The Countdown Episode 3

Matt thought the loud noise that shattered the window of his car was lightning. He looked up in the sky to see the plane so low to the ground that he could practically jump and touch it. Matt ducked down, dropping his phone and screaming at the same time as his ears started to bleed.
         It wasn’t safe.
         Nothing was safe…he was going to die in an inferno if…There was a scream coming from the house that the plane was about to hit. Matt had no time to react, he watched saddened by the sudden impact of the plane. But it didn’t stop there. It kept skidding along the ground, the grinding of metal on concrete made his ears bleed even more.
         He covered his ears then dashed after the plane that was still moving too fast for him to catch up to.
         He’d been on a plane before, he knew there was an exit hatch, knew there were two doors on the plane, and knew how to open them in case of an emergency. He stopped running for just one second then looked back at his car.
         He twirled his keys in his fingers, “Alright baby, you ready to go for a spin?” He asked his white Pontiac Grand Prix. He climbed into the front seat of the car and gunned the engine. He knew it wasn’t good for driving off road, but he also knew it wasn’t good for a plane flying directly over him.
         Andre was calling repeatedly again.
         Matt couldn’t answer his voice would only be covered up by the screech of the plane scraping against the pavement. Matt cursed then reversed the car.
         Another car was speeding down Mason Creek road, Matt hesitated, but then spun his small white car around facing the plane.
         The car then sped forward over the curb and into a pile of broken glass and debris. It got him close enough to the plane now, half of the house was still intact, but if anyone was in the house they were surely dead.
         Matt climbed out of his car he forced himself over piles of wood and glass, everything was suddenly in his way, it was slowing him down he couldn’t get to the plane in time before it crashed into another house, if there were any survivors of the plane would they even be able to walk again?
         He sprang forward.
         Screaming out as a piece of shattered glass cut his shin. He knew there would be a scar, but…
         “This is no time to play hero!” Someone yelled.
         Matt spun.
         The plane suddenly skidded to a halt, a police officer was standing at the door of his car, glaring at Matt who looked as confused as ever. The officer pulled his Smith and Weston pistol out of its holster then aimed at Matt.
         “Put your hands up!” He yelled.
         Matt raised his hands. “I’m innocent!” Matt yelled.
         “Until proven guilty!” The officer screamed back in anger.
         “For what?”
         Matt’s heart was beating out of his chest. “Murder.” The officer said putting the gun to his head.
         “Wait!” Matt yelled. “I can help you, just lower the weapon, we’re all going to survive this.”
         “You don’t understand.” The officer was now crying, Matt tried to approach him. “One more step and I’ll do it.”
         Matt had to scream at the top of his lungs to get the officer’s attention, “You don’t have to do this!”
         “They were all I had!” The officer yelled back. “He took them from me and now he’s up in Heaven with everyone that followed him laughing and probably having a drink!”
         “No, it’s not like that Officer!”
         “Then what is it like?”
         Matt thought for a second, his quick thinking had come in handy once before, but not now, he made up a stupid idea that might get him killed, but he knew that even in death he would receive phone calls from Andre and Adrianna asking him if he was still alive.
         “I understand that they were taken away from you and you’re highly upset, but they’re in a better place now. You should be happy for them!”
         “A better place?” He snapped. “That’s what I’ve heard all my life, what kind of better place could there be besides the loving arms of a father and a husband?”
         “Heaven.” Matt said.
         “There’s no such thing as Heaven or Hell!” The Officer yelled.
         “And that’s why you’re not with them! Because you don’t believe!”
         “I’ve never believed, I just went with them to church so it wouldn’t be another argument with my wife.”
         “I understand that sir. I always went with my family because it was what they were doing, because it was what I was raised on and now that I see this I know that they were right!”
         “Promise me one thing.” He said.
         “I can’t make a promise to someone I don’t know.”
         “Something is telling me that you need a car, and some sort of protection. Am I right?”
         Thank God. Matt thought knowing what the officer was about to offer him.
         “I will lay down my gun and car for you my friend. You have taught me something today.”
         He was still in tears.
         “What have I taught you today?”
         “No matter what kind of hell we’re all going through, there is someone out there that is like us and that can help us out.”
         “You’re right.”
         “But I just want to know one thing. Why do I get the feeling that you need my car and gun?”
         “Come with me and I’ll explain.”
         “I don’t know if I want to.” He said.
         “What better things do you have to do?” Matt asked.
         He smirked, “The name is Pedraza.” He said.
         I saw the familiar face, the brown eyes and the black hair cut that reminded me of Elvis’ hair. It was an odd hair style, but it fit his personality. I remembered Pedraza from the bank. He told me that he was getting married. He told me that he was getting married, and that he was joining the police force.
         “Wait, you’re…Matt…you’re the guy that works at the Bank.”
         “Yeah, still working in that stupid bank.” He said.
         “I remember you in training.”
         “Yeah, fun times man, fun times.”
         “Unlike these.”
         “Yeah, I know right, now let’s get out of here, I have people that I think you should meet.”
         “Actually I have access to the armory.”
         “The police armory?”
         “You needed a weapon correct?”
         Matt nodded.
         “Well I can get some more just in case we need them.”
         “Sounds like a plan, and before we do that I need to grab something from inside my house.”
         “Where is it?”
         “Right behind us.” Matt said running into his house.
         Pedraza followed.
         “So how has your sister been?” Matt asked as he closed the door to the house behind Pedraza.
         The two annoying dogs were barking like crazy as Pedraza walked in.
         “She’s been okay I guess haven’t really been able to contact her today. I mean, I don’t know how it happened, everything I just want my wife and child back.”
         “I heard your wife had a kid, but I never really heard much after that.”
         “It was a girl her name was Ella.”
         “I’m so sorry to hear about that.” Matt said. He walked into him and his brother Josh’s room. They shared a room, nineteen and twenty-one year old brother’s sharing a room. Matt always said it was his temporary room, but it was starting to change.
         He picked up a red book with a twisted spine then read the gold letters on the side. “Holy Bible.” He said out loud. “I think this will come in handy.”
         Pedraza was right behind him, “A Bible. Didn’t know you were the God Fearing type.”
         “I’m not, just had it in store. I was raised by my parents who were Christians, long story I’ll explain in the car ride to Greenville.”
         “Why Greenville?”
         “I have a friend in trouble.”
         “Ah, Matt going to save some people.” Pedraza smirked.
         “Yeah, you could say that, but I only know of one so far.”
         “Is it a boy or girl?”
         “Girl.” Matt replied calmly feeling the pain shoot through his heart once more.
         “Girlfriend?”
         “For all I know she’s dead and I don’t want to talk about it.” Matt replied calmly. “I’m sorry but I just can’t talk about it.”
         “So she is your girlfriend?”
         “No Pedraza, not my girlfriend.”
         They stopped talking until they reached the police car, Pedraza flipped on the sirens, “we need to go to the Leander Police Station, from there we can get into the armory. Do you think we’re going to need some money?”
         Matt nodded, “I think we are, how do you expect we get it?”
         “You work for a bank, you know the codes don’t you?”
         “I’m going to get fired!” I shouted.
         “Looks like we’re running anyways.”
         “You have a point. And I am scheduled for work today, take the police car get to the station, I’ll pull the bait money on purpose, you’ll be the first one to receive the call then head over to the bank and pick me up, got it?”
         Pedraza nodded, “Sounds like a plan.”