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Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Larry hesitated for a second, unsure how to respond. But what Quinlyn said made sense. No matter how much he loved pushing his limits, he’d never drag a kid into something dangerous like this.
Stanley seemed to get the point. He could feel something stir in his chest. He gritted his teeth and shot Quinlyn a look. I get it. You’re looking out for Larry. He’s my friend. I’ve got this. Get out of the car. I’ll take over”
Quinly didn’t budge. She kept her hands tight on the seatbelt, turned her face away, and stared straight ahead, her eyes calm and unshaken.
Just then, the cars in the next lane started honking.
A guy with messy yellow hair leaned out the window and shouted, “Larry! If you’re scared, go home and drink some milk! Don’t waste our time. Damn, it’s just a race! Why are you guys acting like we’re saying goodbye? Let’s go already!”
Then the others joined in, shouting and laughing.
The noise was getting to Stanley. He knew he wasn’t going to convince Quinlyn to change her mind. He grabbed Larry by the collar, yanked him closer, and growled with fiery eyes. “Get my sister back safely. You hear me?”
Once he barked the order. Stanley shoved Larry away and darted toward the stands to fire up his laptop, ready to monitor
the race.
On the big screen by the starting line, the countdown had already begun. Engines roared as the cars revved up, the tension building-
Through the deafening noise, Larry glanced at Quinlyn, looking like she was asking for trouble. He muttered under his breath as he started his engine, the sound roaring to life. “Better hold on tight. If you get tossed out, don’t expect me to catch
you.
Quinlyn gave him a small nod, her expression still calm. “Mm.”
Right as she finished, the countdown hit zero..
The cars shot forward, engines roaring like a pack of wild animals released from their cages.
Larry shot off like a rocket, leading the race right from the start. The vast mountain view ahead of him made him feel. unstoppable. He glanced over his shoulder at his competitors and couldn’t help but let out a loud whistle.
“Hey, kid, watch me crush them. This mountain path? I own it,” he said to Quinlyn.
But no sooner had he finished bragging than Stanley’s voice came through the radio, cutting him off.
“Knock it off. Stop showing off. Slow down and don’t scare my sister,” Stanley said.
Larry was speechless, keeping his hands on the wheel. “What’s your deal, man? Why are you into troublemaking kids like her? She’s not even close to your foster daughter–at least she knows how to be sweet and say the right things.”
“Shut up!” Stanley snapped, his voice full of irritation. “Don’t you dare compare Quinlyn to her! Quinlyn’s different.”
Stanley’s tone softened as he spoke about Quinlyn. “She’s amazing, but someone like you wouldn’t understand. If she tells you to do something on the road, you better listen.
“Man, you’re such a sis–cont” Larry chuckled, shaking his head. He couldn’t believe how obsessed Stanley was. “You really want me, a professional driver, to listen to a kid? You’re trying to get me killed, huh?”
Tm just trying to help you out, Stanley retorted, his voice colder now. But when he mentioned Quinlyn, there was an
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Chapter 11
obvious warmth in his words. Trust me. You’ll thank me later
While the two were bickering back and forth, a car sped past them.
It was one of their competitorS,
“Well, there goes 300 thousand.” Larry mattered, suddenly feeling less competitive. He turned to Quinlyn with a grin, “Looks like I’m not going for the win today because of you. Maybe I should just give the prize to you.”
Stanley opened his mouth to argue, but before he could speak, Quinlyn’s clear, calmn voice came through the feed. “Okay”
Larry blinked in surprise, glancing over at her. She was still staring straight ahead, her expression serious. Something about the way she held herself piqued his curiosity,
Suddenly, Quinlyn warned, “Watch the road. It’s dangers.”
Larry snapped back to focus. He couldn’t help but laugh a little—bring warned by a kid–but his amusement quickly faded as he saw the car in front of him suddenly slow down. The back of it was getting closer and closer.
He swore under his breath, jerking the wheel to the side to avoid crashing.
But then the car swerved into his lane, blocking him again.
That was when Larry realized the driver was doing it on purpose.
“Damn, these idiots!” Larry snapped.
“Larry, look out! The car behind us is closing in, 100 Stanley’s voice came through the radio. “If they trap you between both of them, you’re in serious trouble on this bend ahead,”
If both cars trapped him, his view would be blockerl. If the car behind him hit him just right, he’d be shoved off the road and sent flying into the guardrail
Larry knew that well. He slammed the gas and tried to speed up to pass the car ahead of him.
But the car behind him wasn’t letting up. It stayed right on his tail.
The curve was coming up fast. Larry felt sweat dripping from his palms. The other two cars were closing in, squeezing him from both sides.
Suddenly, a soft, calm voice rang in his cars. “Ram it.”
Larry froze for a moment, his heart racing. “What?”
He thought he’d misheard her.
But a second later, Quinlyn’s voice came again, steady and clear. “Ram it. Otherwise, it’ll crash your car.”
At that, Larry’s hands tightened on the wheel. He quickly glanced over at the passenger seat. There she was–Quinlyn, sitting up straight, sunlight streaming through the window and making her little face glow. She looked so young and so innocent.
And here she was, a kid, calmly telling him to crash through other cars in a life–or–death situation.
The radio went quiet for a moment. Then, Stanley spoke again.
“Listen to Quinlyn.” His voice was low, but there was no hesitation in it. “She won’t hurt you. Trust her”
Larry blinked, confused. Trust her? Does that mean I’m supposed to crash into someone?!‘ he thought.
20:34 Tue, 18 Mar
Chapter 34
But before he could process it, the car behind them swerved dangerously close. He could hear the screech of metal scraping against metal as sparks flew from the rear bumper, now glowing red from the heat. The car behind them was clearly out of control.
“Shit, are they insane? Larry muttered under his breath, eyes darting to the rearview mirror. In that split second, his gaz locked with the driver behind him.
It was a guy with yellow hair. He’d yelled at them earlier, back at the bottom of the hill, and now he was smoking a cigarette, his sallow face calm. It was like death didn’t scare him and that Larry’s life meant nothing.
A wave of fear shot through Larry. The look in that guy’s eyes froze him for a moment, his body stiffening in terror. Then, with a quick jerk, he gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles white.
“Do I really have to crash it? Larry muttered, his eyes glued to the road ahead. He wasn’t asking anyone in particular. He was looking for an answer from Quinlyn.
She glanced at him for a brief second. But she didn’t say anything.
She knew Larry had already known what he had to do.
The wind howled, whipping around the car. Leaves scattered across the road, crushed under the tires of the speeding vehicles as they raced forward.
They approached a tight bend, and the bald guy in the car ahead of them checked his rearview mirror. He smirked as he spoke into his phone. “Almost there. Get ready to move..
Before he could finish, there was a loud crash.
The big guy in front almost got tossed out of his own car, his grip on the wheel barely holding. It hit him too late–he realized Larry had tricked him. Surprised, he looked up, only to see the guardrail rushing toward him.
“Shit!” He cursed as he yanked the steering wheel to the right. The car spun, its back end sliding sideways. He could feel the tires scraping against the guardrail with a screeching noise. He tried to slam the brake to regain control.
But when his foot pressed down hard on the brake, it felt loose, and his stomach tightened.
What’s going on? Is the brake not working? he wondered.
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