I've often wondered why Steve didn't just floor the accelerator when Tex pointed the gun at him? I know people say "they were scared, they didn't know what was going to happen". If he'd floored it and rammed the car through the gate it might have alerted the people inside the house and all hell would've broken loose. The phone in the guest house must've had a different line if Steve was able to call a friend, so maybe Tex only cut the line to the main house, and maybe William could've called the police?
When I was 17 in 1972 I was invited out by a couple of guys. One of them was the boyfriend of my best friend who was out of town at the time. We went out drinking and then back to their mobile home. The guy who was dating my friend started some shit with me and told me he didn't like me and was going to whip my ass. As I was trying to get out the sliding glass door that was at the front of the trailer he reached around me, locked it, and started beating the shit out of me. The other one just stood there watching, but at one point the guy who was hitting me told him to go and get the gun. He punched me in the face and broke my nose, and chipped a front tooth, so blood was pouring everywhere. I decided he might beat the hell out of me, or kill me, but I wasn't going to make it easy for him.
I kicked the glass door until it shattered in a hundred pieces, then rushed out the door to my mothers car. At that point he ran after me held a piece of the glass to my throat. I got in the car and behind the wheel only to realize that HE had the keys because he'd driven us home. I started yelling and honking the horn so much that it broke the metal horn ring of the 1969 Mercury. He backhanded me across the face and blood flew all over the inside of the windshield.
By that time dogs were barking and lights were going on everywhere so he threw the car keys at me threatened me that if I called the police he'd kill me. I slammed his hand in the glass of the car door and locked it, then as he was trying to get his hand out I got the keys in the ignition and burned rubber getting out of there, then I turned the car around and tried to run his ass over as I was leaving.
My parent's called the police and filed charges against him, but he always hid from them and didn't show up in court, and went AWOL from his rented trailer and job. He had prior charges and outstanding warrants, but as far as I know nothing ever happened to him.
A few months later I saw them at a light in a car I'd bought later and he was in a different car as well. When he recognized me he hauled ass so fast I couldn't get his license number.
So my point is, if someone threatens you with harm DON'T go quietly. Raise hell, scream, yell, do whatever it takes to get attention and get the hell out of there!