In the middle of the chaos, with engines growling and tires screeching behind us, Nikki's voice cut through like a knife.

  "They're gaining!" she shouted, her eyes darting to the side mirror. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped her wand. "I'm really not trying to say hi to them!"

  The cars were closing fast, headlights bouncing through the smoke and snow, turning the road into a swirling storm of light and shadows.

  "I'm trying!!" Malachi shouted in response.

  Nikki didn't hesitate. She leaned halfway out the window, wind whipping her hair, and fired off a burst of spells. Blue and red streaks sliced through the night, smashing into windshields and denting hoods. Glass shattered, tires blew out, and one car swerved into a spin before flipping into the ditch.

  "That's one!" I called, adrenaline surging.

  "Hold on!" Tisiah said, already pulling his wand. With a flick, a jagged spike of ice shot from his window, spearing the tire of another car. It skidded, slammed into a truck, and tumbled into a heap of twisted metal.

  "Boom! Got 'em!" he cheered.

  But our celebration was cut short. A thunderous roar shook the ground as three cars, which looked like those Chargers, burst through the wreckage behind us. Their grilles gleamed like the jaws of beasts, engines howling, and headlights cutting through the smoke like hunting eyes.

  "Oh, come on!" I groaned.

  Malachi gritted his teeth. He yanked out his wand, leaned forward in his seat, and unleashed a blinding explosion of light. The front truck erupted into flames, flipping into the others, sending metal and fire across the road.

  The heat slammed into us like a wave. September flinched but kept the wheel steady, weaving through the flaming wreckage.

  "Where was that earlier?" she barked.

  "Takes time to charge! I'm not a machine!" Malachi snapped back, his face flushed.

  The flames made everything glow orange, the heat pressing against the windows like an oven. We coughed through the thickening smoke, but we pressed on.

  Then, from the haze, a lone armored truck emerged, headlights sharp, moving like a predator.

  "That one's different," Malachi muttered, his eyes narrowing.

  Before we could react, bullets tore into our SUV. Glass shattered. Metal cracked. We ducked.

  "Get down!" Tisiah yelled.

  I peeked out, catching a glimpse of a gunner leaning out the truck window, rifle aimed right at us. My chest tightened.

  *Crack!*

  A bullet missed my head by inches. I yelped and slammed back into my seat.

  Suddenly, the truck slammed into our side with a violent crunch. The whole SUV jerked sideways, tires screeching as we skidded over the icy road.

  Metal crumpled under the force, and the door beside me dented inward so hard it pressed against my ribs. My shoulder smashed into the window, sending pain shooting down my arm.

  Sparks shot from the grinding collision, casting quick flashes of orange against the snow. The truck didn't let up—it pressed harder, its grill nearly scraping our door like it wanted to eat us alive.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Our tires fought the slush, fishtailing as the SUV tilted dangerously to the side. The weight shifted, and for a second, I thought we were rolling. September gritted her teeth, knuckles bone white as she yanked the wheel.

  "Hold it! Hold it!" Malachi yelled, his hand bracing against the dashboard.

  "I am!" September snapped back, her voice strained.

  We thudded back down onto all four wheels, but the truck swerved into us again, slamming the back corner. The rear fishtailed so hard my stomach twisted.

  "They're trying to flip us!" Nikki shouted from the back, voice high with panic.

  I was the loudest screaming, of course.

  The truck pushed harder, grinding metal against metal, sparks flying. The windshield was spiderwebbed with cracks; one more hit and it might give out completely.

  “We gotta bail!” September shouted.

  She cut the speed of the car and feathered the brake before screaming, "Now!"

  Tisiah yanked the door open. “Out! Go!”

  Without thinking, we scrambled. The freezing wind slapped my face, cutting like knives as I hit the snow, legs buckling under me. Everything slowed down. The world dulled into a muffled hum, except for the sickening sound of our SUV twisting and rolling into the ditch.

  Metal crunched and groaned, the frame bending like paper. Glass shattered, tiny shards suspended in the air like frozen raindrops, catching the glow of headlights and flickering flames. Snow and debris exploded up in a cloud, swirling around me as the vehicle tumbled end over end before slamming into the ground with a bone-rattling finality. The hiss of steam and the faint crackle of sparks filled the silence that followed.

  The truck roared past, brakes screeching as it tried to turn around.

  “Move!” September urged, leading us toward the tree line. We stumbled through the snow, breaths coming in quick, frosty gasps.

  Scarce gunfire cracked behind us. Snow puffed up around our feet as bullets hit. My heart pounded like a drum in my chest.

  “We failed this mission badly...” Nikki sighed.

  Ahead, faint lights flickered through the trees—the town. We were close, but suddenly, three trucks burst from the fields beside us, their bright headlights cutting through the snowy darkness like searchlights.

  They raced toward us, bouncing over rough ground, snow and dirt flying up in their wake. The engines snarled louder, the guttural roar vibrating through the air, growing closer and closer with every second.

  The beams blinded me for a moment, casting our shadows long across the snow as they closed in like hunters circling their prey.

  Then we hit the barricade. Massive stones blocked the road. No way around. No way through.

  Nikki groaned, breathless. “Seriously?!”

  “Fantastic,” Malachi muttered, eyes fixed on the trucks bearing down on us.

  We turned. The lead truck accelerated, tires kicking up snow like a storm, the others close behind. The growl of engines was deafening. The drivers weren’t slowing down. They were going to crush us.

  My chest tightened. This was it. We were done.

  Unless...

  I felt it then. A stirring deep inside. That thing. My Perk.

  It had come before, but never when I wanted it. Now, I needed it more than ever.

  I stepped forward, palms sweating despite the cold. “Stay back,” I whispered.

  “What are you doing?!” September hissed.

  I ignored her. The trucks bore down, engines roaring like beasts ready to devour us.

  I clenched my fists.

  Come on. Come on!

  Then... the air shifted. My skin tingled, hairs standing on end. A low hum stirred in my chest, swelling into a vibration that rattled my ribs. Heat surged through me, burning from the inside out. The headlights ahead flared into blinding suns, and the growl of engines blurred into a distant, distorted roar. Time stretched, like the world itself was holding its breath.

  And then it happened.

  The energy exploded out of me—violent, raw, uncontrollable. A shockwave of blinding light and force tore through the air, like a thunderclap and an earthquake colliding. The lead truck didn’t just lift—it launched. The front ripped upward, its back end snapping up with it like a rag doll. It twisted mid-air, spinning in a grotesque ballet before smashing into the other trucks behind it.

  The second vehicle crumpled instantly under the impact, metal folding in on itself with a horrific screech. The third truck tried to veer off, but the shockwave caught it too. It skidded sideways, tires bursting, before flipping end over end. Its fuel tank ignited mid-roll, erupting into a fiery blast that painted the snow in orange and red.

  The shockwave blasted outward, kicking up a cyclone of snow and debris. Chunks of metal spun like blades, slicing into the frozen ground. Tires were hurled skyward, flipping over and over before crashing down in distant thuds. The sound was deafening—a mix of explosions, twisting metal, and the whooshing roar of fire eating through gasoline.

  The light from the blast left bright spots dancing in my vision. Smoke billowed thick into the night sky, black tendrils curling upward like the aftermath of a bombing. The snow around us was no longer pure white; it was stained with soot and flecks of burning rubber.

  For a moment, none of us breathed. The silence that followed was more jarring than the explosion itself, like the earth had gone still, stunned by what had just happened.

  I stood there, breathless, chest heaving. My arms shook uncontrollably. My legs wobbled before giving out beneath me. I dropped to my knees, the adrenaline draining all at once, leaving me weak and hollow. It felt like my body had been emptied, every ounce of strength poured into that blast.

  I could see my veins slightly glow red, pulsating very softly as I continued to take deep breaths. I felt like a vegetable, like my whole body was in a coma except my consciousness.

  The others stood frozen, wide-eyed. Their faces flickered in the firelight, mouths slightly open, expressions caught between awe and disbelief.

  "What... was that?" Tisiah finally whispered, his voice barely audible over the crackling flames.

  "I... I don't know," I gasped, my breaths shallow.

  September crouched beside me, eyes darting between me and the wreckage. "Are you okay?" Her voice was softer now, layered with concern.

  I nodded weakly, though I wasn’t sure if I believed it.

  My body felt almost as if it was shutting down as I took a deep breath.