𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄 ~ | 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘓𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘤

I

Chapter one: 

~ So, I may have killed a guy ~

Breathe.

Just breathe.

The acrid smell of burnt rubber filled my nose. My heart was pounding against my ribs like a war drum.

My vision flickered back to life, like a candle being reignited after being extinguished by a gentle breeze. I could feel... everything. My head was spinning, making me dizzy and disoriented. Every breath felt like a challenge.

I tried to move, but couldn't muster the strength. Instead, I lay there, feeling helpless and vulnerable. Memories of the race flooded my mind, fragmented images that refused to coalesce into coherence.

What happened?

Why am I here?

Where is 'here'?

Panic began to set in as these questions swirled through my mind, threatening to consume me.The scream of tires on tarmac, the roar of engines as they tore through the air like a stampede of wild horses, the dazzling blur of lights and colors as the world outside my cockpit became a kaleidoscope of movement and speed.

And then, the sickening lurch as the car lurched and spun, metal groaning and shivering around me until it finally came to rest, a crumpled wreck.

I remember the crash.

Not the impact, but the slow, steady way the world seemed to unspool around me, like a ribbon slipping from a clumsy child's fingers. It was as if time itself had slowed.

I remembered the sickening sensation of being flung side to side like a ragdoll. Helpless. My head was fuzzy, and my limbs heavy and unresponsive.

My finger twitched.

It was the smallest of movements, barely perceptible even to me. I flexed it again, more strongly this time, and felt a rush of relief when nothing hurt.

My ears were ringing, but I could hear the muffled sound of someone shouting my name. It wasn't a voice I recognized, but it was urgent and familiar all at once.

Suddenly, a pair of strong hands gripped my shoulders, and I was roughly jerked out of the car.

My body felt weightless. The world around me was a blur of motion and color, and then there was a sudden flash of pain as my shoulder connected with the ground.

I let out a yelp, but the hands on my shoulders didn't let up. I saw a flash of red and a blurry pair of green eyes.

The air was thick with the smell of smoke and the yells of the crowd. I tried to struggle out of the strong grip that held me. My rescuer didn't seem to notice, or perhaps he didn't care.

Through the haze of smoke, I saw it: the burning wreckage of my car. It was twisted and charred beyond recognition, flames licking hungrily at the metal.

Finally, the hands released me. My chest was heaving, my heart racing, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was in some sort of surreal nightmare.

I was just in that car...

The ringing grew louder, but I could still make out the voice calling my name. I could only stare at the flames, unable to tear my eyes away.

"Adler! Look at me!"