Chapter Seven

The sirens were growing louder with each passing second. Tyler knew the police were getting closer, and that soon they would catch up and take out the gang member driving the car. He also knew that at any moment, the deranged driver could pull out his pistol and kill him and Karly. Tyler just didn't know which would happen first.

He turned to Karly to see deep, crimson-colored blood rushing from the wound above her chin. She didn't stir.

Tyler started to turn his head toward the driver, but his world started getting hazy. The gang member flashed into the man with the knife who had chased him so many years ago, when he was just a little kid. He looked at Tyler with that insane grin.

Strange, disturbing images appeared out of nowhere. Demonic creatures swirling around in front of Tyler's eyes. People from Tyler's past resurfaced from the depths of his mind and stood in front of him. He wasn't in a speeding car with a girl he had just met and an twisted gang member anymore. He was in a land made up of his nightmares. What was happening? Why couldn't he control himself?

"Tyler! Get out of the car! You're going to die!!"

It was Karly. Tyler looked around, realizing that the nightmare had ended and that he was sitting in the back seat of that car again. Except there was something different. He was upside down In the front seat was the driver, an airbag pressed against his face, blood all over his shirt. But Karly was gone.

Tyler looked out his window and saw her trying to pry his smashed door open from the outside. Their car had been flipped onto its roof. Another car, about ten feet away, was pretty much crushed, thick black smoke spewing from its engine.

"Tyler!! Get out!!" Karly shrieked again.

Tyler meant to say, "Yeah, I'm trying," but instead, it came out as a groan. He fumbled around with his seat belt as the sound of sirens grew closer and several car doors slammed shut.

There were shouts, and Karly yelled, "No! Tyl--"

But there was a jarring impact and Tyler's eyes went black.

~Nixx