“Smart ass,” he growled, grabbing the few grenades they’d thought to store in the glovebox. He picked one out and pressed the automatic switch on the window. The crow’s eyes widened when he saw Radley pull the pin and he swerved away just as Radley tossed it at them. It bounced off their car and fell harmlessly to the sand. The grenade exploded just as they flew by, exploding the sand upward.
“You missed,” Cricket grit. “Try to hit them next time.”
“Oh, I’d like to see you try this,” he growled and threw another one.
Ahead of them, the final section of the course came into view. Each section was sixteen miles, so they were close enough to the finish line to make Cricket’s skin crawl with nerves. Whatever Heaven was, it was bright as it grew like a shining beacon in the desert. She squinted at the bright light, struggling to see before Radley reached into the back and grabbed two pairs of sunglasses.
“Here, these might help. I had them in here just in case.”
Cricket pushed them on, struggling a little when her helmet got in the way until Radley reached across and straightened them. It made it far easier to stare into the brightness though it was still blinding.
The crow team flew beside them, matching their speed. Their car was fast but that wasn’t surprising. The crows were known for their speed.
They slammed from the desert into the brilliant light of Heaven, the light so consuming, they couldn’t see anything above them. Cricket focused on the lines of the road to keep stars from glittering in her eyes. Despite the sunglasses, it was almost too much, and she found herself still squinting.
Radley threw another grenade. This time, it caught the backend of the Impala and when it exploded, it lifted their rear into the air, blowing both back tires. Before they even had enough time to lose control of their car, a massive hammer swung down from the sky, appearing out of the brightness like the Hand of God.
“Left!” Radley shouted but Cricket was already swerving that direction. They had plenty of time to get out of the way, to dance around it, but the crows no longer had a car they could control, nor the time to move.
She heard their screams through their open windows just as the hammer slammed down in front of them, just as the Impala impacted with it and crumpled into a ball of metal and gore. The horn sounded overhead, signaling what they both knew.
Cricket blinked, the sounds of their screams echoing in her mind. She knew that sound would haunt her, could feel that knowledge sink into her veins. She didn’t speak, couldn’t, not with that dread closing in on her.
“Their blood isn’t on your hands,” Radley said, projecting his voice so she could hear him over the sound of the wind rushing through the windows.
Cricket cleared her throat, and then cleared it again when she couldn’t speak right away. “It feels like it is.”
His rough fingers caressed her shoulder. “It’s the nature of the Games, sugar plum. It’s sad and a waste of life, but we can’t help them now.”
“I know,” she nods. “I know.”
Radley let her go and touched his fingers to the screen. “We’ve got this. There’s only two more teams and we’re in the lead. Ten miles to go to the finish line. Gun it and let’s go win your freedom.”
Cricket looked at him sharply, his words spearing inside her and staying. “When this is over, don’t disappear on me, okay?”
Radley blinked. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I mean it, Whiteclaw,” Cricket commanded. “No matter what happens next, don’t go anywhere. I want you in my life.”
He stared at her, opened his mouth, and then closed it. Finally, he said, “I’m not exactly sure what you mean—”
A black BMW came out of nowhere. One second, the light was spilling around them, and they were the only ones in the road. The next, the demon team was neck and neck with them on the left as if they’d always been there.
Radley swore and stabbed a button on the dash with his finger. Something inside the car whirred before a large gun popped from the hood. “Forgot we had this thing,” he growled before slipping onto the edge of the window and taking control of the gun.
The demons slammed on their brakes, taking them out of the way just in time before Radley opened up the Gatling gun on them, sending sparks shooting out from their reinforced sides where he hit. Cricket jerked away from the sounds coming through her open window, wincing as they threatened to burst her eardrums.
Radley ducked inside and looked at the screen. “Nine miles to go. Stay in front of them, sugar plum!” He dragged himself back out as the demon team came up beside them again, the passenger drawing a pistol.
Cricket glanced over just in time to see it aimed at her head.
“Duck!” Radley screamed, but she was already doing so, ducking beneath the edge of the window as best as she could with the steering wheel and her helmet. The bullet whizzed by her head and embedded in the front windshield. The windows were meant for bullets, so it didn’t shatter, but at least he’d missed her head where he’d been aiming.
Radley opened up the gun again on them until it ran out of ammo. They hadn’t been able to carry so much without making the car heavier. To make them lighter in the moment, Radley hit the quick release button and the large gun disconnected and flew off behind them, getting rid of dead weight. He dropped back into his seat as the demons raced beside them, trying to gain first place.
Cricket’s fingers tightened on the wheel as she pushed the Ferrari to its limits, but there was still one more thing they could do.
“One mile,” Radley growled as he grabbed onto the window ledge. “Give it your all, Cricket!”
With a grunt and the speedometer already shaking at two hundred and eleven miles per hour fully open, Cricket eyed the button on the steering wheel, their last defense. The BMW fell slightly behind, too close for comfort, before they hit something in their car and their nose passed them.
“No you don’t,” Cricket growled and pressed the tiny pink button by her thumb.
Under the hood, a large dose of fairy dust burst into the engine, coating the insides, and shooting the RPM higher than it could read. The Ferrari roared furiously beneath them. It wouldn’t be able to keep up the power for long periods of time, but she only needed it for the last quarter mile, only needed the car to hold together for that little bit of time. They’d be crossing the finish line with a car that was likely falling apart but she was determined they did so in first place. The single large dose of fairy dust was their last defense. If this didn’t work, nothing would.
The nose of the Ferrari matched the BMW and they both flew at an insane impossible speed toward the finish line. The vampire dangled the checkered flag over the course ahead of them, his eyes wide as they approached neck and neck. The Ferrari began to shake beneath them as they literally flew over the road. One ill-flick of her wrist and they’d die. They were no longer controlling the car. The car was controlling them.
Radley began to scream the same time as her, as if the sound could help them draw ahead of the demon team. With a furious snarl, they both crossed the finish line within a millisecond of each other.