Title: Car Terror
Summary: Shirako gets into a car with his cousin, only to find out that his cousin is high. Shirako is trapped in the car, as his cousin get's more and more reckless. He knows it's only a matter of time before they crash and are killed.
Disclaimer: Don't own Acceleracers!!
Dan and Sydney are characters that I made up, so are mine, along with the story :)
Chapter One: Racing when you're high
Side Note: Got nothing against people who do drugs, I do have something against people who do drugs and then get into a car to drive. When that happens, they are placing not only themselves in danger, but other innocent people as well. Other than that, tell me what you think.
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Chapter One:
Racing when you're High
Shirako closed his eyes, and very slowly counted to 10, twice. At the moment, he was in a car with his sister and older cousin. The inside of the car was very expensive. With leather seats, tainted dark windows, and a high quality sound system, though not as good as the one that Shirako had. Over all it was the latest grand car to buy. Not that Shirako cared too much, since his car was made for racing first, and looks and music second. Not that you would guess from the way that his car looked. But hey, he was good when it came to making his car look good, while at the same time making sure that it could race to the best of its abilities.
Shirako took a quick glance at his sister, and noticed that she was biting her lip hard, probably to stop herself from screaming her head off do to anger. Shirako was not sure how Dan, his older cousin, was able to ignore his sister's glare. And was she glaring, Shirako was sure that if Sydney was able to, she would murder Dan with no second thoughts. Of course, not that Shirako would mind, infact he would probably be her partner in crime. For a moment Shirako toyed with the ideal of both of them killing Dan. Really Judge, it was a crime of passion. A moment of insanity that made me do it. Really, if you had been in the same car as him, you would have been thinking of how to kill him too. As the car finally slowed down and stopped, Sydney yanked her car door open, and with an angry face she grabbed her bag and slammed the car door shut with more force then necessary. She gave one last glare to Dan, who was pretending to ignore it with his sulking face. Shirako was already out the car and running towards the store. Today was the day that Tone had died, so Shirako was picking up some flowers to lie at his grave. Both the Metal Maniacs and the Teku were going to be there in less then 15 minutes. They were meeting at the grave at 2:00pm, which meant that Shirako was going to be late. Shirako had a feeling that Nolo was not going to be understanding when Shirako tried to explain to him why he was late to Tone's remembrance. And the worst part was that all of it was not his fault!
His Aunt and cousin had come over for a family visit, since they lived so far away. Shirako had always tried to be friendly towards them, since her late husband was his mom's brother, but at the same time he always hated seeing them. His uncle Jake had died in a car crash 16 years ago, when Dan was only 7 years old. It was after that, that Dan began to get away with everything, with the excuse that he had no father to look up to. Whenever his Aunt and cousin had come to visit them during the summer, Dan was always excused for any trouble that he made. His Aunt believing that he could do no wrong. A lot of times it had been Shirako who had been left to suffer the conscience of his actions. Luckily his mother had caught on to Dan's game of 'poor me with no father', that she had made sure that Dan did not get away with everything. And yet Dan's mother had not liked the fact that Shirako's mother seemed to always 'pick on him'. She always seemed to be unable to grasp Dan's short comings. Like how he always had to have the last word, or how he always had to win every game. He was arrogant and always showing off. He never played fair, and always expected people to do what he said because he was better then them. He was a spoiled brat that had gotten worse as he had grown up. Still, his aunt had come over for a surprise visit. This meant that he and his sister had to deal with Dan.
It had all started out that Sydney was going to work the same time that Shirako was going to buy flowers. His Aunt had come up with this great ideal that since the flower shop was beside the police station, that they should go together with Dan. Shirako had tried to say that right after the flower shop that he was going to the graveyard to wait for the others. But nooo, they had come for a family visit so they should spend some time together. And besides, the flower shop was 10 minutes away from home, so Dan could drive them to the flower shop, Sydney could go to work, Shirako could go buy some flowers, and then Dan would take him home. Where Shirako would then hop into his car and drive as fast as he could, and hope to God that he did not get pulled over by a police car for driving past the speed limit; all in an effort just so he could make it to the ceremony on time. Never mind that the 10 minutes it took to get back home, and then the next 10 minutes it took to get back out there was 20 minutes wasted. But really, who cares if you're a bit late for a memory cervices, it's not like they did not have a lifetime to wait for you. At which point Shirako had to bite down on his tongue hard, to not mention curtsy and respect and everything else that went along with being on time for a memory service. But hey, what did he know about stuff like that, he was only 17!
And though Shirako had been tick off, he had not made too much of a fuss and had agreed. He figured that if he drove a bit faster then normal, he could still make it on time. Or that was the plan, until Dan had gotten into the car. So of course Dan being the greatest person alive had to show off his great racing ability's. Cause his aunt had mention to Dan that Shirako's mom had said that Shirako was a good racer, so God forbid that Shirako was better then Dan. So Dan, with no talent what so ever, had raced his way to where they were going, and then for his hard work had gotten pulled over by a cop. Which took another 10 minutes; which resulted in his sister getting pissed off because she had tolled him to slow down, but would he listen to her, noooo. So now Dan was sulking, his sister was pissed, and he was rushing, hoping to god that by some miracle he was going to be on time, or at least not an hour late. Cause at this point, he was already dreading what Nolo would say to him. Not that he could blame Nolo; this was his brother, and one of Shirako's closet friends that they were talking about.
The sales lady finally handed him back his change and wished him a good day. Not that Shirako was paying attention, as he was already running out the door and making a break for the car, as if he had fire on his heels. Shirako threw open Dan's shinny black expensive car, and jumped in. He closed the door and grabbed the seat belt as he added up the five minutes it had taken him to buy the flowers to the amount of time that he was going to be late by.
"Alright let's go. I'm late." Shirako said through his teeth.
"Fine, fine, it's not my fault you're late. Jeesss." Dan said this in his whinnying voice, which Shirako bit his lip to keep from snapping at him.
Dan had a wonderful voice, musical almost. That was one of the things that helped him to keep slipping out of trouble. It was only when you really listen to him that you are able to hear the winning under it all. As if his voice could only cover up so mush of his whinnying. Shirako gave him a quick glare, not that Dan was paying attention. Dan was good looking. Not breath taking handsome, but good looking enough that girls always took a second look at him when he walked by. He had short dark brown hair that looked thick and soft. It was cut close to his head, as Dan was too lazy to look after it properly. Yet there was enough hair that that it was not military style. He had two light green eyes, and a normal nose. He had a pale face and a lean body, though not as small as Shirako was. He was tall with broad shoulders. Over all, he was good looking. It was only when you really looked into his face do you finally see his faults. Like how his eyes were too light in colour in his pale face, giving them this dull look. Or how his nose was just a bit too long in his face, which stopped you form labelling him handsome. How when he smiled, it only made him look like he was smirking, and not really smiling. He was lean, but not in shape. His body came from making sure that he not over eaten, not from excursive or physical activities. Like Shirako said, it was only when you really looked at Dan did you see that he was not as good looking as you would think from the first glance that you give him.
Shirako closed his eyes and tried hard to remember some of his song's lyrics. His headphones had been broken yesterday, by load and behold, Dan himself. The fool had wanted to see Shirako's headset since he did not have one. After seeing how much Shirako was attached to his music, he had 'accidentally' broken them. Not that Shirako was too surprised by his actions. Dan was like that, always breaking stuff that other people had and he did not. So now Shirako had no music to calm himself down. Instead he was trying to remember the lyrics and music in his head, hoping that that would help him to calm down. Not that it helped him one bit, but hey, at least he was trying. Besides, it helped to keep him from thinking about Nolo and the others as they sat at the gravesite and waited for him, and what they would do to him when he got there.
It was the sharp right turn at the lights that had Shirako gasp out loud, as his body was thrown against the seat. The next moment the road was filled with skidding tires and honks as Dan cut several people off, with his little stunt of turning right on the part off the road that was meant to go straight. For a moment Shirako just held still, and thanked god that they had not been hit. Off course right after that Shirako felt anger rushing through him.
"What the Hell do you think your doing?! Never mind the fact that you just broke the law, and almost got us killed, we have to go home. Right NOW!!" Shirako said, almost shrieking.
"Aww come on now Shirako, what's the big deal if we just take a few moments to drive? What's the matter, can't handle the speed?" Dan taunted. At least he was keeping his eyes on the road.
"What are you talking about, I have to get home!"
"Look, I'm just taking a small detour on the highroad. Besides I never really got to show you some of my skills, since your sister kept distracting me with her screaming. I don't see what the big deal was, it's not like you don't race all the time. "Dan said bitterly. As if in his mind he was the victim.
Shirako paused, and then said very slowly and calmly.
"Sydney was yelling at you to slow down because you were driving at 90km/h, instead of the speed limit of 30km/h. And second, I don't race on civilian roads that are being used. I race on roads that are no longer in use at night. Now pull over!!"
Yet even as Shirako said this, Dan was already on the highway, getting there a lot quicker then normal due to the fact that he was speeding. Shirako could only dig his fingers into the leather car seat arm rests, as the car slowly speeds up. Of course there was no police car to be seen, why was it they were never there when you wanted them? And by the time someone called the police to tell them that there was a maniac on this highroad, they would already be racing down another road, probably to a different city. Shirako watched with a small bit of fear as Dan raced around other cars at higher speeds then normal. For a moment Shirako tightly shut his eyes, hoping to god that Dan would get over his little 'I'm a better racer then you are' soon.
*Please don't stop the music!
It's getting late,
As I make it over to my fa -*
Shirako just about jumped a foot in the air, as he heard his ringer for Karma on his phone go off. Karma was like an older sister to him, and she was probably worried that he had not yet shown up. Shirako usually always arrived early, not liking to be the last one to show up. And dealing with Karma was better then dealing with Nolo. All of this flashes through his head as he grabbed his cell phone from his pocket, with a flick of his whist he had it open and press to his ear.
"Hey-lo" Shirako said, using his own version of saying hello. He tried to say it as cheerfully as he could, but he had a feeling that Karma was going to hear the anger and fear in it as well.
"Shirako, were the hell are you?! You got less then five minutes to get here. Everyone else is already here. Hey, is everything OK?" Karma said this with worry, and frustration in her voice at the same time. Shirako had named it her 'mother hen's voice' in his head.
"Umm... I'm going to be late, like really late." Shirako said this with shame and sadness. The remembrance was important to everyone. And not being able to be there was very upsetting to him; Tone had been someone that Shirako had looked up to. A good leader, and an even better friend. And yet Shirako was going to be late to something that was so important to them all.
"Wait, I'm talki-"this came from Karma.
"Shirako, what the fuck is going on!?!" This came from Nolo, and Shirako flinched back from his load voice filled with anger. In the background he could hear Karma saying something to Nolo, probably about yelling in the phone.
"Nolo, I'm really sorry, but something came up and-"Shirako tried to say, hoping that he could get Nolo to calm down at least. But a part of him knew that no matter what he said, Nolo was not going to be real understanding at this point.
"Aww come on Shirako. Why don't you just tell them the truth? That I'm just showing you how good a racer I am." This came from Dan who at the moment had turned his head to sneer at Shirako.
"Shut up Dan!" Shirako snapped at him. Shirako turned his head to his left to glare at him, and felt himself freeze up. Dan's eyes were blood shot and his pupils were huge, making his eyes look like they were black in colour.
"You're high!?" Shirako squeaked out.
It was no big secret that Dan did drugs. And when Shirako said drugs, he meant the hard stuff. Whenever Dan got in a bad mood, you could always count on him to do drugs in the next five minutes. Shirako had never done drugs, seeing as his sister was a cop and very emotional about that kind of stuff. Not that he blamed her; she saw the worst of those things as a cop. Truthfully, he would rather spend his money on his car and music then on drugs. But that was just how he thought of it all. Yet seeing Dan high, Shirako felt cold hard fear course through him. Dan normally had to always be better then everyone else. To the point where he would ignore safety precautions and rules just so he could look good. Yet with Dan high, it meant that he would not even care about the danger they were in, hell, he probably would not even notice that they could die. A part of him realized that he must have done the drugs when he was getting the flowers for Tone's grave. Not that it mattered now.
"You're racing on a highway doing 100Km/h over the speed limit, and you're doing this while you're high!?! Dame it Dan, Pull over!!" Shirako cried out.
"What the hell is your problem? It's not like you don't race going 200Km/h and over anyway. So don't act like your so much better then me!" Dan yelled back at him.
"It's the fact that you're racing while being high that's the problem!! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!" Shirako yelled right back at him.
It had always been a rule with Tone that you never raced while high on drugs or alcohol. Not that anyone had a problem with that rule, since they knew how dangerous that was. He knew for a fact that the Metal Maniacs felt the same way.
"Look, just pull over; I'll race you any other time when you're not high and on a highway!! So please just pull ov-" While Dan had been glaring at Shirako the whole time that he was driving, Shirako had kept one eye on the road at all times. It was then that he saw the blue car right in front of them coming up.
"Look out!" He screamed
Dan looked forward, and with a quick yank on the steering wheel, turned the car to the right, so that they would not run into the blue car in front of them. Shirako gave a gasp as their car skidded for a second or two, but felt more like a year to him. He felt himself relax just the tinniest bit as their car finally righted itself. The honking of the cars behind them had became a consist thing to Shirako's ears.
"Oh God, Please Dan, just pull over." Shirako said. He was staring at the numbers that tolled the driver how fast he was going. And right now, Dan was going at 215Km/h and it was rising. Dan had been speeding up the entire time that Shirako had been on the phone. And of course Dan's car could go up to 350Km/h.
His voice was shaking just the tinniest bit, but it was the fact that he was talking with his accent that gave away how scared he was at that moment. Shirako always worked hard on talking without an accent, having been horribly teased and picked on when he was younger due to that. He noticed that his cell phone was no longer in his hand, but had been tossed to his right. His cell phone was now sitting between the door and the seat. He even thought for a moment that he could still hear Nolo's voice yelling out to him. But Shirako did not give any more thoughts to his friends. Too busy looking out the windshield and watching as the car followed the road and its curves and twists. Wondering if the next curve they went around was going to be their last.
"Don't tell me you're afraid." Dan said this mockingly. As if he could not quick believe that Shirako was scared.
But the truth was that Shirako was scared. He was a racer, he had seen car crashes that happened from racers speeding at the speed that they were moving at. What Dan did not understand, is that every time you get into a car to race, there was always the chance that you might not make it out of that car. Shirako understood the risks. Hell, he had seen them first hand as well, Tone only being one of the examples he could use. That was why he was so scared, was because he knew what could happen to them, and knew that it was not like in the movies, where the hero survives with only a few cuts and bruises. But it was not only the fear that he could die. It was the fact that if they did crash at the speed that Dan was driving at, they would not be the only ones to suffer. On a highway with everyone speeding, it would mean a dog pile. People not being able to stop in time, people would die. Lots of people.
"If you crash, not only will we die, but you will be killing tons of people. Why can't you see that?!" Shirako said this with certainty in his voice.
Cause he knew right down to his bones that it was true. He could even pitcher it right now. The car spinning out of control, then hitting two or three other cars that were in the way, the car's behind them not being able to stop fast enough. More and more people driving into the pile. Then came the cars that would be smashed, and also the ones that would explode on impact. There would be the people who would be stuck in their car with no hope of getting out, trapped and helpless. The one ones who would die on impact, with just a second to know they were not going to live. And the ones who would linger for just a few more moment in life, knowing they were going to die.
"You're going to get people killed, never mind the fact that of you crash both of us will be dead in a matter of seconds. Please Dan; I'm begging you, pull over!" Shirako tried again, hopping that somehow Dan would realize the danger they were in.
"Jesus Christ Shirako, you're actually crying!!" Dan laughed out load as if this fact had just made his day
Yet the only thing that Shirako could feel was terror and guilt. Guilt, that innocent people were going to die because of them, and also terror, that he was going to die with them.
As they finished driving around the curve on the highway, Shirako saw the lights up ahead. For a moment, he felt hope. Hope that Dan would stop, not stupid enough to go through a yellow light that was turning to red. Hopping that Dan would see that they had to slow down and stop or else they would drive right into oncoming traffic. And Shirako knew that the moment Dan stopped, Shirako was jumping out of the car, and racing to the engine to disconnect it. All of this flashed through his mind in a second. Only to have his hope dashed away with Dan's next words.
"I bet I can make the light! Come on, out of the way jackass!"
Shirako didn't even try to stop Dan as he raced around a dark gray car in front of them. Dan being too high to understand what was going on. At this point, he could only pray to Gad that not too many people would be killed with them. Because Shirako knew he was going to die. And he knew that they were going to be the cause of someone else's death as well. A part of him found that it was ironic, that the day that Tone died, was going to be the day that Shirako died as well just two years after. He felt terror for the people who had no ideal that in less then five minutes they would be in a crash, a crash that was going to kill some. And a part of him wondered how his family and friends would take it. He didn't want to die. Not like this, trapped in a car, with his cousin to high to understand what was going on. For a moment he wondered what people would think when they heard the news. How they would react, what they would do. He was going to die, and there was nothing that he could do.
Shirako watched in a sort of numb view as they slowly got closer to the lights. A part of him was screaming and begging some one to save him. Hell, a part of him just wanted to start screaming and crying. But Shirako knew that that would be no help to him. So he held on to the seat, and tried to think of something that could help. His mind running at top speeds, yet only seemed to be going in circles. Over the fact that he was trapped, that they were going to race right into oncoming traffic, and that he was going to die. A part pf him noticed that he was crying, and that his teeth were biting into his lip so hard that he could taste blood. But he paid no attention to that part of him. He could only stare at the road and watch as they got closer. For a moment he thought of closing his eyes, of not seeing it as it happened. But even when he tried, he couldn't get his eyes to close.
He felt the car rumble and shake as Dan made it go faster and faster. He watched as they passed cars that were starting to slow down, sometimes so close to other cars that Shirako knew that he could have touched them if he put his hand out the window. The honking of the cars had already become part of the background. The cars in front of them had already stopped and starting to form a line. Dan turned the car a bit to the right so that he was racing on the edge of the road, the car shaking as the wheels on the right of the car went off road and onto the gravel. In front of them the oncoming traffic whish was going the opposite way to them was already in full speed. Dan hit the gas, as if thinking that if he went fast enough he could somehow get between the gaps. - And Dan raced right into the road.
The next moment sound exploded. Shirako watched as the first lane they came onto, Dan had raced into a gap. Cars to his right were already skidding and trying to stop. He watch as the red car that was racing right at them turned sharply to the right. He saw it as it flipped onto it's side and started to slide, and hitting them in the bumper as it slid past. The second lane, Dan was not so lucky. They were heading right for a mini van. And for a few moments, everything slowed down, Shirako looked at the mini van windows, and he could clearly see the two kids in the back. Though their faces were foggy, the first one was a girl, and she was screaming. The second one was in the seat behind her. The young boy watched the car coming at him in a detached sort of way. As if he was not quite old enough to truly understand what was going on. Without even thinking, Shirako has already flung his arms to his left. He grabbed the steering wheel, and turned it sharply to the right. Hoping that with mini van going left, and their car moving right, they could miss it. It did not quite make it. Their car hit the trunk of the mini van, causing the mini van to start skidding. And that was all the time Shirako had, because the next moment, his car was flipping. A result of the red car hitting them in the bumper, and then hitting the mini van. Shirako was being tossed around to much to understand anything. For a second his eyes touched the small mirror in the car, and Shirako saw Tone's face smiling at him. In that moment Shirako was no longer afraid. He felt calm as if Tone was right in that car with him, telling him that everything was going to be fine. And in that moment he knew that he was dead.