Fiction, Short Stories

The Pursuit

ryanhougardy / February 19, 2021
This post is part of Writer’s Digest February Flash Fiction Challenge.  Flash Fiction is a short, often under 1,000 words, style of writing.  I hope you enjoy my 28 contributions!
Day 19 Prompt: An Argument

The tires squealed as their car ripped around the corner, sending Kate flying against the passenger door.  She grunted as she pulled herself back into her seat then whipped around to peer out the back window.  She stared into the dark, dim road behind them, praying the lights were no longer trailing them.

“Anything?” Steve asked shakily.

Kate squinted.  She could see the last remnants of the city lights fading in the background, but no headlights.  “No… I don’t think so.”  The car jumped as it went over a series of deep potholes on the poorly lit street, throwing Kate off balance.  “Wait…” Kate leaning into the back seat, steadying herself, straining.  “Oh my God, it’s behind us!  Maybe a hundred, two hundred yards!”

Sweat beading on his forehead, Steve groaned and pushed the pedal into the floor.  The engine roared as the car flew down the street, bouncing along the choppy asphalt.

Kate again pulled herself into her seat and flipped open the map.  She aimed a flashlight at the unfamiliar system of roads and highways, trying to make sense of what she was looking at.  She was shaking, fear toiling within her core and sending shivers throughout her body.  She blinked maniacally, trying to focus on the map.

Steve looked in the rearview mirror and saw the headlights bouncing along the road behind them.  He gripped the steering wheel tightly producing the screeching sound of sweaty skin against wrapped leather.  “I’m making a left up there – into that industrial park.  We can lose them in there.”

Hunched over the map, Kate yelled, “No!  No, no…make a right up there.  It looks like the road…” she scanned the solid line on the map in front of her with the flashlight, “… it looks like the road might lead to the highway.”

As they flew further down the desolate stretch of road on the outside of the city, Kate fought back tears of terror.  Steve’s eyes kept darting to the rearview mirror where he could still see their pursuer’s headlights tracking their path. 

“Are you sure it leads to the highway?  Kate, you have to be sure!” Steve yelled.

“I-I think so!”

Another high pitch squeal rung out as Steve tore to the right.  Kate screamed, unprepared for the maneuver. 

“What next?  Kate, what next?” Steve screamed.  He could see the highway up ahead but knew one wrong turn could lead them astray.

“Umm…” The beam from her flashlight shook violently over the map.  “There’s a left coming up here… but…” She watched as they passed a street that seemed to be missing from the map.  Terror took hold of her.

“But what, Kate?”  Steve was irate with dread.  “Where do I turn left?”

The road in front of them curved to the right, placing the highway on their left.  They passed another street, then another.

“Kate, where do I turn?”

As the road straightened out again, the stalking headlights reappeared in the rearview mirror.

“Kate!”

Tears pouring from her eyes, she began breathing quickly, scanning the map through her distorted vision.  “The next street!” She yelled.  But she was too late.  As soon as the last word left her mouth, their car roared past the next left.

“Damnit!  Damnit!”  Steve cursed, slamming his first against the steering wheel.  He looked in the rearview mirror again – headlights – his heart raced as he called to Kate, “What’s the next one.  I need you to look further ahead!”

“I know, I know!” Kate yelled through sobs.  “I’m trying!”  She was shaking violently, her fear mixing hazardously with anger.

“Concentrate!” Steve bellowed.

“Ok!  Ok, ok…” she took a deep breath, wiping away the tears streaming down her cheeks.  “Not this street, but the next one.”  She scanned the route again to ensure she was right.  “Yeah… yeah, the second left.”

“Are you sure?”

Steve glanced in the rearview mirror one last time before yanking the steering wheel to the left.  The car flew through the tiny intersection, fishtailing wildly onto the next street.  Recovering quickly, Steve gunned it down the dark road towards the highway that was growing in front of them.  For a few seconds, they sat in silence, eyes focused on their salvation ahead.

“What is that?” Steve said, quietly at first.  “What is that!”

He slammed on the brakes as the came to an array of flashing construction cones and a deep pit where the road should have been.  Kate gasped, her eyes wide, as she starred ahead in disbelief.  Slowly, Steve looked into the rearview mirror at the headlights pursuing them as they grew larger and larger.

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    خرید کامنت اینستاگرام یکی از راه های میانبری است
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