Chapter 18

The second impact didn’t give her time to recover from the first, because the moment the car shifted from the hit behind her, the force from the side slammed into it again, harder this time, throwing the balance off completely and forcing the entire body of the car to jerk in a way that made control feel like something she was losing by the second, and her hands reacted before her thoughts did, gripping the wheel tighter as she tried to steady it even though everything around her was already moving too fast to fully regain control.

“Stay down,” Sebastian’s voice came through again, sharper now, not controlled the way it had been before, and that alone told her everything she needed to know, this part wasn’t his anymore.

The car dragged slightly from the side impact, metal scraping against metal as whatever had hit her didn’t pull away immediately, didn’t correct, didn’t even slow properly, it just stayed, pressed long enough to force her off line before finally breaking away with a harsh sound that echoed through the space.

Her foot hit the brake instinctively, not fully stopping but enough to regain some control, the car jerking forward once before settling into something she could manage again, and the moment she got that small control back, she used it, adjusting the wheel sharply to straighten out before the next hit could come.

“They’re not pulling back,” she said, her voice low but steady, her eyes already scanning through the windshield and mirrors in quick movements, because whatever just hit her wasn’t done.

“I know,” Sebastian replied.

That wasn’t enough, but it confirmed everything.

The man who had been standing in front of her was no longer where he was before, he had moved back without hesitation the moment the second car came in, not panicked, not rushed, just calculated, like he already understood this wasn’t something he was controlling anymore.

“That’s not yours,” she said.

“No,” he replied.

Same answer but different meaning now.

The car behind reversed slightly, not fully retreating but enough to reposition, the engine revving again in a way that made it clear this wasn’t a warning hit, it was the beginning of something else.

“Then whose is it,” she asked.

No answer came from him or Sebastian, and that silence was worse than anything else. Because it meant neither of them expected this.

Her grip tightened again as the car behind surged forward a second time, faster now, more direct, not testing anymore.

“Move,” Sebastian said again.

This time she didn’t hesitate.

Her foot pressed down and the car pushed forward, cutting slightly to the side to avoid taking the hit directly, the movement sharp but controlled enough to shift the angle before impact.

The other car didn’t stop, It adjusted, matching her movement.

“That’s not random,” she said.

“No,” Sebastian replied.

The space around her changed fast, one of the cars ahead shifted again, not opening a clear path but enough to create movement where there had been none, like even the blocked road was reacting to this new threat.

“They’re moving,” she said.

“I see it,” he replied.

The man who had stepped out earlier was already backing off further now, not leaving, not retreating completely, just creating distance like he knew staying too close wasn’t smart anymore.

“They’re not trying to take me,” she said.

“No,” Sebastian replied.

“Then what,” she asked.

“They’re trying to stop everything.”

That didn’t sit right, because that meant there was something bigger than just her.

The car behind surged again, this time cutting slightly to the side instead of coming straight, aiming for her rear corner instead of center, and she saw it early enough to react, her hands moving fast as she turned sharply to avoid taking the full hit.

The impact still came, but not clean, not centered.

The force pushed her forward again, the car jerking but holding just enough to keep moving.

“Keep going,” Sebastian said.

“There’s nowhere to go,” she replied, because the road ahead was still blocked, still controlled, still not a clean exit.

“Make space,” he said.

That was the problem, there wasn’t any, but waiting wasn’t an option anymore.

Her eyes locked ahead, scanning for anything she could use, any shift, any opening, because if she stayed still again, she was done.

Then she saw it, not a full gap but enough.

One of the cars ahead had shifted just slightly off alignment during the chaos, not enough to look like an opening to anyone not paying attention, but enough for her.

“That’s tight,” she said.

“It’s enough,” Sebastian replied.

Behind her, the car accelerated again, there was no delay, no warning.

“They’re coming again,” she said.

“I know,” he replied.

“Now,” Sebastian said.

She moved fast...

The car surged forward as she cut the wheel sharply toward the narrow space ahead, the timing exact, the movement clean, pushing into the gap before it could close again.

The car behind followed too fast, coming very close to her, it didn't slow down neither did it try to adjust, it came straight in..

The impact hit just as she cleared the first half of the gap, the force slamming into the back again and pushing her forward harder than she planned, the car shooting through the narrow space with barely enough room on either side, metal brushing close but not enough to stop her.

She was through, for a second, clear of what just happened.

Then...

Another car appeared ahead, not parked, not waiting, but moving straight toward her fast.

“That’s new,” she said.

No answer.

“Sebastian,” she said again.

Silence...

Her grip tightened harder now, because this wasn’t controlled anymore, this wasn’t part of anything she had seen so far, this was something else entirely.

The car ahead didn’t slow, didn’t hesitate, It came straight at her like it had no intention of stopping.

“Move,” Sebastian said.. but it was too late.

The distance closed too fast, her mind calculating angles, speed, timing, knowing she couldn’t brake in time, couldn’t turn wide enough, couldn’t avoid it cleanly.

Everything narrowed into one decision, one move, one second.

She turned, hard,... The car shifted violently as she forced it off line, the movement sharp enough to avoid a direct hit but not enough to escape cleanly, the other car clipping the front corner instead of center.

The impact spun her fast and out of control.

The wheel slipped under her hands for a split second before she caught it again, but by then the car had already turned too far, the momentum carrying it off balance.

“Aria...” Sebastian’s voice cut through.

Then everything stopped, not slowly, not gradually, everything just stopped.

The car stalled at an angle, engine still running but movement gone, space around her suddenly too still after everything that just happened.

Her grip stayed tight on the wheel, her breathing steady, her focus sharp because she knew It wasn’t over.

The door of the car in front opened slowly and controlled.

And the person stepping out this time wasn’t anyone she expected.