Chapter 60

“Battle at Anti-Pass”

It was a starless night and the sky was cloudless and infinitely black. If a person would stop and look to admire the emptiness of it, they would immediately feel like they were falling into the infinite void above. But there was a single symbol of hope in the dark sky. A single round shaped hope, the only light that seemed to illuminate the void as the moon was at its most fullest during this particular night.

A lone rider stood by a solitary lamppost right on the side of a twisty ribbon of road. He thought it was a good spot to stop for a smoke, since he had been on a long journey from the north, riding his trusty bike for hours on end from morning till night. He takes a refreshing puff from his cigarette as he feels the cold air mixing with the smoke, going in and out of his lungs, revitalizing him and giving him a burst of energy to soldier on. He looks at the starless sky and ganders at the roundness of its moon.

It was shining bright as a lightbulb would shine and, as if the moon had noticed, the light from the lamppost had flickered and died, as if it was saying: “If you want to admire me then admire me properly.” as it shuts off the artificial light besides him.

Even after the lamp had completely gone the man did not feel lost in the darkness, for it was not dark. As the moon above gave him enough light to see the lines painted on the road, see the details in the branches of the trees, the smoke that he puffs out from his lips. To him it was like having a companion to talk to, keeping him company, taking his mind off the fact that it was basically pitch black around him as his eyes adjusted to the moon’s kind and gentle light he exhales, looking back up and taking in its celestial beauty.

But as with everything, nothing lasts forever.

The night was silent and if there was any creature that approached he would be able to hear it instantly but it seems that for some reason the forest around him had shielded the outside world from him as an immediate thunderous roar had leapt out from the trees, scaring him as he stumbled on his back due to his knees giving out in fear. For a split second his eyes had faced the beasts but were blinded by the brightness of their lights, quickly looking away using his arm as a shield.

The ground had trembled and his ears were ringing, his fear had continued as his sight never returned to him for a good lengthy moment.

And once it did, it was because the light of the lamp post had returned.

‘Fuck this…’ He muttered as he pushed himself up from the grass, briskly returning to his bike to scamper away.

Meanwhile the beasts continue to howl in the background.

…

…

…

‘What are you trying to do?’

Val whispered to herself as she chased the car in front of her. She knew well who was the person in front, and she herself doesn’t understand why she was following him earnestly, but something about what was happening keeps her from easily leaving.

She was racing.

And she was racing properly.

The last time she had felt this sensation was back in Japan when she had settled the score with Gloria. But back then she was using a rental, the feeling was almost there, but only just, as she wasn’t with her trusty partner.

Tonight, it was different. The GTR was in her grasp, she wasn’t worrying about any missions, evading any police, and her opponent was just as formidable.

Most importantly, the road was clear.

None of the inhibitions, and all of the incentives. Finally she was able to put her foot down sincerely.

Her heart was racing and the visibility was poor. Everything was pitch black and her lights can only see what was immediately ahead of her that she was using her opponents headlights to see further. She can see the trunks of the trees on the side of the road and how inconsistent the guardrails were in protecting them from it should they err in their driving and in some places where there was a ravine there was none. To her it feels like she was driving in a video game.

Racing on a course that was deliberately designed to up the thrills and danger, when in truth it was just a crudely made highway.

Such is the legend of the Antipolo pass. Formerly known as Marilaque highway.

An infamous pass that crosses the Sierra madre mountain range that shields the whole eastern side of the country from the Pacific. The road used to serve as a major throughway for the people of Metro Manila, the province of Rizal, Laguna and Quezon. Hence the old name.

But over a decade ago the government had built a better, more secure highway that cuts underneath the eastern mountain range, shortening the travel time in half. Rendering the old mountain pass obsolete and in time the name Marilaque was transferred from the old road to the new and it became nothing more than just a mere road that exists in the city of Antipolo, thoughtlessly renaming it as the Antipolo pass.

Nowadays the only people who use these roads are those who live near it, which has steadily diminished, and enthusiasts of speed whether on two wheels or four. And since tonight every car club in the metro has gathered near the bayshore to race;

The full stretch of the road was clear.

…

‘Tsk!’

She clicks her tongue as her GTR seems to be lagging behind. For some inexplicable reason it felt heavy and sluggish which confused her. Only a moment ago the car was feeling nimble despite its weight as she maneuvers around the parking garage with ease but now that the road was long enough to properly put her foot down, the car was unresponsive. She was racking her brains in thinking what could be the cause.

Was it the tires? - But it was new.

Was it the turbo? - J2 had okayed it.

The suspension? - But it was fine a while ago.

-Maybe it was the driver?-

An inner voice echoed within.

Val shakes her head in reply and continues on, gritting her teeth as she does so.

The road was winding but it was fast and every time she tried to catch up to the car in front, the more she could feel her car complain. ‘Was it mechanical?’ She thought as she tried to approach the corner smoothly. Still it complains. ‘Are you damaged?’ She thought again but the problems only appeared when they had gotten here so it was unlikely. She goes back into throwing her car towards the turns and she sees a slight improvement but as soon as the next turn comes up, the advantage vanishes as she sees him ahead a bit further than before.

At this point Val was increasingly getting frustrated as she was visibly getting left behind. She was trying everything in her arsenal of skills to close the gap but nothing was working as the rare sight of an FB RX-7 was starting to fade away. She can feel her blood pressure rising, frustrated that she was about to get bested by a person she despised as her frustration triggers her desperation which lets her throw all caution to the wind.

Val looks at her dash to check her engine temperature. It looked good.

Her hand instinctively travels to a knob labeled ‘Boost’ and switches it on, just like the last leg of the coliseum race.

But this time she didn’t even bother to check how much she unleashed.

All of a sudden all her worries were gone.

The car felt lighter, more nimble, more responsive than ever before. She knows this because she can see him get closer. She was starting to catch up.

But it was false.

The car was harder, more unforgiving. But her mind interpreted it differently. For as long as she could see there was progress, the car felt great. Such is the mind of a racing driver. Her brakes felt lighter as she felt she could stop the car a little later than she used to, but her brakes were slowly fading. Her tires had more grip than before, allowing her to slide for longer and more aggressively, but in truth it had overheated. All of the negatives were starting to appear but because she had now caught up with him it did not feel wrong. It felt right.

And it seems that the driver had noticed as she saw him drive more aggressively.

Suddenly the match had turned from a civilized race into a superheated deathmatch. A match that could rival the ones she had when she raced Gloria one on one. Both parties dropped all concern for their vehicles as they started abusing them.

Abusing the tires;

The suspension;

The brakes…

Even the body as they both trade paint in some corners.

Both were drifting when drifting was required and both used the gutter when the gutter was present. Sparks flew and their tail pipes were burning, anyone who had eyes nearby can easily tell how messy their driving had become.

There was anger in the air, from both sides, and the scream of their engines reflected it. Sadly no one was there to witness this. Only the moon was there, staring, watching, appreciating what was unfolding, and what was about to unfold. Because if the moon had a soul, had a consciousness to think;

It would know, it was only a matter of time.

They sliced and diced around the winding, twisting roads, using every inch of the asphalt to gain a slight advantage against their opponent. The FB in front was starting to drift wherever it pleases as its light body can permit it to slide as a means of scrubbing speed which in turn frustrates the GTR as it counters by finding the best way to launch itself out of the corners, using its never ending source of power to pull it out of slow corners with ease. Both were pushing and pushing and pushing, with neither feeling the screams of their machines. Blinded by whatever demon of the mountain had possessed them, they were oblivious to the desperate cries of help that they would otherwise be sensitive to.

And as they slide, scrape, and grind their machinery…

One of them eventually breaks.

…

…

-BOHF!-

A pop of smoke hits her windscreen as the FB suddenly loses traction in front of the GTR. Val’s reflexes kick into hyperdrive as the world slows to a crawl. She instinctively chose to dodge inside the corner as the FB spins to the outside as it faces her in the middle of its spin. Giving her a glimpse of the driver’s surprised face as they see each other eye to eye for the second time that night. Ash looks back with bewilderment as his eyes meet Val’s and for a split second, resigns himself to his loss before resuming to wrestle the car for control. Val continues on to hug the corner on the inside as her instincts prompts her to shift down a gear to accommodate the slow speed forgetting she had already shifted down before.

Shifting lower into first, when the corner required second gear.

And at the moment she resumes to step on the gas, the power from the engine surges and the gears spin at the limit.

-PANG!-

Not far from where Ash had perished, she herself fell into trouble.

…

…

Ash had gotten out of his car after safely arresting his car on the side of the road. Thankfully he had lost it on a slow corner, giving him enough grip to maneuver the car from the barriers. He checked the state of the exploded tire, it was the left rear that gave way and immediately assessed it was from excessive stress from the drifting as it was clear due to how shredded the tire looked, suggesting that it ripped apart rather than getting punctured. He had just gotten around to the front to pop his trunk when another sickly sounding vehicle parked right in front of him.

It was Val, nursing an R34 GTR that was abnormally steaming from the hood.

‘What happened?’ Ash asked as he popped his trunk to get a spare tire.

‘Turbo failed… Left it on high boost for too long.’ She answered.

‘Huh? How high? It shouldn’t go poof that quickly.’ He responds, putting his hand on his waist, tire iron in hand, curious as to why the part would just fail. ‘We tuned that to handle five bars of pressure for twenty minutes--’

‘I kinda slammed it above that…’

‘Six?’

‘Eight…’

‘Haaaaahhh??!’ Ash dropped the tire iron on his foot as he jumps around on his single good foot trying to nurse his pain as Val just stares at him, chuckling as she shakes her head.

‘EIGHT??? I don’t remember even adding the option?!’ He answered, getting his foot back on the ground after a few moments of pain serving as Val’s amusement.

‘I know, I had it added sometime later… Removed some of the limiters for “just in case” scenarios.’ She said as Ash could only reply a sigh towards Val’s actions.

‘Well it’s your car… anyways… mind helping me get this tire off?’

He responds as he thought it best to move on and get his car back on the road as Val took a deep breath before deciding on her answer.

‘...’

‘What Val?’

‘...’

‘...’

‘Pfff…Fine… where’s the jack?’

‘One sec.’

He goes back towards the trunk to retrieve the heavy chunk of metal and sets it on the ground before rolling it towards her. He stood by watching her pump the car up from behind as she got a workout from the physical labor. For some reason this made Val feel uncomfortable, swiftly glancing back, catching him staring as she gave him a repulsed look.

‘Here. Jack it on your own…. Perv.’ She said in disgust as she hands him the lever for the jack and walked away.

‘Ehhhhhh?!’ He reacts, having no clue what she was thinking. Dismissing her actions as one of those things that “Val” does, rolling his eyes as he lifts the car up.

‘Can you at least get the spare? Please?’ He asked in a forced polite manner but Val just stood still. ‘Pretty please?’ He begged.

‘Ughh…’

Val retrieves the spare from the trunk and rolls it just beside Ash right as he finishes placing the stands on the rear axle of the FB.

‘Tire iron…’ He said, reaching his hand out to Val as she squats beside him, handing over the requested tool.

From this point on, it became unbearably silent.

The two of them were sitting side by side and both became aware of how close the other was. The one who had been mostly affected by this was Val as she had just sat beside him without any thought, like it was the most natural thing to do. Ash, meanwhile, was keeping himself busy but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t aware of her proximity to him as even though they weren’t touching, he can still feel her radiating warmth.

‘...’

‘Uhh… I’ll just… Get the… sp-spare…’ He said in a meek voice as he tried to get a hold of the spare tire within reach. Val, on instinct, reaches out to assist as they both get the spare onto Ash’s grasp, fingers and arms touching, trying their best to pay no attention to it.

But the tension was there.

He finishes installing the spare tire, feeling relieved that he can at least get home limping his car on a spare rather than dragging it behind a tow truck. He stands up and looks at Val who looks back at him as he reaches out his hand to assist. Again, reflex.

He pulls her up, a bit too hard as she stumbles on his chest as the two meet eye to eye, heart to heart, her warmth on his. And suddenly, the chilly mountain air had ceased.

It felt like summer.

…

…

‘Sorry…’ Ash lets go of his grasp on Val’s wrist as she pushes herself away after suddenly realizing how close they were to each other.

‘Yeah… umm.’ She staggers back dusting her clothes off even though she was far from any dust as her eyes dart around, unsure of what should be done. ‘Anyways uhh… It’s uhh… getting kinda late so… And I gotta get the car back. Blown turbo… yeah. So umm…

See yah!’

As Val turned her back around she was pulled back to face Ash, feeling the warmth of his hand wrapping around hers as he looked at her, making her feel like a warm coat had enveloped around her.

‘Wait.’ He declares, Val looks back at him as her tough exterior starts to soften the longer he holds her. ‘I know there are things between us that… that can’t be helped. But at least… Can… Can we talk? Just for a bit.’ He said as he stammered his speech. Val sighs but her soft smile betrays her tone as her gaze trails towards the outlook as Ash follows her gaze to see a single bench and a lamppost, sitting there, waiting for them to use.

‘Fine then. Come with me.’ She said and much to his surprise, she did not let go of his grasp. He pulls him towards the light by the edge of the ravine, only letting go once they were near the fence as she continued on to lean over to get a spectacular view of the city below.

‘I never knew there was a spot like this in this country.’ Ash said as he follows in Val’s footsteps and leans over the metal guardrail to gaze at the Metro’s glory from above.

‘It’s hard to think that all that bullshit is contained inside that pretty place right below us’ Val said with a woeful smile on her face as her eyes reflected the sparkle of the city below.

‘You seem to be in a love-hate relationship with this place.’ Ash replied.

‘It’s not the place really…’ Val responds. ‘It more of the people. They all suck.’

‘Why?’ Ash asked. ‘They seem sweet.’

Val exhales, crossing her arms over the rail to rest her chin on her elbows, blowing the air out her lips as if she was releasing all her pain from within.

‘They are… until you start working with them.’ She answered. ‘Don’t get me wrong Ash. If you’re looking for some friends then you went to the right place… Just don’t start a business.’ She continued as Ash shook his head.

‘And why is that?’

‘It’s cuz they’re incompetent. - - - - - At everything!’ Val complained. Ash looked at her and felt amused at what she had to say, remembering the times when they had first met.

‘You look cute when you do that you know…’ He teased as Val was surprised to hear such a thing out of nowhere. She draws her glare to give him a death stare but when she met his eyes, he was looking fondly at her making her snap back around to avoid his gaze, blushing once her face was out of view.

‘The fuck?!’ She shouts, still keeping her gaze away from him. Ash looks down realizing he might’ve pushed too far but deep inside he could still feel a deep longing for her as he couldn’t help but revert back to how he had always treated her back then.

He sighs as he gathers the strength to say the words.

‘Val. Why did you disappear?’

…

…

‘I…’

Her eyes darted around and as she does, he already readied himself for what was next.

‘I can’t.’

She finds her cue to leave but Ash wasn’t having any of it. He grabs her wrist and pulls her back against the railing, facing him closely as he secures both of his hands on hers to keep her from escaping.

‘Val. Look at me. Why?’

‘I…’

‘What is it? What did I do? What CAN I do? You’re always, ALWAYS like this.

One day you’re hot then the next you’re cold and I don’t understand it.

For god’s sake you can’t even look me in the eye!’

Ash was nearly in tears as Val bit her lip, trying to arrest her emotions at bay but he wasn’t having any of it as he reached out his hand and gently guided her by the cheek so that their eyes could meet. And for a split second, all of her locks and failsafes had been broken.

She regained control of it shortly after as she used her free hand to push him away to prevent herself from further melting. But it was already too late.

The floodgates were out and she was dying to shout. His continuous stare had already eroded her walls and her chest was screaming at her to vanquish her pride.

But alas. A single word.

‘Sorry.’

Immediately she covered her face with her hands as quickly as she had said it, and began breaking down in tears.

Tears because of guilt

And tears because of pain.

As whatever she does, her pride wouldn’t let her and the consequence that followed was that her pain kept squeezing her. The harder her chest had squeezed the harder she cried, and the more she cried the more she felt the pain. Her mind had been completely taken over by this cycle that she didn’t even notice Ash wrapping her around his arms as all she could feel was the squeezing pain inside her chest, mocking her for being a coward, failing to let go of her devilish pride.

Her alter ego.

Her protector.

An entity that she had closely tied to her being, that “it” itself was afraid of being vanquished.

She can feel her conscience mocking her, telling her she was a lost cause, that she was doomed to what she is.

That she’s garbage. “Toxic garbage”

And that because she is, everything she touches will soon become “garbage”

A never ending cycle.

A never ending failure.

And everytime she feels this mockery, her cries intensify. Intense enough that she was gasping for air after every breath, which, coupled with her chest squeezing her, was slowly asphyxiating Val’s breathing. She doesn’t even know what her body was doing as she was already grabbing onto his shirt, subconsciously keeping herself standing.

‘I- I’m S-Sorry…’ She manages to speak in between heavy breaths as she looks at him with tender eyes and for once, he could see a semblance of her soul staring through as she was starting to open her doors to him. He can feel her body had grown weak and her grasp had loosened, enough for him to be the one solely keeping her standing as he eyes the sole bench within arms reach as he sat her down on it, underneath the lamppost.

‘I’m here…’ He said softly as he gently caressed her cheek, her tears had lessened now and her composure was slowly calming. He put his arm around her to let her use his shoulder as a cushion, and she freely obliged, as the both of them stayed in that manner for a few quiet moments as she calmed down and settled her feelings.

The whole area started to liven up the longer they stayed silent, hearing the chirp of the crickets slowly getting louder as the seconds tick by. From Ash’s perspective, it was chaotically peaceful as he enjoys the symphony around him while the cool midnight breeze ruffles his wavy locks as he starts to feel an inkling of drowsiness.

‘Hey.’ Her voice, roughened by her earlier outburst, softly pulls his attention.

‘Yeah?’

‘I just remembered how long it has been since we last gazed at the sky like this.’

‘Too long.’

‘Yeah…’

She dawdles around for a moment before lifting herself up from his comfy shoulder as she finally finds the moment to face him properly.

By now, after everything she had shown him, she didn’t fear looking weak.

‘Listen…’ She breaks her pause, she has his full attention. ‘I was scared. When I started… feeling things.’

She meekly spoke while he kept his gentle eyes at her, patiently waiting for her next words.

‘And it just so happens that I found an out from “that guy” so… in terms of “us” it was inevitable it would end the way it did…’

‘...’

‘So… I was afraid to tell you… both of those things… you know.

Me leaving and me and my feelings…

That I just…

I just…’

‘Left?’

He cuts in to finish what she couldn’t say. She bows her head and bit her lip, and her hand reaches for his grasp, to which he replies by returning a squeeze.

‘I only knew you were out of the country around a week later.’ He said. ‘I only put the pieces years after but, it was strange that old man Asia kept sending me orders exactly during those weeks…

I can’t confirm it but I’m sure it was deliberate.’

‘I’m sure it was.’ She replies with a chuckle.

‘After you left… well… after I realized you had left. Everything felt empty.'

He said as her expression soured after hearing his words.

‘Suddenly I had all this work piling up for me, which should be nice since it indicates that my shop is flourishing, but… I didn’t look forward to it.

All I could think of during those times… were… -What is this for? Why do I have to do this? What is the point?’

She tightens her grasp as he enumerates his woes.

‘Well time passes… and you learn to live on… then I heard a little birdie say that you came back.

But the little birdie was speaking in past tense so… yeah.’

‘Was it Gloria?’

‘A gentleman doesn’t tell’ He said, as she rolled her eyes at his response.

‘At that time I was also afraid.’ She replies after a brief silence.

‘I thought of you and how you would react when seeing me…

I knew you would’ve moved on. And I didn’t want to open an old wound.

So I kept silent, and kept my distance… but I guess it was futile.’

He took a deep breath and laid back his shoulders, he faced the sky seemingly pondering on what to say, and after giving her hand another gentle squeeze, he turned his gaze back at hers.

‘I did move on. But I never forgot you.’

His words had once again melted her walls as tears resurfaced from her eyes, giving him a sweet surprise as she suddenly leapt towards him for a tight embrace, repeating the words “sorry” while she tightened her hold on his body. He leans back to adjusts her hair, again wiping her tears before asking her.

‘How ‘bout you? Have you ever forgotten?’ He asked as She shook her head in response.

‘I tried to…’ She replied. ‘But I couldn’t… Maybe it was guilt? Or something else…

But when the nights got quiet… I find myself always having you on my mind.’

He looks deep into her eyes as she stares back, baring her soul out for him to see, telling him her walls have disappeared and she had allowed herself “to feel”. Steadily but gingerly pulling her towards his warmth as she willingly leans closer, and closer, and closer until the ice around her heart completely evaporates.

It was safe to say that neither of them had returned immediately. As they savored the view of the city below.

On a rare cloudless starless night where only the moon fully shined;

The entirety of the Metro looked like a box of diamonds.

And the only one to witness was a sole celestial in the sky.

[One week later]

[Champworld]

-Knock knock-

‘Come in.’

Denzo double takes as he hears the voice from the other side of the door.

This wasn’t the first time he had heard this tone as it had been going on like this for a week. It was same-ish but it felt different. A bad or weird or uncanny kind of different. The kind of -different- that makes you say “what?” Making you pause in your tracks to think about what you had heard. He couldn’t pinpoint it but he was sure that it was different.

There was something in her way of carrying her words or rather - Herself, that had Denzo scratching his head.

Nonetheless, he wasn’t used to it, shrugging the feeling off from his mind as he opened the door to the office of Valentina Fe.

‘What’s up?’ She said, which again made him internally disturbed as there was an eerie “brightness” to her candor. Not that he was complaining since compared to the usual, he hasn’t received “much” reprimands that week, which was refreshing for him to say the least.

But it was still weird.

‘Uhhhhhhh…. Yeah… yup! About the car you gifted me. What the hell is it?’ Denzo asked, sounding a little annoyed that he couldn't figure out what his reward was. Val replied to him looking just as annoyed, rolling her eyes as she sighs deeply as Denzo braces himself for a loud piercing shout.

‘Follow me.’ She responds as she gets up and walks out of the office, prompting Denzo to follow suit. ‘You didn’t ask J2?’ She follows up with a question.

‘He wouldn’t tell. He said to ask you instead since you bought it.’ Denzo answered as Val snapped her gaze towards J2’s direction and as if telekinesis was used, the man in question suddenly felt a chill in his spine knowing exactly who was looking as he quickly disappeared from the garage to be somewhere else before Val could climb down the flight of stairs.

‘That sly fucker’s testing me…’ She thought, referring to her current mood.

They go straight to the spot where he and J2 had positioned the rust bucket car as Val went directly to the car’s engine bay where she was taken aback by what she saw, or the lack of it.

‘Where the fuck’s the VIN number?!’ Val asks out loud.

‘Yeah both me and J2 had the same dilemma.’ He replied. As Val raised her eyebrow at his response.

‘He did huh? If that’s the case then…’ She held her response as she quickly shifted over to the driver side door to check something near the jamb

‘HAH! That stupid idiot! Denzo, come here.’

She calls him towards her position while pointing at the spot that he was searching for.

‘Remember Denzo. The Vehicle Identification Number on your car will, at the very least, be on three spots.

-On the engine bay

-On the driver’s side B-Pillar (Which is where i’m pointing at)

-And since it’s japanese made - Underneath all body panels.

The last bullet point is your clue.’

‘Hmm…’ Denzo observes the plate by the car’s door as he recognizes the three diamond icons that were printed on the plate.

‘A Mitsubishi Lancer? Ehh? It doesn’t look like one.’ He complained as he finally understood why he couldn’t identify the car’s silhouette since to him it was an ancient model.

‘Well you wouldn’t recognize it since it’s a 76 model. The facelifted one with the bar tail lights.’ Val describes, while Denzo gives her a reluctantly impressed look.

‘How oddly specific, cool… but should I note it?’

‘Of -fucking- course!’ Val responds as Denzo feels the reemergence of the old usual Val, which, thankfully quickly dissipates. ‘Take note on the details I’m saying so you know what parts you’re supposed to be searching for. --goddammit--’ She continues as she prompts Denzo to grab a pen and paper.

‘Anyways… you might not know… since this car is basically ancient but despite its age, this car is fast if you built it properly.

To simply put it, it’s a perfect car for a beginner like you.’ She lectures as Denzo nods studiously, trying to learn more about what had been given to him. Because inside his mind he knew there was something in store for him by fixing this car. As for what it was, he doesn’t know yet but he can sense something from it. A strange pull.

Like there was a voice telling him to drive it.

To set it free.

…

But that is something he’ll have to look forward to in the future.

…

As the hours tick by, everything inside Champworld was looking like business as usual. Although the fact that customers were seldom, Val took it in stride and phrases it as them still warming up to its facilities with each visit, She knew that the facility was still in its infancy with some teething problems that need ironing out, which included her management as she openly admits, but it was still a good sign as she knew that at the very least her garage was attracting some attention.

And just as she was about to close up shop for the day, her phone rings.

‘Val here. S’up Lor?’

‘Val? We need to talk.’

‘Sure, I’m just closing shop. Where you wanna meet? But not anywhere far though. The car’s busted.’

‘Shit… I was hoping we could be a bit far from the metro.’

‘Huh?... Lor what’s wrong?’

‘...’

‘...’

‘Miles is fucking shit up again.’