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A Hero Rises | Shook Chapter 25 Part 4
Dyan's eyebrows sat right above her eyes as she took a deep breath in and out. “We’re not going to die.”
There was silence as all attention went to Dyan. She avoided looking anyone in the eye, staring past them at the road.
“How can you be so sure?” Navy walked toward her.
“I just am. We’re going to have to jump out of this truck.” Dyan said, looking around and piecing a plan together.
“How!? Teal can’t jump off a moving truck! Heck, I don’t know if I can jump off a moving truck!” Royal squeezed a pillow on the top bunk.
Dyan caught herself breathing fast. Despite her wanting to panic, she told herself: We will get through this. I just have to get this plan out to everyone, and follow it through. Dyan glanced at the things she would need, then everyone else, and coughed to get her voice straight and steady. “Maya packed life jackets and a blow up boat into her book bag. Enough for all of us. Everyone put one on. Hurry!”
Everyone quickly does as told. To put hers on, Maya let go of the wheel for a second and sliped hers on over her head, temporarily covering her face.The truck started to slant left at an alarming pace.
Everyone screamed as Navy refocused the truck on the lane. Maya quickly slipped on her vest completely and put her hands back on the wheel.
“Thanks,” Maya laughed nervously. “That could’ve been really bad.”
Dyan, who was still wide-eyed and gripping her seat let out a long, stretched-out “Yeah.”
Dyan heaved up baby Teal out of her make-shift playpen. “We’ll have to jump out at the same time, but what if we were launched out!? We can use the inflatable boat Maya packed to lighten the fall!”
Dyan turned to True who was sitting in the front passenger seat. “Unbuckle your seatbelt. We’ll be leaving this truck soon.” True was lost in a trance staring at the huge, silent truck headed straight for them like a guided missile. She whimpered and slid out of her seat.
Everyone in the back had on life vests and were squished in the back standing next to each other, crowding around baby Teal, in the inflatable boat.“Now, while Maya keeps the truck steady, we’ll move the boat up here near the passenger seat. Sit it in the boat, and I’ll open the passenger door and push you all out of the truck.”
“But, what about you?” True looked up at Dyan.
“And Maya?” said Navy from behind her.
Well, someone needs to stay and push you guys out, and someone has to keep the truck steady, so don’t worry about us. We'll jump out of the truck as soon as we can afterwards.”
Dyan looked at Maya. “You don’t mind a hard fall, do you?”
“...well I don’t really have a choice,” Maya said, glaring at the smoke in the rearview mirror. Between the hum of the police helicopter and sirens, she couldn’t hear the yellow truck, but it was in clear view just beyond the highway bridge. “Let’s try to do this quickly since the truck’s already on fire and that other truck is getting close!”
Dyan’s heart was hammering. “Okay! Help me move the boat! Quick!”
While Navy lifted Teal out of the boat, Royal, the boy twins, and Dyan moved the boat into the cramped space between the passenger door and the stick-shift.
The children, minus Dyan and Maya, arranged themselves inside the boat, with True at the front and the Navy at the rear. Royal opened the passenger door before she took a seat next to Navy. The smell of smoke was so pungent the smell filled their throats, making everyone cough.
The road was rushing by so fast the dotted line at the edge seemed animated. Dyan watched them past the final highway exit turn. Lots of cars sped down it, eager to get away from the highway trouble. The highway looked like no man’s land, no one in the lanes headed for Maine, no one in the lanes beside them, and only one vehicle ahead of them: the runaway truck.
Dyan’s heartbeat seemed to grow more intense as the yellow truck grew closer. She bit her lip and turned to the Blue children within the boat.
“Ready!?” she asked. All the children voiced there answers quickly.
“Yep!”
“As ready as I can be!”
“Is that even a question!? YES!”
Dyan heard a low-pitched whine, and saw Bear’s yellow eyes staring up at her.
“Bear, you have to go too. Get in the boat.”
Dyan tried to puash the furry beast, but he stayed put.
“Bear… I won’t... let you die!” Dyan strained as she attempted to push him onto the boat. She gave up and Bear slumped back to laying position he was in.
Dyan gave up and collapsed on him. “Fine, you can stay now, but you're jumping with me and Maya, stubborn dog.” Bear barked and wagged his tail.
Dyan got behind the boat and pushed with all of her strength. Some of the children tried to help her by scooting towards the door.
“One… two… three!” Dyan strained and she shoved the boat with the last of her force.
The boat slid off the truck and down the stairs quickly. True closed her eyes. The children screamed and huddled together, and in a split second the boat was behind the truck, all that was left was open road, and the dark gray smoke making the air dry and unpleasant.
Dyan steadied herself on the dashboard and looked at Bear and Maya. Soon it would be their turn.
***
The boat slid to the ground quickly and Navy turned just in time to see the truck speed by, one of the wheels glowing neon orange.
The boat slid for a bit towards a police car headed for the children at full speed.
“Stop! Stop!” Royal yelled, and all they all screamed at the top of their lungs until the police woman hit the brakes and came to a stop right in front of them. True was two inches away from the grill, it’s heat blowing out on her face.
Without warning, True started wailing, tears making glossy streamers on her cheeks.
“Woah, hey, it’s okay,” said the police woman, stepping out of the car and pulling a strand of her orange hair out of her face. “I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe now.” She looked at the policeman right beside her. “I think it’s best we make sure nobody else goes beyond this point. It’s too dangerous.”
The policeman pulled out his walkie-talkie. “Right.”
“That back wheel was brighter than the truck’s headlights!” Navy said, breathing heavily.
Royal turned to him with her face scrunched up. “You say that like it’s a good thing! Don’t forget that Maya and Dyan and Bear are still in there!”
Find out what happens next in the next part!
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