Chapter 58

There were 3 black SUVs that were waiting to come in the gate. Amaris watched them with interest. Apart from their little group there did not appear to be anyone else at the airport. The plane had reached the end of the taxi way and was turning onto the runway for take off. The lead vehicle got the gate to open and burst through. The two following vehicles hitting the gas also and making it through before the gate closed. They were all gaining speed and hurrying along the far taxi way toward the runway. Suddenly the plane engines revved and they were all pushed back into their seats. Amaris who was now suspicious of the SUVs called out for Marco and Lyle to look out the windows on her side of the plane. Marco unbuckled his belt and peered out the window only briefly before he turned and hurried toward the cockpit. Marco opened the door and began to talk with Lewis in furious whispers. The plane’s engines revved higher. The plane was moving fast now. The SUVs were closing in and had split up. Two of them were side by side behind the plane trying to move to either side of it and the third was cutting across the grass trying to get in front of the plane to make it stop.

“Marco, sit down now and get that seat belt on. This may be a bumpy take off!” Lewis shouted at Marco from the cockpit while concentrating on getting the plane in the air before their path crossed the SUV that was trying to cut them off. The co-pilot meanwhile was furiously trying to radio the tower and tell them what was going on. There was no response. The third SUV had hit the pavement and had moved onto the runway. The jet was moving fast now. It had become a game of chicken. Amaris was not sure how fast they would have to go to be able to take off, but it felt like they were moving pretty fast already. Finally as they approached the SUV in the middle of the runway, the nose of the jet came off the ground. The other two SUVs were on either side of the plane. They suddenly slowed as the back tires lifted into the air just in time to miss the now abandoned vehicle sitting in the middle of the runway. The two SUVs on either side came to an abrupt stop and fell away.

They were in the air and safe. Amaris heard raised voices coming from the cockpit and assumed that they too were celebrating the escape, until she heard the tell tail “pop pop” of gun fire. Marco and Lyle moved fast. Marco moved to the cockpit and a scuffle followed. Meanwhile Lyle grabbed Amaris and Anna and hurried them toward the back of the plane and opened a cabinet there. He started grabbing parachutes. “Put these on now!” He shouted at both girls as he handed each of them a pack. There were two more pop pops, and then a grunt. Marco staggered back toward them holding his upper arm and a gun. “Lyle, Tie her up and sit her in one of the back chairs. I want to interrogate her when she comes to. Anna, do you you still have that belt that I saw you wearing yesterday? I need it now.” Marco fell into the chair. There was blood dripping down his arm and hand. He put the gun on the table next to him. Lyle came back into the cabin area dragging the unconscious body of the co-pilot. The side of her head was cut and bloody. He propped her up in a chair on the opposite side of the plane in the back and then went to a closet in the wall of the galley area and found some rope. Anna had gotten the belt out of her backpack and walked over and handed it to Marco. “Did the bullet hit an artery? Do we need to make a tourniquet with it?” Marco shook his head wearily. “No, This is for me to bite on while one of you digs the bullet out.” Anna dropped the belt on the table and stepped back. “Marco, I love you. You are my Dad’s best friend, but I will throw up if I have to do that.” Anna took another step back raising her hands in the air. Marco pulled a knife and a lighter out of his pocket and handed them to Amaris. Looking at him unsure, she said “Ok. Tell me what I need to do.”

Taking the lighter in one hand and the knife in the other Amaris used the flame to sterilize the lower section of the blade. She did not relish the idea of having to dig through Marco’s arm, but she knew if was necessary and it would get infected or worse if he did not get the bullet out quickly. She wished that she had the power to heal the wound in her hands and she could just pop the bullet out and heal him without all the pain and suffering that she was about to inflict on him. Amaris took the knife in one hand and place her other hand next to the bleeding hole in his arm. Her fingers felt warm against his skin and she began to worry about his circulation since he felt so cold to her.

“Ouch! That burns! Let the blade cool for a second.” Marco said looking back at his arm as Amaris lifted her hands away at his sudden exclamation. To her surprise when she looked back, the bleeding stopped. She could also see the bullet right at the edge of the skin.

“Anna, I saw a first aid kit in the galley. Grab it for Amaris and get her some tweezers and gauze. She will need both.” Lyle was standing behind Amaris now, having tied up the unconscious co-pilot. Anna, who was looking green, gratefully moved away from the bloody scene. She returned quickly with the kit and handed it to Lyle. “I will keep an eye on the prisoner.” Anna said pointing back toward the end of the plane. Lyle opened the box and handed the tweezers to Amaris, nodding to the lighter that sat on the table next to her. Amaris, once again used the flame to sterilize the metal and then turned back to Marco’s arm. The bleeding had stopped, but Amaris suspected that it was just because the bullet was in the way. It must have moved forward when she had squeezed his arm before. Taking hold of his arm once again, as she leaned in close to see the bullet better to remove it. Her hand began to feel hot again, and the bullet just popped on to the table. The opening of the wound knitted itself closed and then was gone. Amaris let go and backed up. Not believing what she just saw. When she looked up both Marco and Lyle were looking back and forth between her and Marco’s arm where the bullet hole used to be.