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Christmas Under Fire

Page 28

by Jessica Ashley

Jenna whipped around to look behind them. High beams filled her view. She blinked, seeing spots, and turned her head so she didn’t look at the vehicle head on. It barreled closer. She couldn’t tell what it looked like due to the lights blazing. But in her soul, she knew it was a small silver SUV.

“He’s trying to blind us!” she yelled.

Brody nodded. “He’s succeeding.”

“What do we do?” Deep inside, she didn’t think there was any way they could get themselves out of this. Between the icy roads, the whiteout conditions and the closeness of the car behind them, it seemed unlikely they’d be able to find an escape.

“Don’t give up hope. God’s on our side. Pray hard that we can find an escape. I just need a small window.” Brody’s voice came across tense, but calm.

He really believed what he was saying. They could find a way out, even in these impossible settings.

Nothing was impossible with God. Wasn’t that in the Bible somewhere? It was time to put her faith into action.

Jenna bent her head and prayed with all her might for God to work a miracle and save them.

“That’s it!” Brody yelled.

Jenna’s eyes popped open. What she saw didn’t encourage her.

A semi-truck came at them from the opposite direction. To her mind, it seemed they were more stuck than ever. With the road partially covered with snow, the lanes appeared narrower than normal.

“Hold on.”

She was beginning to hate it when he said those words. They meant something deadly loomed.

Not that she needed a reminder.

The semi roared toward them, its headlights slicing through the snow falling through the air. The rumble seemed to vibrate through Jenna’s bones as the enormous vehicle prowled closer.

“Brody!” Jenna could barely squeal through her tight throat.

“This is what we want, trust me.” Brody said, growing calmer with each second.

She was learning that a calm Brody was usually one intent on doing something that involved danger and a very low expectation of survival.

He didn’t slow. Instead, his foot pressed harder on the gas pedal and the SUV continued toward the oncoming truck.

Jenna grabbed the door handle. Her feet danced on the floor, as if she could press the brake pedal from her side of the vehicle. “What are you doing?”

“Trust me.” He said. “We need to get on that intersecting road.”

She saw the road. They’d have to stop and wait for the truck to pass. But then the killers would catch them.

But Brody wasn’t stopping. Jenna’s breath caught. A scream built up in her chest, but she couldn’t unlock her jaws and release it.

It didn’t matter. They’d run out of time and it was too late to respond. The truck was almost on them. It’s horn blasted, one long blast that made her teeth rattle.

At the last possible second, Brody jerked the steering wheel to the left. The SUV shot toward the road. The rear end fishtailed, and Jenna’s shoulder slammed against the door.

The body of the SUV vibrated as it sped over the rumble strip down the center of the road to keep vehicles from crossing the center line. Brody aimed the vehicle at a diagonal angle and veered in front of the semi.

The horn blasted a second time. Jenna tasted bile. She saw nothing but the grille for a second and then they were free, sailing across the lane. The SUV dipped and bumped briefly. Brody had hit the end of the ditch with the rear driver’s side tire. Then they were free.

Jenna swallowed and twisted around.

The killer following them veered toward the passing semi for a millisecond before the wheels spun in the opposite direction. The vehicle skittered on the ice into a full one eighty.

The semi careened past and disappeared into the night.