flat tone of voice now sounding all but dead. Nothing was going to stop him … nothing except … maybe … that car at the top of the hill.
Jeff froze where he stood. It was too late to run or hide, but he shifted his weight to one side and dropped to his knees, looking past Ben just as the car reached the crest and started rolling down the slope toward them.
Jeff narrowed his eyes, praying that Ben wouldn’t hear the tires on the gravel until it was too late. He coiled up, getting ready to leap to the side and make a run for it.
The car grew huge against the night sky as it reached the tipping point and then, moving forward, started to gather momentum on the down slope. Jeff wanted to keep talking as loud as he could to keep Ben distracted, but Ben suddenly wheeled around when the car was less than twenty feet from him.
The night exploded with two flashes as Ben fired twice at the oncoming car. There was a shattering of glass and a loud buzzing sound as the bullets ricocheted off into the night.
It didn’t do any good.
The car was moving too fast now, and Ben didn’t have enough time to get out of its path. Jeff heard and felt a loud snap in his knees when he jumped out of the car’s path. He hit the ground hard, twisting his ankle on the uneven ground. Then he went down, wincing with pain, but he watched what happened next, seeing every detail as if the world was moving in slow motion.
The car’s headlights came on, filling the night with a blinding, white glare. The twin beams pegged like searchlights Ben as he scrambled to get out of the way. Before he could, Jeff heard a loud thump and then saw Ben go down underneath the front bumper. The car heaved heavily to one side as it rolled over him, and there was a loud crunching sound of bones breaking punctuated by a short yelp that ended with a short, watery gurgle.
Jeff watched as the headlights shined out across the lake, lighting up the swirling mist with a near-supernatural glow. In the twisted strands of fog, indistinct figures shimmered and weaved above the headlight beams.
The car reached the end of the ramp, slowing down only when it plunged into the water. With a huge splash, fans of foam flew up into the sky from both sides of the car. Then, still rolling forward on the launch ramp, it went under. The headlights glowed for a moment under the water and then winked out silently, plunging the night into a dense darkness that vibrated with weird energy.
He’s dead! … He’s gotta be dead!
Jeff got up stiffly and hobbled over to the motionless figure sprawled on the ground. He pried the gun from the dead hand and tossed it aside. Then he knelt down, leaning close to check the damage.
The tires had flattened Ben’s chest. His eyes bulged from his head, two huge orbs that glistened with a weird iridescence. Thick streams of blood, as black as ink, ran from his mouth and nose. A wheezing, bubbling sound of air escaped from his crushed lungs. His left leg was twitching so badly the sneaker he was wearing flipped off.
Down by the lake, the car was still moving forward, much slower now as it sank off the end of the launch ramp. It took a long time before it registered on Jeff that someone must be in that car.
* * *
Jeff hardly noticed the stinging cold as he ran down to the lake and dove in. A stream of bubbles was rising and breaking on the surface as waves lapped against the shore. In the dark, it was all but impossible to see who—if anyone—was in the car. After treading water for a second or two, Jeff took a deep breath and dove.
He couldn’t see a thing underwater, and he found the car only by accident when he slammed into it. His hands were so numb they were almost useless as he felt around for the driver’s door. It wasn’t long before his lungs were starved for oxygen. Feeling as though it was a cowardly thing to do, he placed both feet underneath him on the roof of the car and kicked off, propelling himself back to the surface.
I’m gonna die if I go back down there, he thought, but an instant later, he drew in