Sirens blared. The sound of rubber screeching against the rock hard pavement overpowered everything. He slammed on the clutch, downshifted, gave it some gas, pulled out the clutch, and then floored it. The cops were no match for him. At 17, drifting in and around corners, he felt on top of the world. His plates were removed, his car all blacked out, what looked like an old mustang on the outside was a super car he built himself on the inside. Tap. Tap. Tap. He sat, at a red light. The sirens were gone, he beat them again. Tap. Tap. Green. He slammed on the gas as he took out the clutch. Faster, faster! He had beaten them, but still he drove faster. He needed to drive faster. He sat hunched over his steering wheel, his foot pinning the pedal against the floor, he was all tensed up, adrenaline rushing, he was almost angry.

…

He woke up at 7. Time for school, or more sleep. He got dressed, ate, and ran to the car. He sat in his driveway and revved his engine. If only, he thought to himself. He hated school, he didn't see the point really. His grades were horrible, but he was a smart kid. He used to have great grades, all his teachers said he had potential, but he couldn’t keep his mind from driving away during class. What started as just a grand theft auto rampage on his xbox had taken over his nights. He wanted to push himself more, just driving wasn’t enough anymore. What about a bank? But he still was stuck in school, about to fall asleep.

…


“13x13 we got a 10-54 on Main turning onto Juniper. 13x13 copy, responding.”

“F***.” He said out loud to himself, his police scanner told him that they were close, and they knew it was him. They knew his car, they’d seen it before.

“13 x 13 we’ve got him.”

Fear pulsed through his body.


He jerked the wheel left, he hit a curb. Some tires were airborne, and he was hurtling recklessly ahead. He was going fast, he had to outrun them. This time he couldn’t get caught. All he saw was blue and red flashing. Every intersection, every stoplight. A sudden sense of terror came over him, as he heard the sound of helicopter blades in the distance. This was real. He saw the highway ahead. Faster, faster. He floored the car. As the accelerator roared and his car came to life, he felt more focus, less scared, and had more adrenaline. He had to go, he had to get as far away as possible, he had to lose the red and blue flashing in his rear view mirror. He downshifted and took off. Weaving through cars like a needle and thread, jumping into the emergency lane and cutting people off when he had to. This was his zone. The distance between the predator and the prey grew and grew. He couldn’t even see the spotlight or heard the sirens or helicopter blades anymore.

BAM! He’d been hit, they must have been waiting. Spinning, flipping, he didn’t know which way was up or down. His world slowed, it became quiet. He could hear his heart beating. Bum Bum, Bum Bum. THUD! The car hit the ground. He saw stars, he heard ringing.

….

The bell jolted him awake, another class gone by. He couldn’t wait to fall asleep again.