Post by FC4 on Aug 21, 2008 23:34:10 GMT
Chapter 11: Pedal to the Metal
July 13th, 2030
“Tony!” Both Katie and Ian shouted, as the masses rose to become humanoid shapes. Ian further added an unnecessary “Floor it!” and Tony was all too eager to comply. Shifting into first gear and jolting forward Tony grimaced at the pain in his foot. Katie had both hands on the dashboard to keep herself from slamming into it as Tony quickly shifted again.
Snarling and growling the hairy beasts ran after the truck on all fours, showing frightening speed. One of them leaped and grabbed the tailgate, only to receive a fiery facial from Ian. Howling like a wolf, the hairy man crumbled to the parking garage ground in a withering heap, and the others simply ran around him.
Swerving, the truck nearly listed to one side as Tony drifted it sideways, turning towards the exit. Katie was pressed against the window and still held onto the dashboard desperately. “This isn’t a video game Tony!”
“My foot ensures I am quite aware of that, thank you!” Tony snapped back, gritting his teeth as he shifted gears and peeled the truck out of the parking garage. To his credit, Ian was doing a pretty good job of staying in the bed, hunched over as he was and rocking with the motions of the vehicle. The truck hit a speed bump and bunny hopped, the front bumper crunching on asphalt as they landed.
Tony cursed, shifting gears frantically and accelerating down the street trailed by an inferno of aerosol fire and enraged beast-men. He continued to accelerate, doubting the speed limit mattered anymore, just before two masses of fur lunged from buildings on the side of the street and smashed into his windshield.
“God dammit!” Tony roared as he hit the brake, throwing them off. “Ian!”
The athlete turned to look over the truck cabin and aimed the hairspray torch in the general direction of the monstrosities. He was about to let them have it when both lunged at the truck cabin and two shots rang out.
Limply the bodies crashed into the already cracked windshield, blood seeping through the cracks. Katie screamed and Tony recoiled, confused. He hadn’t shot and neither had Katie, so who did?
“Tony?” Ian’s voice cut through the sudden silence that came over them, and Tony looked up.
“Yeah?”
“There’s a man down the street, looks like he’s got-“ Ian’s voice was cut off by the crack of a gunshot. A series of thumps on the hood and behind him told Tony all he needed to know, without even looking out of the rear windshield.
Katie, however, simply had to look. “OhmygodIan!” Her lower lip began to quiver as her breath caught in her throat. Ignoring Katie’s current predicament Tony instead focused on their collective predicament, and how to get out of it. The solution was simple.
The truck spurted into reverse, the corpses sliding off the hood to the pavement below. Reversing to the intersection onto a smaller side street, Tony looked back only briefly.
Through a cracked and bloodied windshield he could make out a dark figure standing in the middle of the road, holding his arms up towards them. From this distance he couldn’t make out any details, but he didn’t need to when a hole was added to the list of damages to his car, just above his head. The man was shooting at them!
He’d seen enough at that point, and hit the gas, hurtling the truck forward and onto the side street. No gunshots followed. In fact, it was utter silence as they drove down the road onto Lomas Boulevard. The only thing that was not silent was Katie, who couldn’t stop sobbing as she covered her face in her hands and curled in her seat. Seeing as nothing was chasing/shooting/jumping them, Tony drove a little less hectically so she would be a little more comfortable.
Lomas Boulevard was a typically busy major road, but it was remarkably sparse when Tony turned on it. Drawing his mouth in a tight line he drove towards the hospital worriedly. The fact that the only cars he did see looked as beaten up as his likely was didn’t help.
Turning into the Emergency Care entrance, Tony parked the truck on the curb, seeing as every single space was already taken. Turning off the engine, he leaned back in his seat, sighing as he relaxed.
For a minute or so he simply sat there, eyes closed, before turning his head to look at Katie. She was still sitting in a huddle, silently crying. Tony frowned, pitying the girl’s plight. He might not have liked Ian much, and he may have been an ass, but Katie’s ex-boyfriend certainly didn’t deserve a fate like that. No one did. Reaching one hand out to her, he rubbed her shoulder in an attempt at being comforting.
“Come… We need to get your leg looked at.” Tony whispered, though he didn’t immediately move from his seat. Katie was unresponsive for a time, and then turned her head to look at Tony, her glasses wet with tears and her lips still quivering.
“He… he shot him… why?” She stammered in disbelief, horrified. All Tony could do was bite his lip and shrug slightly.
“I don’t know. But what’s been done has been done, Katie, and we have to take care of the here and now.” He told her softly, and started rubbing her shoulder again. “We need to get help, and the hospital is that help.” Opening the door, he slowly descended from the truck, cringing as he got his first good look at his foot since getting in. The bandage was a blood mess, the wound open and bleeding from the irritation of his erratic driving. Biting back a cry of pain with each step he hobbled to the other side of the truck and opened the door for Katie, offering a hand to help her out.
Reluctantly she accepted the hand, and Tony shut the door before they leaned on each other and hobbled towards the hospital.
July 13th, 2030
“Tony!” Both Katie and Ian shouted, as the masses rose to become humanoid shapes. Ian further added an unnecessary “Floor it!” and Tony was all too eager to comply. Shifting into first gear and jolting forward Tony grimaced at the pain in his foot. Katie had both hands on the dashboard to keep herself from slamming into it as Tony quickly shifted again.
Snarling and growling the hairy beasts ran after the truck on all fours, showing frightening speed. One of them leaped and grabbed the tailgate, only to receive a fiery facial from Ian. Howling like a wolf, the hairy man crumbled to the parking garage ground in a withering heap, and the others simply ran around him.
Swerving, the truck nearly listed to one side as Tony drifted it sideways, turning towards the exit. Katie was pressed against the window and still held onto the dashboard desperately. “This isn’t a video game Tony!”
“My foot ensures I am quite aware of that, thank you!” Tony snapped back, gritting his teeth as he shifted gears and peeled the truck out of the parking garage. To his credit, Ian was doing a pretty good job of staying in the bed, hunched over as he was and rocking with the motions of the vehicle. The truck hit a speed bump and bunny hopped, the front bumper crunching on asphalt as they landed.
Tony cursed, shifting gears frantically and accelerating down the street trailed by an inferno of aerosol fire and enraged beast-men. He continued to accelerate, doubting the speed limit mattered anymore, just before two masses of fur lunged from buildings on the side of the street and smashed into his windshield.
“God dammit!” Tony roared as he hit the brake, throwing them off. “Ian!”
The athlete turned to look over the truck cabin and aimed the hairspray torch in the general direction of the monstrosities. He was about to let them have it when both lunged at the truck cabin and two shots rang out.
Limply the bodies crashed into the already cracked windshield, blood seeping through the cracks. Katie screamed and Tony recoiled, confused. He hadn’t shot and neither had Katie, so who did?
“Tony?” Ian’s voice cut through the sudden silence that came over them, and Tony looked up.
“Yeah?”
“There’s a man down the street, looks like he’s got-“ Ian’s voice was cut off by the crack of a gunshot. A series of thumps on the hood and behind him told Tony all he needed to know, without even looking out of the rear windshield.
Katie, however, simply had to look. “OhmygodIan!” Her lower lip began to quiver as her breath caught in her throat. Ignoring Katie’s current predicament Tony instead focused on their collective predicament, and how to get out of it. The solution was simple.
The truck spurted into reverse, the corpses sliding off the hood to the pavement below. Reversing to the intersection onto a smaller side street, Tony looked back only briefly.
Through a cracked and bloodied windshield he could make out a dark figure standing in the middle of the road, holding his arms up towards them. From this distance he couldn’t make out any details, but he didn’t need to when a hole was added to the list of damages to his car, just above his head. The man was shooting at them!
He’d seen enough at that point, and hit the gas, hurtling the truck forward and onto the side street. No gunshots followed. In fact, it was utter silence as they drove down the road onto Lomas Boulevard. The only thing that was not silent was Katie, who couldn’t stop sobbing as she covered her face in her hands and curled in her seat. Seeing as nothing was chasing/shooting/jumping them, Tony drove a little less hectically so she would be a little more comfortable.
Lomas Boulevard was a typically busy major road, but it was remarkably sparse when Tony turned on it. Drawing his mouth in a tight line he drove towards the hospital worriedly. The fact that the only cars he did see looked as beaten up as his likely was didn’t help.
Turning into the Emergency Care entrance, Tony parked the truck on the curb, seeing as every single space was already taken. Turning off the engine, he leaned back in his seat, sighing as he relaxed.
For a minute or so he simply sat there, eyes closed, before turning his head to look at Katie. She was still sitting in a huddle, silently crying. Tony frowned, pitying the girl’s plight. He might not have liked Ian much, and he may have been an ass, but Katie’s ex-boyfriend certainly didn’t deserve a fate like that. No one did. Reaching one hand out to her, he rubbed her shoulder in an attempt at being comforting.
“Come… We need to get your leg looked at.” Tony whispered, though he didn’t immediately move from his seat. Katie was unresponsive for a time, and then turned her head to look at Tony, her glasses wet with tears and her lips still quivering.
“He… he shot him… why?” She stammered in disbelief, horrified. All Tony could do was bite his lip and shrug slightly.
“I don’t know. But what’s been done has been done, Katie, and we have to take care of the here and now.” He told her softly, and started rubbing her shoulder again. “We need to get help, and the hospital is that help.” Opening the door, he slowly descended from the truck, cringing as he got his first good look at his foot since getting in. The bandage was a blood mess, the wound open and bleeding from the irritation of his erratic driving. Biting back a cry of pain with each step he hobbled to the other side of the truck and opened the door for Katie, offering a hand to help her out.
Reluctantly she accepted the hand, and Tony shut the door before they leaned on each other and hobbled towards the hospital.