The Game of A Life Time

Chapter 42- Like Real People DO

"Let me drive," I urger her.

She knocks my hands away from hers, "you haven't had any food or proper sleep. It is not safe for you to drive."

That's hypercritical, "neither have you."

"You've been driving for over twenty-four hours." Thunder sounds ahead of us, "one, two, three."

I count how many seconds until we see lighting. Three miles ahead of us is the eye of the storm.

Sweet candy drops on my lips, there is a sucker in my hand. When did that get there?

Bright lights shine around a bend, "god!" Belle shields her eyes from the passing car, "didn't they fucking see me?"

"I-" my eyes squint to an object in the middle of the road.

More lights come toward us, "slow down."

Belle slams on the brakes, the car coming to a dead stop. The rain drops kiss the road, a box lies in the middle making it wet and soggy.

"What is it?"

Without thinking, I open the car door and step out into the wet night. The box moves when I get closer, there is a dark cover over the box. Belle honks the horn at me not to touch.

"Get back in the car, carter?" She sounds urgent, "we need to keep going."

Ignoring the gut-wrenching feeling I have, I take the cover off of the box.

"Ah," a baby girl is lying face down in the box.

I quickly grab the box, "Belle."

"Leave it, we don't have time to deal with it," she locks the door so I can't get in.

Kicking the door, "it is a baby, Belle. A fucking baby."

"No, put it back." Why is she not helping?

Where did you come from? Again, she honks the horn, "open it!"

"We need to get to Arizona before it is too late, we can come back later." She tries to reason with me, "it will be here when we come back!"

It makes no difference, it is a baby. We need to help her, she is an innocent child.

Placing her on the ground, I open the car. Belle is about the speed off when a car comes by and smashes right into us. My legs feel hot, my back is shot, and I hear cracking under me.

Loud screams are ringing in my ears, cries for help turn my head to look at Belle hanging from a tree.

"Belle," my voice comes out in a whisper.

People from the other area run out to the ditch, and I hear crying.

"Are you okay?" Sarah?

Blond hair waves in my face and my vision is altered. Black blobs form around me, I can't see.

"Carter," her voice is sharp. "You need to get up and move."

My arms hurt from being gripped, and the person in front of me is scratching at my arms. Their head spinning from left to right.

The box that holds the baby is now back a hundred yards from where we are. I can see a dark shadow spinning the box, no.

"No, stay away from her!" I pounce up onto my feet, "leave her alone!"

Running, I am running hard. There are no people or cars that are stopping me from getting there. Belle screams, "DON'T!"