when you're ready."
