Furtive

Pursued

Chapter 14

“So Deo, who I thought died in a car accident 3 years ago, is alive?” asked Felan as we came to the end of the quite street we were walking down.

“That’s right,” confirmed Julia.

“And he’s part of a gang?”

“That’s also right, I guess,” replied Julia.

“And you want me to join that gang?” asked Felan.

Jeeze, this kid was full of questions.

“Yes, that is what we’ve just discussed,” answered Julia, becoming slightly impatient. Felan stopped and thought for a moment. He turned to Julia and I with his arms folded looking arrogant.

“How would all this benefit me, personally,” he said smartly. I rolled my eyes and Julia sighed.

“Well if you don’t come with us, there is a slim chance that you’ll be dead by Christmas,” said Julia.

Felan took this information in and nodded. He looked down at his feet and whispered to himself. Julia and I glanced at each other, wearing ‘what the fuck?’ expressions.

“I’ll come,” Felan finally said, “on one condition.”

“And what’s that?” I finally spoke up.

“I get the front seat in the car.”

This kid was a real smart ass but I somehow felt he would come in quite handy someday. The three of us walked back in silence. We entered the driveway and Felan looked up at his house.

“I’ll grab my things,” he muttered as he disappeared around the side of the house. Julia leaned back on the car in the driveway. She sighed and folded her arms.

“That kid is quite the handful,” she groaned. I laughed and propped myself next to her. The front door swung opened and I expected to see Felan. Instead, the ‘nanny’ stood there.

“What did I say,” she yelled, “you youngsters better get off this property or I’m calling the police!”

Julia swung through the broken front window and into the driver’s seat. I rushed around the other side of the car and jumped into the back seat, leaving the front seat free for Felan. If only he would hurry up.

“Ah the engine,” Julia moaned. She jumped out of the car and pulled the bonnet up. I heard the nanny yelling at Julia but she didn’t seem to take notice. The car finally roared to life and Julia hopped back in. The front door of the house slammed and Felan rushed around the side and hopped into the front seat. He was holding a backpack and a suitcase. Did he think he was going on some holiday? Julia pulled out of the driveway and drove back along the street. Felan looked out the window, sad almost. Nobody spoke and the radio was turned down to a dull hum. Up ahead was a large block of traffic, great. We slowed down and Julia put her head out the window.

“Looks like a car accident, we might be here for a while,” she said, ducking back into the car. People walked along the pavement next to the vehicle and I sank down below the window. I was still so worried about being caught, either by the Double A or Maddy’s creepy father. Piercing screams and yells filled the streets. Julia unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped out of the driver’s seat.

“What the?”

I looked up out the window to find countless civilians running in the opposite direction to the traffic. Some were carrying children and others were running for their dear life. Julia immediately fell to the road and I reacted by sinking down onto the car floor. There was an incredibly loud boom and all the car windows shattered around me. Felan screamed and held his hands to his ears. My ears began to ring loudly and all the sounds around me became muffled. I peeked out the window to find Julia flat on the road, holding her hands to her head. I leapt out of the car and Julia turned to face me.