The shape lingered anyway. A shadow that didn’t quite belong to the interior of the car.
Something was leaning just slightly forward from the darkness behind the back seat, watching me.
I quickly looked away. Anyone else might have been losing their mind right about now.
But I’d spent enough time around supernatural nonsense for this to feel pretty normal. Hell, this wasn’t even my first possessed vehicle. Still, I was at its mercy, and I wasn’t sure yet what it wanted from me.
The Mustang growled in approval, enjoying the game it was playing with me.
“P-please,” The salesman next to me stuttered, reaching for the seatbelt. It refused to pull down. “We can discuss the price back at the lot. Please. Turn around.”
I saw a smile flash in the back mirror.
“I think we can discuss it right now.” I pushed the gas pedal to the floor, the speedometer dial climbing across the numbers at an alarming rate.
“E-eighteen t-thousand!” The salesman squeaked, covering his eyes.
“I think we can go a little bit lower. Don’t you?” I shifted into fifth gear, letting the Mustang push its limit and thelimit of the dealer’s resolve.
“Fine! Fine! Fifteen!”
Better, but still more than I was willing to spend. I lifted off the gas, tapped the brake, then snapped the wheel left.
The rear tires broke loose instantly. The Mustang slid sideways across four empty lanes in a perfect power drift, its rear end swinging wide as it spun through a smooth, flawless 180-degree arc. The smell of burning rubber filled the cabin, sending the dealer into a choking fit.
“Think about it on the way back.” I caught the wheel as the car straightened, now pointed back toward the city. “Twelve grand is more than fair.” I revved the engine, meeting the terrified eyes of the poor salesman. “I think quite a few parts need replacement. Tires, for one.”
I dumped the clutch.
The rear wheels screamed against the pavement, shredding what little rubber remained before the Mustang hooked up and tore down the road toward the dealership.
Chapter Three
Fox
The feel of torn-up tarmac under my tires, the heat rolling off my engine block, and the sharp, salty smell of fear-sweat from the dealer in the passenger seat; after years of sitting still, watching other cars come and go, the moment burned through me like fresh gasoline. Every second of waiting at that dealership lot had been worth it.
I could feel your excitement even as you killed the engine and slid the key from the ignition. The way your pulse still raced, matching the slow ticking of my cooling motor. Your heart and my engine are settling into the same rhythm.
The salesman stumbled out first, legs shaky, wiping his forehead with a trembling hand. You followed a moment later, calm as anything, smoothing your sleeves down like a man who had merely finished a pleasant afternoon drive.
I knew the second you opened the door and stepped out that you were coming back for me.
The world went quiet as you shut my door and patted my handle, before you disappeared into the dealership office.
For a brief, terrifying moment, I wondered if I had been wrong.
Maybe you would still walk away; maybe reason would creep back into your mind and drag you off toward something safer. A sensible sedan, or worse: a hybrid. Something dull and obedient that would never try to drag you onto the highway just to see what you were capable of.
The other cars on the lot shifted slightly in the wind, their polished bodies reflecting the afternoon sun with strange smugness. A silver EV across from me seemed particularly pleased with itself: a family car. Reliable, practical. A four-door electric Mustang, with a galloping horse racing along its front.
I hated it. It didn’t deserve the emblem on its grill; it might have been a Mustang by name, but it sure as hell didn’t have the soul of one.
And if you picked it over me, then what would I have left to offer?
***
The minutes stretched into an eternity.
