Chapter 17: The death race

Jason ran out of the house without looking back, heedless of Myeong's or the others' screams. His mind was a whirlwind of chaos, anger, and fear. His heart was beating so fast he felt like it was going to explode. Maddie was dead. Dead. And he knew he was next.

The cold night air hit his face as he crossed the yard, dodging the officers guarding the house. One of them, distracted by his radio, barely noticed the flash of Jason's shadow before Jason shoved him hard and ran toward a parked patrol car with the engine running.

"Hey, kid, pull over!" the officer yelled, but Jason had already opened the driver's door and shoved him out.

He jumped in, closed the door, and with shaking hands, shifted the gearshift. The roar of the engine filled the night as the patrol car shot down the street.

"Jason!" Myeong shouted from the doorway.

"Shit!" Ryan exclaimed. "He took the police car!"

"Get in the car!" Myeong's mother ordered, pulling the keys from her pocket.

They all ran toward the family car parked at the curb. Myeong's mother started the engine and hit the gas hard, the tires squealing on the pavement as they gave chase.


Jason sped through the empty city streets, aimlessly. He just wanted to flee, to get away, but no matter how fast he ran, the feeling that Death was chasing him wouldn't leave him.

Inside the patrol car, the radio was on, and like a cruel twist of fate, Donna Burke's"Sins of the Father"began to play.

"What a fucking joke..." Jason muttered, his hands gripping the wheel.

Behind him, Myeong's mother was maneuvering skillfully, trying to close the gap.

"Jason, hit the brakes!" Myeong yelled, leaning halfway out the window.

Jason glanced in the rearview mirror. He could see the fear on their faces, but he wasn't going to stop.

The chase grew increasingly frantic. Jason weaved between cars, ran red lights, and darted through narrow streets. At one intersection, a truck almost hit him, but he managed to dodge it at the last second.

Behind him, his friends weren't so lucky.

"Watch out!" Sasha yelled as a black car came out of nowhere and cut across their path.

Myeong's mother swerved. The tires spun, the car spun at a dangerous angle, nearly flipping over before stabilizing. They lost several valuable seconds.

Meanwhile, across town, on the train tracks, a series of seemingly unrelated events began to unfold...


A night sweeper was cleaning the street next to the train station. His broom caught in a crack in the pavement, and while trying to remove it, he accidentally pushed a stone that rolled onto the tracks.

The stone, insignificant at first glance, struck a small, loose maintenance switch. The impact was enough to activate a red signal light, leading an operator inside the control booth to assume there was a malfunction.

The confused operator pressed an emergency button to check the system. Unwittingly, he also temporarily deactivated the crossing safety barriers.

At that moment,train 2340 was approaching at full speed.

A stray cat, on the other side of the track, jumped into a toolbox left behind by a maintenance worker. Its weight moved the box only a few inches, enough for a wrench to fall out and roll, hitting a small portable generator.

The vibration of the impact caused a poorly sealed oil bottle to fall, spilling its contents onto the tracks.

Slippery oil. Metal. Speed.

The train continued on its way, but when it reached that point, the wheels skidded slightly. Not enough to derail, but enough to reduce braking control.

And Jason kept getting closer.


Jason reached the railroad crossing. He didn't see the lights go out. He didn't hear the train. He just felt a sudden panic in his chest.

"Come on, come on..." he muttered, pounding the steering wheel.

The radio was still playing.

"Cleansing flames is the only way to repent..."

Suddenly, the engine of Myeong's mother's car roared behind him.

"JASON, STOP!" Myeong screamed at the top of her lungs.

Jason barely had time to react before he felt a blow to the rear. Myeong's mother's car had caught up with him and was pushing him off the tracks.

"Get out of the car, NOW!" Ryan roared, opening the patrol car door and forcing Jason out.

Jason fell to the ground just as the train emerged from the darkness like a beast of metal and destruction.

CRASH.

The train slammed into the police car with tremendous force. Glass exploded, metal buckled, sparks and fire filled the air.

But the tragedy wasn't over.

The impact caused a piece of the car to derail slightly. A huge piece of metal, spinning like a deadly blade, shot out like a projectile... directly toward Chloe.

No one had time to react.

The metal struck her in the chest, piercing her completely.

Her body shook with indescribable violence. A spasm. A stifled scream. And then, blood. So much blood.

Her eyes, wide open, reflected disbelief and pain. An attempt to breathe. Nothing.

And then... silence.

Chloe fell to the ground, her blood forming a dark pool beneath her.

"NO!" Myeong lunged at her, but her mother held her.

"Don't look!"

Jason, still on the ground, watched the scene in absolute horror.

"This... this can't be happening..."

Sasha fell to her knees, covering her mouth. Ethan clenched his fists, his eyes filling with tears.

Myeong turned away from her mother, her gaze fixed on her friend's body.

Death wasn't over yet.

And everyone knew it.