Chapter 149: The Chase!
The engine growled beneath Hugo's hands as he gripped the steering wheel with sweaty palms.
The streets of the city were a blur around him, flashing past in a whirlwind of colour and chaos.
Behind him, the black sedan full of gang members was relentless, its headlights glowing like the eyes of a predator.
Hugo swallowed hard, his heart pounding so loud he was sure the gang could hear it.
'Okay, okay, think, Hugo!' he thought, glancing in his rearview mirror. 'They're probably mad about that time I called the vice leader a discount Vin Diesel. But seriously, it's not my fault his head is shinier than my future!'
The sedan was gaining on him, its tires screeching as it bulldozed through traffic. Hugo's hands tightened on the wheel.
He had to lose them. He wasn't about to become a headline that read, "Local Idiot Caught in Worst Chase Ever."
"Alright," he muttered under his breath. "You've watched every Fast and Furious movie. Time to channel your inner Dominic Toretto. Family or not, these guys aren't catching me!"
Determined to lose them, Hugo abruptly veered right onto a side street, catching the other cars off guard.
Horns blared as he cut in front of a slow-moving sedan, narrowly avoiding a collision. He glanced back in the mirror and swore under his breath. The black sedan had made the turn too, now just two cars behind him.
Hugo's thoughts spiraled into panic. 'Why didn't I fill the tank earlier? I should've gotten the electric model. Except it was too expensive!' His internal rambling came to an abrupt halt when the SUV closed the gap, now directly behind him.
"Alright, you wanna play? Let's play," Hugo growled, his voice trembling despite his bravado.
He pressed his foot harder on the accelerator, the Benz's engine roaring as it surged forward.
Hugo swerved left and then right, weaving between cars. His hands moved instinctively, years of driving for a gang now saving him from them.
The black sedan followed, its bulkier frame struggling to mimic his sharp turns.
The city streets blurred as Hugo pushed the car to its limits, narrowly missing a delivery truck and causing pedestrians to leap out of the way.
His pulse was racing as fast as the car's speedometer, which now hovered dangerously close to 80 miles per hour in a 30-zone.
"Why does this feel like an action movie?" he muttered, his voice cracking with nervous laughter. "Except I don't have a stunt double or a script that guarantees I survive!"
As he careened around a corner, he spotted a police cruiser parked at a nearby gas station. Relief flooded his chest—until he realized speeding past a cop at this pace was about as good an idea as lighting a firework indoors.
Sure enough, the cruiser's lights flared to life, and the unmistakable whoop of a siren echoed behind him.
"Great! Just great!" Hugo shouted. "Now I've got two problems!"
The cop car quickly caught up, its driver likely radioing in for backup. Hugo could already picture the headlines:
"Reckless Benz Driver Leads Police on Wild Chase." Not exactly the kind of fame he wanted.
Meanwhile, the gang's SUV stayed close, making it clear they had no intention of backing off just because the cops were involved.
Hugo's mind raced. Could they have been armed? What did they even want from him?
"Focus, focus, focus," he told himself, taking a deep breath. His hands steadied on the wheel, and his eyes scanned the road ahead for an escape route.
He spotted an alleyway to his right, just wide enough for the Benz to squeeze through.
Without hesitation, he swerved sharply, tires screeching as the car shot into the narrow space. Trash cans clattered as he brushed past them, the car's side mirror barely missing a wall.
The black sedan hesitated but followed, scraping against the alley's brick walls with a horrible screech.
Behind them, the police cruiser pulled up at the alley's entrance, unable to follow but keeping its siren blaring.
Emerging onto a wider street, Hugo felt a flicker of hope. The SUV was lagging now, its bulk and the damage from the alley slowing it down.
For a brief, glorious moment, it seemed like he might actually lose them.
And then his car dinged. A soft, cheery sound that would have been pleasant under normal circumstances.
Hugo glanced at the dashboard, his stomach sinking as he saw the warning light: Low Fuel.
"You've got to be kidding me," he groaned. "This is NOT how I want to go out. I just bought this car!"
He frantically calculated his options. If he could just reach a crowded area, maybe he could ditch the car and blend into the crowd.
But before he could finalize a plan, his rearview mirror filled with red and blue lights. Two more police cruisers had joined the pursuit, and one was already pulling up alongside him.
Hugo's mind went into overdrive. He swerved hard, cutting off the cruiser and causing it to brake sharply to avoid a collision.
Another cruiser tried to block him from the front, but Hugo accelerated, darting through a tiny gap between it and a parked car.
The Benz scraped its side, but Hugo barely noticed. His focus was absolute.
Behind him, the black sedan was still in the game, its determination as relentless as a horror movie villain.
Hugo imagined the gang members inside, cursing and yelling at him, their frustration mounting with every failed attempt to close the gap.
They weren't even afraid of the cops. It was like they were sure they would be released even if they were caught!
"I hope they're spilling coffee all over themselves," he muttered, clinging to any shred of humour to keep his nerves in check.
The chase had now spilled onto a major highway, with traffic parting like the Red Sea as Hugo and his pursuers thundered through.
Helicopters buzzed overhead, their cameras no doubt capturing every insane maneuver for the evening news.
"Great," Hugo said, glancing up at the chopper. "Now my mom's going to see this and think I joined the Fast & Furious franchise."
His thoughts were interrupted as the lead police cruiser accelerated, pulling alongside him again.
This time, it didn't back off. Hugo could see the officer inside motioning for him to stop, his expression a mix of frustration and urgency.
Before Hugo could react, the black sedan made its move, attempting to ram the Benz from behind.
The impact jolted him forward, his seatbelt digging into his chest. Hugo's mind screamed at him to do something—anything.
He slammed on the brakes, causing the SUV to swerve wildly to avoid rear-ending him again.
The maneuver worked, but it also left Hugo with no time to dodge an oncoming cruiser. He yanked the wheel hard to the right, narrowly avoiding the police car and skidding into an empty lot.
Hugo's Benz rolled to a stop, its engine sputtering as the last drops of fuel burned away.
He stared at the dashboard in disbelief. "Out of gas. Of course. Why wouldn't I run out of gas in the middle of a police chase?" Continue reading stories on empire
The black sedan and the police cruisers weren't far behind. Hugo watched in the rearview mirror as the cops executed a textbook box-in maneuver.
One cruiser blocked the lot's exit while another pulled up behind him. The black sedan, trapped between the cruisers, came to a reluctant stop as well.
For a moment, everything was eerily quiet. Hugo sat frozen, his hands still gripping the wheel, his heart hammering in his chest.
He could see the gang members in the SUV gesturing angrily, clearly furious at being caught.
The police moved quickly, their weapons drawn as they ordered everyone out of their vehicles. Hugo raised his hands, stepping out of the Benz with a sheepish grin.
"Well," he said to himself, "at least I didn't crash it. Small victories, right?"
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Well, I did say there was going to be gang scenes....
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Power stone Goal!
50 PS - 1 Bonus chapter
100 PS - 2 Bonus chapter
200 PS (Quite an achievement as of now) - 3 Bonus chapters.
Castle - 20 Bonus Chapters!