Chapter 5 - THE ESCAPE AT DAWN
The black sedan gained ground on the winding mountain road, its high beams filling Mark’s rearview mirror with blinding light.
Rain began to fall, slicking the dangerous asphalt that twisted along the edge of a steep cliffside.
"Mark, he's getting closer!" Sarah cried out, peeking over the edge of the seat.
"Stay down, Sarah! Don't look back!" Mark commanded, swerving around a tight double-bend corner.
The SUV's tires squealed against the wet pavement, threatening to lose traction on the slick road.
Behind them, the black sedan didn't slow down for the turn at all.
It slammed violently into the SUV’s rear bumper with a loud crunch of twisting metal.
The impact jerked Mark’s vehicle sideways, sending the rear wheels dangerously close to the edge of the rocky ravine.
Mark gritted his teeth, turning the steering wheel into the skid to straighten the heavy SUV.
The sedan pulled up directly alongside the driver's side, mere inches away.
The tinted passenger window of the sedan rolled down, revealing Julian holding a heavy steel tire iron in his gloved hand.
Julian’s face was twisted in psychotic, unhinged fury.
He swung the tire iron with violent force, smashing it straight through Mark’s side window.
Glass shattered inward, spraying razor-sharp fragments across Mark’s face and neck.
A thin line of blood immediately trickled down Mark’s cheekbone, but he refused to let go of the wheel.
Julian reached his arm through the shattered window frame, grabbing the steering wheel in a desperate attempt to force the SUV off the cliff.
"Give me the key, Mark!" Julian screamed over the roar of the wind and rain. "Give it to me or we both go over!"
Mark let out a feral roar, releasing his right hand from the wheel and driving a brutal punch straight into Julian’s jaw.
The blow landed with a sickening crack.
Julian reeled back, coughing blood and losing his grip on the steering wheel.
Mark slammed his foot on the heavy brake pedal without warning.
The SUV slowed down rapidly, causing the black sedan to shoot forward uncontrollably.
The driver of the sedan tried to brake, but the wet asphalt gave way beneath the speed.
The sedan spun wildly out of control, clipping the steel guardrail with a deafening screech of metal on metal.
The guardrail snapped like a toothpick.
The black sedan flipped over the edge of the cliff, tumbling down the rocky slope into the pitch-black ravine below.
A moment later, a dull explosion echoed up from the valley, followed by a bright orange plume of fire that lit up the rainy night.
Mark brought the battered SUV to a complete stop at the edge of the road, the engine idling roughly.
Silence returned to the mountain pass, broken only by the sound of heavy rain tapping against the ruined roof.
Sarah slowly sat up, her eyes wide with sheer terror as she stared at the rising flames down in the valley.
"Is he... is he dead?" Sarah whispered, her voice barely audible.
Mark stared into the side mirror, his hands trembling against the leather steering wheel.
"I don't know," Mark muttered, his face pale and covered in blood and rain.
"But we can't stay here. The police will be here in minutes."
He shifted the SUV back into drive and accelerated down the mountain toward the dark outline of the city skyline below.
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The sky in the east was just beginning to turn a pale, cold shade of grey.
Dawn was coming, but their nightmare had only just begun.
