Wall: A Post Apocalyptic/Dystopian Adventure (The Traveler Book 3) by Tom Abrahams Page B

you would, but agreed with us that you were too much of a liability going forward. The Dwellers told us to do what we saw fit, to do what was best for the whole.”
    Ana couldn’t believe what she was hearing. They had planned on killing her. The resistance was no better than the Cartel. She gripped the steering wheel, waiting for Wendell to divulge more of their plans for her.
    He didn’t. Then he reached around to his back. When his hand emerged, he was holding something.
    By the time Ana recognized Wendell was armed and aiming a gun at her, he’d already spent two rounds. The percussive blasts killed both headlights and startled Penny, who awoke and started crying. It was instantly dark. Ana pressed the button to roll up her window. She thumbed the shifter into what she thought was reverse and slammed her foot on the accelerator as Wendell shone a flashlight in her eyes. She was momentarily blinded and the engine roared, but the car stayed in place. Ana pressed the accelerator again. It responded, but the car didn’t move.
    Ana searched for the gear indicator. It read N for neutral. She pressed the brake and tried shifting into reverse. A piercing bright light followed by the stinging spray of shattered glass stopped her.
    Wendell’s powerful, rough hands grabbed at Ana, groping for the wheel. He tried opening the door and one hand caught her chin, forcefully turning her head toward the open window, and a finger grazed her lips. She opened her mouth and bit down as hard as she could, feeling the crunch between her teeth.
    Wendell cried out in pain and cursed Ana, still managing to wrangle open the door. Ana shifted her weight and grabbed the handle with both of her hands. She pushed outward at first, giving Wendell enough space to move his arm inside the car and grip her shoulder. Then she pulled back, slamming the door on his arm at his elbow.
    He cried out again and withdrew his arms, giving Ana enough time to find the gearshift and slip the car into reverse. The car shuddered at the sudden shift but propelled backwards until Ana slammed on the brake.
    “Shhh,” Ana said to Penny. Her hand found the child’s forehead and she stroked it gently. Penny was on the verge of hyperventilating and was squirming against the seat belt restraint.
    The flashlight Wendell had used to blind Ana and break the window was on the ground, its thin beam spreading outward on the ground near the posse boss.
    Ana could hear him screaming at her, so she had a sense of his general location, but she couldn’t see him clearly until he bounded in front of the car and was standing three feet in front of it with the handgun leveled at her.
    She flipped the gearshift into drive and drove her foot down onto the accelerator and ducked, putting her body on top of Penny’s. She heard a rapid trio of gunshots and felt another spray of glass across her back before the car shuddered and lurched. It bounced as if the tires had run over a speed bump. Ana’s foot was still pressed to the floor and the car gathered speed, barreled through the exit gate arm, and exploded into the street. She moved her foot to the brake and sat up to retake the wheel.
    The car screeched and spun, its tires burning off the top layer of rubber on the asphalt. Her hands again white knuckling the leather, Ana crinkled her nose at the acrid smoke filtering its way into the air around the Lexus.
    Penny was still crying, her arms flailing. Ana leaned over and popped the latch. She pulled her daughter from her seat, cradling her flat against her body and stroking the back of her head. Penny’s lungs filled with air and then stuttered as she breathed out.
    “Shhh,” Ana whispered. “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay. Shhh.”
    Penny pushed herself away from her mother to look at her. Even in the virtual darkness, Ana could see the shine of snot covering the lower half of her face. Her eyes were swollen with tears.
    “Mamamama,” Penny said. “Mamamama.” Her tiny, wet hand