Dark Visions by Jonas Saul Read Free Book Online Page A

The night air covered
her, cooling her skin. This moment was akin to being in the
zone.
    Indecision wasn't an option.
    The two men had pulled to a stop by the
sidewalk fifteen feet from the girl and her boyfriend.
    Sarah felt her call to duty. Somehow, she'd
been chosen. She was being given these messages for a reason. She
had no idea what the reason was. What she did know was she could do
something about it.
    She made it to the other side of Birk just
as the two men came out of their car. They had parked by the curb.
The engine was still on. Sarah assumed this was to get out of the
area fast.
    She looked back at the victim. The girl was
too far away.
    They'd get there first.
    She couldn't run and draw attention to
herself. She was lost. What could she do now?
    She had failed.
    She hustled anyway, staying close to the
wall of the building she was passing. She had to think of
something. All hope wasn't lost as long as she was there and the
girl hadn't been taken.
    Both men reached into their inner suit
jacket pockets in unison. It looked rehearsed. Everything seemed to
slow down. The timing was perfect. The girl and her boyfriend had
stepped away from a small crowd and were by themselves for a moment
standing in front of the theatre doors. Sarah was close enough to
hear the two men from the Chrysler say they were police
officers.
    She could see both men were showing badges
of some sort.
    There was nothing she could do.
    So she decided to get rid of their getaway
car.
    While they were busy, she turned and headed
towards their idling vehicle. Maybe the best thing would be to
snatch their car keys.
    She looked down at her legs; they felt weak
with the power of the adrenaline making them shaky.
    She glanced sideways when she was halfway
across the street.
    The man she recognized from six months ago
looked right at her.
    Their eyes locked.
    Her feet faltered a little. Oh, shit. Okay,
run, grab the keys.
    Before she turned away, she saw him slap his
partner's arm. Both men were watching her now.
    She bolted. One look over her shoulder told
her everything.
    It was ruined.
    She would never get to the car, reach in,
turn and pull the keys out and escape in time. No way. He'd be on
her before she got her hands on the keys.
    She was only a dozen feet from the car.
Footsteps pounded hard and fast behind her. They sounded close.
Even if she ran up the street, they'd still catch her. His touch
was coming at any moment. She didn't waste any energy to look
behind her again.
    The only thing left was the car.
    She had to take the car.
    In the second it took her to think it, she
was diving into the front seat. She grabbed the driver's side door
and pulled hard. Her pursuer stuck his hand in to keep the door
open. His fingers yanked out at the last second before Sarah closed
and locked it.
    Gasps of air came from her mouth. She was an
okay driver, but not good yet. The guy was banging on the door's
window with one hand. She looked up at him. His other hand was
pulling keys out of his pocket.
    Spare keys.
    Sarah grabbed the stick beside her leg and
tried to push the car into drive.
    It wouldn't move. Then her index finger felt
a button on the underside of the stick. She put her foot on the
brake, depressed the button and dropped the car into drive.
    The door's clicked. They were unlocked.
    She didn't know when she started to scream.
It was just coming out of her mouth.
    Everything was going wrong. It never happens
like this.
    The driver's side door pulled away from her
arm.
    He was in.
    She threw her leg at the accelerator. When
she looked through the windshield she saw the man's partner
standing in front of the car.
    "Get back here, you bitch!"
    The man's hand found a small batch of hair
sticking out from under the bandanna as the car thrust forward. Of
all things to pull. She would've normally laughed at the guy for
helping her along with what she'd started years ago, but that many
hairs at once, stung hard. Her eyes watered up.
    The sudden pain