Thread: Breakout! (Story, Chapter 1 - Crash)

Erica looked ahead, and then back at the prisoners, standing in front of Martin, just on the other side of the screen. Keep watching for the turnoff, Erica said. Sure thing, sweet-cheeks. Erica glared his direction, but said nothing. She sat back down, belted herself in, realizing there was nothing to be further gained by talking with Hank. She swiveled her chair so she could watch the prisoners. As it turned out, that little act probably saved her life. Martin was the first one to see it as the prison van rounded a corner. Coming the other way, about a hundred yards ahead, was an RV with some crap meshed or tied to the top of it, its speedometer hitching about three-fourths of the way from the 30 to the 40 hashmark. The driver, a middle-aged man looking something like Chevy Chase, had the gas almost to the floor, but that was about all the Winnebago was going to give him after the third mile of a 4 grade. That wasn't good enough for the two cars of college kids out to enjoy every moment of spring break. They were in a convoy, and when the leader hit the gas and began to slalom around the RV in his Beamer, the dude behind did likewise in his Lexus, riding about fifteen feet from the bumper of the leader. The fact there were still two parallel yellow lines along the center of the highway seemed to matter little, though there was in fact a passing lane two and a half miles ahead. When the driver of the State van saw the college kids rocketing around the RV, he had about three seconds to do something to avoid a collision. The driver of the first car stepped on his brakes to drop back, but with his friends right behind him, he had nowhere to go. The driver of the RV slowed down, unwittingly compounding the problem. Of course, events unfolded in far less time than it takes to read about them. Hank stepped on the brakes and steered onto the shoulder. The maneuver was executed decently well, with a squealing of tires and a shaking-up of the occupants of the van. If not for the scattering of gravel some truck had spilled onto the shoulder recently, the van might well have remained on the road, with a few rattled molars and shaken nerves the sole consequences. But the van lost traction on the gravel, skidding off the shoulder of the road. The vehicle began rolling downslope through brush and got slapped by a small tree, starring one of the side windows. The driver cussed, trying to steer the thing, but his turns of the wheel were more like vague recommendations. After about five seconds of that, the van turned, glancing off another tree, somehow remaining upright before side-swiping a rock outcropping, and coming to rest at the edge of a 50' drop. The rock outcropping broke the side window, showering the inmates with glass. Hank tried to get up, but couldn't...the collision with the rock had dented in the front left side of the van, pinning his leg. He batted back the airbag, now mostly deflated, that had save him from being thrown forward and snapping his leg and probably a couple ribs too. Erica looked back at the inmates. She could see none had been seriously injured. Max had a cut from the shattered glass, and John had slammed his arm into the side. It was not broken perhaps it was lightly sprained. Erica, just sit tight, Hank said. When the airbag deployed, the OnStar was notified. They'll have someone...out here. How are the prisoners? They're fine, Erica said. A little shook up. But we need to get you out of there. They'll pick up the OnStar, they'll know this is a priority-- Hank, you heard the radio. With everything going on, we're probably the least of anyone's worries. She unbelted herself--the van was leaning to the left at about a 20-degree angle. You're bleeding. We need to get the bleeding stopped. She opened the passenger side door, clambered out of the van. Did a circle around, then came to the driver's side. Tried to open the door. Came back around to the passenger side, reached under the seat, took out a crowbar. She turned to look at Martin. Do you want to help?