Infection Runs Deep

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: BANDAIDS AND BULLET HOLES

Warner shrugged. "I'm down with whatever. I'm an easy man to please."

I bit down on my sarcastic remark as a bullet flew through our back windshield and lodged in the dashboard.

"Holy shit," Warner yelled, jerking the wheel to the side. "Who the hell is shooting at us?"

"Sure as hell ain't the infected," I said back, staying low in my seat. "Keep the car zig-zagging." He followed my command, swerving wildly to make it harder for them to get a clean shot at us. Harder to do in a car than on foot but still effective. "Put the pedal to the goddamn metal. They're gaining on us."

I peeked through the side mirror, watching the black SUV get closer by the second. It fired off another shot, this one a miss.

"Screw it. Cover me." I reached over my seat, staying as low as I could. The black case was cold in my hands, the rifle that slid out even colder. "I'm returning fire." I loaded up the gun and cocked it, a satisfying click that notified me that it was ready to fire.

"Hold on to your ass, Falls. It's about to get rough," Warner said through gritted teeth, every so often coming out the rearview.

Maneuvering in the seat, I turned my body all the way around so that my chest faced the seat. I poked the gun out the window, angling my body just enough to get a good angle. Part of my body was exposed but it was a risk I had to take.

I fired a shot at the driver's side of the windshield, hoping to hit the driver and make them slow down. It glanced off. Shit, bulletproof glass. Who are these guys?

The man in the passenger seat stuck his head out to shoot. I fired. Warner jerked the car as I pressed the trigger, sending my bullet wide. I refocused, taking aim again. This time, I clipped the man in the shoulder. I slumped back down into my seat, taking cover.

"What's our status? I got one of them in the shoulder, but I have a feeling he won't be down for long."

"I'm working on it." Warner ducked as a bullet whizzed past our heads in between the passenger and driver's seats. It sailed through the windshield, leaving a gaping hole with spiderweb cracks flaring outwards in a spiral. "Where the hell am I supposed to go?"

"Just lose them. I don't care where we end up." I peeked out again, sending a few shots blindly before taking aim. "Get us out of here."

"This isn't gonna be pretty," Warner warned. He gunned the accelerator and made a hard right turn. I slammed into the car door, bracing myself as we spun hard.

I glanced back. "Still on our tail."

"Shoot the goddamn driver." Another hard turn.

"Bulletproof glass." Warner swore as I kept returning fire. "I'm going for the wheels."

Warner beamed. "You're a genius, Falls. Even if it doesn't kill 'em, it'll sure as hell slow 'em down."

Metal clicks sounded through the air as bullets lodged into the truck. I wasn't sure how many more bullets it could take. There would be nothing worse for than for the car to die right now.

I aimed at the tire. A miss. I swore. "Keep it steady for a moment."

"You sure? You'll have no cover." Warner glanced over at me, his eyes asking for confirmation.

"Do it," I ground out. Leaning out of the window, I took aim. I landed two shots, one in each front wheel. Too little, too late. A bullet nailed me in the shoulder.

I let out a groan and slumped in my seat. "I'm hit."

"Shit, Falls. I told you." He slammed on the accelerator, speeding away from our assailants with every second. "How bad?"