The Promise by J S Donovan

Author:J S Donovan [Donovan, J.S]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-07-29T04:00:00+00:00

16

Apprehended

Clyde groaned, unsure if he should follow.

He stomped on the gas pedal and raced after the stranger.

The road zigged and zagged. Clyde gained on him. He smelled burning rubber as his RPM needle climbed and wobbled. The stranger took a sharp turn at a T intersection. His tires slid as he drifted. Trying to straighten out, he overcorrected and passed into the other lane.

Clyde tackled the same corner at a slower speed, keeping better control of his vehicle.

The stranger’s mistake cost him much of the distance between him and Clyde.

Clyde squeezed the steering wheel, his knuckles becoming white. His heart pounded intensely. He’d never been in a real car chase before. It was terrifying. What are you doing? he asked himself. The hairs on his right arm stood. He glanced over. Alana sat in the passenger seat. Memories of the woods and the pain returned to him. Thinking that the killer assaulted the young woman before killing her infuriated him. Lips pursed, his nostrils flared in rage.

The stranger turned onto a single-lane road. Ditches lined either side. Beyond were cattle fields and farms.

Ding.

Clyde’s low gas light blinked on. He frowned and accelerated.

The stranger rolled down his window and shouted.

Clyde could barely hear him over the engine’s roar.

They had forty feet of distance between the vehicles.

The stranger slammed on his brakes.

He skidded, coming to a harsh stop.

Cursing, Clyde stomped on his brakes as well.

Unable to stop fast enough, Clyde jerked the steering to the left. His car plowed into the ditch. The airbag exploded instantaneously. Time seemed to slow as the car bounced and rolled.

Clyde dangled upside down. The airbag deflated. His head pounded. His insides felt like they’d been shifted. There was a massive pain in his neck. Grimacing, he rubbed his forehead. “Idiot,” he said to himself.

He heard a car door close. He glanced over, seeing the lower half of the stranger approaching him.

Heart racing, Clyde put his hand on the roof below him and unbuckled his seatbelt. He hit his head on the ceiling.

The stranger neared. Aching all over, Clyde climbed out of the driver side window and dragged his belly across the grass. He pushed against the dirt and stood to his feet. The world spun around him. He wobbled, nearly losing his balance. His back hit a wooden post surrounding a cattle field, keeping him upright. The stranger stood on the other side of the car.

The night shrouded most of his face. There were no road lights here.

“What the hell do you want?” the stranger shouted.

Clyde rubbed his hand through his hair. He felt a pain across his chest. The seatbelt had bruised him.

The stranger said, “You almost got me killed. Give me your insurance info.”

Clyde breathed heavily.

“Hurry up,” the stranger shouted.

“Where were you the night Alana died?” Clyde asked, wincing in pain.

The stranger balled his fists. “Screw you, man.”

He turned around and started walking to his car.

“I know you did it!” Clyde shouted.

The stranger stopped walking. His back stayed to Clyde.

Still leaning against the post, Clyde said.

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