Little Red

The Chase Begins

     "So. How far is the city?" Ace asked, finally breaking the silence. Kye, who was in the passenger seat, pulled out his phone, looking at his GPS.

     "Uh. Well. It's only like six hours away," Kye said.

     "Six hours?!"Ace exclaimed. They sighed and ran their hand through their hair.

     "I could drive instead since you don't want to," Val offered. Everyone in the car yelled 'no' simultaneously, causing her to flinch. Val was a notoriously bad driver.

     "Hell no. You'd end up killing us before the guys after us even got a chance," Kye said. Val scoffed and turned to look out the window on her right. Maria laughed, leaning against Val. Val glared at Maria, who sat on her lap. Maria smugly grinned in response before leaning back onto Val. Onyx snickered while looking at the pair, before leaning forwards, resting her elbows against the centerpiece as she talked to Kye.

     You looked out the window, only able to see the outline of the trees in the darkness. As you watched the trees go by, a flash of white interrupted the darkness. Just beyond the tree line, a figure stood still, it's white head contrasting against the dark colors surrounding it. You saw the figure standing there for a brief moment, before you had already gone past it. A headache started to form.

    You turned towards the front, just as Ace began to slow down.

     "What are you doing?" You asked.

     "Looks like someone needs help," They replied, pointing to a man standing on the side of the road. As the car got closer, his features became clearer. He was tall, wearing a black shirt and blue jeans.

     "Looks like they need help. Should we stop?" Ace asked.

     "Are you stupid? We're running away from murderers and you want to stop to pick up some hitchhiker?" Val said, giving them a look of disbelief.

     "Yeah, that does sound like a bad idea doesn't it," Ace muttered, speeding up. You watched him through Val's window as Ace drove past. You saw him frown. You turned to look out the back window as Ace passed him. He pulled out the familiar black mask with a red frown and put it on. He turned, disappearing into the woods.

     "Oh shit. That was one of the guys, the one with the hoodie," you said, turning to face forwards.

      "How the hell do they know we're leaving? It hasn't even been an hour," Ace said, panic clear in their voice. They started to go faster.

     "Chill out Ace. If you keep driving like that, you'll end up killing us before they do," Onyx said softly. Ace mumbled an apology and slowed down to a normal speed.

     An hour went by. You stared straight ahead. You didn't want to look out into the forest anymore. You didn't want to see what lurked in the forest, just beyond the tree line, watching. You looked at Kye's face through the rear view mirror. He kept nervously glancing out the window at the trees. You followed his gaze, only seeing the trees blending with the darkness.

     You turned your gaze back to the front, just as Ace slammed on the breaks, throwing everyone forward.

     The car skidded to a stop, right in front of a man. He wore blue jeans and a plaid shirt. A truck was parked on the side of the road. The hood was open.

     He walked over to the driver's side window, stepping out of the light of the headlights.

     "What are you waiting for Ace, drive!" Val yelled. Ace mumbled another apology while starting to drive again. You watch Onyx glare at Val, telling her something you couldn't hear. Val rolled her eyes and turned towards Maria, checking to see if she was okay, her arms tightening around Maria.