Green Desert - Chapter 1.2.3 - Fírí

Before I knew it, I was in the driver’s seat, seatbelt on, putting the car in reverse. Thank the gods it was an automatic. I twisted the wheel and hit the gas. The tires screeched and I shot backwards around the building. A dumpster! I stomped on the brakes, but the car crunched into the big metal box. Never mind. I shoved the gearshift into drive and floored it. The window beside me was still open and I heard Zhíno shout, “Fírí!” as I sped onto the highway and back the direction we’d come.

I knew Zhíno wouldn’t shoot. Not for my sake, but because he’d spent all his money and risked his life for the stuff in the trunk. And there was no way he’d take the chance of losing all that in a box-office fireball caused by him shooting the gas tank.

I looked in the mirror. Zhíno had run to the road, but he was just standing there now.

I suddenly realized that I hadn’t used my turn signal. I hadn’t stopped either, before turning onto the road. I glanced around to see if a cop saw.

Laughter burst out of me, sending me practically into convulsions. Happy tears flowed from my eyes so I could barely see the road. What a silly woman I was, worrying about a traffic violation when I’d just almost been killed.

I laughed even more, clutching the steering wheel with both hands. Now I was free.