Labyrinth The Chase

It was around the afternoon, the crowd's roar was deafening. The roar was so loud that their voices joined together, creating a big noise that filled the air. The sound echoed against the walls and made everything around shake.

Ava Montgomery tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her knuckles turned white under her racing gloves. She could feel the pulse of the engine beneath her, the growl of the car vibrating through her bones. She murmured under her breath. 'This was it... the final lap.' Everything she'd worked for, everything she'd fought to protect, rested on this moment. 'You can do it Ava. You can do it.'

The racetrack stretched out before her eyes, winding and treacherous, but Ava knew it like the back of her hand. Every curve. Every straightaway. It was burned into her muscle memory from years of racing.

The cars around her blurred into streaks of color, but she was laser-focused on the finish line. She had no choice but to win. She had to win. She looked around at her opponents, and knew winning wasn't going to be easy.

In her rearview mirror, she could see the gleaming black car of Dominic Kane, a fellow racer with a reputation for ruthlessness. His car swerved closer, dangerously close.

She felt the rush of adrenaline surge through her veins as he attempted to intimidate her, his vehicle creeping toward her, threatening to force her off the track.

"Focus," Ava muttered to herself, her heartbeat thrumming in her ears, nearly drowning out the sound of Natalie's voice over the headset.

"Ava, don't push it. You're ahead, just hold your position!" Natalie Hayes, her best friend and manager, spoke urgently through the car speaker.

But that voice felt far away in Ava's ears, muffled by the thrill of competition. It was not the time to hold back now. Not when Dominic was right behind her, when his presence was like a shadow chasing her every move.

The wind screamed against the body of her car as she accelerated into the next curve, feeling the tires grip the asphalt. Her eyes flicked to the rearview mirror again. Dominic was still there, looming, relentless behind her car. In the moment, Ava realised, he wasn't racing to win. He was hunting her, she could feel it. There was something primal in the way his car moved, something that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Her mind raced alongside the car. Dominic had always been competitive, but this felt different. The way he was driving wasn't just about the race. It felt personal.

Ava clenched her jaw, forcing herself to stay calm. This was her moment for god sake, not his.

"Come on, Ava, don't get reckless," Natalie's voice crackled again, but Ava had already blocked her out.

The sharp turns were coming quickly, and she needed all her focus. She held on tightly as she reached the curve, feeling the strong pull to the side while she carefully steered through it.

Dominic followed her line too closely. She could practically feel the weight of his car pressing against hers. The next straightaway was just ahead, and Ava saw her chance. She quickly changed gears and sped up, the car moving smoothly like a well trained beast.

The speed was exhilarating, the crowd became blurry on the sides. Her heart pounded in her chest as she glanced in the rearview. He was still there. She still couldn't shake him.