We drove in silence for a minute. Then I noticed a car that was following it us. It inched closer and closer, tailgating me down the dimly lit road.
I glanced in my rearview mirror, thinking what to do, and then the brights flashed on.
“Fuck,” I said, wincing and turning away. Sparkles dotted my eyes, and I pressed on the gas, lurching ahead. “What the hell is this?”
“Those guys are always trying to follow me,” Daryl grumbled, still slouched down in his seat.
“What?” I asked, my heartrate accelerating. “They’re what?”
The car bumped against me from behind, and I hit the gas again, swerving as I jumped from forty up to fifty, a full fifteen over the speed limit. The car stayed a solid food behind me but kept pace.
Too dangerous. Cops. Pedestrians.
It was like I downed a full pot of coffee. All of my sense came alert, my fingers poised on the gear shift and my back straight in the seat. We were flying, but the world around us was slow motion, almost like it was under my spell.
I feel like a fucking superhero, I thought with a laugh.
The car laid on its horn, and in a flash, I spun into the other lane and kicked up some smoke as I took off down a side street.
“Why are they after us?” I yelled. “What is this?”
“They probably want what’s in the car,” Daryl said. “Sorry, Asher.”
“Fuck you,” I said, hitting the brakes to spin around another corner just as I saw the car turn down the street behind us. The wheels squealed, but even with my heart thumping, I felt clear and calm.
“Tell me what’s in the car, Daryl,” I said through gritted teeth, then yelled again. “Tell me!”
“Trust me,” Daryl answered. “You don’t want to know.”
The car lurched around the corner, then squealed our way. I realized with a start that there was danger no matter what I did, murder and jail around every corner.
I glanced to make sure Daryl was buckled in, then focused my eyes on the street in front of me. Tightening my hands around the wheel, I took in a deep breath, then let it out, relaxing all of my muscles.
Got to stay safe. Can’t mess up what matters.
I slammed on the brakes and yanked the wheel. We went spinning to the side, and I held the arc just right, guiding us through an empty pavement lot on a breakneck squeal.
For one moment, I was face to face with the car chasing us. It was a plain black sedan, totally normal, except for the two men inside, each brandishing a gun while their faces contorted in screams.
They spun, and I watched with shock as the back of their car collided with a tree. Hitting the gear shift, I got ready to lurch forward and get the hell out of there before the cops showed up.
And then I felt the crunch.
I felt Daryl’s car shake and heard the crash of glass and metal and god knows what else. Everything thumped around me, and I groaned as my body threw itself against the tight seatbelt, then fell back hard against the door and the seat. When everything became still again, I had to blink back stars to see.
I turned, the world hazy, my senses confused. In the blur, I saw the passenger door push open. Daryl jumped out, shaking his head and cursing. He looked to the car crashed down the street, then back to me.
And he ran. One foot kind of limping behind him, he still managed to take off in a sprint, straight between two houses and into the distance.
I coughed, then started to panic. It was like the entire world collapsed around me, and I was entirely, totally alone.
I looked to the car that had been chasing us, coughing smoke as the men stumbled out.
I did the only thing I could think to do. I got out of the car, and I ran.
I ran as fast as I could, and in the complete opposite direction of Daryl.
