CHAPTER 54: IT’S NOT OVER YET
In this exact moment, Frank is speeding on the highway with the sirens blaring. But they’re heading towards Glenworth while the others are heading towards Rochester. They cross paths and Frank witness the Charger speeding by them over the highway dividers.
“I’ll be damned,” Frank says. “That looks like Daniel’s car.”
“Take this exit,” Jones point out.
“I’m on it,” Frank says while whipping the car onto an exit ramp.
As Frank takes the highway exit, Eric is trying to gather Hellhound’s attention miles away from where he is.
“Are you going to stand there or are you going to do something!” Eric shouts at Hellhound from the Charger.
“Dude, the last thing you want to do is piss him off more,” Jason says awestruck and totally confused. “He just threw Athena into oncoming traffic. I’m not losing you too.”
“I know. I have a plan,” Eric replies.
Yet again, Hellhound jumps onto a car with his eyes locked on his targets.
“Come on motherfucker,” Eric says through his teeth.
Hellhound bounds onto another car, which is directly next to them. The wind almost causes the creature to fall but he quickly regains his footing. Eric clinches the steering wheel in his hands, waiting for Hellhound to make his final leap.
“I got something for your ass boy,” Eric says underneath his breath.
A droplet of sweat trickles down Eric’s forehead as he tries to keep an eye on the creature and the road at the same time. Another dose of adrenaline spread throughout his body. Hellhound bends his knees, getting himself ready to jump.
“Come on,” Eric mutters.
The creature leaps into the air with his claws stretched forth, hoping to latch onto their car. Eric quickly swerves away from the creature. Hellhound nearly misses the Charger. His claws digs inside the trunk of the car with his feet and legs dragging on the dry pavement.
“AHHHHHH!” Hellhound screeches in pain as the skin on his feet and legs are shaved off, leaving a smeared trail of blood on the highway.
“That’s for Athena you sick fuck!” Eric shouts from the driver’s side of the car.
But he’s not going to give up that easy. Using his claws and his will power, he climbs up onto the car. Jason, with his head turned, sees him looking into the car from the back window. The demon's eyes are red with pure hatred.
“Jesus, this guy doesn’t quit,” Jason states.
Meanwhile….
An old man driving a bulky navy blue pickup truck looks into his side mirror and sees a young black woman clinging on the bed of the truck for dear life.
“What the hell!” he blurts out automatically.
In a peculiar twist of fate, Maria is miraculously still alive.
Yay!
When she was thrown by Hellhound, her body bounced off a sedan and she managed to fall into the bed of a truck; barely. Maria is still holding on the tail-end of the truck as it slows down and pulls over to the side of the road. When it stops, Maria drops off the truck. The driver of the truck gets out and rushes towards the back with concern.
“Oh my God! Are you alright?”
The old man jumps back as a cheetah leaps pass him; gunning down the highway. Athena crushes the fifty-five miles per hour speed limit like it’s nothing. She pushes herself, breaking a speed close to eighty-five miles per hour. A flipping minivan with no driver or passenger is her only obstacle she has to face. Lucky for her, all of the windows are busted. She times her jump flawlessly. As she jumps in the air, in slow motion, she ducks her head, going through the front passenger side and out the driver side like a tiger jumping through a fiery ring in a circus.
Suddenly, time reaches it’s normal speed again as the minivan continues to tumble forcefully behind her. While she zooms through traffic, Hellhound begins his next assault on the Charger. This time he punches the back window, cracking it.
He hits it again, sprinkling glass on Jason and Iva.
“Oh shit bro, we’re done!” Jason shouts and holds Iva’s body closer for protection.
Eric looks into the side-mirror and sees a cheetah quickly approaching.
“No, we’re not,” Eric replies with confidence.
Jason glances over his shoulder and sees Hellhound’s angry eyes looking back at him.
“End of the line,” Hellhound says while reaching in to grab him.
“Leave…them….alone!” a voice calls out through the wind.
Hellhound looks over his shoulder and sees Athena sprinting his way. She leaps up and pounces on his back, clinging onto his shoulder with her sharp teeth. He squeals in pain and falls off the Charger with Athena latched on. Together, they both tumble forcefully across the thick grass off the road. The Earth eventually stops spinning around them. Now both of them are motionless on the ground.
Athena stands up sluggishly and positions herself to fight. Hellhound stands and shakes the dizzy sensation away from his brain. He sees the cheetah getting ready to pounce on him so he charges toward her, swiping his claws. Athena dodges his series of swipes.
“Stay still,” he shouts angrily while swiping faster and faster with no luck striking her.
She’s way too fast for Hellhound. She’s so fast, that he completely loses her during his wild swinging. This only adds fuel to his fire. It’s as if she just vanished while he was attempting to swipe at her. He swiftly turns around to look for her; instead, he finds the inside of her mouth.
She latches onto his nose. He desperately starts swinging her around, trying to make her loosen the grip. He uses his long nails to dig into her ribcage. The pain forces her to let go. He then tosses her through the air, causing her body to collide into the side of a tree.
“You little bitch,” Hellhound says as he approaches her.
He kicks her so hard that it forces her onto her backside. He stomps his large foot onto her chest. This forces the air from her lungs.
“A shame, you was one of my favorite students,” he says while applying pressure.
The pressure is instantly unbearable to Athena. In desperation, she uses her claws to dig into his calf muscles. But this only gives him more motivation to add weight. More air is constantly being forced out. Hopefully, Athena has not taken her last breath…