Noxious

27 | so stop knocking

Kyle 

I didn't know how to drive. 

When Charly and I had heard the gunshots, we raced the police sirens back to the motel. We found our motel room broken into with bullet holes through the window and door. Our stuff was missing and there were pieces of glass and wood everywhere. 

"Do you think they were taken?" Charly asked, breathing heavily. 

"I don't know," I said and scanned the bathroom. There was a chair in the shower and the window was busted out. "No, they escaped," I added. Then, I glanced down and saw keys that had fallen in the bottom of the shower. 

Tommy's car keys. 

I snatched them up. 

Charly didn't say another word as she followed me outside to Tommy's car. The police sirens were closing in. That felt really familiar and I didn't know if they were coming for us. I unlocked the car and got in. 

"Can you drive?" She asked, hopping in the passenger seat. 

"No, can you?" 

"No."

"Well," was all I said as I turned the keys in the ignition and the car started. I had no need to drive in the city, there were plenty of other transportation options. I didn't know and I was sweating. It wasn't just because I was nervous either, it was a symptom of withdrawal. 

Sweating and tremors, I hated it. 

I glanced in the rearview mirror just in time to see two men get into an expensive-looking car at the end of the parking lot. They peeled out of the parking lot at lightning speed and I had Tommy's car in reverse before I knew what I was doing. 

I followed the car. Did they have my brother and best friend? 

I had just turned onto the street and punched the acceleration when suddenly, someone broke through the bush beside the road. I slammed on the breaks hard enough to send the tires squealing across the pavement. 

"You suck at driving!" Charly said, her hands on the dash. "Shit, the police are here!" 

I didn't respond because I recognized who had run out of the bush. I rolled down the window, "Get in, you fucking idiots!" 

Rowan and Tommy dived into the backseat, slamming the door shut behind them. 

"Go! Go! Go!" 

I punched the acceleration again and we sped past two local police cars turning into the motel parking lot at high speeds. They didn't have time to chase us. I figured they were probably responding to a call from the shots fired, but I wasn't about to stop and ask. 

"Ah, shit," Rowan groaned in the back seat, "Someone's trying to kill us!"

"What?" Charly spun in the front seat, "What the fuck do you mean?" 

My hands were sweating on the steering wheel, I could feel the tremors worsening. It didn't help that I hadn't eaten or drank anything in the past twelve hours. 

"There were two men, they broke into our hotel room," Rowan rushed out, still breathing heavily, "They shot twice and then we hopped out the window over the shower. We heard them talking about shooting us, they're here to kill us!" 

"How the fuck are they tracking us?" Charly said, frustrated, "They shouldn't know where we are. Right, Tommy?" 

Tommy rubbed a hand down his face, "I don't know. We've ditched our cellphones, we haven't used any cards. I don't know how they found us but I'm positive it's that gang from the city. You really pissed them off," He made direct eye contact with me in the rearview mirror as he said the last sentence.