The Hostage. A short story by Charles Roberts

 

          Janie was bundled roughly into the back of the car and thrown to the floor, the next thing she knew was that the car was speeding off down the street away from the bank.  She heard thuds as bullets hit the trunk and back of the car, the rear window shattered; and whoever was in the back seat, she couldn’t see because of the blindfold, opened fire with a Thompson machine gun, the hot empty shell cases falling onto her back and arms.

“Thought you said that this car was bullet proof.”

“That’s what Vinny told me, just keep firing and keep those bastards away from us.”

She didn’t know just what the robbers intended to do with her and was frightened to move in case they decided to simply shoot her and throw her out onto the street.

“Strike one cop car,” the man on the back seat shouted elatedly.  The robbers were talking loudly about how well the robbery had gone and they were free and clear, and it was only a matter of time before they reached the hideout and could split the money.  One question which was on each of their minds was how much they had gotten away with.

          Janie slid to one side of the car as it went round a corner fast, she banged her head against the door and screamed.

“Shut your fucking mouth bitch or I’ll shut it for you, permanently.”

“She’s our ticket out of here.”

She slid the other way as the car went round another corner, now she could see between the two front seats.  Suddenly she started to see stars appearing on the windscreen as bullets hit, but they didn’t penetrate;

“Fucking cop road block.  Drive through it, put your foot down.  See I told you it was bullet proof, didn’t I?”  However it wasn’t long before it was almost impossible to see anything through it.

          She felt the car shudder and heard a loud bang as the car careered through the road-block knocking the two police cars aside.  More bullets were hitting the car as the robbers sped on.  Janie felt someone fall on top of her and could feel something wet soaking through the back of her blouse.  All of a sudden Janie heard a loud crash and the car stopped its forward motion she was thrown against the back of the driver’s seat, knocking her out.  The next thing she knew was someone asking her if she was all right, if she’d been hit anywhere as her back was covered in blood.

          Someone helped her from the crashed car and over to a waiting ambulance, there they put something on a gash on her forehead and wrapped a blanket round her shoulders.  It was now that she saw that the car she had been in was up against a large tree, bullet holes covering the sides and back, the driver hanging out of the bullet ridden door, blood everywhere.