I Unintentionally Became Her Kitten

Chapter 88: The Second Attempt

I stared out the window of the Escapade. I’d gotten used to how large and bulky this vehicle was, and the way that the road beneath us seemed to not exist. Still, even just staring out the window felt luxurious. I hadn’t turned on the massage seat or whatever else frivolous features the car had, but it was still comfy.

The tension in my shoulders faded, I glanced up, seeing Lili messing with the radio and only vaguely hearing the music from the front seat.

I looked over at Alisha, who was unbothered by this. “Who are we meeting with next?” I asked her.

“I need to drop in on Antonio,” Alisha informed me. “And then Sean. Then we can go home.”

I nodded and turned back to my window. I was glad she was feeling a bit better. Her empty smoothie cup was in the cupholder, so she had some food in her. That was good, I was relieved.

There was a small almost unnoticable bump in the road. I didn’t pay any mind to it until I felt the subsequent shaking of the vehicle. I looked up to find Matteo and Alisha already on high alert and Lili gripping the steering wheel as the entire vehicle started to struggle to do much of anything. She tried turning to pull over but Matteo started to protest and it didn’t really matter anyway since the attempt only made a louder thumping sound and the Escapade slowed even more.

“Lili, use the gas,” Alisha said, leaning forward despite her seatbelt.

“But it’s–”

And then she saw the large truck barreling down the side street.

Alisha flung herself back into the seat and instinctively went for the seatbelt, but it was already on her so she just tightened it.

I blinked, seeing the truck rushing toward us. It was a big tractor-type, with the MaxMart logo on it, but no trailer attached. 

“Kitten,” Alisha managed concernedly. I couldn’t tear my eyes away as it approached in slow motion, looming until it blocked out the light filtering through the treeline and then there was a crack in my memory.

The Escapade lurched, there was a cacophony of tearing metal and snapping plastic, screeching and popping and a yelp as Lili’s head smacked against the back of her seat before the airbags deployed. The vehicle rolled, tumbling like a very heavy tin can off the road. I tried to hold on to anything at all but my grip was constantly yanked free as gravity and momentum thrashed me about until my head spun wildly and there was pain in most of my limbs. When things came to a stop, I managed to pick my head up off the ground, finding the ground to be the side window, frosted from thousands of tiny cracks. I tasted blood, and instinctively sucked the flavor down, finding more just replaced it. My lip was swollen, and bleeding and the inside of my cheek ached. Alisha was above me, I realized, her seatbelt holding her fast to the seat.

“Alisha?” I asked, feeling a sudden dissonance between my voice and my thoughts, like I wasn’t really here right now, only watching some movie.

Alisha stirred. There was dark clumping in her hair, undoubtedly her own blood from a head injury. She blinked, looked down at me, her hair falling with her gaze and a drop of blood pattered against my shoulder. With another blink, there seemed to be an understanding and she moved, still slowly, to brace herself and try to undo the seatbelt. It was jammed and I went to help, trying to sit up and not realizing my own seatbelt was still holding me down.  But like hers, trying to unclick it was fruitless. No part of the clip or the metal budged whether I tugged or pushed or pulled.

Alisha ran a hand across her scalp and pulled it away slick with cherry redness. I felt rather sick to my stomach. And then Alisha started to wake up more and looked around, seeing the Escapade on its side and realizing, “we have to get out.” It wasn’t urgently spoken. She was still dazed, almost half-asleep sounding. She pointed to her purse, next to my knee and I understood immediately and handed her the knife from there. This she unfolded and used to rip through the seatbelt material, releasing her weight. Then it was a careful maneuver and she was leaning over me and did the same to my seat belt, freeing me and letting me get upright.

Then she turned, her foot planting on the glass next to me and touched Matteo's neck, as he was still limp. Her expression softened this time before she went to do the same for Lili but the girl was already awake and struggling with the airbag still half inflated in her face.

“Get Matteo up if you can,” Alisha instructed her and gave her the utility knife so Lili could then get herself free. She was also in the awkward upper position and had to find a way to brace herself to get down. I crouched, feeling the cracks in the glass underneath me but the windows were all mostly intact, just severely fractured in that tiny evenly spiderwebbed way.

Alisha tried to open the driver side door, the one that was upright but with no luck.

“Why…?” I asked and started to get up to help however I could. I was still a bit clumsy but this wasn't anywhere as bad as the last time I was present for an assassination attempt. Still I felt the rushing in my chest, the feeling of energy dumping into my bloodstream from adrenaline and the chill that was making my hands tingle.

Alisha was shockingly calm for this situation.

“We're sitting ducks in here,” she explained, pulling her gun from her purse. “And worse the armoring of this car doesn't extend to the top and bottom.”

The information moved sluggishly in my brain, but I could see the Escapade was on its side so I was sandwiched between the roof and the floor… which meant there was effectively only bulletproofing above me.

Ah. That was why it was urgent. If the attackers decided to blindly shoot at the car, they'd probably hit one or more of us.

Alisha forced herself around the seat into the trunk area and I heard her try to open the hatch back there but again there was no luck.

I stood, my legs shaking uncontrollably, and used the seat to support myself.

Lili managed to wake Matteo up, I gathered, since I heard his deep voice mumble something indistinctly.

“Kitten, do you have your weapon?” Alisha asked from the back.

“Yes,” I informed her and reached behind me to feel it against my back.

Alisha was staring at the rear window glass. “Good. Don't hesitate to use it.” She hefted her own and used the back end to bash against the glass. It had already been shattered and even split in some places, but it still took quite a bit of effort for her punch through and once she had, she grabbed the closest unnecessary clothing article and used it to grip and rip out the remaining glass.

Matteo finally got himself upright and pushed Lili ahead of him, around the front seats before looming behind her, pointing me to move to the back as well. He wasn't fully there yet, I could see the way his eyes were still flickering unsteadily.

I slid between the headrests and the roof finding Alisha doing her best to peek outside the vehicle before pushing herself through the missing glass.

I followed her and then turned to help Lili as it was an awkward size and shape hole to get out of. Lili took my hand at least, letting me be helpful before she turned to help Matteo, who was more confident and forceful about getting through the tiny gap but he was also bigger than us and had to pull his body through, scraping against the frame. I was glad Alisha had taken the time to pull the glass out.

The ground was firm but I was standing in under growth, shrubs and low plant cover clinging to my legs every time I took a step. I could smell the Escapade bleeding some form of vehicle fluid, not gasoline thankfully, but still something mechanical. It was greasy and metallic.

Alisha took cover, crouching behind a tree. Matteo urged me forward.

“Stay low,” he explained. “Find some cover behind something.”

I nodded, swallowing down the nausea despite my mouth feeling dry and gluey.

Lili followed me. She was quiet, taking in our surroundings. Matteo made eye contact with her and she nodded. I got a little ways from the vehicle. Some part of me worried about it exploding but that wasn’t a concern for Alisha or Matteo and I would imagine one of them would know if it was a threat or not. I crouched behind a tree just a few feet from Alisha and Matteo did the same on her other side. Lili came beside me, sharing my cover and drawing her gun. It was also more or less like mine and Alisha’s.

There was movement out in the undergrowth, a snapping of twigs and the unmistakable rustling of leaves.

Lili tensed next to me. I saw Matteo try to give her a signal but she wasn't paying him any attention and instead focused on what she could hear before she gripped her weapon and stood, getting into a ready firing position.

“Lili!

” was a simultaneous response from Alisha and Matteo.She turned her gaze to them, losing focus.

I wasn’t sure what to do. The heart beat in my ears was fast and hard, pounding away, but I didn’t know how to handle this situation. Alisha stood, trying to keep herself low but quickly ditching stealth for speed as she saw something– or perhaps someone– in the direction of the road.

The bang of gun fire slapped against the trees around me and I flinched and put my head down, covering it with my arms. Bits of tree bark scattered down around me.

Alisha rammed Lili full force and brought her to the ground before scrambling for better cover as Lili scrambled back to me, panting heavily despite the short distance.

Alisha winced a little and put pressure on her head where she’d been smacked around in the car. She was still bleeding significantly from the injury and it had to be painful.

I wanted to do nothing more than hug her and for her to be safe; for all of us to be safe.

I uncurled a bit, trying to see more of the situation. Alisha had pulled her phone out and was using the camera to take a look around her tree without compromising her position.

Then she readied.

Another gunshot from my other side prompted a look, Matteo was leaning around his tree to take a few shots and then ducked back into cover.

Lili shook, trembling fully and still breathing way heavier than she should have. With a gentle tap, I urged her to come closer to me, so she could be more protected. I also rested a hand on her shoulder to help keep her grounded.

There was something about the gesture that helped my head clear as well. The best thing we could do was stay out of the way and as protected as possible so Matteo and Alisha didn’t have complications to worry about.

Alisha took a few shots now, and I heard someone cry out in pain before a thudding sound in the undergrowth.

Matteo then took over, shooting toward the road. I steadied my breathing, trying to conserve energy if we ended up needing to run but there was a certain relief to Matteo after he finished his turn. There was a look exchanged and he broke away from our group. Alisha came to me, still keeping low, though not as dedicatedly as before.

“Are you hurt, Kitten?” she asked.

I shook my head.

Her gaze shifted, “Lili?” she asked.

Lili blinked, then shook her head. “I’m okay,” she managed.

Alisha nodded and scanned our surroundings briefly, then started making phone calls.