Page 57 of The Wilder Widows

She beamed. “Walk in the park.”

“So, what happens now?” Sylvie asked.

“Now we wait,” I answered. “First, they have the runners spread out along the route. Some of them will run all the way to the end and skip the running of the bulls.”

“Oh! Let’s do that!” Doris clapped.

Scowling, I shook my head. “No. We run with the bulls. We’re not ninnies. So, after the runners spread out a little to keep the congestion down, there will be a prayer to San Fermin, and then at eight o’clock, the rocket fires, the bulls are released, and we scoot for our lives.”

“Jesus, help me.” Doris placed her hands together and prayed.

My own silent prayer went up as well, but this time it was to my lost friends. I prayed they would watch over us all and maybe even come along for the ride.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“Is this really happening?” Sylvie asked.

I looked over to where she was parked on her pink scooter and gave her a sharp nod. “Widows, this is it. In less than a minute, they will fire that rocket. When they do, I want you to pull that handle with everything you have. Don’t slow down. Don’t veer. People will go down in the streets. Run ‘em over.”

“What? Run people over?” Doris gasped. “Shouldn’t we stop and help them up?”

“Only if you want a bull’s horn up your ass. We don’t stop for nothing. You just keep on scooting. The runners know what they signed up for.”

“Oh my.” Alice sucked the air through her teeth.

“When we get to the arena, just keep scooting. We’ll find a safe place to stop. Everyone clear?” I barked, my military background rising up.

“Yes, sir!” they mirrored and then broke down, giggling.

“And keep your eyes peeled for El Diablo. He looks like one nasty son of a bitch.”

They nodded, terror moving across their faces. The runners spread out around us bounced up and down while they stared behind us, waiting and prepared to bolt the moment that rocket went off and the bulls were on their way. With one last touch to the memories hanging around my neck, I inhaled a deep breath and prepared myself. The same feelings I had when the sirens went in ‘Nam off flooded me again. The waiting. The watching. The unknown. But this time, I wasn’t hunkering down in the bunkers. This time I was out in the fray, out where Percy, Manz, and Stilts would be. And when the rocket went off, I felt them with me.

“GO!” I screamed, twisting the handle of my scooter as I crept forward. Rocking back and forth, I tried to get it to top speed faster than the manufacturer intended. The roar of the crowd shook through me, and the runners at our sides took off. The energy coursing through those streets fueled my adrenaline, and I grinned wide while I finally reached top speed.

“Holy shit! We’re doing this!” Sylvie screamed as she rolled up beside me.

“Heavens to Betsy!” Doris called, pulling up on my other side. “This is crazy!”

Alice kept up with a jog, but I could see her wincing in pain with every step. Her red high heels click-clacked against the stones our scooters bumped along. “You okay?” I called up to her.

“Just worry about yourself!” she called down, huffing hard already. “I’ll be fine!”

We wove between the runners, the crowds cheering us on from the balconies above as we passed by. When I heard the soft cheers rise into screams and shouts, I knew it was happening. They were here. The bulls were coming.

“Incoming!” I shouted, glancing over my shoulder to see the pace of the runners pick up to racing. Panic stretched their faces tight when they pumped their arms to move faster. I squeezed the handle of my scooter, begging it to pick up the pace. A pace as fast as my hammering heart would be ideal.

The cheers reached deafening levels, and I looked back over my shoulder. A bull charged through the runners, sending bodies launching out of its way. Some men jumped over the barricade while others leaped up to dangle from the balconies above. Alice’s wide eyes looked back at the bull and then down to me. I could see her faltering, her limp exaggerating with each stride.

“It’s coming!” She panted, fear crackling in her voice. “It’s coming!”

“Run, Alice! Run!” I commanded, but with each step, she slowed down.

“It’s a brown one! I’m okay!” she called.

Looking again, I saw it was indeed one of the steers charging our way. It blew past, its hooves thundering the ground while it ran by.

“One down, eleven to go!” I yelled, and my lips stuck to my bone-dry teeth from the smile I’d been wearing since we started this race. Exhilaration and pride wove through me. This experience everything my buddies and I hoped it would be. The adrenaline. The excitement. The feeling of being alive. So, so alive.