Split Second

Convicts Sam Hurley and Bart Moore have just escaped from a Nevada prison, they considered armed and dangerous. Beyond freedom, they have extra incentive to evade the authorities in the sum of $500,000, the proceeds of the crime that put them behind bars, waiting for them, they assisted by accomplices Dummy, who is their escape driver, and Johnny, who is at their hideout, that rendezvous before the four leave the country. Their clean getaway to the hideaway doesn't come off quite as planned as they are hindered by Bart sustaining a serious gunshot wound to the abdomen, he the only person to who violent Sam, the gang leader, has any loyalty, and circumstances leading to them needing to take temporary refuge at a deserted desert ghost town with five hostages: wealthy Pasadenan Mrs. Dr. Neal Garven - Kay - her insurance salesman lover Arthur Ashton, reporter Larry Fleming who had just been reassigned to cover Sam and Bart's escape, penniless but streetwise chorus girl Dottie Vail who Larry, having just met, was giving a ride to Carson City en route to her final destination of Reno to find work, and grizzled prospector Asa Tremaine. Hovering over all of them, and which Sam always wanted to use to his advantage in eluding recapture, is that they are in the middle of the Nevada Nuclear Test Area, the next atomic bomb test taking place first thing the next morning at 0600h and which was the story Larry had originally been assigned to cover.