Page 22 of Prince of Malice

“The finish line is a quarter mile ahead of you, just in line with that stop sign,” Angelo relays to me. “Cops should be distracted across town, so we’re all good here.”

“Should be?”

“Well, nothing’s guaranteed. Just win this thing, alright?”

“Alright.”

Angelo steps back from his car, giving me time to get in the right headspace. I shoot my gaze down to the end of the street, focusing on the small red speck of the stop sign. That’s the target. That’s my goal.

A man wearing a large black hoodie covering most of his face steps out in front of the cars, holding his arm aloft in the air.

I hold tightly to the wheel with one hand, my other on the gearshift. Feeling the weight of the gas pedal beneath my foot as I test it over and over, I hear the aggressive purr of the engine roaring to life.

The others do the same, the revving sounds combining to create a harsh melody of machines.

My eyes hold steady on the hooded man, waiting for the moment he drops his hand.Waiting and waiting and waiting until his arm slices down through the air.

I slam down on the pedal, pushing it down into the floor of the footwell, as the tires screech against the asphalt. I wrench the gear stick from first gear and slam it into second.

Feeling the raw power of the screaming energy fall under my control, I push the car to its very limits. Fighting back against the g-force pinning me back in my seat, I try to calm my exhilaration and focus on the road ahead of me.

I throw the car up another gear.

Despite my rapid speed as the car hurtles down the street faster than I’ve ever gone before, time feels like it’s slowing to a stop. Mere milliseconds seem like minutes, allowing me to take in every single aspect of the race.

Another gear.

The other cars just barely keep pace with me, and I edge alongside another racer to stay in first place. The roar of the engine and spectators cheering and shouting surround me, and then I catch the flashing lights appearing in my rearview mirror.

Fifth gear now.

The rhythmic red and blue lights warn everyone of the chaos that is about to come.

Members of the crowd scatter in whatever direction they can, ducking into the side streets and alleys and jumping into cars and motorcycles they have at the ready before peeling off away from the scene.

Two of the other racers veer from the road and take off in another direction, while the rows of squad cars give chase behind us and struggle to catch up. Darting my eyes to the side, I see just one other car keeping up with me. Not too far from the finish line; I don’t want to give up now.

I shift into its sixth and final gear, laying my foot down hard on the pedal and not looking back. Determined to win, I keep accelerating as fast as I can, pushing the car as far as it will go.

Almost at the finish line; I can’t let up now. I have to win this. I don’t care what happens next. I don’t know if it’s the endorphins rushing to my brain or what, but I need to win.

I lose sight of the car by my side as thedriver gives up and falls back behind me to disappear in another direction.

I’m going to win this.

My car screams past the stop sign, blasting past the finish line. I slam my foot on the brake, putting the car back down into fifth, and screech around the next corner.

I can’t see the cops, so they can’t see me.

Throwing the car back to its highest gear, I tear down the street, weaving past any cars that are in my way and ignoring any stop lights.

In the distance behind me, I catch sight of a single car just barely following after me, but it has no lights or sirens. I have to hope it’s not a squad car and is just some other racer or maybe even Angelo coming after me in another car.

I hit the brakes and slow the car to an almost complete stop, swinging around and pulling into an alleyway off of the street.

Pulling up close to the wall at the end of the alley, I yank the handbrake and turn off the ignition, killing any lights coming from the car. Shrouding myself in the darkness of the alley, I duck my head and pray that the cops won’t find me.

I fight against my own breathing as my heart is thumping out of my chest, and I beg them to settle.

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