Chapter Two Road Panic

SCOTT LOOKED AT his older sister in disbelief. He scoffed lightly, watching as her head fell slight to the side. He shook her lightly, whispering as quietly as possible.

"Lia, are you seriously asleep right now?" He scoffed. Her hands met with her face as she tugged harshly on her eyes, "I was trying to be, until you woke me up."

He was dumbfounded, watching as she shrugged and turned back onto her side. He pulled her back, making Natalia smack his hands away angrily. "We're in so much danger and you're dosing off!" He grew louder, making Natalia sit up angrily.

"Well what the fuck else am I —"

Her curses were interrupted by the radio, as her father began to turn up the volume. "Right now, we're hearing from police chatter that the Geckos did in fact escape. Local Sheriff —"

"Best news I heard all day." Seth smiled, closing the front curtains as best he could. He leaned back onto the window, reaching up to turn off the radio. He grasped onto his shoulder, eyeing down the driving. "You got a first aid kit in this beast?" He asked, wincing.

After he was ignored, Seth licked the side of his lip, sighing, "Now let me explain something to you, Jacob," Seth cracked his neck, placing a hand onto his gun. "There's only one song that we're gonna be singing on this little road trip, and it ain't 99 bottles of beer on the wall. Song is called my way. So if I say make a turn, you're gonna make a turn." Seth commanded, turning around. He began to shuffle around through their things, looking for anything to patch himself up.

Natalia scoffed at him, shaking her head as he spoke disrespectfully towards her father. He was a Pastor, for God's sake. "If I say don't talk, you don't talk. But if I ask you for a first aid kit —"

"It's above the passenger seat," Natalia breathed out, crossing her arms. Seth reached above, smiling to himself when he reached it, "Thank you."

Seth closed the compartment, walking towards the back of the RV. He placed the kit on one of the tables, struggling to get the bandages over his wound. Natalia abruptly stood up, earning a look from the youngest Gecko, "What do you think you're doing?" He gritted his teeth together, feeling the pistol in his pocket.

          "I studied nursing before I dropped out, I-I can patch him up," She offered, holding her hands up. Richie held his gaze with the girl, looking over to Seth. Seth nodded, "Let her go."

          Natalia walked over silently, making her way across the moving RV carefully. She took the bandages from Seth, motioning for him to sit back. "Grazed your shoulder, right?" She asked, helping him take off his jacket. He nodded, watching her closely. "Bite down," She commanded, handing him the sleeve of his suit. He reluctantly listened, worried about messing up the fabric of his newest addition.

           "Pastor Jacob Fuller, huh?" Seth widened his eyes, scanning an ID that'd been taken out of the first aid kit. "Guess that explains, uh, all that hell fire and damnation at the motel? You do know the one about turning the other cheek, I hope." He chuckled, his eyes moving back to his own body. Natalia stood back, "Just try not to move them around too much, and you should be okay for now." Seth nodded, and Natalia made her way to the seat next to him.

"I prefer the old testament," Her father answered,keeping his eyes on the road. "Well, this is gonna be real, real simple, Padre," Seth retorted, "We reach the crossing, you wave your passports, flash your pretty smiles, and roll on through. Richie and I will close our deal with our guy in Mexico. After that we go our separate ways."

"No body else is gonna get hurt. You have my word." Seth promised, his eyes darting to the young girl next to him.

"What about that bank teller you took hostage in Avalon? You give her your word?" Jacob questioned, the attitude peeking through. "Dad —"

Seth stood up, walking back towards the front angrily. He slammed the compartment shut, making a smile grow onto Jacob's face.

"Well well, I didn't know your capable of not talking." Jacob sung, peeking over towards the Gecko for a moment, "Let me help you continue to save your breathe."

"I don't need you to promise my family's gonna be alright I know they will be, you know how I know that? Cause I'm behind the wheel now, and I'm gonna make it my mission, my singular mission, to get us all across that border, not for you, not for all your riches. But for the only three people I have left in this world."

"I'm a professional thief, not a killer." Seth protested, slumping back down into his seat. Jacob sighed, "It ain't you I'm worried about."

Glancing at Seth, Richie rolled his eyes. He broke his gaze with Kate, only leaving his seat to enter their small bathroom. Seth sighed, drawing Natalia's attention towards him.

The bathroom door slammed open, and Natalia jumped nearly 50 Ft in the air out of fear. "Richie, park it somewhere, will ya?" Seth groaned, "Relax, it's gonna be smooth sailing from here."

- - - - -

Natalia hit her sister's shoulder, earning a dirty look, "So, wanna play a game?"

"Lia, it is so not the time for stuff like that." Kate narrowed her eyes, scoffing. Her eyes darted back to Richie, who sat in front of them with a gun shining right onto them.

"Why don't you three just sit quietly, alright?" Jacob interrupted, peeking at his family from the mirror.

"Um, excuse me —"

"Scott don't talk." Kate whispered, hitting his side. "Lia has been this whole time, I was just gonna ask him not to point that gun at us. We hit bump, it could go off. "

"It won't go off." Richie said , unamused. Natalia's eyebrows raised as she listened to her brother describe his knowledge of the gun, explain how the trigger is easy. "So Bruce Lee does know his guns." Richie chuckled, a smile appearing on his face. "I'm just saying, we could hit a bump or a pot hole or something—"

"Maybe I don't care if we hit a pot hole. Maybe, I'm hoping we hit 17 pot holes, so I can empty this entire mag in that smart ass mug of yours. You ever consider that?" Richie said, sliding up on the seat.

Natalia watched as Richie's expression changed. He narrowed his eyes at the space between Kate and Scott. Seconds later, he stood up and pointed his gun at Scott, fear written all over his face. Kate screamed, turning her father's attention to them.

"What's going on back there?" He yelled. Richie turned, looking into the rear view mirror, fearful of Jacob.

Seth ran over and pulled Richie back. "They're not what they seem." Richie turned, looking at his brother. "They're dangerous."

"Richie what the hell is going on with you?"

"I'm trying to save us, I know what they really are. I can tell." He answered. "What the hell do you mean you can —"

"I can just tell. Look I don't wanna have to do this, but I'm gonna have to kill them. The older girl, she's the worst of all em. Okay, it's the only way."

Seth sighed, "Richard, just talk to me. Explain it to me alright, just tell me whats going on."

Richie huffed, staring at the Fuller's while Natalia tried to comfort Scott. "Lia." Scott whispered. "What?" She replied back. "Don't say anything, just look. " Scott inched his hands toward the bag in between him and Kate slowly. Kate and Natalia peeked in. "Scott what the hell?"

"Where did you get that?" Kate gasped. He clenched his jaw, folding his hands across the table. "Those two assholes with lacrosse sticks."

"You brought it to school?" Kate asked. "No but, guys like that need to be reminded that power shifts. As soon as I get the chance, gonna shift it right up that asshole's ass."

"Scott, don't — "

"I have to do something, you think dad's gonna?" He interrupted. Natalia sighed, peeking over to Kate. "You don't know what dad's capable of." She huffed. "What the hell's that support to mean?" Natalia questioned her sister, though she never got her answer.

Kate looked over to her and then back to Richie and Seth.

"You see the old man? He's really a demon. He's got fangs, and claws, and slimey shit. And that kid, Kid's got a tail. Barbie over there was trying to seduce me." Richie whispered, but not quiet enough. Seth narrowed his eyes at his brother.

Natalia watched through the space between the Gecko's. She could see her father's hand reaching out, towards a wrench on the floor. He grabbed it and the car began to speed up.

Leaning up, he grabbed ahold of the wheel and slammed on the brakes. "The hell are you doing, padre?" Sethh yelled, holding onto the door to regain his balance. "We're here." Jacob motioned towards the cars in front.

Richie began to walk towards the Fuller's. He took a seat next to Kate, looking out of the window.

The three exchanged looks, before turning back to Richie's way. "Can I ask you something?" Kate spoke, drawing Richie's attention. "That stuff you said by the pool, how did you know all that? About me, about my mom.."

"Well, like I said. I can see things."

"Did you ever think it might be God—"

"It's not God."

"Did you ever hear the story of Moses?" Natalia asked. "I know the Chuck Hestern version which is the only one that counts." Richie replied, making her chuckle.

"Well Moses didn't believe either, not until God spoke to him. God might make his message clearer, if you pray." Kate spoke softly. She extended her hands toward Richie, who backed away warily. "Close your eyes." She smiled. "I don't think so."

"I promise it won't hurt." She assured. Natalia furrowed her eyebrows. Richie placed his pistol into his belt, grabbing Kate's hand. They closed their eyes as she began to recite the Our Father. Natalia peeked an eye open to see Scott with the pistol against Richie's head. "Scott, what the fuck are you—"

"Seth." Richie called, interrupting Natalia. "Kate grab his gun." Scott said. "Don't do it Kate, you're not like them." Richie said calmly.

"I'll put one in your pretty head before you ever touch the grip, sweetheart. As for you, take that gunn off my brother before the ounce of forgiveness I have goes to waste." Seth threatened, turning around to see Jacob with his wrench. "Back up! Back up." Seth yelled. "Drop it! Get in the driver's seat, drive! Keep moving."

"Seth I told you, just shoot this kid in the head —"

"Richie, Richie, relax I got this. Hey padre, princess. Why don't you talk some since into your family before I have to take my brother's advice." Seth said harshly. "Son put the gun down." Jacob yelled from the front. "Dad this is bullshit!"

"I know how you feel son, You wanna protect the famil—"

"Scott put the fucking gun down!" Natalia yelled, making Kate jump. Scott lowered his gun, shakily. Richie snatched it, holding it over Seth. The two began to fight as the van went speeding, crashing into the car in front of it. "Sit your ass down, and give me that." Seth yelled, taking the gun from Richie. "Stay."

"Seth." Natalia called out, making her sister eye her down. He turned to her, confusion written all over his face. "What?" He asked, annoyance in his voice. "I don't have a passport, this trip wasn't exactly planned for me." She huffed. "Well then I guess you're hiding with us." Seth said, rubbing his eyes.

His attention turned to Jacob Fuller with a passed out man opening the door to the RV.

—

The past few minutes for Natalia had been a blur. Richie confessed to Kate saying Jacob killed her adoptive mother, Scott got pulled out of the car of the man they took captive, and Seth pulled her, along with Kate and Richie into the bathroom. She listened as her father spoke with a patrol officer.

She was pushed up in the shower with Seth next to her, holding her close so that Richie was squeezed in aswell.

The two exchanged remarks to eachother, making Natalia frustrated. "Will you two just shut the fuck up?" She whispered- yelled, making Seth roll his eyes at her. "Listen, If I don't kill them, I swear to God—"

Seth elbowed Richie, pushing his head to the back to the shower. Richie's body slumped down to the bottom next to Kate. "Nice going." Natalia sighed at the loud noise. "Shut it, Princess."

"Sir, I need you to open up!"

Seth sighed at the voice of a patrol officer. He took Natalia next to him, pointed the gun at her back. They leaned against the door, listening as the patrol officer walked across the RV. Seth breathed heavily, taking his gun from behind Natalia and slamming it out of the crack of the door.

"You're free to go."