NOT SO FAST

Lucas

As I slowly rolled onto my stomach, I planted my toes firmly into the gravel I was lying on and pushed up with my arms, catching the Trooper off-guard.

"Don't fucking move!" he ordered.

Yeah, I don't think so, pal, I thought, as I elbowed the gun out of his hand. If my fingers hadn't been split open by the metal on the trailer I would have turned it on his stupid ass. Instead, I jumped up and bolted for my truck, leaving him scrabbling on the ground for his weapon.

Revving the engine, I swerved out of the parking area and tore down the highway, heading South. He got off a couple of wild shots as I mowed over his motorcycle, ending the chase he was probably looking forward to. Now, my truck was a liability.

Think. Think. Think.

My hands were stinging like hell and bleeding all the fuck over. Nothing I could do about them now. Drive. Just Drive. The lakeshore sped past as I tried to calm myself down. Up ahead, was a little country diner with a row of cars out front. I slowed down, carefully pulled into the parking lot, and surveyed my choice of getaway cars.

After yanking on my shirt, ball cap, and sneakers, I saw an older, gray Buick sedan that would be an easy hot wire job. Parking close to it, I left Red's wallet and cell phone on the front seat and quietly exited the truck. A glance at the old lock buttons told me these people were fools and deserved to be used. I hopped into the front seat, as if it were my car, and yanked the ignition wires out from under the dash. After a few swipes, the engine sputtered to life and I twisted the wires around each other before backing slowly out of the lot.

So far, so good I thought, seeing a State Police Car with sirens and lights speeding down the road past me. Good. It will take them a while to sort out where that truck went and even longer to realize I was not in it.

Confident that this old wreck wasn't hooked up to any fancy GPS crap or insurance warning bells, I took my time driving to the nearest little town to pick up supplies for my hands and get something to eat. Yuholda seemed like a nice, sleepy town to prepare for the next step of my plan.

I found a drug store and fast food restaurant tucked into a tiny strip mall and parked the Buick far from the establishments. Who knew where the owners of this car lived? I grabbed some snacks and sodas, then picked up gauze, tape, and antiseptic cream before checking out. The bored cashier asked me if I had a membership card, barely looking at me.

"Nope. Don't live around here."

"Kay, that's $14.89. You wanna donate the change to Reading at Home?"

"Nope."

"Kay."

I grabbed my purchases and she went back to checking her phone. Then, I went into the Subway sandwich shop and ordered two subs with drinks and chips. They would take me to the Pennsylvania border. I was starved, so I wolfed down one of the subs in the parking lot before taking off.

Checking the GPS on my cell, I found a round-a-bout route that would take me out of New York State on secondary highways. I cruised just under the speed limit, hoping I looked like someone taking a leisurely drive, keeping my eyes open for a new vehicle, because as soon as the people at the restaurant found out their baby Buick was missing I'd be scrambling again.

As luck would have it, my next ride was parked in front of a rundown apartment building, along with a dozen other sad-looking cars. Hoping the owner was sleeping in today after a night on the town, I parked the Buick next to it and wiggled the door handle. Bingo!

It was a non-descript Toyota, dented and rusty. Good enough. I twisted the ignition wires together and a puff of dark smoke belched out of the exhaust pipe. I drove out of the little parking lot and found the main street out of town. I was not looking forward to trading cars every couple of miles. But, it was what it was. Once I got to Pennsylvania I knew a guy.

All this bullshit was because of fucking Red and his stupidity. Losing his wallet at a crime scene? Give me a break. It was like he wanted to get caught. What the hell was wrong with him? Someone that stupid shouldn't be allowed to keep breathing.

As far as that slut? $200. for a roll in the hay with her skinny ass? She deserved what she got. Skank. At least she won't be able to bring other useless people into the world.

When I got back home I planned on packing up my shit and heading out West. Anne was giving me grief and complaining about everything. It was time to dump her. What a nuisance. It wasn't like I married her because I was in love.