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A minute goes by before I hear a car. I look behind us, and my chest tightens with worry. There’s a black car tailing us with its lights off.Shit.
“How are your legs doing, Val?”
“They’re fine. Why?”
“I don’t want to alarm you, but we’re being followed, and not by the cops.”
“What the fuck, Eric. How am I supposed to not get alarmed? Who are they?”
“I don’t know, but we should get off the street.”
“Where am I supposed to go?”
The sound of a train approaching in the distance reaches us. There’s a railroad that crosses through town not far from here.
“The tracks,” we say in unison.
At the next intersection, Valerie turns right and takes off. The black car gives chase.
twelve
Valerie
Ipedal as fast as I can, but with the added weight, my legs burn. I hear the car rumbling behind us. It should have caught up with us by now. I’m not the Flash. But whoever is following us seems content to toy with us.
It doesn’t matter. I have to lose them.
My biggest fear is sliding on a patch of ice. That would be a pretty nasty fall. The railroad tracks are only a few yards away, and the sound of the cargo train approaching is loud. The crossing gate arm is already coming down, and the lights flashing in warning. The only way for us to lose our tail is to cross before the train blocks our path.
“Val, what are you doing?” Eric asks me, panic lacing his voice.
“What do you think?”
“We’re not gonna make it.”
“We are. Trust me.” My heart is racing, fueled by pure adrenaline, and when Eric wraps his arms around my waist, a jolt of electricity goes through my entire body, giving me an extra boost of stamina.
I slide through the small space, and the bright lights from the approaching train blind me. I push myself to the limit, my muscles complaining from the strain, but the effort is worth it.
Behind me, Eric holds me tighter and yells, “Fuuuuuck!”
We dash to the other side of the tracks, missing the train by a hair. A second slower and we would have been pâté. My heart continues to beat at breakneck speed, and my pulse is pounding so loud in my ears that it’s drowning out any other noises.
I keep pedaling but slow down a bit, trying to save energy. My legs are shaking, and I don’t know how much juice I have left in me. My harsh breaths come out in puffs of white air.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” Eric blurts out.
“I told you we’d make it.” I smile, unable to keep my satisfaction bottled inside.
“I wasn’t sure. I saw my life flash before my eyes.”
Eric keeps his arm around me, and damn, it feels nice. It was worth being chased by God knows who, but I can’t help giving him a hard time. He’s making it too easy. “God, you’re dramatic.”
“I’m not dramatic. I almost pissed my pants.”
I snort, then catch myself. “Ew. Spare me the nasty details.”
“I said almost. Anyway, we need to find cover. Whoever is in that car will catch up with us once the train passes.”
