All I could think was that this was a terrible dream. It just had to be! I was convinced then they were insane people who broke out of some institution and had gotten their hands on a car and a bunch of weapons before attacking the police, or FBI, CIA, whoever! If only that had been the truth rather than what I have discovered it to really be.

But that is getting ahead of myself!

Again, I apologize if this seems really rushed. But that is because it is! I’ve been typing away as fast as I can while listening to depressing anime soundtracks to keep me moving at a steady pace so I could finish this whole story in time! So, I guess I should get back to the car chase!

Trick tossed out his grenade, which caused the chasing sedan to swerve. The lady next to him got off a few good shots at the exposed wheel. There were visible sparks and the car kept on its trajectory, plowing right into a sign and mailbox before disappearing behind a bush.

“I hate their bulletproof glass and armor,” the woman growled. “Thankfully the tires and hubs are still vulnerable.”

“That was a good shot mom,” Trick said. I guess I should have guessed it instantly, but I was still super panicked then! “But next time they’ll make sure that even those withstand the bullets.”

“Damn their Wisher,” Susan snapped. “I want to put a bullet into his head!”

“It could be a girl, you know,” Naomi pointed out. “Just saying.”

“They could have multiple Wishers of all kinds of genders, the man’s voice from the driver’s seat called back diplomatically. “In fact, that might be part of why they are able to chase us so proficiently.”

“Wishers,” I sputtered, confused.

“We’ll get to explaining about them in a moment,” Trick said with a wink. “Once we get somewhere safe.”

“Look alive,” the lady from the front called out. “We’ve got more pursuers! On bikes!”

I could hear them. The revving and changing of gears filed the already noisy air. Soon followed by the ringing of guns and the zipping of flying bullets. I clutched my head and curled into the fetal position, wishing that this was all just some crazy dream.

“What about Mom,” I found myself asking. I still don’t know why.

“At the moment she’ll be fine,” Trick said earnestly, pulling out a shotgun.

“They’re really after you,” Naomi said. “They’re so fixated on you, and because we’ve now got this chase, they can’t quietly kidnap her and cover everything up. They’ll just have to suppress the news.”

“Suppress the news of this,” I question in disbelief. “Impossible.”

Trick sighed. “If only.”

He opened one of the sliding door on his side of the van, gun ready to fire. Right as he did, a man dressed in thick, black leather leaped at him. Trick cried out in surprise. He barely managed in tiem to twist to the side. He gave the man a hard shove to the back. Naomi timely opened her door and tripped the man out of the van. He crashed headlong into another assailant trying to leap in.

The thugs thudded to the ground and were quickly left behind.

Right at Naomi’s door a biker with his face concealed behind a tinted helmet visor leveled a machine gun right at her. Susan spun about and put two bullets in the man. He fell and shot off a quick burst of rounds. They rattled loudly into the air, but luckily did not enter the van.

I twisted a little and saw Trick blast another boker right off his bike with a round fired from his shotgun. He spun behind the door as more bullets came tearing his way. Punch marks lined the inside of the van as bullets attempted to bore their way inside. The van swerved and there was a loud thud as it hit something.

“Unintentional, but I got one,” is what I think the man was trying to say. It was hard to tell.

Guns were roaring all around me and I felt like I was going deaf. They were never this loud in the movies! Or on the YouTube videos I watched when I tried to get down the art of what firing a gun would be like. For research purposes of course. Guns make fantastic devices in a story, but I would never use one myself.

At least, not before all of this insanity happened to me!

Susan screamed at the top of her lungs, “We need to get out here! They’re going to kill us!”

“They’re being really sloppy! It is like they don’t care if they die,” Naomi shouted in response.

“It’s like they’re creations of a Wisher,” she and Trick shouted together.

“Everybody hold tight,” the front lady screamed.

I was thrown right into the front of the van. I thought I might have broken my neck, it hurt so much. I heard the doors slam and the wheels squeal. There were three separate thumbs as bikes and bikers slammed into the back of the van.

In my agony I glanced upwards and saw a man and woman pull out their own machine guns. M-16s I guessed by the barrels. They let loose their own barrage of fire. I clamped my hands over my ears to block the sound of gunfire. With that I realized to my great relief that my neck wasn’t broken. It just felt that way. I could still use my hands!

Since there was now fighting at the front of the van, I started scooching myself back to the other side. I did want to be anywhere near where bullets could reach me. The van roared to life once again and I saw a man fly over the windshield as it cracked. I could feel the speed picking up.

“We’re going to get onto the main road,” the man informed everyone else. “I know it will put innocents at risk for a moment, and it will expose us more. But they’ll have to call off their main attackers if they don’t want things getting out of hand.”

“I’m already calling ahead to make sure that the police are sent elsewhere and the lights are in our favor,” the lady said.

“See if you can also cut out some of the cameras while you’re at it,” Susan said, sounding out of breath.

“This is too intense,” I said to myself. “This is insane. I’m going to hyperventilate. I’m going to pass out!”

Someone grabbed me by the collar and proceeded to slap me. I should have guessed that it was Naomi before I even saw her face.

“Get a grip, Ruben! If you act that way that will actually happen and you’ll become a liability rather than a help! You want to survive! Shape up!”

I was so shocked I could not respond. I glanced over to Trick who just shrugged.

“I’m sorry, pal, but she’s right.” He pulled over to himself a box and started rummaging around in it. “Now come over here and help me out. We need to make another surprise for any other attackers.”

I found myself crawling over to him, shaking like mad. I didn’t want to help him! I didn’t want any part of this! But I think it was some kind of survival instinct kicking in and propelling me forward to action. I had to do something in order to make it out of this whole predicament alive!

In the box there was a tone of bottles, small packages, piping, and other materials. It smelled faintly of chemicals. The kind that my mother kept under the sink. I always hate having to clean under there. She makes me do it at least once a month. One of the many reasons why I can’t stand her. In any case, I was baffled for a moment why he was messing around with this stuff.

Then it dawned on me.

“You’re making another bomb,” I said with awe.

“That’s right. After that whole experience with the werewolf, I got interested in what I could all do with home goods. Things that anyone might have. It is one of my favorite parts in spy movies and shows when they use regular items to pull off the incredible!”

“I’m surprised that you haven’t been investigated by the FBI,” Naomi laughed.

“It’s because I don’t look up the Anarchist Cookbook,” he retorted. “I ain’t that stupid.”

Naomi rolled her eyes.

“She gets upset when I use improper grammar,” he replied with a wink.

“We’re coming up on the highway,” the man shouted. “But they’re trying to block us! Three sedans!”

The van suddenly tilted with a sharp turn. I wondered if we were going to flip! By thankfully, we did not.

“Are we going back towards the bikers,” I yelped.

“Yes we are,” Trick said with a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Here, help me out with this. Take that bottle! Yes, that one!”

More guns went off, and someone else shouted that we were being pursued by two of the sedans. It was all I could do to focus on helping Trick. He concocted a vicious mixture on a bottle with a pipe of some kind of substance floating in the middle.

Trick took it and went up to the front and shared words with the driver. Another sharp turn. Another loud thump. People screaming, shouting, guns firing rapidly, and I was thrown to the back of the van. Naomi threw open the side door where she was and Susan let loose a barrage from her handgun.

I got sight of one of the cars smoking as we tore back towards the highway.

“Everyone hold on,” the man shouted. “This will be close!”

The van began dancing from side to side. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I saw the black blur of a passing sedan. It clipped the back of our van and we swerved dangerously once more. But then we tore away and ended up on the highway.

We sped past other cars, getting very lucky with traffic and lights, which was a miracle in and of itself! And that is when I felt it. The adrenaline began fading.

“I think I’m gonna hurl,” I said, and then I blacked out.