thoughts, I realized Nate’s test was perfect because he hadn’t driven since he died in his accident over a year ago.
Then I heard Riel’s muffled voice coming over the headphones in our helmets, giving directions to Nate to fly high, then stay low, then to catch up with the number eighteen car because he’d made a deal with that driver to help us if we could keep up. Nate flew around the corner, the turn hugging us. After surviving the steep incline of the track, I laughed out loud when I realized the driver of number eighteen was Ash.
I slid up the visor portion of my helmet and waved to him through the mesh covered window, black specs from tire rubber flying through the little holes. Screwing up my nose, I caught a whiff of octane. The smell wasn’t like gasoline, making me gag. This fuel held the scent of raw power and made my eyes burn, flooding them with tears. I immediately slid my visor back down.
During the next two-and-a-half hours, the forty-three cars on the track rumbled with uncontrolled rage, thunderous applause vibrating in my ears. The drivers often ran in one to three packs, sometimes only inches apart, while traveling over 200miles per hour. Nate and I didn’t chat. He concentrated on driving the ride from hell, and I prayed harder than I ever had before, my chest heaving with adrenaline. Somehow, I felt horrified and exhilarated at the same time.
Just as I feared, “The Big One” came at the end, and we were one of the five cars involved in the crash. All I saw was a blur. Another car rounding turn one lost control and hit us. Suddenly, we fishtailed wildly. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as our car went completely sideways. We ripped through a thick cloud of smoke before skittering into a wall. Then the car went airborne a good fifteen feet above the track. Gravity did its job when the vehicle came down, end over end in an endless barrel roll. The car crashed against a guard rail, spewing flames and smoke with exploding pieces of machinery littering the track. The atmosphere remained eerily quiet for a moment, like a graveyard. The only sound came from wind flapping the race flags around the track, then the scream lodged tight in my throat finally let loose.
“Nate!”
The smell of burnt rubber made me choke. I couldn’t imagine anything being left of the vehicle, and as the smoke cleared, it revealed little more than a rolling cage with four flat tires.
Nate and I slipped off our helmets. He looked up and muttered a few choice words to the man upstairs, but to my surprise, not the using-Your-name-in-vain kind. Instead, Nate thanked God.
I gave him a few seconds as I surveyed the crash, the paramedics nowhere in sight. I squelched my panic though since I knew this was all part of the scenarios that Riel set up.
I think.
“Are you all right?” I yelled, my ears still ringing from the sounds of the crash.
He held up his gloved finger. “Just give me a minute to catch my breath.”
I undid my safety harness and crawled out of what was left of the car. Nate followed suit.
Holding onto him, I didn’t loosen my grip as I said, “For the first time ever, I’m glad we’re dead.” My voice sounded thick as I held back sobs.
Nate smiled, actually more of a grimace, like he was in pain. It’d have to be the emotional type though since our bodies couldn’t hurt in this realm. He leaned against the barrier, still intact, and sighed heavily. “Why do you say that?”
“Because if we were alive, we would’ve just died, and I haven’t had nearly enough time with you. At least now, no matter what happens, we’ll always have each other.”
He frowned. “I’m not sure about that. Do you really think I passed that test?”
“Well, Ruth told us yesterday that our tests would be about the fear of being out of control. But you can’t control something that’s out of control.”
Now he smirked. “You mean like fate? Destiny?”
“Exactly. Nobody knows what’s going
Then I heard Riel’s muffled voice coming over the headphones in our helmets, giving directions to Nate to fly high, then stay low, then to catch up with the number eighteen car because he’d made a deal with that driver to help us if we could keep up. Nate flew around the corner, the turn hugging us. After surviving the steep incline of the track, I laughed out loud when I realized the driver of number eighteen was Ash.
I slid up the visor portion of my helmet and waved to him through the mesh covered window, black specs from tire rubber flying through the little holes. Screwing up my nose, I caught a whiff of octane. The smell wasn’t like gasoline, making me gag. This fuel held the scent of raw power and made my eyes burn, flooding them with tears. I immediately slid my visor back down.
During the next two-and-a-half hours, the forty-three cars on the track rumbled with uncontrolled rage, thunderous applause vibrating in my ears. The drivers often ran in one to three packs, sometimes only inches apart, while traveling over 200miles per hour. Nate and I didn’t chat. He concentrated on driving the ride from hell, and I prayed harder than I ever had before, my chest heaving with adrenaline. Somehow, I felt horrified and exhilarated at the same time.
Just as I feared, “The Big One” came at the end, and we were one of the five cars involved in the crash. All I saw was a blur. Another car rounding turn one lost control and hit us. Suddenly, we fishtailed wildly. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as our car went completely sideways. We ripped through a thick cloud of smoke before skittering into a wall. Then the car went airborne a good fifteen feet above the track. Gravity did its job when the vehicle came down, end over end in an endless barrel roll. The car crashed against a guard rail, spewing flames and smoke with exploding pieces of machinery littering the track. The atmosphere remained eerily quiet for a moment, like a graveyard. The only sound came from wind flapping the race flags around the track, then the scream lodged tight in my throat finally let loose.
“Nate!”
The smell of burnt rubber made me choke. I couldn’t imagine anything being left of the vehicle, and as the smoke cleared, it revealed little more than a rolling cage with four flat tires.
Nate and I slipped off our helmets. He looked up and muttered a few choice words to the man upstairs, but to my surprise, not the using-Your-name-in-vain kind. Instead, Nate thanked God.
I gave him a few seconds as I surveyed the crash, the paramedics nowhere in sight. I squelched my panic though since I knew this was all part of the scenarios that Riel set up.
I think.
“Are you all right?” I yelled, my ears still ringing from the sounds of the crash.
He held up his gloved finger. “Just give me a minute to catch my breath.”
I undid my safety harness and crawled out of what was left of the car. Nate followed suit.
Holding onto him, I didn’t loosen my grip as I said, “For the first time ever, I’m glad we’re dead.” My voice sounded thick as I held back sobs.
Nate smiled, actually more of a grimace, like he was in pain. It’d have to be the emotional type though since our bodies couldn’t hurt in this realm. He leaned against the barrier, still intact, and sighed heavily. “Why do you say that?”
“Because if we were alive, we would’ve just died, and I haven’t had nearly enough time with you. At least now, no matter what happens, we’ll always have each other.”
He frowned. “I’m not sure about that. Do you really think I passed that test?”
“Well, Ruth told us yesterday that our tests would be about the fear of being out of control. But you can’t control something that’s out of control.”
Now he smirked. “You mean like fate? Destiny?”
“Exactly. Nobody knows what’s going
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