Written by: KariGorsuch

The Mustang roared to life beneath me as I slammed the shifter into gear, my fingers trembling slightly from the adrenaline coursing through me. The night air rushed past, carrying the familiar smell of asphalt and the faint tang of oil as we tore down the road. The Impala's tail lights glowed like red-hot embers in the distance, taunting me.

I gripped the wheel tighter. "Alright, big guy, let's see what you've got," I muttered under my breath, flashing a grin at Eve.

The Impala didn't seem to notice us at first—or maybe they didn't care. Its engine rumbled like distant thunder, a low, steady growl that promised power. As soon as we drew close enough to catch the driver's attention, the Impala surged forward, leaving no doubt that this was now a race.

The manual transmission was my ace in the hole. With each perfectly timed gear shift, the Mustang responded like a beast unleashed, lunging forward with every press of the accelerator.

The impala was clearly an automatic—smooth, powerful, but predictable. I could work the gears to my advantage.

"He's not making this easy," I said, glancing at the speedometer as it climbed. The Impala's silhouette darted left and right ahead of us, the driver testing the limits of his car as he weaved through the empty two-lane highway.

"He doesn't need to," Eve shot back, white-knuckling the handle on the door.

I dropped the Mustang into third gear, the engine screaming as we closed the gap. The reflective road seemed to stretch endlessly ahead, illuminated only by the headlights slicing through the dark. The Impala took a sudden turn onto a side road, tires screeching as it pushed the limits of control.

"Hang on!" I shouted, jerking the wheel to follow. The Mustang fishtailed briefly before I corrected, the rear tires gripping just in time to keep us from spinning out. The chase took us off the main drag, where the road narrowed and trees lined the edges like shadowy sentinels.

"Come on, Bri," I told myself, downshifting again as we hit a particularly sharp turn. The Mustang hugged the corner, tires skimming gravel at the edge.

Up ahead, the impala's driver suddenly slammed on the brakes, the rear end dipping as he pulled a risky handbrake turn to reverse directions.

"What the—?" I barely had time to react. I jammed the clutch and stomped the brakes, spinning the wheel hard to avoid a collision. The Mustang skidded sideways, stopping just short of the Impala, which was now facing us like a bull ready to charge.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me.." Staring back at us from the Impala was the same shaggy haired man I was talking to at the library, and a shorter haired man sitting in the driver's seat.

"What the fuck?" Eve demanded at the same time- staring over at the two sitting in the impala. "That's the same guy from the bar."

"And that's the guy I met at the library... " My stomach dropped as pieces clicked into place.

"What the hell is this, some kind of tag-team stalker situation?" Eve asked, turning to look behind us. Looking back at the Impala in front of us, her eyes narrowed.

The shaggy-haired man, Sam, leaned his head out of the passenger-side window of the Impala, a small smirk on his lips. "Small world, huh?" he called, his voice easily carrying over the hum of our engines.

"Too fucking small," I muttered, adjusting my grip on the steering wheel. Something just didn't feel right. It couldn't have been a coincidence that both of us met these drop-dead gorgeous men on the same day, at basically the same time. The mustang rumbled beneath us, as if reminding us where we were sitting.

The driver of the Impala, the shorter-haired man- Dean, if I remember the name correctly, tilted his head as if assessing us. There was something about his posture- calm, yet deliberate- that made me uneasy. Coming to a split- second decision, I threw the mustang into reverse.

"What are you doing?" Eve yelled as the mustang lurched backwards, spitting gravel from underneath the tires.

"Getting back to a more-populated place," I shot back, navigating the mustang backward down the narrow stretch of road. The Impala's engine revved, slowly creeping forwards like a predator stalking its prey. "If I'm gonna die tonight, it's not going to be in the middle of the fucking woods!"

"Oh, shit!" Eve exclaimed as a deafening roar echoed in the trees, the impala suddenly surging forward. I glanced out the windshield just in time to see the incoming charge of the Impala. Whipping the wheel hard to the right, I spun the mustang around and slammed it into first gear. Flooring it, the car jolted forward with inches to spare between bumpers.

The impala headlights glared in the rearview mirrors, blinding me from seeing anything besides the beautiful beast bearing down on us. The forest seemed to close in on either side, the tall pines looming like Gods over their creations. The mustang bucked and jolted over the uneven gravel road, tires struggling for traction in the slippery rocks. Beauty wasn't created for this kind of terrain, but thankfully neither was the impala. Pavement and my skill with a manual was our only real chance to escape.

"Why the hell are they doing this?!" I shouted, voice trembling with adrenaline and slight fear.

"I don't know," Eve replied, bracing herself against the headrest to keep an eye on the impala as they chased us back out of the woods. "Did you not give Sam your number or something?"

I almost laughed, until a piercing, guttural howl tore through the night. It sent a chill down my spine, my foot instinctively pressing harder on the gas. In a break of the trees, I saw the moonlight reflecting off of pavement.

"We're almost there," I muttered, more to myself than to Eve, although I know she heard me. Highway meant smooth pavement, smooth pavement meant more speed- and speed meant we could get away. The mustang roared onto the highway, tires squealing with their newfound traction.

The impala exploded out of the woods behind us seconds later, although unlike us, they slammed on the brakes for a minute. A long minute stretched, the impala growing smaller in the rearview mirror as we got closer to town, and safety.

Eve grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin. "Bri- They're still coming! I- I thought they would have stopped!"

"They've got to stop- we'll go somewhere public," I muttered, leading forward like that would somehow make the mustang go faster. "We just need to make it back to the hotel."

The two-lane road stretched before us, deserted and eerily quiet for 9pm. The mustang surged ahead, but the impala wasn't far behind. Its rumble was like a growl, barely audible over the growling of my own engine. The neon glow from the hotel came as a beacon to safety, warmth, drinks, and most importantly- witnesses.

"There it is! Go, go, go!" Eve shakily laughed. The road curved sharply to the right, and I took it hard, the mustangs tires barely clinging to the pavement. The impala followed, its momentum carrying it a little too wide. For a moment, I thought they might skid off the road and we would be able to fully lose them- but apparently Dean was too good of a driver for that.

We roared into the lot, screeching to a halt in a cloud of dust and burning rubber. Barely pausing to throw it in neutral and hitting the parking brake, I threw open the door and jumped out.

Eve followed suit, stumbling slightly over the loose gravel on the pavement as we ran for the brightly lit entrance. "Inside- now!"

We burst into the bar, panting and wide- eyed. The conversations faltered as everybody turned to look in our direction before dismissing us and resuming their conversations. I grabbed Eve's hand, pulling her towards an empty booth near the counter. "They shouldn't try anything here."

We had just taken our seats when I saw the impala roll in, coming to a smooth stop right next to the mustang. Sam and Dean stepped out, their expressions somber and grim. Dean adjusted his leather jacket, while Sam surveyed the bar, his sharp eyes locking onto mine through the glass.

Eve leaned over onto my shoulder. "Tell me they're not coming in."

"They wouldn't.." I replied, my voice wavering with uncertainty. "Not with all these people here."