They talked several hours through the night and quickly packed their bags to leave for town in the morning. Two of the newer men were heading out for California and so they had arranged to be dropped off in town by them. Sam didn’t really know them all that well but they seemed like alright guys. On the way to town, they stopped at a gas station and the two men went inside, leaving Sam and Julie alone in the backseat.
“I don’t know what I am going to do without you, Sam,” Julie said emotionally.
“Don’t worry about it Julie, the Universe will provide you with what you need. All things have their purpose and even the bad times help us to become stronger individuals. Each morning as you start your day, take a good look at yourself. The scars that life has given you are the foundations of your future. Don’t run from them… build on them. They are you, and if…
“What was that?” Julie shouted, at the sound of a gunshot. Two more shots fired as the two men came running for the car. One of them was bleeding.
“How the hell was I to know he had a gun?” the driver shouted to his partner as they jumped into the car.
“Just get us out of here!” the other man shouted while trying to stop the bleeding from his arm.
The car spun out and for a few minutes it looked as if they had gotten away with the robbery… but suddenly a police car pulled out from a speed trap and the chase was on. A bullet ripped through the back window and Sam covered Julie with her body. Several more shots entered the car, one grazing the neck of Julie. It wasn’t painful but she could feel the blood pouring down her blouse and tried to reach her hand up to stop it.
“Just stay down!” Sam shouted as the chase continued. There was a sudden POP as one of the tires was hit by a bullet and the car careened off the road and into a ditch. They were immediately surrounded by police with guns drawn. The two men stepped out of the car and surrendered immediately while Sam continued protecting Julie. “You okay, kid?” she finally asked as she started to sit up.
“Yes, I think so,” Julie responded, finally reaching for her neck. “It’s just a surface wound I think… but look how much blood I lost.”
“Well stupid… that could be because it’s not all of your blood,” Sam responded jokingly while holding her hand to the large wound in her chest. “Looks like this is where our journeys part my friend,” she added, as her eyes slowly closed and her arms fell lifeless to her side.