The storm hit suddenly and forcefully. Just as we crossed the outskirts of the city, the rain poured down torrentially. I had expected rain, but I didn''t think it would be this intense.
"Damn, this is too much!" Lauren cautiously maneuvered the car, craning her neck to see the road ahead. But visibility was severely limited, and the windshield wipers swished back and forth futilely, rendered useless by the relentless rain.Material ? N?velDrama.Org.
"Maybe we should find a safe spot to pull over and wait. This kind of rain usually doesn''tst too long," I suggested to Lauren while peering outside. I couldn''t figure out why my eyelids kept twitching incessantly, adding to my already agitated state.
"There''s a risk ofndslides. Besides, who knows how long this rain willst? Look at how overcast the sky is. It''s getting worse. I''m afraid the rain will get heavier the longer we wait. If there''s andslide, things will get even more dangerous," Lauren said, involuntarily ncing at the slope on our right. "We should keep going. It should be safer once we get through this mountainous stretch."
I started feeling concerned. This stretch of road was prone tondslides. There were no other cars on the road.
Lauren focused intently on driving, and neither of us spoke.
My phone rang suddenly, and I pulled it out of my pocket. It was As, who was worried about me.
He quickly asked, "Where are you now? Is the road still okay?"
"We''re on the road, driving very slowly. We can''t stop. But don''t worry. We should be near Northum Bridge soon." I gave As our specific location.
The road continued with the mountain on our right and a steep slope to our left. We were approaching the location where the kidnappers had brought Ava.
After crossing the bridge, we would reach a three-way intersection in about three to four kilometers. The road would get better as we left this perilous stretch. It would also be safer. As said on the phone, "Don''t worry-"
A loud bang echoed, and the car jolted forward abruptly. My phone slipped from my hand, apanied by a gasp from both me and Lauren.
Despite the intense vibrations, the car continued moving forward. I struggled to make sense of the situation, instinctively ncing at the rear, but visibility was close to zero.
I could hear As shouting faintly over the phone I had dropped, but his words were indistinct. Before I could retrieve the phone, there was another violent jolt.
We lurched to the left again.
Lauren clung tightly to the steering wheel, ncing nervously at the rearview mirror. Her voice trembled, "Chlo, a car''s hitting us!"
I steadied myself, turning back to
look. The rain obstructed the view, but I could sense a dark mass beside us Rainwater cascaded down the car and the window remained obscured, but a shadow indicated arge vehicle behind us, intermittently colliding with us.
"Damn, what''s going on? Ah..." Lauren seemed distressed.
"Hold on!" I shouted, suddenly afraid. This impact wasn''t idental. It was deliberate.
The intent was clear. They wanted to force our car off the steep slope on the left.
Lauren clutched the steering wheel
so hard that her knuckles turned white. She stared fixedly ahead, realizing that the trees on our left were scraping against the car, The ttering sound sent shivers down my spine, and I felt a sense of deja vu.
The noise indicated that our car was close to the edge, right on the brink of the slope.
"Chlo, they''reing for us." Lauren
tried to step on the gas and nced anxiously to the right. "It''s my fault...
one
I shouldn''t havee out here today..."
Her voice quivered strangely.
"Focus! Don''t say that!"
Bang!
Lauren screamed again. The car shook violently after another strong impact. She desperately turned the steering wheel to the right, but it was futile.
In an instant, the car leaned to the left.
I watched as Lauren''s side of the car tilted outwards.
At that moment, I felt another impact. Instinctively, I reached out to grab Lauren.