red hill - jamie mcguire

an armory in Anderson. You think they’re really soldiers Maybe they’re just trying to protect their
town”
“The governor is in Anderson today,” Ashley said.
We all turned, surprised she knew that interesting and pertinent tidbit of information.
“I listen to the radio in the mornings when I’m getting ready for class. They said it on the news.
Governor Bellmon would be in Anderson today.”
Bryce nodded. “There’s no way he’d already have soldiers there. They must be random
townspeople.”
I looked at them again, and gasped. They weren’t wearing fatigues. They were outfitted in Realtree
and Mossy Oak. “Oh, Christ. Scared kids with AK-47s Is the governor that stupid”
“Maybe it wasn’t him at all Maybe they just took it upon themselves” Cooper said.
“Either way,” I said, turning to look out the back window. I didn’t see anything that would bite us,
but it would only be a matter of time before they caught up. “We have to get going.”
Just as I finished my sentence, the same red pickup from before came from the Fairview side at
high speed, straight at the men with guns.
“Miranda!” Ashley screamed.
I gripped the steering wheel as they opened fire. The windshield of the truck broke, and then the
truck veered off course, straight for our side of the bridge. It jumped over the side of the off-ramp,
cartwheeled over three cars, and then came to a rest on its cab. The wheels were still spinning,
making a terrible high-pitched whirring noise.
Everyone screamed, and those standing outside their cars crouched down for a second, waiting to
see where the truck would go. For a while, everyone seemed confused, nervous, and unsure what to
do, but once the shock of the earlier incident became secondary to the need to get home to their
families, the yelling and pleading to pass continued.
“Maybe we could sneak by them on foot” Cooper said.
Bryce shook his head. “We need a distraction.”
As if it were scripted, a white full-sized van slowly approached the bridge. The gunmen were
immediately on edge. The people standing outside of their cars yelled louder, and a few of them
attempted to throw shoes and anything they could get their hands on at the gunmen, but none of it made
it to the bridge.
“Oh, man. Get back in your car,” Bryce said.
The driver had gotten out, and was arguing with the gunmen. He then grabbed one of the gunmen’s
rifles. I wasn’t sure who shot the first bullet, but once a gun went off, they all opened fire. The man
from the van convulsed while his body was punctured by bullets. When he hit the ground, the gunmen
targeted his vehicle, too.
“Oh my God! Oh my God!” Ashley cried.
The gunfire didn’t stop. The men with guns were agitated and angry, and the yelling from below
drew their attention. The people standing outside of their vehicles on the ramp were suddenly prey,
and they all began to scream and run. Following the running families, the men let their gunfire spread
to everyone else trapped in the gridlock below.