“Tommy, get in!” Davis yelled.

“I’m almost done. Just wait a second,” Tommy answered as he raked off the filth.

“Just get in!” Davis yelled again. “We’ve gotta go now!”

Tommy sensed the urgency in Davis’s voice. He crawled up into the truck slamming the door shut.

“What’s wrong, Davis?” asked Tommy with fear in his voice.

“Nothing. We just gotta get going.” Davis lied. “Put your seatbelt on, Tommy. Mom would throw a fit if she knew you were sitting up front. That reminds me, does she even know you’re gone?”

“No, but she probably won’t mind,” Tommy answered.

“Yeah right,” Davis mocked, “just wait till she finds out about this and gets hold of you. Wait until she gets hold of me. Then I’ll kill what’s left of you.”

Davis forgot all about the car that had been closing in on them.  His thoughts settled on Marci’s wrath and the grounding he would receive for all this. It overtook his mind. However, it was short lived when he saw the car in his mirror flashing its lights and honking.

“Who’s that, Davis?” asked Tommy.

“I don’t know,” replied Davis in a shaking voice, “but he’s been following me ever since we dropped off John and James.”

“He looks real mad. What does he want?” Tommy asked while he sat on his knees, peering out the back window.

“I don’t know,” Davis snapped. “Shut up and stop asking me questions!”

“Fine,” Tommy whined as he crossed his arms and slid down the seat.

Once again, Davis was starting to freak out. It didn’t help matters that the car was now on their bumper. The man inside was waving furiously for them to pull over. Davis looked at the speedometer. It read 76 mph. His thoughts drifted back to earlier that day when they hit 115 mph. His right foot began to sink.

“Fine Mister. If you want me, come and get me,” Davis mumbled as he pulled away in short order.

Tommy began to sense the danger in the situation when they hit 100. He began to yell, “Slow down! Slow down, Davis, you’re gonna kill us!”

Davis paid no attention to his brother’s plea for sanity as he sped even faster down the road. To his surprise, the tattered car was having no trouble keeping up at the high speeds. He spotted 115 mph and decided to inject some go juice at the next straightaway. The cars raced along the empty roadway like two horses down the track. Each hugged the corners, using the entire road for the more risky turns. Fallen leaves and dust kicked up in a whirling pattern with each passing vehicle. Tommy sank deeper and deeper into his seat until he had no descent left without crawling down to the floor. Davis’s fingertips turned white as he gripped the wheel like it was a lifeline in a stormy sea. Each gained little comfort from the interior of the truck, but it was all they had.

They entered a long open stretch of road prompting Davis to remember his backup plan. Just as he was about to hit the nitrous button to send them rocketing down the road, the navigation spoke up, “You have arrived at your destination on the right.”

Davis let off the gas as if to stop. He looked around for Bobby’s home, seeing nothing. Just then, a blinding light off in the distance far behind them took over for the sun. It illuminated the shadows with an awesome show of power. In the mirror, just past the tailing car, Davis could see a horrifying looking mushroom cloud forming over their past location deep in the city. He knew in his heart what it was, but didn’t believe his eyes. Tommy began to scream as an overpowering force began pushing them off the road and into the bar ditch. Davis was no longer in command of the flightless rocket, but he was trying his best anyway. The truck flew off into a shallow swampland just off the road. The wheels sank deep into the smelly black mud, bringing the truck to a smooth gliding stop. Dust, rocks, and tree limbs peppered the cab of the truck as night seemed to fall over the entire area. Davis grabbed his terrified brother and did his best to shield him from the airborne debris. Glass from the back window flooded the cab as the pressure from outside pushed it past its breaking point. The broken window let in enough flying particles to choke out any sight beyond their reach. An intense heat took over where the cool autumn day left off. Sweat boiled from the boys and ran down their skin like a drenching rain.  

The Firebird had a less fortunate ending. It went rolling end over end several times before coming to a deathly stop on the opposite side of the road in a mangled mess. Tree limbs quickly covered the car, hiding it from the calamity of the world.

Suddenly, nothing else seemed to matter. His parents fighting, the bad school situation, and an annoying little brother all seemed trivial. Davis just closed his eyes, held his brother tight, and cried.