Clouds gathered and crept slowly up the highway. Soft, silent
flashes of light told the lone traveler that a storm was headed his way.
He looked behind him. Not a car in sight. He cursed the old man at
the last station.....
”Mexico, eh? Take State 111, Son. It’s a well traveled road. You’ll
get a ride in no time.”
Yeah, that was some kind of joke he’d pulled. That old man just might
wind up laughing out the other side of his face one of these days.
But there wasn’t time for that now.
Right now there was nothing he could do except keep walking.
Distant thunder caused him to look up. The wind striking his face was
chilly and scented with rain. He stopped to open his knap-sack and take out
a parka. It was just a little small for his muscled frame but he managed to
get it zipped. He pulled the hood over his long, blond hair and tied it tight.
The parka was pink, and he felt ridicules, but at least it would offer
a little protection when the storm hit. He closed the sack and begin to grimly
walk onward.
The land around was as barren as West-Texas could get. He had passed a
few houses, about two or three hours ago, but had seen no other signs of life
along the road. Most of the homes had looked run down and deserted. If the
storm had been threatening him then he would have chanced a closer look. But
the skies had been sunny and clear. Now there was nothing but sand and sage
brush around.
Damn old coot, he thought. I should have cut his frigging throat!
Night came rapidly as the sun set and the storm brewed. With it came the
rain. It was not a drizzle that built into a shower. It came all at once and
with a vengeance. The wind whipped at him from every side, causing him to
stumble, driving the rain into him with stinging force. He thought it could
get no worse and then it begin to hail. That was when he heard a car approaching.
He turned as it stopped. The headlights hid most of the car but he could
tell it was a sports model. It didn’t matter what it was. He started around
to the passenger door. It opened for him.
“Get in”, a feminine voice called. “I wouldn’t leave a dog in this storm.”
He threw his bag in the back seat, climbed in, closed the door and turned
to say thanks.
The words caught in his throat.
The driver was a woman of angelic beauty. Her face was framed by Long,
brown hair. Dark eyes, and red, pouty lips smiled back at him. She wore a
white satin dress that accented the olive tan of her skin. The dress stopped
just inches down her shapely legs and opened enough in front to display an
ample, but not over-abundant, cleavage.
She chuckled and he realized he was staring.
“Hi”, He managed at last.
“Hi yourself”, she replied. “You ready to go now?”
“Uh....sure.”
Embarrassed, he turned his attention ahead.
He could hardly see the road for the driving rain. But Angel-Face put
her foot to the gas and roared off like it was a sunny day. Pea-sized hail
splattered on the windshield. She seemed not to notice or care.
He began watching her again.
She reached over and turned up the radio to a soft volume...Stevie Nicks
was singing with Tom Petty....and then graced him with another of her beautiful
smiles. He felt himself blush and it made him angry.
“You wanna talk”, she asked, “or should I turn the music up?”
He shrugged. “Whatever....”
“ You got a name..or should I just call you stranger?”
“Jim.”
He said the first name that popped in his head.
“ I’m Kallie. Where you going, Jim?”
He pulled off the wet parka and put it in the floorboard, ran his hands
thru his dirty hair.
“South”, he said.
“Much farther south and you’ll be in Mexico.”
“That’s the idea.”
He tried to give her one of his warmer smiles, but she had him shaken,
and he knew it didn’t come off right.. The conversation died for a moment.
Bruce Springstien begin to sing about the Glory Days.
“I’m headed for Esperanza.” Kallie said at last. “I guess you can ride
along.”
“Do tell?” He turned in his seat to face her better. “Are you running
from the law too?”.
She looked at him, startled.
“Why are you running from the law?”
“Well....”, He put on the face of a pouting child, “....I’m not always
such a good boy.”
He laid his left arm on the back of the seat and begin to play with her
hair. His right hand slipped behind him to find the hunting knife hidden be-
neath his shirt. Her gaze flickered between the rain-splashed windshield
and his hand. He thought, for just a moment, that there was fear in her eyes.
Then she smiled.
“It looks like we’re about to outrun the worst of it.”, she said.
His left hand stopped playing with her hair.
“Lady! I got a knife here!” He held it out for her to see. “I don’t
think the storm is your main concern anymore!”
“Well, the road is still slick from the rain.” She continued to smile.
“I’m not sure I could keep control of the car if you were to stick me with
that thing.”
“What!?” He felt the car surge as she stepped harder on the gas peddle.
“Hey!”
“My father was a racer.”, she said, her eyes glued straight ahead now.
“He did most of his own mechanic work too. In case you haven’t noticed you’re
riding in a classic Roadrunner Gtx, with a 440+6, bored out and supercharged.
Dad had it as high as 200 mph. That was on dry road conditions, of course.”
He glanced at the speedometer. They were at ninety and climbing fast.
“You slow down or I’ll cut you !”, he screamed!
“Cutting your nose off to spite your face.”
The needle continued to climb. 110 mph.
“I mean it lady! You’re dead!”
“We’re dead, Jim.” She risked a quick glance. “I won’t go alone if I go.
You’re not wearing your seatbelt, hon.”
The needle stopped at 120 and begin to bounce. The windshield was a sheet
of water. She must be driving by feel alone, he thought. He begin to laugh.
“Ok....ok....” He sat the knife on the dash
“Uh-uh....roll down the window and throw it out.”
He did. “Now slow down.”
“Not hardly. The next town is 60 miles farther up the road.”
“Look bitch........!”
She jerked the wheel, just slightly, and he was thrown against the door.
“I’d buckle up if I were you. And mind your manners. You haven’t made a
good first impression.”
She smiled at him. The same smile she had greeted him with.
He laughed. “Your crazy.....”
“You guessed it. Self preservation can do that to a person.”
“You gotta stop somewhere. And when you do I’m gonna break that pretty
neck of yours.”
“You look big enough to get the job done too. Which is why I’m not going
to give you a chance.”
“You gotta stop sometime.”, he repeated.
The rain slowed and the windshield cleared a little. The road continued
straight and level. He knew that was all that had kept them from wreaking so far.
Kallie was a master driver. He had to give her that. She had nerves of
steel too. It was a shame to have to waste her. But she had made a fool out
of him and she had to pay for that. He was forced to wait for her to make a
mistake now. But, oh yeah, she was gonna pay.
` He glanced at the gas gauge. Less then half a tank. There was a clock
in the dash. 7:23, it said.
“It’s gonna be close you know. You might just run outta gas before you
reach that next town. Wouldn’t that be rich?”
“I know how much it takes.” She glanced down at the gauge quickly. “This
is one of my regular routes. I always fill up ahead.”
“Do you always run it this hard, though?”
She blinked. He knew some doubt had entered her mind.
“You’ve got it wide open. How old is your oil pump? Your fanbelts? A lot
can happen when your pushing a car this hard, you know.”
“We’ll make it.”
But he felt her ease off just a little.
He leaned back, feeling in charge again, and begin to hum along with
the song on the radio.
When he looked at the gauge again it was below a quarter of a tank. The
dash clock read 7:41.
He turned off the radio.
“Did you hear that?”, he asked.
“I didn’t hear anything.”
She didn’t look so smug now, he thought.
“Listen.” He leaned a little forward, a sly smile on his lips. “Don’t
you hear a pinging?”
“No. And shut up. Your not going to rattle me.”
They passed a road sign but were traveling too fast for him to read it.
“How much farther, Kallie? Think the motor will hold up?”
“It’s made to hold up. I told you.....”
“Yeah.....I know....Your daddy’s a racer.” He leaned back. “But I’ve
seen a few races in my day. And I’ve seen well built motors blow up on the
last lap. Keep pushing it, Kallie. Push it to the limit.”
“Shut up, damn you! Or I’ll flip us!”
“Flip your pancake into the fire.”, he said, trying to match her voice,
and laughed.
He turned the radio back on.
Sammy Haggar was telling the world that he couldn’t drive 55.
“Their playing your song, Kallie.”
He was pleased with the look she gave him. Another battle won, he thought.
Lights appeared ahead. It was a car.Then it flashed by and was behind
them. He saw Kallie glance at the rearview mirror and looked back himself.
The car was turning around. Red and blue lights begin to flash. It was a State
Trooper. He looked at Kallie, smiling.
“When you stop I’m going to kill you.”, he said matter-of-factly. “And
you won’t be my first.”
“Then they will kill just you.”
“They’re going to kill me anyway. They won’t let me live after what I’ve
done. I must be wanted in three states by now. Pretty ladies like you are my
passion. But you’re all sooooo fragile. I can’t keep one alive long enough to
really enjoy”
“Well, I’ll keep you alive. All you have to do is jump out when I pull
the car over.”
“I got a gun in my bag.”, he said, grinning madly.
“And when you reach for it, I wreak us.”
He studied her for a moment.
“I think you would.”
“You had better know it.”
The police car was racing to catch up but Kallie was not slowing down
to let them. If anything , with the rain a light drizzle now, she was speed-
ing up again. Looking ahead he now saw the lights of a small town and he found himself admiring her once again. It seemed she wasn’t giving up on her original plan. But it wasn’t going to help her.
And then the rain hit again. Once more it came in a sheet of water, with no warning, driven on the strong winds of the storm. Kallie fought for control, easing up on the gas, and just managed to keep them from spinning. There was a crash behind them. He looked back quickly and saw that the police car had not been so lucky.
Then, with desperate resolve, he threw himself on Kallie.
She let go of the wheel and surprised him by slamming her palm into his face. Tears welled in his eyes as his nose broke. He struck out blindly, but only grazed her. And then the world was turning upside down. He struck the roof of the car, and then the dash, flailing his hands out to protect his head. He slammed into Kallie, then the passenger door and felt his right hand crush under his weight. He became aware that he was on the roof again, felt the car sliding along the road beneath him, and then the pain was too much for him and he passed out.
Someone was pulling on his arm. He wanted to tell them to stop but he couldn’t find the words. All he could do was moan. He heard a roar, and heat flashed over his body. The pulling stopped for a moment and then begin again, even harder. He tried to tell whoever it was to leave him alone but only managed another long moan.
He opened his eyes. The world was still spinning madly. He shut them again.
He became aware of the rain once more.
Maddogs and Englishmen stay out in the rain, his mother said.
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain, she sang.
“Shut up, Mamma!”, he said.
Someone slapped him.
“I’m sorry, Mamma!”, he cried. “I’m sorry!”
“Wake up, damn you. I’m not dragging you anymore.”
He opened his eyes again. He was facing a fire. He slowly realized that it was the Roadrunner. Other things begin coming back. He sat up too fast and almost fainted again.
“You aren’t dead yet. But you’re hurt. I’d lay still if I were you.”
He looked up and saw Kallie standing over him. She had his gun. It was just a cheep Saturday Night Special, but it had did the job more then once.
“I told you to buckle up.”, she said. “Look at me. Fit as a fiddle.”
That wasn’t exactly true. Her dress was now torn and dirty, there was a cut on her forehead that was bleeding badly, as well as various scrapes and bruises. He also noted with satisfaction that she had a black eye. Perhaps his blow hadn’t been just a graze after all.
He finally managed to get his good arm under him and sit up. When he did Kallie cocked the gun.
“You gonna shoot me after all we’ve been through?”, he asked.
“If I have to.”
He chuckled despite the pain.
“I think you would.”
“You had better know it.”
He begin to set his mind against the pain, determined to get up and face her.
“What makes you so damn mean?”, he asked.
“I grew up in a bad neighborhood with no brothers to protect me.”
Nothing seemed broken except for the one hand. His head felt ready to burst, and the world swam a little every time he moved, but he thought he could make it to his feet.
She stepped back and fired. The round kicked up dirt just inches away.
“My father was a member of the NRA, too.”, she said.
“Loaded his own shot, I imagine,”
“You guessed it.”
He continued to rise, slowly.
She cocked the gun again.
“Listen....”, he said. “I could just walk away.....”
“I don’t think so. Not now.”
And then a new voice broke in.
“You there....drop the gun....”
They both turned at the same time. A State Trooper was walking toward them, obviously hurt. He had his gun out in front of him in one shaking hand. The other arm was limp at his side.
Kallie lowered the gun. “Officer......”
“She kidnapped me and wreaked my car!”, Jim yelled. “She’s gonna kill me!”
“Drop the gun.”, the Trooper called again. He sighted in on Kallie as best he could.
“It’s not like that.”, Kallie said. But she dropped the gun.
She wasn’t that far away. Two steps and a dive put him within reach of the gun. But when he hit the ground darkness enfolded him and he had to grope blindly for a second before his good hand finally found it. He pulled the trigger without aiming.
Two shots sounded at almost the same instant. A foot came down to snap his wrist, then the foot was tugged away. Someone screamed I’m Hit, but he wasn’t sure if it was the Trooper, or Kallie, or both. How much shit do I have to take tonight, he thought. And then passed out again.
When he opened his eyes the rain had stopped. There was a break in the clouds and he could see stars in the sky. The desert was windless and peaceful. A few yards in front of him lay the State Trooper. He wasn’t moving. He could see the patrol car now, and barely make out the other Trooper pinned beneath it.
There, but for the grace of God, lay I, he thought, and chuckled.
“What are you finding so damn funny?”
He rolled over and looked behind him. There lay Kallie, a bloody hole over one luscious breast.
“You still alive?”
“I’m not a quitter, Jim.”
“My name ain’t Jim.”
“I didn’t think it was.”
He begin to laugh, and continued till the pain was too much to bare.
“You’re the damnedest woman I have ever met, Kallie.”
“Name ain’t Kallie.”, she said, and had her own laugh.
“Well...who the hell are you, then?”
She shook her head.
“I’m classified. You don't need to know. But you picked the wrong girl to play with.”
He chuckled. “What’s your name? I’m not gonna tell.”
“Neither am I.” She smiled.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
He begin to crawl toward her and Kallie raised the gun.
He stopped and studied the darkness of it’s barrel.
“I gotta kill you, you know.” He shrugged. “It’s a matter of pride now.”
He started crawling again.
“Pride goeth before a fall.”, Kallie quoted as the hammer locked.
He noticed that the barrel was wobbling, though. She was just as beat up as he was.
He pulled himself closer, reached out one of his ruined hands and touched her ankle.
“You wouldn’t shoot an old friend like me, would you.? Look at all we’ve been through...”
She pulled the trigger, wincing as the recoil reached her injured shoulder.
“You had better believe it.”, she said.
Delila Valquez kicked his hand away and lay back. She knew her operation was ruined, and someone was going to want to chew on her butt for it. Well, let them. All that would have came out of her Sting were a few names and numbers for some low level coke dealers. From the way this guy had talked she’d just stopped a Serial Killer from getting away. She felt good about the trade-off. To hell with what the front office thought.
The siren was getting closer. She hoped it was an ambulance coming and not just another carload of cops. Her whole body ached. She wanted a shot of something strong to make the world go away.
Her Mom had preached to her about Christian Charity, helping those in need, right up to the day she had died. That was what had decided Delila on law enforcement in the first place. It was what had caused her to pull over when she saw “that poor guy” walking in the rain. She started to give her Mom a sound cussing, then thought better of it, and crossed herself.
“I love you, Mom.”, she sighed. “But next they walk the storm!”
Then her body decided it needed a short nap
END
