Page 108 of Things I Wish I Said
He bumps into the side of my car for a second time. The ear-piercing sound of metal on metal assaults my ear as sparks fly.
I need to get the hell away from him before he gets me killed, but I debate my options and hate all of them.
Cursing my hazy fucking thoughts, I brake and take a sharp right, tires screaming against the asphalt as I struggle not to fly off the road.
I glance in my rearview mirror and see nothing but darkness.
A sigh of relief fills the cab of my car until I train my eyes forward, and a minute later, I catch sight of Dustin’s truck, coming from a side road on my left.
I slam my foot on the gas, hoping to fly past before he can catch me, but it’s not enough.
He turns onto the street beside me, catching my back bumper. Asphalt turns to grass, rushing beneath my tires as I careen off the road.
A jagged rock juts from the earth ahead, so I brake and jerk the wheel to the left, wildly swerving to find the asphalt again and putting myself back in front of Dustin.
Shit.
His truck moves to my right, skirting the berm and the road when he comes up on me, forcing me left of center to avoid collision.
Taillights glow in the distance, sending my heart into a tailspin.
I brake, hoping he’ll leave me in the dust, but he matches my movement.
I accelerate, and he follows.
I can’t outsmart him; I’m too fucked up from whatever he gave me.
We round a corner and the headlights in the distance are now in front of me and growing closer.
I can see the car as it approaches, the silhouette of a person in the driver’s seat.
Fuck.
A horn blares.
I glance over at Dustin, registering the cruel smile curling his mouth.
He’ll kill me at the cost of someone else. He doesn’t care.
My heart leaps into my throat while my grip tightens, knowing what I must do as the car rapidly gains pace.
Inhaling, I go left.
My car flies off the road, bouncing over the uneven terrain while the blare of the oncoming car passes, fading quickly into the distance.
My foot comes off the gas as I try to maintain control.
A grove of trees lies ahead, so I turn right. By some miracle, I avoid them and find the road again, but Dustin anticipates the move and swerves to meet me, striking the right of my car with brutal force.
My BMW spins out of control, the world around me a chaotic blur of darkness. Panic surges through my veins as I fight to regain traction but there’s no hope.
Behind me, the engine of Dustin’s car reverberates like thunder as his bumper collides with the rear quarter panel of my car, the impact pushing me sideways, tearing through the brush toward the grove of trees.
Time slows as my car barrels toward a towering pine, and panic sinks its nails into my throat.
The world tilts violently, and my stomach sinks as I brace for impact.
A shattering sound penetrates the beating of my heart first, followed by the sudden exhale of air from my lungs and the sharp stab of pain.
