Honk–! Honk–!
I kept hitting the horn of the Aidis. The sound of the horn blaring was deeply infuriating as it somehow made the scowl on my forehead deepen further.
I clenched my teeth, my palms tightly grasping the steering wheel.
Yeah, so much for the supercar.
The timer didn't relent. It kept counting. And now, the digits were down to the seconds!
Worse of all? The stupid, monotonous voice kept on ringing inside my head.
[00:00:30…]
'Super' car. Shouldn't it be able to fly if it's really a supercar?
At this stupid thought, a really weird chuckle escaped my lips. But then I cleared my throat and shook my head, bringing my focus back to the annoying sight of cars stuck in a traffic jam in front of me.
The incessant blare of horns, the suffocating feeling that came with it, and the relentless heat…
Is this what people with cars suffer? This horrible 'traffic'?
"Tch."
And I thought cars were a blessing.
Honk–! Honk–!
I, too, kept hitting the horn, hoping it would at least do something.
I was really being oddly patient.
And it seemed like my patience, coupled with my continuous honking, had no single effect on City H's traffic.
That was when the idea came.
I nodded.
That's it.
Good one, Dustin.
Time to trash this stupid patience.
In a quick motion, I raised my neck and stuck my head out the window.
The warm afternoon breeze hit my face immediately, and I closed my eyes, savoring it.
I opened my eyes.
"Move you f****** G******* H***** $&&$!!!!" I screamed aloud. The veins in my throat bulged as my throat itself expanded, and my words bled as annoyance coated them.
Then.. silence.
Ahem–!
I cleared my throat.
I was done screaming, and I made sure my voice was loud enough for the people in front to hear.
Still, I got no reaction.
What the hell?!!
I clenched my fists tightly. This was getting annoying really fast.
I unclenched my fists.
What did I even expect? That they'll suddenly make way for me to pass?
Then the reactions came. Slowly:
"Someone shut the rat up."
"Who the hell gave that rag-dressed kid an Aidis?"
"Must have stolen it."
"Kid's underestimating City H's traffic."
I scoffed at their words and shook my head.
"Doomed bastards," I muttered.
You're all going to die soon anyway.
Because,
I brought my head back inside the car, and I let out a soft, almost resolved exhale as I turned to look at the timer once more.
[00:00:19…]
I gritted my teeth.
Shit.
Immediately, I opened the car door, and I stepped out of it.
Rows of cars, buses and other bullshit vehicles stood before me, all along the intersection of three roads. The T-junction.
The vehicles were unmoving like freaking obstacles crafted just to hinder my movement.
Man, just looking at the endless rows of cars made my heart tense up, almost driving me to shed tears.
There's no way I'm getting out of here with the car anytime soon. Not with this traffic.
Suddenly, my eyes narrowed as I spotted something a few meters away from me.
Wait a minute.
A long, black pole in the middle of the road, separating the T-junction. That large pole that held the traffic lights high up for everyone to see.
Except, right at that moment, said traffic lights were off. No red, no green and no yellow.
Ha!
"It isn't even working! The damn thing is spoiled!" I yelled out.
This meant that the cause of my frustration wasn't just the infamous City H traffic; it was the annoying fact that the traffic light no longer worked. And as a result, all vehicles from every side of the T-junction were stuck, waiting for the traffic light like fools.
Maybe they are fools.
I held onto the car door, and I climbed it, making my way to the top of the roof of my.. I mean, the Aidis.
As I found balance and footing on the roof of the Aidis, I wasted no second, and I leaped.
Bam–!
I landed on the roof of another car.
"Hey! What the hell?!" A female voice rang out. Probably the car owner, as her yell was accompanied by the car horn.
But I paid the rant of the woman no mind, and I began to leap from one car to another in the traffic.
On every car I landed, I received insults and aggressive honking from the car owner.
And as I jumped from car to car under the intense sunlight, sweat slid down from my forehead, obstructing my vision as my breath trailed off-rhythm.
[10…]
Huff- Huff-
Finally, I landed on the last car in the sea of cars, and I jumped down.
Thud–!
"Well, that took a lot less time than I expected," I muttered to myself as I scanned the area I landed.
[9…]
No time to stand around.
I have to find cover for now. I can't find Jericho if I'm dead.
I was halfway near the territory of the Kilac Gang, which meant I was halfway near the other half of the city, where Jericho was.
I ran immediately, past the various people walking on the streets, and I made my way toward an open jewelry shop, which was barely thirty meters away from the traffic at the intersection.
The jewelry shop wasn't really open, though.
But the door was glass. And I could see inside of it. That meant 'open' to me.
As I reached the door, I shielded my ribs and face with my arms, and I slammed into the glass, shattering the door as I jumped in.
"Ow-ow-ow!!" I screamed as I landed on the ground, rolling in pain.
The shards of glass pricked countless areas of my skin. And a stinging pain coursed through me, traveling through my veins toward my brain as I rolled on the floor.
And I landed on the floor too! So double the pain it seemed. I should have thought that through, to be honest.
"Who knew it wouldn't be as harmless as it seemed on TV," I whispered, clutching my ribs as I finally stood up.
[5…]
The voice, once again, rang within my brain.
"Call the cops or something! The terribly skinny man just broke into the shop!" The sound of that panic-stricken voice caused my brain to jolt.
And awareness struck my senses as the loud, buzzing sound of the theft alarm bellowed.
I've heard too much of these annoying sounds today.
I turned my neck toward the direction of the shaky voice, past the rows of glass cases filled with jewelry and past the other fancy schmucks one would see in a jewelry shop.
And the old, bald man, who stood shivering behind the white counter of jewelry, glared at me with shrunken, shaking pupils. A telephone was in his hand.
An amused smirk colored my lips.
"It's no use, old man," I spoke with a high, carefree tone, grunting as I limped toward him. "We're probably gonna die soon anyway. I mean, it's the end of the world."
"He's.. he's also showing signs o-of insanity. Please come down fast." The man said to the person on the telephone.
I shook my head.
"Hey," I called. "Bro-to-bro, don't tell anyone this." I told him, "But even as scared and guilty as I am, I'm also low-key excited about what would happen when the timer hits zero."
I stood in front of the old man, grasping my ribs with one hand and my other hand on the counter. A mad grin on my lips.
The Aidis was fairly fast. I know this jewelry shop. I think we've stolen from here in the past.
It would've taken me about five minutes if I were to run from where I was.
If only the traffic light were working…
The old, bald man stared at me with horror etched in his shaky pupils as his mouth remained agape.
"Hello… please.. come…"
"Think I'm lying?" I asked him. "Well then," I continued, turning my neck toward the direction of the broken glass door outside the store. "See for yourself."
[00:00:00]
[Ding–!]
An unnatural silence engulfed the entire city, as outside the shop, the light that shone from the sun slowly diminished.
All the hustling and bustling sounds of the city ceased. The distant sounds of cars moving, of people laughing, and a couple of other people arguing in the distance faded.
And for a second, I could swear I became deaf.
Until a loud, whistling sound tore through the silence and echoed throughout the city.