The Race

We were off to the races as the last light flickered away. Engines roared and tires squealed. The “Game of the Century,” the event that had taken the world by storm, had begun.

The first casualty was caused before my car left the starting line. With a rattling of his gun, one of the racers based a volley of bullets into the cars to the right. Cars blasted forward, with no aim or direction. Staying in the middle of the pack wouldn’t be an option anymore. It was a kill or be killed race.

I felt gravity pull on my body as my car raced past the starting line. Sheets of gunfire littered the air as those with guns as big as their egos fired without restraint. At this pace, half the vehicles wouldn’t make it to the narrowing of the track.

Time seemed to slow around me. I could hear cars driving off the edge, falling into the abyss below, taking other vehicles with them. This wasn’t a race anymore. This was a massacre. Death had laid his hand on the track, and his will was not to be denied.

As the track narrowed, the cars on the end began to get desperate. The smart ones simply slowed down, careful to avoid the lessening gunfire. The others chose to lie with death. They tried to ram their way in, using whatever means necessary. I sighed as one of those cars approached me. From the little I could see, he was clearly an irredeemable.

The expression gave it away before anything else. His face was fixed into a permanent scowl like he spent time cursing the world for his lot in life. His outfit left something to be desired as well. It looked out of the 2030s, with a super long v-neck tee and a scarf covering the neck. Part of me wondered why Irrademables were even allowed to participate. Most would just be a nuisance to those of us who had a chance to win. I guess they were an obstacle in a way though, and who knows. An Irrademeble could win it all.

I sighed and flipped a switch on my control panel. Shining stars came into focus, blinding the irredeemable. If he backed away right now, he’s fine. I’m not going to kill someone without giving them a chance, it wouldn’t sit right with me.

Shockingly, the irredeemable man acted out his part. When his car touched the light, the sound of melting metal filled the air. The stars moved towards his vehicle, slowly turning the car into a pile of molten steel.

I snapped my head towards the road as the man’s screams started. Nothing I could do now. In here, death had his way with us.

The planes were getting off the ground just as I passed the point where the track narrowed. They all had shields covering their underbellies, a mix of metal and energy. Nothing as complicated as the Corvette ladies barrier, but enough to dissolve most of the bullets. If you could afford a plane, a basic energy shield was nothing.

The track started to twist and turn with rumblings shaking the race. The idea was simple. If you didn’t have the traction, your car flew off the side, it was that simple. A few seconds later, my point was proven. The car costing behind me started to slip, the front tires flying off the track. It flipped around in the air before slamming back onto the track. Cars pounded into the wreck, several of them flying into the abyss. Not many people left.

There were seven planes and sixteen cars left on the track. I was sitting tight in third, just behind a blue place soaring through the air. Two energy blasters lined its wings, pointing towards a certain corvette in first. At most, there were five blasts loaded in there. A weapon like that was just for show. Idiots.

Next came the swinging axes. They seemed to hang from the sky, clocking back and forth like a pendulum. The planes would have just as fun as us cars did here. I guess the organizers thought this through after all.

My car blasted past the first axe, narrowly missing the sharp blade of death. One of the planes behind me isn't so lucky. It slammed head first into the beam, a fiery explosion in its wake. One more down for the count.

Blades swung left and right, cutting space itself it seemed. I pressed my foot on the petal and sped up. Worst case, I had a backup plan. I flicked another switch on my car, which caused a rumbling in the air.

Bubbles flew out my exhaust, covering the car. They started to combine, forming one big bubble around my camaro. The car started to lift off the ground slightly, soaring through the air. My own invention, the bubble shield. If all went well, I’d keep my velocity even if I got hit. All I’d have to do is drive back on the track if I fell off.

Everyone who went with an offensive approach was an idiot. You left yourself wide open to retaliation. Defence and speed were the real tools for the race.

Sure enough, my car got slammed less than a minute later, flying into the abyss. My head rattled around the interior. Outside was a purple blur. My car's auto balancing system kicked in less than a second later, and I was off to the races. I was flying beside the track, dodging the rest of the axes. The only real problem was the fog. I found out the hard way, but whenever I strayed too far from the track, the world became a sea of fog all around me. Probably a system to prevent the planes from flying off the track.

I shifted to the right, angling for the track right as the endless line of axes ended. What shall be next, other than a world of flames. The second I passed the last axe, the world lit itself aflame. A solid wall of fire covered the track. If I had to guess, a motion detector was placed somewhere on the track that I triggered. The pain of sliding in first.

When my car entered the wall of flames, the competition got real. One button push later, a cold aurors radiated from my car. I’d tricked my car out with everything apparently, more luck than skill.

I could hear a few explosions from the start of the flames, not that I could see anything. It was all I could do to keep myself on the track. If I lost focus for too long, I’d fly off the rails. My bubble had popped when I entered the flames. Any protection I had from the bubble had disappeared long ago. My little cold aura wouldn't exactly let me fly in the sky.

Fifteen minutes later, the flames were still pounding away. The track had startiened out ten minutes ago. Leaving a straight drive for me. How lucky. I didn't see anyone around me, and hadn’t for a while. After I’d passed everyone in my bubble, it had been smooth sailing for me.

I could see a break in the flames coming up, poking through the orange sea. I’d been around two hours now, the ending was coming up. There was no such thing as a perfect race, but there wasn't much time I could have saved.

Bursting through the flames, I switched off my cold shield and stepped on it. It was a straight shot towards the finish line, no other cars or planes in sight.

I sighed, and put my foot on the break. I’d gone too fast, what a pain. That lady in the corvette was supposed to beat me here, overshadowing me. All my plans down the drain. Oh well, I'm sure she'll be here soon.

I got out and reached into the trunk of my Camaro. Inside was a pistol, loaded with six bullets. Planning for the worst case scenario was always important, or that's what they said anyway.

“Bang Bang.” My front two tires both deflated as bullets pierced the rubber. There was the excuse I needed. My car was just as fast with deflated tires, but no one needed to know that. All I needed to do was roll to the finish line, and “break down.” right before it. Then my car needed to suddenly work once she finished, and I would be gold. Finishing fifth would be better, but that wasn't an option anymore.

Sure enough, she popped out of the flames a few minutes later. Her barrier looked completely intact. Too flashy for my taste, but whatever worked I guess.

The second she flew past, my foot slammed on the gas. “Congratulations, Ava and Joe! Eight spots remain.” That same robotic voice said.

Getting out of my car again, I started as I walked to the sidelines, my car back in its pocket dimension. The less anyone saw the “damage” my car took, the better.

It wasn’t long before two planes burst into view. I recognized the first, the plane with the energy cannons, that looked completely unused. What an idiot. Maybe he could pawn them off later? Though they probably didn’t need the money.

“Nice race.” The girl in the Corvette had jumped out of her car, heading towards me. Ava? Was that what the voice had said?

“Thanks. That energy shield you got looks helpful, to say the least.”

“Pfft, compared to some of the stuff you gut, that’s nothing more than a joke. I saw those stars coming out of your car. That’s not something normal people can create.”

“Stars? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Apparently, this girl saw well, really well. This could be an issue.

“You don’t? I saw you melt that car into a pile of sludge, driver included.”

“Yeah, I hate to tell you, not me. I just got here due to dumb luck more than anything else.” I said

“If you say so…” Ava frowned as the tenth car passed the finish line.

“Congratulations to Mark. we now have ten finishers. Everyone else alive will not move on in the “Game of the Century, and therefore not be allowed to return to the real world. Thank you for your understanding. With those words, the game of the century truly began.