As if summoned, the door crashes open. Hank stands before us. He looks different. He’s weighted down with enough guns and ammo for a small platoon.
Austin’s eyes light up. “Is that a bazooka on your back?”
Hank nods his head in appreciation. “You know it.”
Austin steps up to Hank and nods his head. He bounces on the balls of his feet, getting amped. “Let’s blow shit up.”
Hank looks past Austin to Simon. “We gotta leave my brother outta this.”
Simon steps bravely up to Hank. He leaves his childhood behind. “Count me in, Hank. I’m ready for Armageddon.”
I stare in awe at the determination in Simon’s face. “Who are you?”
He returns my sober stare. “I’m the son of an astrophysicist.”
I blink my eyes. “Your dad’s a scientist?”
He shakes his head. “No. My mother is.”
Austin snorts. “I can’t believe your dad bagged an astrophysicist. I gotta say that’s impressive.”
Hank rolls his eyes. “It was a bad night in Tinder-land.”
Simon nods in agreement. “All my mom had to do was swipe left.”
I touch his shoulder. “I’m glad she swiped right.” Simon’s charming smile blinds me. Good or bad, he shares his father’s radiance.
I’m still curious. “Where’s your mom?”
Simon doesn’t answer. Hank glances at him and then at me. “She’s the only woman my dad released besides Luna. She went back to India. Apparently, he doesn’t like women who question his intelligence.”
I give him a wry smile. “Imagine that.”
Austin claps his hand quietly. “Let’s focus on gettin’ outta here.”
Hank shuts the door behind him. He motions to Jenni and I with his finger. We walk over to stand in front of him. He hands us both automatic assault rifles. He hands a gun to Austin. Austin cocks it. “I get the Glock? Bad-A.”
Simon holds out his small hands. “Where’s my gun, brother?”
Hank reaches in his vest pocket and pulls out grenades? “Guns will weigh you down, Simon. I need your speed. You carry the grenades. You know how these things work. Don’t pull that ring unless you mean it. And if you do pull it, run like hell and find something solid to hide behind.”
Simon turns back to face us. He holds the grenades straight in the air. “To the Ashes of Armageddon!”
We hold up our fists in answer and say nothing as we make explosion signs.
Jenni looks over at Austin. “The women and children will go into hiding. They know not to come out.”
I look at Jenni in awe. “You’ve been working with the children?”
Jenni frowns. “More like child brides. The packages the guys have been talking about for the past three days are teenage mail-order brides from Russia. It’s so wrong. I couldn’t just leave them here. They want out.”
Austin motions toward Simon. “Yeah, and once they met Simon, they were all for getting him out of here, away from his tyrannical father. They’ll do anything for him. They’re all for team Simon.”
Simon nods his head like a future leader in the making. “That’s right. I can be pretty pathetic. They all love me.”
Austin looks back at Hank. “You lead us out of here, Hank, and we’ll follow you. We’ve got your back. You ready to take on your father?”
Hank swallows hard. “Yeah.” He doesn’t sound too sure.
Austin steps up to him. “He’s leaving, Hank. He’s leaving everyone behind, and he’s taking everything with him.”
Hank turns on Austin. “You don’t know that, Austin. There’s no proof.”
Simon opens his phone, unlocks it, and holds it out to Hank. “Here’s your proof, Hank. He’s been using my phone, so these messages and calls can’t be traced to his.”
Hank scans the phone, before snapping it shut. He almost crushes it as he holds it up in the air, hollering. “Ru-by!”
Austin turns back to me. “Well, I don’t think you’ll need to worry about your rejection breaking his spirit, Amy.”
Hank hands the phone back to Simon. He looks like a broken man. Austin slaps him in the face. “Man up, Hank! You can mourn your woman later. Let’s go!”
Hank runs out the door, and we follow behind. I pray my gun doesn’t go off inside these cement walls.
Hank runs the hallways like a trooper. I struggle to keep up, as we climb a continual circular incline. Finally, he reaches an outside door. Hank enters the code and steps out. He drops to his knee and fires his weapon. Then he drops to the ground just outside the door. He lies flat behind the sandbags outside, as he draws return fire. We all hover inside the door and off to the side. The sound is deafening as bullets ricochet off the steel door. Hank reaches over the sandbags and fires blindly. The return fire keeps up.
“Simon, give me a grenade!”
Simon leans past the three of us and rolls one out to Hank, who picks it up.
“You pulled the ring!” Hank hollers and flings it. Hank shoves the door wide open and belly-crawls backwards into our space. Men rush us from across the yard. Hank and Austin fly back out the door. They lie down behind the sandbag barrier and fire at them. They must have some kind of aim, because the return fire slows and then it stops altogether. Hank turns sideways to speak to us. “You’re going to come out this door and go down the steps. Simon knows the code to the garage at the bottom of the stairs. Inside the garage is the armored car. Your aunt’s car has a number 42 on it and her key code was 2002. Austin and I will provide you cover if you need it. You’re going to make a run for it.”
Simon nods his head, with the confidence that only a naïve 11-year-old holding a live hand grenade can give to his older brother who sits at the door with an AK-47. I grab my gun and pray I don’t trip and fall down the stairs. Hank and Austin fire away. Simon goes, and then Jenni. I rush out behind her. How we make it down the stairs without falling, I’ll never know. We run behind Simon, who darts this way and that through the garage, checking numbers. “They moved it! They moved her car!”
All the numbers run together in my heightened panic, but then I see one parked nearest to the door of all places, and I know it’s a sign we’re going to get out okay. “Simon! It’s by the door!”
We run across the garage, and he enters the code before hopping in the driver’s seat? “Simon, you know how to drive?”
He nods his head enthusiastically. “Oh, yeah. Your aunt used to take me driving all the time!” He looks back at me. “How’d you find her car so quick?”
I point at the colorful lei hanging from her mirror. “The lei. When I saw that, I knew it had to be hers.”
I stare into the mirror. “Does Hank have a car down here?”
Simon shakes his head. “Nope. These cars are all paid for by the owners. He didn’t have the money to buy one.”
“Then how are they…” A banging on the door interrupts my thoughts. I scream as I see Austin and Hank’s faces on the glass. I hit the unlock button and they jump in. They slam the doors as bullets pelt the side of the doors.
Hank grabs a hold of Simon. “Get us out of here!”
Simon throws the car in reverse and backs up. He runs into one of the men. He shoots forward, and slams on the brakes at the garage door. Hank looks at him. “You didn’t open the door?!”
Austin pops up from the backseat. “Just use the controller.”
Hank flips around to face him. “There isn’t one. You have to enter a code.” Hank jumps out and walks backward toward the door. He enters the code in between firing his gun. Another man goes down beside our car. Hank runs back to join us.
The garage door moves in super slow motion, and I feel like a sitting duck, save for the fact that we’re in an indestructible armored car. Simon hits the gas and we fly out of the garage. We head up the incline like a plane preparing for take-off.
There’s something about an armored car that literally makes us feel invincible as we head into an unknown horizon of more men in black who fire away at us as if they don’t believe we’re bulletproof.
Simon’s gaze never leaves the road ahead of him, as his hand shoots out to point. “There’s the whirlybird!” I glance at the speedometer. I’m shocked to see Simon’s doing 100 mph down a straight stretch. He chases after the helicopter as it prepares to make a getaway. Simon grips the wheel with the pedal to the floor when Hank shouts out. “I’m opening the door and going to the roof! I’m bringing down that chopper!”
Simon hits a bunch of buttons with his right hand while gripping the wheel with his left. The roof opens above us. “Don’t open the door, Hank! Just go out the top.” This is insanity. I tremble with fright as Hank stands up on the seat with his feet spread wide for balance. Simon barrels down the runway, full speed ahead. The noise of the chopper rings in my ears. Austin climbs around inside the armored car like a monkey while Jenni hugs the side of one door, and I hug the other.
Hank has somehow managed to climb onto the roof. He grabs ahold of the helicopter and wedges his foot inside the roof of the car. I look up and see his muscles strain. Hank’s clearly lost his mind and truly believes he is strong enough to pull down a chopper. I have to do something before he’s ripped apart. “Hank! Let go!”
I think my voice is lost in the wind, until he looks down, answering. “I cannot!”
Austin shoots up beside Hank with some kind of thick cord, yelling, “Catch, Hank!” Austin heaves the cord up at Hank, who by some miracle manages to catch it. Hank loops it around the bottom of the helicopter, before dropping back down beside Austin, who crosses himself as he runs the cord through some strange metal bar that sits in the middle of the back seat.
Austin looks over at me. His eyes are wide with fright. “I’m either a genius or an idiot. Here goes nothing. Get ready to bail, ladies.”
Jenni blinks her wide eyes. “Isn’t this car indestructible?”
Austin winks at her. “We’re about to find out.”
We all watch in horror as the helicopter heads straight upwards until the slack cord goes tight. The weight of the car is too much, and the helicopter shakes with effort. Austin’s thrown backwards into my lap! Hank throws himself over all of us in the backseat as if he’s a steel wall, seconds before there’s a horrible noise of metal on metal as the helicopter comes down on us! Simon stands on the brakes. Miracle of miracles, the helicopter goes sliding off the front and crashes into the ground.
Austin sits up and tries to unhook the cord that’s stretched to the limit, but it’s no use. “Simon! Inch forward and give us some slack!” Austin hollers.
Just when I think Simon’s in shock or knocked out, the car inches forward, and Austin unhooks the latch. He throws the cord out the window. Simon puts the car in reverse, and we back up quickly.
Hank hollers out. “Wait! I’ve got to check on dad!”
Simon looks at Hank in the mirror while he continues to back up. “Hank, if you get out of this car, there’s no getting back in. I’m in it to win it.”
Hank looks at me, and then back at the chopper. He looks at me again. He takes my face in his hands and kisses me fervently. “I’m sorry, Amy. You’re a very special girl, but I only have one father. I must go to him.”
I take a hold of Hank’s hands and put them between us. “Thank you for choosing me to be your girl, Hank. I feel so honored, but I have my own path to follow.”
Austin breaks in. “Yeah, it’s called Texas Tech and sorority girls. So long, Hank. You gotta go.” The armored car’s still moving, just much slower.
Simon hits the brake. “You in or out, Hank?”
Hank opens the door and jumps out. “I’m out!”
Austin closes the door and hangs out the window as we drive away. “Hank! If you ever decide to join the real world, look me up!”
Simon accelerates, and we drive farther and farther away from the silo. The top window’s still open. Austin, Jenni, and I stand up. We look back once more to see the train wreck behind us. The helicopter goes up in flames. From a distance, I think I see Hank fall to the ground. It looks like he has a hold of someone. I pray that he is okay. For once, Austin has nothing to say as the three of us fall back onto the seat.
Simon glances in the mirror. “Where are we headed to next?”
Austin answers. “I don’t know, but we won’t need gas for the next 2,500 miles.”
Simon raises an eyebrow. “Well. That ought to give us a good head start.” He looks over at Austin. “Did you mean it when you said we could be brothers?”
Austin looks at Simon in the mirror. “Damn straight.”