The Gender End by Bella Forrest (the giving tree read aloud TXT) 📕

It’s as good a plan as any, I added.

A car suddenly rounded a corner behind us and accelerated hard, bumping into us.

Who is that? I asked as I pulled up the rifle and unbuckled my belt. They weren’t on the map! The vehicle accelerated behind us, and I was thrown forward into the dashboard—not hard, but enough to be rattled. I climbed up to the moon roof again, pushing the rifle out first.

I don’t know! Thomas replied, plainly irritated. Maybe a car that doesn’t have a tracker… Does it really matter?

I tuned out his voice as I drew the rifle smoothly to my shoulder and began firing, the shots ricocheting off the hood and windows. This driver didn’t panic, just accelerated again, jolting me into the side of the roof. My hip hit hard, and I sucked in a breath, pain radiating from the spot, and then fired again.

The stock shook my shoulder from the recoil, but I continued to fire, going for their weak points. They were too close for me to get a shot at their tires, but as I saw the grill on the front, an idea occurred to me. Ducking down into a squat, I ejected the magazine, taking the new one Owen handed me and slapping it in.

I stood, firing at the grill, expending the magazine into it, hoping for a one in a million chance. I ducked back down, almost disappointed—but then smoke began to pour first from the front of the car, then through the cracks in the side. The pursuit car immediately dropped back, slowing down. Viggo sped away, and I pulled my coat around myself and exhaled.

Great shooting, Violet, Owen praised, and I smiled grimly as I ejected the second magazine. He passed me a new one, and I slapped it in.

We plowed down the street and rounded the corner, and another vehicle appeared behind us, the headlights already angling toward us. I cursed and started to stand up again, when Viggo’s arm shot across my chest.

Hold on to something, he ordered, and the next thing I knew, everything jolted as Viggo took the car up over the curb, driving down the sidewalk.

There weren’t many people in the way, but the few who were out walking scattered to avoid us in a panic. I had a moment to spot a newspaper stand ahead—and then Viggo hit it with Ashabee’s reinforced vehicle, catching the inside of it and pushing it out into the road with a bang. The vehicle behind us, still on the road, swerved to avoid it, but kept pace, coming up on the curb right behind us.

Viggo grinned, and I hurriedly put on my seatbelt, my hands going to the dashboard.

Viggo? I said as I saw the columns of a nearby building in front of us, the ones being used to support the second-story balcony. And then he crashed into the first one.

I couldn’t believe how easily it fell apart. I jerked forward against my belt, and then we hit the second, shattering it in a plume of dust and stone. He jerked the wheel to the right and we came back on the road, just as a corner of the balcony began to break apart. I turned, searching it for people, and was relieved to find none—it was too chilly to be eating outside.

This is the intersection! Thomas announced as Viggo darted through it, and two more vehicles joined the first, still trailing dust after escaping the collapsing balcony. I groaned and began to unbuckle the belt, when Ms. Dale’s voice cut across the comms. She must have been listening in on our channel the whole time.

Viggo, turn right.

He immediately swerved to the right, then cursed and violently jerked the wheel. Just where we’d been headed, I saw a flash of my mentor standing in the middle of the street, a familiar-looking tube thrown over her shoulder, a smoke trail billowing out from behind it as she braced herself against the kickback of a shot.

The rocket caught the lead vehicle behind us right underneath the engine, and the SUV flew into the air and rotated, the tail end coming forward until the entire thing was upside down. It landed with a crash, crumpling the cab, as Viggo slammed on the brakes and came to a halt.

I blinked, trying to clear the dizziness caused by our spinning retreat, and looked back to see Ms. Dale picking up a second launcher and firing it. The shot caught the second car in the side, and it rolled, slamming into a building.

Ms. Dale tossed down the second tube and raced toward us, the third and final vehicle slamming into the burning wreckage of the other two cars and flipping onto its side.

Are you crazy? Viggo demanded as she opened the back door and climbed in.

Coming along on this mission was my bloody wedding gift to you, she practically snarled as she slammed the door. To keep you safe! I can’t do that if you won’t let me.

That’s no excuse to—

Shut up and drive already, Viggo, she ordered, her eyes narrowing. You can bitch at me about the mission after we get to the palace.

Viggo opened his mouth and then slammed it shut, putting the car into gear and driving off.

There was a long period of silence, and then Thomas cleared his throat. It’s, uh… It’s all clear ahead, he announced awkwardly.

OceanofPDF.com

28

OceanofPDF.com

Violet

The streets were darker now, lights shutting down overhead as it grew too late in the evening for anyone to be out. Businesses were closed, everything shuttered and eerily quiet.

I felt more exposed like this, like someone could see us easily, and Viggo dimmed the lights as we drove. I looked out the window as the streets curved around, staring at the buildings and down the alleys that periodically broke them apart, their edges lit by the silver light of the moon.

It was full tonight, illuminating everything in pale