Triple Digits

Claire Miles

'Discovering just how mortal you were sucked,' Claire decided on Thursday morning when Eclipse entered the warehouse, having a fresh group of cars towed in for him. None of the workers who loaded the warehouse heard her quiet, distraught whimpers for help, her throat so dry she couldn't even muster a scream loud enough to be heard over the rumbling engines and enigmatic chatter. Nobody pulled aside the tarp to peek in on what sat inside- Her.
When they were gone, and she was just beginning to let her chin rest on her chest again, intent on trying to get some more sleep before her confusion-addled brain tormented her any further, Eclipse entered the room made of tarp, clapping his hands together and chirping, "Morning, Triple Digits!"
She could not find the strength to lift her head up to face him. Her tears had long ago dried up, and she didn't seem capable of producing more, not yet.
Let him kill her, and be done with it. Every inch of her was in pain. The tips of her fingers and toes were blue-tinged and cold from last night's freezing weather. Her broken wrist and hand was aflame. She wondered if she had a brain bleed of some kind.
"Since today is your final day on Terra, I wanted to ask you what car you would like to die in! I have a decent selection!" He reached forward, tugging her gag down so it hung loosely around her neck, and Claire blinked at him.
Was he even real, at this point? His form wavered.
Eclipse clicked his fingers in front of her eyes, frowning in disappointment at her lack of answer, before reaching into the school bag he had brought with him, pulling out a bottle of orange juice, bought, ironically, from the café where she used to work.
She didn't think she would ever see it again.
Claire never thought she would miss her workplace or manager, but strangely, she did.
Unscrewing the plastic cap, he held it to her lips, helping her drink it. She was slouching in the chair, held up entirely by her restraints. Even survival was taking a backseat to simply relieving any of the numerous kinds of pain she was in. Physical, emotional... Anything. She wanted it to go away. Even if that meant death, at this point.
Licking her cracked, dry lips, she hoarsely replied, "Tachyon." If she was going to die in any car, it had to be that one; the most expensive car in the world. She doubted Eclipse had one.
Just as she suspected, he looked remorseful, replying, "I don't have one of them, I'm afraid. But I can offer you this-" Reaching behind him, he whipped away one of the tarp walls to reveal a lime-green and black S-Class Peregrine, a familiar license plate stuck to the front.
Was that... her Peregrine?
"I had it restored for you," Eclipse said quietly, "So you can die in the car you love racing in. Will you accept the Peregrine as your vehicle tonight?"
Her heart cracked in her chest, not that she had the energy to show the emotion. Instead, she nodded slowly, her eyes feeling like lead. She needed sleep.
A small part of her still hoped Corey would save her. She didn't give it any room in her soul anymore. He might get to her in time, but it was increasingly more likely that he wouldn't.
"Before you rest up for the race tonight, I need you to do something for me."
He was moving again, setting up the video camera and his laptop, dragging a chair over to face her. She let out a quiet groan.
Not another video... He'd struck her after the last one, claiming that she had embarrassed him.
"This won't be filmed until this afternoon," Eclipse reassured, "I just wanted to have it set up and ready to go. Will you race again tonight?" She nodded again, and Eclipse sighed in relief.
"Good, good. I need to get some things done, but you get some sleep. When I come back, we'll film your goodbye video."
A goodbye video... He was planning on killing her today.
Good. Let this be over with. She didn't have the will to fight anymore.
She had no idea when Eclipse left- when the warehouse was empty and she was drifting between sleep and waking, but it felt like the blink of an eye between him leaving, and the killer returning. She wasn't sure it was real when she spotted him pacing once again between the fresh rows of cars, muttering to himself. The sun had shifted in the sky.
"Which car? Which car?" He picked up keys for one, only to drop them again, reaching for the keys to an X-Class Scorpion. He placed them down, only to lift them once more.
She felt his gaze shift to him. Or maybe it was a nightmare she was having, because he debated to himself, "Should I just kill her now, and run?"
"...Please..." Her quiet plead made him swing to face her, looking alarmed, and he said, "Pardon?"
"Just kill me, and run..." She gasped down a slow, painful breath, "It's easier than trying to run after the race." Her death would spur Corey into further action. He would probably be some kind of madman. Either way, she would be free from this torture.
"Shut up!" He snapped angrily, storming toward her. She flinched weakly, wondering if he would strike her again, but instead, he stepped around the back of her chair, undoing the bun her hair was in and untangling the braid as best he could, redoing it before twisting it back up.
Preparing her for the goodbye video.
His hands were soft as he braided her hair once again, and she felt her eyes drifting closed...
She jolted when he shook her awake, the camera already rolling.
He'd left the door open again, the sun beginning to set on the horizon. Claire had spent her final day on Terra passed out and begging for death.
"This will be your goodbye video," Eclipse said from where he stood behind the camera, "Anything you say, I will make sure your friends, family and loved ones see. This video isn't live, so say whatever you like."
"Corey..." She whispered. The rest of the sentence she had planned died away. Words withered on her tongue.
Even so, she couldn't cry. Her body simply did not have the water to spare.
"I love you. And Maddy, Helix and Aves. To my fans... Thank you. I won't stop racing, even when it kills me."
The killer clicked the video off, glancing at the time on his laptop. It was approaching dark.
Stepping forward, he placed the mask she usually wore back over her face, whispering, "Today, Triple Digits, you die, and I will finally be on top."
Claire was just glad this would soon be over...