Chapter 141

The highway exit between Shadow City and Silverlight City.

The roadside barrier had been smashed open. Luckily, the surrounding fields were flat; if it had been an overpass, Zoey and I might not have made it.

I floored the gas pedal, aiming for the nearest populated area. The GPS showed a small town about a mile or two away. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, I sped straight ahead.

In the rearview mirror, the van was still hot on our tail.

"Ms. Johnson, could the car chasing us be my dad's?" Zoey asked, her face pale but trying to stay calm.

"No way," I shook my head. "Even if Ronald had lost his mind, he wouldn't risk his own daughter's life like this."

I figured it was someone with a vested interest in Ronald, trying to silence us and make it look like a traffic accident. I had been careful enough to rent a car myself instead of hiring a driver, but they still managed to tamper with it.

How did they find out we were coming back?

Only a few people knew about this trip, besides our group, only Leonard. None of them would leak the information.

Erica!

It hit me suddenly. Zoey's call with Erica must have been monitored. They knew Ronald's daughter and wife were involved, and there was only one local car rental service, allowing them to react so quickly.

Could Howard's unavailability be related to these people, or was it just Ronald's doing?

At this moment, all I could do was pray.

"Ms. Johnson, I just messaged Bob, saying our car had a minor issue and we were getting it fixed in the next town. I told them to be careful."

"Good job. And then?" I nodded, having been too busy driving to send any messages myself.

"Then I messaged Ruben, saying the car was on its way and asked him to divert nearby highway patrol cars to escort us. He replied that the police from the next town were already on their way and would meet us at the toll station in about ten minutes." Zoey said seriously.

"Great, that ensures Bob and Mr. Thompson's safety."

The gas tank was nearly empty. We might run out of fuel after crossing the next bridge.

The map showed the river was a tributary of the town's moat. I had visited here during college; the river wasn't too deep. Following it downstream would lead us to the local winter swimming club.

"Ms. Johnson, they're catching up!"

A loud bang jolted us forward. The van had caught up and was ramming our car.

Zoey was terrified, her nerves finally breaking. She looked at me in panic.

"Zoey, how was your college swimming record?"

I remembered seeing on her resume that she was the runner-up in Silverlight University's swimming competition.

"Ms. Johnson, you mean...?"

"See that bridge up ahead? I've unlocked the doors and unfastened my seatbelt. When I count to three, open the door and jump off the bridge. Swim downstream for about ten minutes, and you'll reach the winter swimming club."

"Got it!" Zoey responded decisively.

I nodded, revving the engine to keep the car moving forward. As we neared the bridge...

"One..."

"Two..."

Seeing the van about to pull alongside us, I swerved sharply, causing the rear of our car to collide with the van, pushing it towards the bridge edge. With a screech of brakes, the van hung precariously off the bridge.

"Three... Jump!"

Zoey and I leaped out of the car, diving off the bridge!

As we hit the water, I heard gunshots hitting our car. The van was riddled with bullets.

Good thing we chose to jump; otherwise, we wouldn't have survived.

The river was about 10 feet deep. Underwater, I saw Zoey give me an OK sign, indicating she had landed safely. I pointed ahead, signaling to swim underwater for about 100 feet before surfacing to avoid detection.

While catching my breath, I glanced back at the bridge. The pursuers were on the phone, which gave me some relief.

We swam to the winter swimming club, where a competition was underway. Seeing two women swimming towards them, the participants thought we needed rescuing and quickly helped us ashore.

Zoey cleverly explained that she had just started learning to swim and accidentally fell in while practicing with her sister. I couldn't help but smile at her quick thinking.

Feeling safe and relieved, we temporarily forgot the tension from the chase. I checked my phone, thankful it was still working.

The club members were very kind, giving us coats and driving us to a nearby hotel. We bought new clothes on the way, and since Zoey and I were similar in size, we got matching outfits.

After thanking our rescuers and exchanging contact information, we took hot showers, changed into dry clothes, and ordered dinner at the hotel.

"Ms. Johnson, I finally understand what it feels like to survive a disaster!" Zoey said, patting her chest in relief.

I exhaled deeply, nodding. This was the first time I had experienced something like this. It was hard to believe that scenes from action movies had played out in real life.

Just then, my phone rang. It was Ruben.

"Hello, Ms. Johnson, are you okay?" he asked urgently.

"Me? I'm fine. Just getting the car fixed," I replied, signaling Zoey to keep quiet about our ordeal.

"Where are you? Ms. Johnson, don't hide it from me. Rest assured, we've deployed four fully armed police cars to escort the ambulance. Not even a fly will get near it!"