Page 29 of Hollow State

"Brace yourselves," she said.

"Why? How can it get any worse than that?" Darwin asked as he placed one hand on the dash and the other on the side of the door. "Do I dare ask what your plan is?"

If she stayed on the main road, the cruiser would easily catch them, and she doubted the cop was flying solo at this point. They would've for sure called for backup. Too many witnesses saw three people leave the institute. Two in scrubs and one in patient attire. It wasn't a good look.

"Not to die and not to get captured," she said. "Hang on."

Kane grabbed the overhead handle. “That answers that question.”

The turnoff where they'd met Elis earlier appeared ahead.

Wynn hit the brakes hard enough to send them forward against their restraints. She wrenched the wheel to the right.

The sedan shot off the main road, bounced across the gravel shoulder, and entered the hiking lot sideways. It took all Wynn's strength to hold the wheel. The rear tires sprayed dirt and stone against the wooden trail sign.

"Holy shit," Darwin mumbled as his body pressed against the door.

She held her foot on the gas to keep the vehicle stable as a hatchback, parked near the bathrooms, came into view. Wynn missed it by inches.

"Watch the tree," Kane said.

"I see them all." She swerved left, then right, then back to the left, doing her best to avoid anything that would stop the car. She needed to make it to the SxS, and she needed the patrol car to hit something, puncture a tire, or get stuck. Anything to help them get away.

Branches slapped the windshield while the undercarriage scraped across exposed rock. Her fingers tightened on the wheel as the terrain curved sharply around a stand of cedar.

Wynn took the inside edge, one set of tires climbing the bank. The sedan tilted far enough that Darwin threw one hand against the roof. The car slammed back onto all four tires, a loud crack reverberating from beneath them.

The steering wheel jerked in her hands as the tires fought for traction. Mud sprayed across the side windows, partially obscuring her line of sight. The sedan fishtailed, caught, and lunged forward.

Glancing in the mirror, she watched as the cruiser entered the curve behind them. It came in too fast and slid sideways. Its front bumper struck a tree with a crunch of metal.

"That should stop him for a bit," Wynn said. "We're going to have to haul ass when we get to the SxS."

The front end bounced over another rut, and a warning light appeared on the dashboard.

Then another.

Kane looked over the front seat. "The temperature's rising. This thing is gonna shut down."

Wynn scanned the trees ahead. A narrow strip of gravel appeared through the brush.

“The SxS is just over there.”

She guided the sedan between two pines, snapping branches along both sides. The right mirror tore free and vanished into the undergrowth. Steam curled from beneath the hood.

Wynn spotted the break in the brush where they’d left the SxS. The front tires sank into the soft ground. She tapped the brakes and rolled to a stop. "We don't have time to linger. Let's move."

Darwin helped Kane from the backseat while Wynn tore the cedar branches away from the SxS. The netting snagged on the roll cage. “Come on.” She yanked harder. The fabric released and spilled across the ground.

Wynn climbed behind the wheel, fired up the SxS, and fastened her harness. She glanced up, and her heart dropped to her gut.

"Stop, police!" A figure charged through the woods, pointing a gun right at her.

"Everyone, buckle up," she said. “And hold on.”

She shoved the SxS into gear, punched the gas, and took off, heading north, right past the cop. He leapt out of the way.

"That was close," Kane said. "Poor man landed in the mud."