Chase.

A soft kiss, then a swift bump, paint is exchanged, my foot weighs heavy on the accelerator, an ecstatic roar is displaced from the engine, I scream or maybe the tires scream, maybe we both do. The car is heavy and forgiving as it takes the sharp turn with ease, the sweat is pouring from my brow as I glance into the rearview mirror, I try to get a better look at his face, his scowl, but the cars connect again, old steel, becomes bent steel. The wheel fights my grip as we come onto and through an over engineered ‘S’ turn. Whipping the wheel back and forth before the car is straight again. The dotted lines becomes blurred yellow as the speed increases, quick turn, a quick whip, the back end of my car slides and so does his as we avoid the small pick-up that tries to make it’s entrance into the road, cutting right, onto a broken road, the car thrashes as it hits a pot hole, then another, then another, 88 MPH, or maybe more, I glance at the gauges for just a second, enough time not to see the plastic trash can, it hits, breaks a light, sending it spinning like a dancer. Another turn, this one sharp, the brakes whine, cars crunch, the tires squeal, I pull away from him as his car rubs the shoulder for too long, one speed bump, then a second one, I feel sparks, but do not see any. Pictures of my house, of my lawn, of the under-watered plants, the neglected feel of it all comes to my mind as we pass the houses with a similar nature, I never felt, or maybe I have, that there and not here is where I wanted to be. A jerk of the wheel, it doesn’t want to play, this time, I point the hood but the rear doesn’t agree, gravel is kicked, breaking windows if it could, something catching, something, the car begins to go forward, the way I wanted it to go. His mistakes are less than mine as he catches again. I feel something under my foot, or within me, that this wasn’t going to last much longer, I cut once more, I yell, the car yells, almost one, almost merged, it dances along the shoulder as it bounces up then down, but maybe always up. The street comes closer to an end but the speed does not stop, the speed goes on, red lines, red eyes, white knuckles, I feel my whole leg pushes the pedal into the floor, through the firewall, to the engine, to yell ‘go’ over and over, go, go, go! I fumble, my hand is sweaty as it grabs the device, it slips within my fingers but my palm is there, a mitt, a good luck, index finger and thumb work like one, up, up, and up the device between my fingers, the engine screaming, steel crunching, lip biting, the embankment high and close, this road is to end, this car is to end, if it knew it, if it knew it. I hit my device the road disappears in front of me then well reappears…

The two cars collide into the packed mound, my car, my car, its nose crumbles over the mere force, nowhere to go the rear end raises, too soon connect itself with the mound. His car, his car, it becomes familiar with the crunching,  the glass breaking,  the death sounds. My car goes up as his goes under, it tried, oh god it tried to follow suit, but there wasn’t, oh there wasn’t any room left to follow. It crashes into the mid section of my car as it barreled itself upward. More steel bends, no, more steel breaks, an awful sound plays, over and over, it doesn’t even now want to escape my ears, the crunch, the death. The fire comes as fire does, I’m not sure who it was, but trucks and cars arrive with lights on top, they make the fire go away. I make my leave, as I walk I use my cell phone, to report my car stolen, “it was gone when I stepped outside” I said. I wonder if she believed me if she could hear the lie in my voice. I walk home, it’s a long walk, but I make a good time.

-Karl

1 comment on “Chase.”

  1. P & C

    Again, WOW! You always leave us hanging and wanting more, which is what a gifted writer does. Keep them coming, PLEASE.

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