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GABI’S CAR
As Antonio drove, the gunman held the hard steel point of his gun snugly against Antonio’s side. With fear coursing through his veins, Antonio knew he had to be strong for Gabi. He glanced frequently into the rearview mirror, his heart wrenching at the sight of her being strong-armed by the crazy-eyed gunman. Gabi’s eyes screamed with the panic that gripped her. The silence of the two bandits was frightening; the only words they uttered were occasional driving instructions. They had been driving for over an hour heading north out of LA. Antonio knew he had to do something and fast; the further away from the city they drove, the more certain he was that they would not make it back. Taking another glimpse into the backseat, he could tell that Gabi was uncomfortable in the awkward position the gunman held her in. She was slumped sideways on the seat with his arm wrapped around her shoulders resting heavily on her chest. She had been riding with her eyes closed for some time and Antonio was very worried about her state of mind. He didn’t see the man in the front watching him looking in the mirror. "You got a problem, man?" The raspy voice startled everyone in the car. Gabi’s eyes popped open and as she jumped slightly, the man holding her tightened his grip. "You better just mind your own business." "She is my business," Antonio responded confidently. "He’s been holding her in the same position for the last hour. Can’t he just let her sit up?" The man in front swung over his shoulder to his buddy. Gabi’s eyes were darting between the two men as they traded glances. Antonio started to turn over his shoulder but received a stern warning glower from the man beside him and settled back facing forward. "Let her sit up, man," he instructed his partner. The man holding Gabi pushed her roughly away from him eliciting a low groan as her stiff body was uprighted. Antonio’s eyes shot to the mirror as Gabi raised her eyes. As soon as she saw the worry in Antonio’s eyes, her own filled with tears and she almost started to cry. Antonio wanted so badly to protect her from these two men but there wasn’t much he could do physically since they both carried weapons. He would need to rely on his skills as a priest and a counselor to attempt some sort of understanding, some reasonable end to this madness. "Do you know where we’re going?" He wanted to gain some sort of trust from these men; he needed their guards down if he was going to get through to them. "Why don’t you just leave that up to me?" the man in front instructed quickly. "You just do what I tell you." "I think it would be easier if I knew where we were going," Antonio said gently not wanting to push him too much. "Yeah, where are we going Joe?" the man in the back blurted out. "Shut up, damn it! I said no names!" Joe yelled making Gabi jump in the seat. Antonio now understood that neither had anticipated taking hostages; they had merely wanted the car and Antonio and Gabi were along for the ride. "Sorry," he relented to the obvious leader of the two. "Sorry." "Joe," Antonio said serenely, "We’re all in a situation here that none of us expected. Why don’t you just…" "Don’t tell me what to do. Who the hell do you think you are?" Joe inched closer to Antonio pressing the gun into his cheek. Gabi whimpered at the sight and the sound of her fear echoed in Antonio’s ears. "I’m in charge here. ME!" Joe shouted. "Alright, Joe. I’m sorry," Antonio said quietly. "I was only trying to help." "I don’t need your help," Joe argued. Antonio could hear the despair in his voice; he had heard it from many troubled parishioners in the past. "No one can help me." "I can help you," Antonio offered boldly. Gabi knew what Antonio was doing and she hoped beyond hope that he would be able to accomplish it. If anyone could make friends of these madmen, it was Antonio. "I want you to shut the hell up and let me think." Joe surveyed the landscape outside the window trying to determine what he wanted to do next. They were moving into the mountains north of LA where it was secluded and quiet. A wicked smile broke his lips. Antonio snuck a glance at Gabi. She was sitting with her hands folded in her lap trying to get as far away from the man beside her as she could. Antonio blinked furiously as he dropped his eyes; if he looked at her much longer, he knew he would go insane and do something irrational. He needed to concentrate on winning over Joe and his buddy. "Joe, we’re getting pretty far out of the city. Why don’t you let me pull over and you and your friend can just take the car and go." Antonio looked out the windshield nervously; they were getting deeper into the mountains every minute. "You have our word." "Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?" Joe replied with a smirk. "Don’t worry, we’ll be pulling over soon enough." "We will?" the man in the back chimed in. "Yeah, that’s right." He eyed Gabi with a sick smile sending her cowering into the corner behind Antonio’s seat. Her eyes bore into the back of Antonio’s head and she wanted to badly to reach out and touch him; to tell him how much she loved him before she never again had the chance. Feeling helpless beyond her control, she started to cry. Antonio heard her quiet sobs but when he stretched to see in the mirror, she was out of his sight. A panic rose in him and without thinking he swung over his shoulder to search her out. "Don’t touch her," he ordered foolishly assuming the lunatic must have his hands on her again. Joe poked Antonio in the ribs with his gun. "Ugh," Antonio moaned as he swung back around taking one hand from the wheel and wrapping it across a sore rib. "Antonio!" Gabi called out hearing him groan in pain. She sat up to see if he was alright when the man beside her grabbed her once again shoving his gun into her back. "ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!" Joe shouted waving his gun carelessly in the air. "ENOUGH!" Things were getting out of control and he was losing his patience. "Well, we have quite the little love fest here, don’t we?" He turned to peruse Gabi with his eyes then leaned over irritatingly close to Antonio. "I can see why, too. Although I tend to like bigger tits on mine." His remarks sent a disgusting chill through Antonio. He had been mistaken to think he could rationalize with this maniac. "So, ANTONIO, this little piece is your fiancée?" Joe had seen Gabi’s engagement ring. "Nice score, man." "I want to know what you’re going to do with us and I want to know now," Antonio demanded having had enough of Joe’s games. Gabi was startled at the anger in Antonio’s voice. "I’m not sure you want to know pretty boy," Joe snarled then leaned close to whisper. "Knowing that you’re going to die might just ruin your day." Joe leaned back with a wicked laugh; Antonio checked the rearview mirror to make sure Gabi hadn’t heard what he said. If it was the last thing he did, he was going to protect Gabi’s life. He had to; he loved her. They drove on in silence for another half hour until they reached Logan’s Pass, a nearly deserted stretch of road that led through the most wooded part of the mountain. Even though it was only almost 10:30 in the morning, the tree cover made it almost dark in the car. "Here," Joe commanded as Antonio pulled the car off the road. "Turn onto this road." The road appeared to delve into a small clearing; Antonio knew that the situation was growing worse. He turned to face Joe with cold, steely eyes. Sensing that he wasn’t going to follow the order, Joe held the gun to Antonio’s forehead and cocked the chamber. Gabi sat up as the tension in the front seat became thick; the jaws of both men flinched convulsively as they stared each other down. She held her breath waiting for one of them to blink. "Antonio?" she whispered seeing that he wasn’t willing to give in. "What are you doing?" Her voice was pleading and desperate; it almost broke Antonio’s heart. "You better listen to your little woman," Joe said with a grin. "Turn. Now." "No," Antonio spoke calmly and forcefully. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Let her out and I’ll turn." "NO!" Gabi gasped at Antonio’s offer. "No, Antonio." Gabi sat forward on the seat as the man at her side grabbed her by the arm and yanked her backwards. Joe smiled defiantly at Antonio. "You think you can bargain with me?" "It’s not a bargain," Antonio retorted. "Let her out of the car and you and I will go down the road alone." Tears rolled down Gabi’s cheeks at the selflessness of the man she loved; she couldn’t believe he was offering himself in exchange for letting her go. Joe sat pensively for a minute looking back and forth between Antonio and Gabi. Seeing the fear in both their eyes, he cracked a smile. "No deal, drive." Raising the gun back to Antonio’s head, he stared straight into his eyes. When Antonio made no movement to start the car, Jo spoke. "You wouldn’t want me to shoot you in front of her, would you?" Gabi let out a sob and Antonio reluctantly put his foot on the brake and shifted the car into drive. He drove slowly down the road silently praying, knowing that chances were almost nil that he and Gabi were going to survive. Maybe this was his punishment for loving Gabi; they hadn’t died that night in the cave-in so maybe God was taking them now. Gabi sobbed out of control in the backseat as Joe instructed Antonio once again to pull the car over and turn it off. "Now get out," he demanded as Antonio slowly opened the door and stepped out. He looked around quickly to assess any possible escape. Joe pointed the gun in his direction as he climbed out and walked around the car. The man in the back with Gabi opened the door and pushed her out onto the ground. She fell right behind Antonio and he immediately turned around and knelt down beside her. "Gabi, are you alright?" he asked quickly as both men moved hurriedly toward them. "I love you Gabi. I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you." The pain in his voice broke her heart. It was all he had a chance to say before Joe grabbed him from behind and yanked him up by his arm. Twisting it behind him, Joe shoved his knee into Antonio’s back knocking him forcefully to the ground. At the same time, the other man pulled Gabi to stand and dragged her away from Antonio to the edge of the trees that lined the clearing. They were almost 100 yards away and Antonio could hear Gabi crying and struggling against her attacker. "Hey Antonio, watch this," Joe commanded him as he held his gun to the back of Antonio’s head. "Go on, dude. Have a little fun," he shouted to his buddy. Antonio felt a rush of anger, nausea and fear wash over him as he raised his eyes to see the other man push Gabi down to the ground on her back and reach for his belt. "No, oh my God, no," Gabi cried as she watched him unbuckle his belt. "No," she screamed. The sound of her voice echoed through the woods and pierced Antonio’s heart. He couldn’t let this happen to her; he had to do something now. Antonio took a deep breath and as he heard Joe begin to laugh, he took slammed his elbow back hard catching Joe in the crotch. Joe doubled over with a howl and fell to the ground. Antonio scrambled to his feet and began running toward the back of the man in front of Gabi. The next five seconds happened in slow motion. Gabi saw Antonio running towards her as Joe fell to the ground. Her eyes grew wide and she screamed "NO!" Joe rolled onto his side and fired his gun into the air yelling "TOM!" Antonio ducked his head as he ran towards Gabi not knowing where the gunshot had been aimed. Tom heard his name, turned around quickly and saw Antonio about 25 yards away from him running full speed in his direction with rage burning in his eyes. Tom raised up his arm, cocked the gun with his thumb and pulled the trigger. The sound of the shot echoed in the air, Gabi closed her eyes as she covered her head with her hands, Antonio sucked in a gasp of air and pitched forward onto the ground. There was chaotic confusion as Joe climbed to his feet and ran towards Tom who was waving his gun in the air like a lunatic. Gabi uncovered her head to see Antonio lying face down on the ground struggling to move and gasping for breath. "We’ve gotta get outta here. NOW!" Joe yelled as he grabbed onto Tom’s arm and yanked him back toward Gabi’s car. "I shot him! I shot him!" Tom chanted almost as if in victory. "I shot the bastard! Woohoo!" "COME ON!" Joe demanded as he ran back to the car and jumped in. Tom watched Antonio writhing in the dirt then let out a blood-curdling laugh and ran back to the car. They screeched away leaving Gabi and Antonio alone in the clearing. As soon as they were gone, Gabi scrambled to her feet and ran to Antonio’s side; he was coughing and moaning as he thrashed in pain. "ANTONIO!" she screamed as she knelt down beside him and touched his shoulder. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she tried to turn him towards her. "N..no…G…Gabi," Antonio coughed once again; Gabi could see that he had his hands pulled in front of him. "I…I’m…o…kay." "Roll over, Antonio," she instructed him. "Let me see." Gabi pushed his shoulder gently and Antonio flopped over onto his back. "OH MY GOD, ANTONIO," she screamed seeing the blood seeping out from underneath his hands and soaking his shirt; he’d been hit in the left side of his abdomen, just under his ribcage. Antonio’s hands were crimson red, his head was tilted back and his eyes were closed. "Antonio, look at me." Gabi pulled off her sweater and balled it up in her hands. Removing his hands gently from his wound, Gabi pushed the cloth against it to try and control the bleeding. "LOOK AT ME!" she demanded as she leaned over his face. His eyebrows were furrowed in excruciating pain. "G…G..abi, I’m…I’m sorry," he stammered. "A…are….they gone? Ugh!" Antonio hunched onto his side pulling his legs up slightly. "They’re gone baby," Gabi assured him as she pushed the stray lock of hair from his clammy forehead. "Shh, they’re gone Antonio." Gabi knelt close to his back wrapping her arm over his shoulder. "Oh my God, Antonio. You have to lie still, okay? Just don’t move." She leaned over and kissed his head, his cheek and his lips; he never opened his eyes. "Antonio, please, open your eyes." "I…can’t Gabi, I…can’t." His breathing was becoming labored and with every breath, he moaned in pain. "You…have to…go…fi…find…help." Gabi was crying as she leaned her head against his chest. Antonio was losing a lot of blood and she knew he was right; if she didn’t find help, he was going to die. "G…Gabi." "I don’t want to leave you, Antonio," she wailed. "I don’t know where to go." Gabi raised her head and looked around. The main road wasn’t very far but it had been nearly abandoned when they had driven on it. Antonio groaned loudly drawing Gabi’s attention back to him. "It’s okay baby. I’m here." "Ga…Gabi…I…" Antonio managed to open his eyes as he leaned backwards and looked at her. "I…I…have to…go." "Go where, Antonio?" As soon as she asked him, she knew what he meant. "No, NO!" "Y…yes…G..abi," he mumbled, his strength weakening, his eyes losing focus. "I…I….love…you." "NO! You are not dying Antonio! NO!" Gabi shook his shoulders gently then put her face inches from his and caressed his cheeks. "No," she cried, tears falling onto his closed eyelids. "Don’t leave me!" Antonio forced his eyes open one last time. "It…it’s okay…Gabi," he whispered as he managed an incredibly weak smile. "Y…you’ll…be….okay." "I won’t Antonio," she shook her head vehemently. "I won’t live without you." Gabi leaned over and touched her lips tenderly against his expecting to feel them warm and soft, finding them cold and dry. "I love you, Antonio. I love you so much." Antonio’s eyelids fluttered closed. He gasped for a breath and moaned weakly from the pain. "Good…bye Gabi. I…I…love you…always." Antonio’s eyes closed as Gabi pulled herself up away from him. He was so still, so peaceful; a wave of terror rushed through her body. "NO Antonio!" she screamed at his lifeless body. "NO!" Gabi kissed him one more time on the forehead and jumped to her feet. She ran to the road as fast as she could praying to God for a miracle.
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