The Hunter, The Dragon And The Smokey Mountain Angel
Chapter 18

Within moments of being in the air, a helicopter found Julia and its spotlight followed her. More choppers were heading her way. Julia thought,

This isn’t going to get any better.

The lights from the city below looked beautiful. The main road that connected Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg was now a parking lot and people had abandoned their cars and simply took to walking around from shop to shop. This little city often filled up with visitors and families but she had never seen this many people in one place.

She felt for all those families stuck in the traffic jam and had a long way to walk, and all the mothers with hungry little children...

She took the standard route, rather than using the shortcut through the woods, as she had done before, to avoid unwanted eyes. She flew over hundreds of cars that filled the road leading to her house and they began honking their horns when they saw her; people screamed and camera phones flashed.

When she landed at her house, she found it surrounded. She was grateful when she saw a dozen police officers stationed at her mailbox keeping the mob at bay as other officers directed traffic, trying to reopen the road and get everyone moving.

All the lights in her house were out. As she approached the front porch, she saw that her front door was still broken.

The sheriff must have had a hard time getting back here due to all the traffic.

She wondered if someone might have entered but after a quick check, she relaxed; the place was empty. She made a fire, dumped the contents of her apron onto the mantle and started counting– grateful for all her tips...

She had over $5,000.00!

Her mind raced as she changed her clothes and called the utility companies and arranged for her power, internet and cable turned back on. She needed a car, a bed, at least a small fridge and a TV; nothing fancy, just something to make due until she straightened out all the messes.

Then she called Child Support and had them reinstate her driver’s license. She really wanted to give the woman on the phone a hard time... but she let it go and moved on. It was time to buy a new car.

She wondered if she even needed a car now but it was hard to get a job without reliable transportation. She wouldn’t want to fly in the rain; she wasn’t that boy from her dreams that had some kind of Super Suit on that was impervious to the elements...

She had never been this excited to go buy some old car. It was starting to get late but the car dealerships would still be open. She stepped out the back door and was grateful that she lived near a cliff. Helicopters circled overhead but their focus was on the front door and the people in the street.

When the closest chopper moved out of view, she flew into the woods behind the storage shed and float–jumped from tree to tree until she had made it around the side of the mountain. Then she took to the air, just above the treetops, passed over Dollywood, dipped back down into the forest and emerged on the main road.

Traffic was a nightmare but the confusion gave her cover. She let her hair fall over her face and she casually walked across the street and continued moving until she was behind a strip mall. Everyone concentrated on the other side of the road.

She felt like she was back in the war. The enemy was all around but she slipped past their defenses and found her target. She always found her targets and either destroyed them personally or called in fire. She loved the cloak and dagger, the danger and the pay. She didn’t like the killing part though. That part was up to those who understood the true motives behind the order to take out this person or building and ignore that one.

She double–checked that no one was watching her and then she entered the woods, flew into the trees– staying just below the canopy so that no one would see her.

Twenty minutes later, she landed in a tree behind a used car dealership, dropped to the ground slowing her momentum a second before impact and then float walked onto the car lot. After an internal debate about what kind of car she should choose, and then settling for a cheap but reliable pickup truck, a sales man approached her.

He asked, “Is there a particular brand you’re interested in?”

“Not really, I’d like something easy on the gas, something compact but not too many miles. Do you have any small 4x4 trucks?”

The man looked at her for a long moment then said, “Strange days lately.”

Julia raised her eyes and asked, “What do you mean?”

“You’re the first customer I’ve had all day. I’ve been sitting in my office watching you on the news wondering if you always flew or if you might need a car.”

Julia bit her lower lip and smiled, “Busted! Please don’t call the media. It was very hard to get here without being noticed.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell.”

Julia flashed him a pretty smile and said, “Thank you,” Then she patted the small red truck they were standing next to and said, “The sticker says $2,999.00. How much can you come down on that price? My funds are limited.”

The man nodded and said, “I know, I saw the interview.” He looked back at the office and then at the dealership sign near the highway. He said, “I’m going to put myself out on a limb here but if you can come up $2,000.00, stand next to that sign,” he pointed to the dealership sign, “Then I’ll get you in a hybrid SUV. It’s worth three times what I’m asking and it’s a 4x4, has Bluetooth and GPS and I think you’ll love it, but it’s blue.”

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