Page 175 of Damián

“Hey, hey, look at me, buddy,” I say, forcing the biggest smile I can muster as I block his view of the broken window. “Everything is totally fine! I’m Ollie, Uncle Dami’s friend. How about we play a super fun superhero game until I take you to your mom?”

“Spider-Man.”

“Yes, Spider-Man. Okay, hold tight,” I say, curling my entire body over Carlitos to create a human shield.

And I run… I run as fast as I can.

CLANG! PING! RICOCHET!

Dozens of bullets hit the metal frame of the car door, ricocheting off the asphalt and the brick wall of the house right beside us.

THWACK!

Something hard bites viciously into my upper left arm. I turn my head, horrified to see the sleeve of my shirt instantly soaking in blood. I’ve been shot.

Ignore it, Ollie.

Focus… just focus and save the kid.

I scramble back up the porch steps as bullets hit the wooden railing behind me, sending splinters flying through the air. I dive through the front door, kick it shut with my boot, and throw the deadbolt.

Carlitos is crying now, clinging to my neck like a terrified little koala. Fernanda arrives immediately, tearing the kid out of my arms and setting him on the floor.

“Go to the back with Abuela!”

The kid sprints down the hall, and Fernanda immediately grabs the edge of a massive wooden bookcase standing next to the entryway. “This thing is not bolted to the wall. Help me pull it!”

I grab one of the shelves and yank backward, biting my lower lip to keep from screaming in agony from my left arm. The super heavy bookcase comes crashing down directly in front of the door, burying the entrance under a mountain of books and splintering hardwood.

BANG! BANG!

Someone on the outside throws their full weight against the wood, but there is no way they are getting past this barricade.

“Run,” I choke out, and we both bolt toward the back of the house where María and Carlitos are waiting.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

Automatic gunfire rips through the house as we burst out into the small, fenced backyard. I snatch Carlitos back from Fernanda’s arms, hoisting his weight onto my uninjured shoulder as we sprint toward the fence bordering the neighbor’s property.

I vault over a stack of wooden pallets, reach back to pull María over, and then help Fernanda swing her legs across just as a round of bullets hit the trees behind us.

Once our feet hit the ground on the other side, I tuck Carlitos securely against my right side, and we run.

We run for our lives, cutting through a maze of suburban back gardens, leaping over flowerbeds, dodging patio furniture, and crashing through thick hedges.

I can feel my body completely giving up. I am exhausted, in agonizing pain, and losing blood fast. But I can’t stop running, because no matter where we go, where we turn, or what we climb, Rafael’s men are trailing right behind us.

Please, God. Please let me save them, I pray, fighting back tears.

Please let Dami’s family be okay.

My left arm is completely numb now, dark blood dripping down my fingers and leaving a trail wherever we step. I can see that María is starting to lose her balance, and Fernanda’s breath is coming in ragged gasps.

We can’t keep running like this forever.

We need a car.

“Are there any stores, restaurants, or bars near here?” I ask between breaths.