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The pilot swallowed hard, his hand clutching the cyclic tightly. He seemed to be debating in his mind, but eventually began lowering the helicopter down, miles ahead of Veronica. I knew with how fast she was going, we didn’t have much time. There was a curve in the interstate, which just might be an advantage if we were out of sight and able to take Veronica completely by surprise.
“Over there.” I pointed past the trees that cornered the bend in the road.
He nodded and continued his descent, making the turn and then straightening out before slowly lowering to the empty lanes below, the black asphalt swallowing us in its emptiness. As the helicopter touched down, I unhooked my seatbelt and tossed off my headphones.
“Mr. Gunner! What are you doing?” yelled the pilot, the slowing rotors drowning out his voice.
“This is the only thing that will stop her,” I said, more to myself than to him.
I gripped the handle of the door and pushed it open, its heaviness bearing down on me. Once the door was open, I hopped out of the helicopter and walked quickly to the center of the interstate where I knew Veronica would be rounding the corner any minute. The air felt strangely calm, the wind cold and biting as it whipped through my hair. If it weren’t for the distant sounds of sirens, I would almost find it peaceful to be standing out here on an empty road with trees surrounding me.
I looked around, realizing this might be the place I die. It wasn’t where I thought I would end up when I woke up this morning, but a lot of things happened today that I hadn’t anticipated. I didn’t know when I woke up that I would have a blowout with my father, one that needed to happen, no matter how hard it was. I didn’t know that I would be close to quitting my job with no idea what was going to happen for the rest of my life. I didn’t know that the woman I loved was going to be kidnapped by my psycho ex-wife, leading to a police chase and my desperate plan to stop her.
And no, I didn’t know me dying would be a good possibility when I woke up. But I was willing to risk it if it meant saving Monica.
Monica. Another thing that had happened in my life that I hadn’t expected. Her face flashed in my mind. Not the one I had woken up to just days ago, or the one who sang bad karaoke, or the one who morphed when I touched her in that way. But the one I had seen when she first came into my life, when she walked in that bar that night. Little did I know she would change everything.
I smiled tightly as I realized just how much she had changed my life. She had opened me up to be a person I never thought I could be, loving and fearless. And fun, as Erica liked to put it. She showed me what life could be like outside of work, and the possibilities there were if I were brave enough to choose another path. She showed me what love was. Real love. Not the fleeting kind that wraps you up in an impulsive marriage in Vegas, but one that transcends.
As I pictured her soft face in my head, I knew I had to tell her goodbye. I reached into the pocket of my jacket and slid out my phone. I knew she wouldn’t pick up, but if she somehow made it out of this, if I could save her, then I wanted her to know how I felt. The phone rang and rang as expected, finally clicking to voicemail. Her short message filled my ears, and at the sound of it, my heart contracted and expanded at the same time.
Beep.
I sucked in a shaky breath before speaking.
“Monica. It’s me. I don’t know how this is going to end, but I hope it ends with you living. Even if I’m no longer here, I can’t imagine the world I leave behind without you in it. I love you. I love you so damn much. For the person you are, and the person you’ve made me.”
I could see the red blur of Veronica’s car turning the corner, not far behind it the blue and red flashes of lights. The distant sounds of sirens became louder with each turn of the tire, and I knew my time was dwindling.
“If our story ends today, please know that I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for all of this. Most of all, I’m sorry we never got our chance.”
The car was getting closer. I could almost make out Veronica’s rosy blonde hair in the front seat. She wasn’t slowing down. Not yet, at least. I took a solid step forward, even though it felt like my knees might give out. I needed her to see me. I knew I was the only real chance of her stopping the car. She might be homicidal, suicidal even, but she wouldn’t hurt me. At least, not on purpose. I knew it deep in my bones. Still, me standing here in the middle of the road was a risk. A risk I was willing to take if it saved Monica.
“I love you,” I whispered into the phone before pressing my thumb against the red button on the screen. My hand dropped to my side just as the car closed in, the smell of tires and gasoline filling my nose. My heart stopped and I dared not close my eyes.
Please stop the car,I thought.
Please stop.
I prayed to whoever was listening that Veronica would stop the car.
As if my prayer was answered, I heard the squeal of brakes just as Veronica’s eyes met mine through the front windshield. There was surprise and fear and madness in them. The nose of the car dipped as the car began to slow, but it struggled to stop itself from continuing to plow down the road. I could see Veronica struggle to keep hold of the steering wheel. Her foot on the brake wasn’t enough to stop the car that had just been traveling over 100 miles per hour. I jumped out of the way just in time, a flash of red flying past me.
I landed roughly on the asphalt with a thud as the sound of tires squealing roared in my ears. Sitting up, I was in time to see the car skidding across the road, the tail moving erratically. I watched in horror as the car crashed through the barricade and off the shoulder of the road, into the trees.
“Monica!” I screamed.
I pushed myself to my feet, running to the car. A squeal of tires was behind me, sirens filling my ears. I kept running, even as the car doors opened and the police shouted at me to stop. I couldn’t stop. I had to get to her.
I kept running through the crunched metal of the barricade and out onto the rocky terrain, tree branches whipping my face as I tore through them. Smoke was ahead and the dull orange light of headlights bouncing off the dark trunks of trees. I ran faster.
I reached the car and clutched the passenger door handle tightly, pulling at it desperately, but it wouldn’t budge. The door was caved in slightly from the impact of the barricade. I peered through the window and saw Monica in the front seat, not moving. I pounded on the window, scared out of my mind. I needed to get to her.
I tried the door again, pulling the handle as hard as I could, but it still wouldn’t budge. I slung off my jacket and wrapped it around my hand. Without thinking, I slammed my fist through the passenger window, glass shattering around me. I hoped the tiny shards didn’t hurt Monica as they sprayed around her. That was, if she wasn’t too far hurt already. I swallowed the thought down and reached for her through the window.
As soon as my hands touched her, I felt her wince. She threw her hands up to her face, covering it, and cowering away from me. She was alive. I looked her over quickly, assessing the damage, but she seemed mostly unharmed, just frightened.
“Monica,” I said softly.