Page 320 of Fatality

I nod and laugh.

I wrench the wheel sideways and slam into one of the Kitsune cars. The impact rattles through the chassis, but I keep my foot planted. In the mirror, the Kitsune spirals into a cloud of steam and twisted metal before disappearing behind the pack.

“One down.” I grin.

The freight highway stretches ahead, four lanes wide and already clogged with racers fighting for position.

Bikes weave between bumpers like ghosts, their riders barely inches from disaster. A Crimson car blasts past my left, its exhaust spitting blue fire as it muscles another racer toward the guardrail.

“Left!” Ren barks.

I flick my eyes just in time.

An Iron Hound throws his reinforced machine across the lane, trying to block the opening.

I don't brake.

I dive toward the narrowing gap, the side of my car scraping against his armor with a shower of sparks before I burst through.

My heart pounds, but my mind stays perfectly still.

The first warehouse entrance comes into view.

I lift just enough to settle the car, then throw it sideways into the corner. The rear steps out exactly as I want, tires screaming against the concrete.

I catch the slide with a quick correction and fire out of the turn, inches from a stack of shipping containers.

The world becomes a blur of steel pillars, flashing lights, and impossible gaps.

Every corner is a gamble.

Every mistake is elimination.

And I wouldn't have it any other fucking way.

The warehouse swallows us whole.

The light vanishes behind walls of rusted steel and towering stacks of cargo containers. The only light comes from flickering work lamps and the occasional shower of sparks raining from overhead cranes.

Every turn is blind.

Every meter feels tighter than the last.

I throw the Charger into another drift, the rear bumper missing a steel pillar by inches. Tires howl across the concrete as the nose snaps toward the next corridor.

“Three bikes on your right!” Ren shouts.

I don't even look.

I hear them.

Three screaming engines slip through a gap no car could ever fit. One flashes past my passenger side, another clips my mirror, the third dives for the inside of the next corner.

“Wrong move.” I smile.

Ren only rubs the bridge of his nose but I catch a smirk.

Hide it little piece of shit, you’ll be happy the credits and I will be happy to show off what’s mine once I finish.