Afterlight (Fanfiction) ✓

chapter eighteen

Chloe

     THE tension of the chase still clung to me, sharp and suffocating, even as Justin and I barreled away on his motorcycle. The thrum of the engine buzzed against my chest as I clung to him, pressing myself tightly to his back. My arms were locked around his torso, and though the night air felt cold against my cheeks, my grip was fueled by adrenaline and the instinct to survive.

The road ahead was dark, shrouded by towering trees, their branches clawing at the edges of my vision like skeletal fingers. My chin rested against Justin's shoulder, but every time I tried to focus on where we were headed, I saw nothing but shadows and uncertainty. His hair whipped back wildly in the wind, but he never faltered, guiding the bike as if it were an extension of himself.

I wanted to believe we'd escaped, but the looming dread in my chest told me otherwise.

A guttural roar echoed behind us, and my heart dropped. Twisting my head back, I caught the telltale glare of headlights cutting through the darkness. The van was closing in, its engine snarling like a beast on the hunt. My stomach churned as I spotted Dean's men leaning out the windows, their grim expressions illuminated by the glow of the van's interior. They were armed.

"They're catching up!" I cried, my voice cracking as I tightened my grip around Justin's waist. My fingers dug into the fabric of his jacket, desperate and unrelenting.

Justin hunched forward, his body tense as he pushed the bike to its limit. "Hold on," he barked, his voice firm, resolute.

Gunfire erupted, the sharp crack shattering the night. My breath hitched, and I ducked instinctively, pressing my face against Justin's back. Tears sprang to my eyes, unbidden, as terror clawed its way through me.

"They're shooting!" My scream was barely audible over the rush of the wind and the deafening shots. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impact of a bullet that I was certain would come.

Justin swerved sharply, the motorcycle weaving an erratic, desperate path across the road. The sound of gunfire continued, each shot a jarring punctuation in the chaos. I choked back a sob, my nails biting into my palms as I prayed—something I hadn't done in years—for us to make it out alive.

Ahead, the road curved sharply, its edges disappearing into the dense forest. Justin didn't slow down. Instead, he veered off the pavement, plunging us straight into the tangled wilderness.

The world turned into a blur of trees and shadows, the motorcycle zigzagging with impossible precision. Branches whipped past us, some grazing my arms, others snapping loudly in our wake. I could barely breathe, the adrenaline in my veins burning hotter with every passing second.

Finally, the roar of the van faded into the distance, swallowed by the forest. Justin continued to navigate through the trees, his reflexes sharp, his focus unyielding. The ground beneath us was uneven, littered with leaves and roots, and every jolt of the bike sent shivers through my spine.

At last, he stopped.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Justin leapt off the bike with practiced ease, yanking me off in one swift motion. Before I could process what was happening, he tackled me to the ground, his weight pinning me down. My stomach hit the earth with a dull thud, the cool dampness of the leaves seeping through my clothes. His hand clamped over my mouth, muffling my panicked breaths.

"Stay down," he hissed, his voice low and gravelly, his lips close to my ear. "Don't move until I know it's safe."

I nodded frantically, my tears dampening his fingers.