Chapter 18: CHAPTER 5: DEAD END
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1. The Devil's Offer
Jaxon Carter had been in tight spots before.
But this?
This was something else.
A dozen sniper dots painted his chest.
Vera and Lucas froze, hands hovering over their weapons.
The man in the white suit?
Still smiling.
"You should relax, Driver 88. If I wanted you dead, you'd be in a body bag by now."
Jaxon kept his grip on the gun.
"Yeah? Then why am I still breathing?"
The man stepped forward.
"Because I have an offer for you."
Jaxon said nothing.
Lucas, barely holding it together, hissed.
"This is a trap, man."
The man in white laughed.
"A trap? No, Mr. Carter. This is business."
He pulled a silver envelope from his pocket and tossed it at Jaxon's feet.
"Inside is your next race. Win… and I'll wipe your record clean."
Jaxon's jaw clenched.
Vera whispered.
"He's lying."
The man's smile widened.
"Oh, I never lie. But I don't guarantee survival either."
Jaxon looked at the envelope.
Then at the snipers above.
Then back at the man in white.
"And if I say no?"
The man's voice turned to ice.
"Then you die. Right here. Right now."
Jaxon didn't flinch.
But deep down, he knew—
He had no choice.
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2. The Death Race Begins
At midnight, Jaxon and his crew rolled into a secret underground arena.
The crowd was wild—thousands of spectators screaming, cheering, placing bets.
The track?
A nightmare of steel and fire.
Ten racers.
Only one would leave alive.
Lucas tightened Jaxon's armor.
"This is suicide, man."
Jaxon smirked.
"Then they should've brought more body bags."
Vera adjusted his helmet.
"Just… don't die, okay?"
Jaxon gripped her hand.
"I don't plan to."
The starter lights flashed.
Engines roared.
And the moment the flag dropped—
All hell broke loose.
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3. Kill or Be Killed
Tires screeched.
Metal crunched.
Bullets tore through the air.
Jaxon drifted between two racers, side-swiping one into a wall.
BOOM!
First kill.
But this wasn't just a race.
It was a warzone.
A driver in a spiked truck swerved beside him.
Jaxon jerked the wheel, dodging just in time.
Vera's voice crackled through the radio.
"Jaxon, behind you!"
He checked the mirror—
A flamethrower mounted on the car behind him.
Fire engulfed the track.
Jaxon hit the NOS.
The Charger launched forward just as the flames swallowed his last position.
The other driver wasn't so lucky.
Another explosion.
Another kill.
Seven racers left.
And the worst was yet to come.
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4. The Demon Behind the Wheel
A deep, rumbling laugh filled the speakers.
"Well, well, well… the infamous Driver 88."
Jaxon recognized the voice instantly.
A name he never wanted to hear again.
Grave.
The man who killed his brother.
Jaxon's hands tightened on the wheel.
"You son of a—"
"Careful, Carter," Grave interrupted.
"Wouldn't want your anger to get you killed."
Jaxon gritted his teeth.
Then, ahead—
A massive armored truck blocked the road.
Grave's voice mocked him.
"See you in hell, Carter."
The truck's turrets spun.
Jaxon had seconds to react.
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5. The Road to Revenge
Bullets ripped through the air.
Jaxon swerved—barely dodging a rain of lead.
Lucas screamed through the radio.
"There's no way around it!"
Jaxon didn't blink.
"Then we go through it."
He punched the NOS—
The Charger rocketed forward.
Grave's laughter echoed.
"That's it, Carter! Come meet your death!"
Jaxon flipped a switch on his dashboard.
Underneath his car—
A hidden explosive launcher armed itself.
"Not today, bastard."
He hit the trigger.
BOOM.
The armored truck exploded.
Flames erupted.
Metal shredded through the air.
Jaxon barreled straight through the wreckage.
When the fire cleared—
Grave was gone.
But Jaxon knew.
This wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.
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6. The Final Stretch
Only three racers left.
Jaxon.
A mercenary named Rook.
And a silent killer known only as Ghost.
The finish line was in sight.
Then—
Rook's side-mounted rockets fired.
Jaxon swerved, barely dodging the deadly payload.
But Ghost?
Didn't even flinch.
He accelerated straight into the flames.
And came out the other side.
Jaxon's blood ran cold.
Ghost was no ordinary racer.
He was something else entirely.
And if Jaxon wanted to win?
He had to break every rule in the book.
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TO BE CONTINUED…
Jaxon Carter has survived death once again.
But now he faces Ghost—the deadliest racer in the underground circuit.
Can he make it out alive?
Or will this be his final race?