No Exit by Taylor Adams 2

“Alright. Sandi, you’ll take Jay to the front seat and start
the engine. Give it gas and go drive, reverse, drive, reverse—”
“I know how to drive in the snow, Eddie.”
“And Dara, you’re at the back tires with me, so we can
push.”
“Deal.”
He pointed at Jay, snapping his fingers: “And somebody
carry her.”
Sandi hoisted the girl over her shoulder, despite her
protests (“No, I can run, too.”) and checked the window again.
“They’ll get here any minute—”
“Don’t try to fight them. Just run like hell,” Ed whispered,
leaning against the door, starting the count: “One.”
Run like hell.
Darby lowered into a shaky runner’s crouch at the back of
the group, behind Sandi, feeling her tired calves burn. No
weapons — they would only slow her down. From the door,
she recalled it was fifty feet to the parking lot, over a narrow
footpath cut into the snow.
“Two.” Ed twisted the doorknob.
She rehearsed the next minute in her mind. She estimated
the four of them could run fifty feet in maybe … twenty
seconds? Thirty? Another ten seconds to pile into the truck, for
Sandi to fumble her keys into the ignition. More time for the
Ford to start moving, slogging through the dense snow. And
that was assuming Ed and Darby wouldn’t need to push it. Or
dig the tires out. Or scrape the windows.
And somehow, in the back of her mind, she knew: It’s
been too long.
Ashley and Lars were only a minute or so behind me.
They’re back already—
“Three.” Ed opened the door—