DRIVER 88 (The Death Race Saga).

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1. A Race for Survival

The moment the countdown hit zero, chaos erupted.

Engines screamed, tires shrieked, and bullets whizzed past Jaxon's car before he even had time to blink.

The Death Race had been brutal before.

But this?

This was war.

Jaxon slammed the throttle.

His Charger lurched forward, dodging a razor-edged muscle car that nearly clipped his fender.

To his right, a low-riding speedster with spinning saw blades attached to its wheels closed in.

Jaxon twisted the wheel at the last second—

The saw blade missed by inches.

A second too slow, and he would've been shredded alive.

Ahead, flames burst from a modified truck's exhaust, engulfing another racer in fire.

The burning car spun out—

Crashing into the barricades in a violent explosion.

Jaxon clenched his jaw.

This wasn't racing anymore.

This was a massacre.

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2. The Predator and the Prey

"Jax, you've got a tail!"

Vera's voice crackled through the earpiece.

Jaxon checked his mirror—

A black car barreling straight toward him.

A custom-built interceptor.

With mounted miniguns.

"Who the hell is that?!" Jaxon shouted.

Lucas's voice came through.

"That's Striker. He's ex-cartel. A real sadistic bastard."

Jaxon exhaled sharply.

Great.

Striker's guns lit up, raining bullets across the track.

Jaxon swerved—

Too slow.

Rounds ripped through his left door, sending sparks flying.

A stray bullet shattered his side mirror.

"Jax, you gotta lose him!"

Jaxon gritted his teeth.

"Yeah? And how the hell do I do that?"

Lucas hesitated.

Then—

"There's an EMP switch under your dashboard."

Jaxon blinked.

"An EMP? Why the hell didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"Because it only works once."

Jaxon didn't have time to argue.

Striker was closing in.

Jaxon flipped the switch.

A pulse of blue light erupted from his car.

Striker's interceptor stuttered.

Lights flickered.

And then—

The engine cut out.

Striker's car veered sideways, slamming into the barricades.

Jaxon let out a breath.

One down.

A dozen more to go.

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3. The Road of No Return

The track twisted ahead.

Oil slicks. Spike traps. Booby-trapped ramps.

And worst of all?

Ghost was still out there.

Somewhere.

Watching.

Waiting.

Vera's voice came through again.

"Jax… something's off."

Jaxon frowned.

"What now?"

Vera hesitated.

"There's no feed on Ghost. He's not showing up on the race trackers."

Lucas cursed.

"Son of a bitch. He's in stealth mode."

Jaxon's grip tightened.

Ghost wasn't just a driver.

He was a hunter.

And Jaxon?

Was the prey.

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4. The Shadow in the Rearview

Jaxon sped past a burning wreck.

Twisted metal. Blood on the asphalt.

Another racer wiped out.

But Jaxon wasn't paying attention to the carnage.

He was watching the mirrors.

Waiting.

Because he knew—

Ghost was coming.

And then—

A single headlight flickered in the distance.

Jaxon's heart pounded.

There.

Emerging from the smoke.

Ghost's car.

A sleek, black monstrosity with no headlights.

Silent.

Deadly.

"Vera, Lucas—he's here."

Vera's voice was urgent.

"Jax, listen to me. You have to lose him."

"No," Jaxon murmured. "Not this time."

Lucas inhaled sharply.

"Jax, don't be stupid—"

Jaxon gripped the wheel tighter.

"I'm ending this."

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5. The Ultimate Showdown

Ghost gunned it.

His car rocketed forward, closing the gap in seconds.

Jaxon swerved left—

Ghost matched him.

Jaxon feinted right—

Ghost didn't fall for it.

He was too damn good.

Jaxon's mind raced.

He needed a trick.

Something Ghost wouldn't expect.

Then—

He saw it.

A half-destroyed ramp.

Tilted at an insane angle.

A guaranteed death trap.

"Jax, NO!" Vera screamed.

But Jaxon had already made his choice.

He turned the wheel.

And took the ramp at full speed.

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6. Flight or Death

For a split second—

The world stopped.

Jaxon's car launched into the air.

A full 100 feet up.

Ghost?

Right behind him.

His car followed.

Both racers suspended in mid-air.

Jaxon twisted his wheel just before landing—

The Charger spun sideways, hitting the ground at a perfect angle.

Ghost?

Wasn't so lucky.

His front tires clipped the wreckage—

And his car flipped violently.

Metal tore apart.

The black car rolled, tumbled, and finally… exploded.

Jaxon skidded to a stop, watching the flames.

A slow breath.

Vera's voice whispered.

"Did you… did you get him?"

Jaxon didn't answer.

Because deep down—

He already knew.

Ghost wasn't dead.

Not yet.

But this was just the beginning.

And next time?

Only one of them would walk away.

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TO BE CONTINUED…

Jaxon Carter has survived another race.

But Ghost is still out there.

And the Death Race?

Is far from over.