Chapter 1:

Cool winds flow through San Francisco as the clock strikes 3:00 a.m. and the nightly announcement goes off. “The curfew has now passed, Dead Hour is in effect. Lock all doors and turn off lights. Enter subways if unavailable to enter housing. Any citizens out during Dead Hour will be punished severely!” The public service announcement echoes through the empty city.

Engines rumble on the intersection of Sloat and Great Highway. Delinquents, gangsters and street racers gather around with loud chatter and big talk. Three cars line up against each other and shake the ground with their modified engines. All of them with one goal in mind, to become the next Speed Champion of San Francisco.

 As the three street racers get ready, a motorcycle approaches over the horizon. An 18 year old girl strolls in on her red Yamaha YZF-R1. Everyone steps aside as the loud chatter and big talk quickly turns into silence. The presence of this 18 year old shakes the soul of every person at the cold and dark intersection. 

Her white skin looks cold to the touch, the purple wolf cut matches with each of the purple marks in both of her eyes. The purple marks are next to her pupils and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. You can’t look too long because it just might set her off to throw you into the freezing Pacific Ocean. 

The girl slowly walks in front of the three race cars. 

“This is it?” she asks in a cold voice. There are no responses, only shivers of fear. 

“Is this it!?” she yells in a strong voice. 

“Y-yeah, this is everyone who showed up,” one of the drivers says with a cracking voice. 

“Then get this race started! The finish line will be the Cathedral of Saint Mary!” retorts the girl as she got onto her motorcycle. 

A man walks in front of the cars with a black bandanna in his hand. He raises the bandanna in the air and shouts, “Racers, start your engines!” 

A huge vroom comes from the three cars. A Mk4 Supra, an Audi R8 and a Nissan S14 all line up as the pur of their engines gives a strong smell of exhaust. 

“Set!” the man shouts. The racers exchange eye contact with one another while they all shift into gear.

 “GO!”

The cars roar, after leaving a massive burnout on the pavement. The girl starts her motorcycle and sets off after the three cars. All of the cars are neck and neck while they dash across the long straight of the Great Highway. Approaching the road that goes up the cliff, the cars shift down a gear while still neck and neck. 

The R8 takes the lead while entering into the corner. Close behind is the Mk4 in second and the S14 in third. All three cars take the corner beautifully, all of them drifting at the same time. 

Her quick Yamaha takes the corner with ease as the 18 year old stays behind. 

Zooming through Point Lobos Avenue, the racers enter Geary for the long straight that pushes their cars to the limit. With the R8 in first, Supra in second and the S14 in last. 

“The R8 can keep his own, but could never compete with the pros. This race is such a disappointment,” the girl says to herself. 

After the racers passed Park Presidio a strong smell emerged. At first it could be mistaken from the exhaust, but as the racers got deeper into Geary, the smell became stronger. A potent smell of rotting and decomposing that crawled into the nostrils and stung the nasal system. 

Approaching the tunnel on Geary, loud sirens of police cruisers and swat trucks could be heard near the tunnel. “Crap! I hear cops!”, yelled the girl. It was no use yelling to those street racers. They were too focused on winning the race to stop for a bad smell. 

“Christ, we need to stop this race now! We are going to get cau-“ the girl couldn’t finish her sentence. As she crossed Collins St. and Geary, 16,600Ibs of steel crashed into her motorcycle. She was sent flying into Collins street towards the Laurel Hill Playground.

The girl opened her eyes and saw the stars in the night passing by as if they were all shooting stars. She could feel the wind coursing through her clothes as she went flying at such a high speed. Her head became faint from the speed of the hit. 

“Why couldn’t I save them, why am I so damn weak. Goddamnit I thought I could do better.” A faint tear slowly fell from her strange eyes. 

She was ready for the worst feeling to ever experience, until crash! 

Everything went black, she was stopped instantly when her head hit the backseat. As she opened her eyes, stars were glistering everywhere. Once her eye site cleard up the view was unbelivable. 

A point of view from the back seat from what looked like a porsche. The faint outline of the driver, her site tried to make the face of them but couldn’t because they were wearing a hood.

“What the hell?” A boyish voice came from the driver. 

“W-where am I.” She said faintly. 

“My 944 Turbo, guess you’re in for the ride tonight.” The boy responded. 

“What do you mean?” she said as she tried climbing to the front. The girl couldn’t describe what she saw because she didn’t know if it was a hallucination from her crash or real.

A blue light illuminated the driver seat as she tried to look at his face. Just before she could make thought of what she was seeing, the girl was thrown into the back seat. The boy shifted into gear and hammered the gas pedal. Within a tenth of a second the car went from a slow cruising speed to a chess pressing, head rushing speed that could push your eyeballs to the back of your head. 

Her cold white skin turned hot from the blood rush. The feeling of the car being on the ground soon vanished and transcended into a flying sensation that made her feel as quick as lightning. The roar of the revolutions played in her ear like a melody, as the boy sped towards Geary. He shifted into a lower gear and spun the wheel in a flash. 

The boy took a deep breath as the car drifted out of Collins St. The drift was so clean that it made his 944 look like it was on ice. He shifted back into a higher gear and started to speed through all the police cruisers. 

A police cruiser stopped ahead of the Porsche and shouted over the megaphone, “Stop the vehicle! Now!”

The boy pressed on the accelerator.

“Stop your car immediately!”, the police cruiser shouted.

The boy didn’t stop. He shifted into a higher gear, getting closer to the cruiser.

The policeman rolled down the window, a P226 crept out of the police cruiser.

Pow! The gun fired.

Dink! It ricocheted off the Porsche. 

“Stop the car he’s shooting at us!” The girl screamed.

The boy didn’t answer.

“Jesus! He’s going to kill us! Just get out of the way!” The girl yelled again.

The boy responded by accelerating. He stared at the police car, getting closer and closer.

Pow! Pow! The officer shot again. 

The bullets ricocheted off the hood of the Porsche. 

The boy didn’t flinch a single bit. 

As the Porsche approached the cruiser the girl let out a scream.

“It’s all over, I’m going to die!” she yelled

She closed her eyes and thought of the worse. 

The boy shifted down a gear and spun the wheel. The car did a perfect spin around the cruiser as the Porsche entered the tunnel.

The girl opened her eyes and saw a darkness so thick she thought she was dead. She took a breath with her nose and was filled with the worst smell ever. A smell so rancid, so damn vile, it could literally kill someone.

‘Am I in Hell?’ the girl thought to herself. She turned to the boy and the blue glow from his face lit up the inside of the car. The smell vanished when the strange glow lit up the car.

Shortly after entering the tunnel, a huge scream echoed off the walls and almost burst the eardrums of the two kids. The scream was so loud and deep, the only word they could describe it as was demonic.

“WHAT WAS THAT! WHERE THE HELL ARE WE!” The girl demanded a response.

“The tunnel on Geary, It’s Dead Hour so stuff like this kinda appears all over the city. Kinda got used to it.” The strange boy responded.

“HOW IS ANY OF THIS NORMAL TO YOU?!” The girl yelled at the boy.

As they exited the tunnel the boy shifted into a higher gear and accelerated the car. That flying feeling was back. The girl wanted to ask about what happened in the tunnel but she had too much adrenaline going through her to even speak. 

The boy set his eyes on the S14 that was a block ahead. The engine roared and the blue glow from the boy lit up as his car dashed right by the S14 in the blink of an eye. 

‘His 944 is more than a decade older than that S14, the 944 has a stock engine, the S14 has a supercharger. How in the hell did he do that?’ The girl thought to herself.

After the boy passed the S14, he now looked at the Supra with the pure desire to pass him. As he accelerated the girl grabbed onto the handles above the windows. The car felt like a jet soaring through the sky.

When the Porsche caught up with the Mk4, the Mk4 wouldn’t let the Porsche pass. The boy tried passing on the right, the Mk4 moved to the right. When the boy tried passing on the left, the Mk4 went to the left. 

“So that’s how we’re doing this.” the boy said. 

The boy accelerated and got a few centimeters away from the Mk4’s rear. He then turned to the most left part of the street as the two cars approached Divisadero Street.

 When they got to Divisadero and Geary, the boy put the Porsche on the other side of the road so the barrier was blocking Mk4. Then the boy dashed to Geary and Scott then cut to the other side of the street, passing the Mk4. 

The boy then saw the R8 and dashed to meet him at Steiner and Geary. The R8 swerved his car into the Porsche. The inside of the Porsche shook as the car spun out of control.

 The Porsche was dead in the water as the sound of sirens approached their position. The girl reached for the door, when she put her hand on the handle to leave she had a strange feeling. She felt it was wrong to leave the car, like it would be walking away from something big.

“Why are you hesitating?” the boy asked.

“I-I don’t know.” the girl responded.

“I didn’t even get your name stranger.” the boy said.

“It’s Mave, Mave Flyer.” she responded.

“Well Mave, you walk out of this car and you get executed by the military and SFPD.” The boy said.

Mave thought for a second and knew he was right. If she left, they wouldn’t hesitate to shoot her. 

“T-then what are you going to do?” Mave asked with sweat coming down her body and her heart beating faster than she can handle.

“I’m going to finish this race.” The boy responded.

“Really?! What makes you think you can even win this and why do you even care about this dumb race, the police are right there!” Mave said with confusion in her voice.

“Because I’m going to become the Speed Champion of San Francisco. So if I can’t win a small race then what the hell am I doing?” the boy said as thunder rumbled.

“Speed Champion? You realize nobody can become Speed Champ because of Devil’s Chauffeur. Also you will surely die doing something as stupid as that.” Mave said with a laugh. 

“I’m going to become the Speed Champion and if I die trying, that’s fine by me.” The boy responded as he started up the Porsche. Thunder rumbled again. 

“Now, I have a race to win.” the boy said in a serious tone. 

He shifted into gear and stepped on the accelerator. The car did a donut as he sped towards the R8. That flying sensation turned into a pure adrenaline rushing and heart pumping feeling. As if the car had turned into a rocket. The boy stared at the R8 with one thought, I will win. 

The Porsche lit up with the blue glow as it passed block after block, the roar of his engine echoed through the city as the beast on wheels made its way to the R8. 

‘THIS IS NOT HUMAN!’ Mave screamed in her head while she held on for dear life. 

Mave didn’t say a word, she saw this boy, that she didn’t even know the name of, fly through Geary and pull off stunts that would make a professional faint. 

When the Porsche got on the side with the R8 in half of a second, they were only a block away from St. Mary’s. The boy stares at the R8 driver with a look so cold it made the driver of the R8 shiver. 

The R8 tried swerving into the Porsche again. Mave saw the R8 a couple centimeters away from the car and before she could even scream, the boy acted on it. In one tenth of a second the boy swung the back of the car away from the R8. He did a spin move, juking out the R8. The R8 spun out of control, missing the Porsche. 

The boy passed St. Mary’s with ease, winning the race. The boy then went down Starr King Way, going at top speed. He drifted onto Franklin and sped through three blocks, drifting onto turk. He then drifted into the small two lane road that led into a parking lot. 

“We lost the cops.” said the boy

“Thank God.” Mave said as she reached for the door. Mave got outside the car and threw up. She dropped to her knees trying to catch her breath. The boy left the car and handed Mave a bottle of water. 

“Where did you learn to drive like that?” Mave asked

“Someone very special.” The boy answered as he leaned on the car and looked towards the moon. The full moon shone brightly over the city, glistening like a jewl.

“Y-you said you wanted to become the Speed Champion.” Mave said with shivers.

“That’s right.” said the boy. 

“If you become Speed Champion, will you stop Devil’s Chauffeur?” Mave asked as she stood up. 

“Whatever it takes.” the boy said with a cold stare. 

“Then let me help you.”

“How are you going to do that?” the boy asked. 

“I’m a mechanic. Best in the city.” Mave said with confidence in her voice. 

The boy let out a small laugh, “I wouldn’t have anything less on my team.” 

“Just one thing, who are you?” Mave asked

The boy removed his hood, revealing his face. He had long spiked hair that was kept up with a headband, lightning bolt earrings on his ears that dangled and two blue stripes on each of his cheeks that glowed as he said his name. 

“I’m Cosmo V. Veloche. I’m going to be the Speed Champion of San Francisco.” Cosmo said as a violent rumble of thunder shook the ground. 

END OF CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

After the race, Cosmo and Mave drove to Cosmo’s hide out spot on Treasure Island, where he sleeps and keeps his 944. It was an abandoned factory where rodents, pests and unwanted things were brought to be forgotten. 

‘Jesus this place is a train wreck!’ Mave thought to herself as she opened the door. 

Mave didn’t want to say anything rude, so she just decided to stay silent about the colossal mess that stood in front of her. She wanted to focus on tuning the 944 and making it faster. 

Cosmo jumped into his bed as a cat crawled onto his chest and rested. He was about to fall asleep until Mave shook him awake. 

“What’s the big deal?” Cosmo asked with his eyes half open. 

“If we want to beat Devil’s Chauffeur we need to have a plan. I think we should-“ 

“You said his name again.” Cosmo interrupts Mave. 

“What?” Mave asked. 

“Devil’s Chauffeur. Who is that guy?” Cosmo said with confusion on his face. 

“Devil’s Chauffeur? The Dead Hour King? Ruler of 10,000 men?” Mave refused to believe that Cosmo didn’t know. 

“Nope. Doesn’t ring a bell.” Cosmo said as he opened a cold beer. 

“Cosmo, this man is one of the greatest drivers to ever live. He became Speed Champion 17 years ago and ever since then nobody could beat him. DC stands over San Francisco and uses it as a playground. This man is so powerful that his presence shakes the ground and the heart of any driver. He isn’t even considered human.” Mave described him with her heart pumping and hands shaking. 

Cosmo put his beer down and looked at Mave with a smile and a small glow from his cheek marks. 

“Now you have me interested. Let’s race this guy.” Cosmo said as he walked towards the 944. 

“Not so fast.” Mave grabbed Cosmo by his hood. 

“We can’t just race the most feared driver in history. First of all it’s just you and me, how can we take that guy on by ourselves? He has cronies all over the city and not to mention his best men, the four horsemen.” Mave trying to bring Cosmo to some sense. 

“Couldn’t I just beat him in a race?” Cosmo asked.

“Although you are an amazing driver, you’re nowhere near his level. He has mastered a power that only the best of drivers could possess.” Mave said as she sat down. 

“Wow, what power?” Cosmo’s eyes lit up like a puppy. 

“It’s called spirit, I’ve never seen it before but it’s rumored to make a car do things that are unimaginable.” 

Cosmo’s face lit up with excitement. 

“Then let’s learn spirit!” Cosmo jumped high in the air like a little kid. 

“Christ, how old are you?” Mave looked at him with a grin.

“17!”

Mave let out a gasp and covered her mouth. She stood up and walked towards the 944. The mood of the room changed from a cheerful setting to a quiet one that had Mave worried. 

“What’s up?” Cosmo asked

“N-nothing.” Mave said, trying to find a way to shift the conversation. 

“How can you learn spirit? We don’t have anyone who could teach you.” Mave told Cosmo. 

“Then let’s find someone! When’s the next Dead Hour race?”

“This saturday, so one week from now.” Mave said while she looked to the ground. 

“Alright we have a week to get a teacher and fix up the car! How about we get some sleep.” Cosmo suggested as he fell into bed. 

“Cosmo, I still have more questions.” Mave said. 

“Like what?” he said with his face on his pillow. 

“What was in that tunnel on Geary?”

“Dunno.”

Mave gave a frustrated look and asked her next question. 

“You said someone very special taught you to drive like that. Who was it?” Mave said with her heart pumping. 

“I’ll tell you later, I’m tired.”

“Ok, goodnight.” Mave said as she went to the back of the Porsche to sleep.

She looked at the ceiling of the 944 while she closed her eyes. Mave tried to get some sleep with a worrisome feeling she tried to hide from Cosmo. 

Meanwhile, Cosmo fell into a dream about his past. 

Cosmo could still smell the tires and the motor oil from the motorcycles at the old garage where he grew up. An 8 year old Cosmo was filled with tiredness and fatigue as he completed the 500th lap in his little go-cart. 

“Again!” a man yelled. 

Cosmo lifted his goggles that were covered in mud and grime from the dirt track. 

“But old man Ferrari! It’s getting cold and dark! I’m so tired I can barely keep straight.”

“Cosmo, we aren’t leaving until you get the perfect lap! Now get back to the track!” Old man Ferrari yelled again. 

“You‘re such an annoying old man!” Cosmo yelled as he started up the go-cart. 

When Cosmo got the perfect lap he sat with Old Man Ferrari as they watched the sunset and talked.

“When do I get to stop practicing?” Cosmo asked. 

“Well you never stop practicing, Cosmo.” Ferrari said as he lit his cigar. 

“If I’m the best then I won’t have to practice at all!” Cosmo yelled. 

“Oh really?” Ferrari said with a grin. 

“Yeah! I won’t have to listen to anyone and everyone will have to respect me and stop looking down on me!” Cosmo proclaimed to the setting sun. 

“And why’s that?” Ferrari asked

“Because I’m going to be the Speed Champion!” 

Ferrari reached for Cosmo’s headband and untied it. Cosmo’s hair covered his eyes. 

“Why is it so dark?! Hey, give me my headband back!” Cosmo yelled, fighting for his headband.

“How can you become Speed Champion? A little cry baby like you can’t be Speed Champion!” Ferrari said as he played with Cosmo. 

When little Cosmo fell asleep, Ferrari tucked him into bed. 

“Cosmo the only reason why I’m tough on you is because I want to see your dreams come true. You’re the only one that can make things right in this city.” Ferrari said while he turned off the lights. 

The next day

“Ferrari! Cosmo is in trouble!” one of Ferrari’s men ran into his office and slammed open the door. 

“What’s wrong?!” Ferrari yelled as he stood up from his chair. 

“What do you want with Old Man Ferrari!” Cosmo yelled at a tall man that was holding the 8 year old from the ground. 

Ferrari stepped outside and his face turned serious. 

“Put the boy down!” Ferrari yelled at the man. 

The man put Cosmo down and looked at Ferrari. He was 6 foot and 5 inches, wearing a long black coat. His hair was red and took the shape of a star. There were so many scars on his face that one look would make you tremble. 

“Ferrari, we need to discuss something.” the strange man said. 

“Nuh-uh, if you have a problem with Old Man Ferrari, you have a problem with me!” Cosmo stood in front of the man with his arms crossed trying to look tough. 

“Cosmo, get over here.” Old Man Ferrari said.

“But-“ 

“Get inside Cosmo, last time.” Old Man Ferrari said with a serious tone. 

Cosmo went inside and watched from the window with the rest of Ferrari’s men. Cosmo couldn’t tell what they were talking about. All he saw was Old Man Ferrari get into a car and drive away. Cosmo never saw him again. 

After that, Cosmo trained everyday, trying to live out his dream. He never forgot about that day. When he lost the man who taught him how to race. 

When the two kids woke up, Cosmo told Mave about everything. His dream, Old Man Ferrari and never meeting his parents. 

Across the week the team was unsuccessful in finding a spirit teacher. When Saturday came by the kids decided to go to the race anyway. Not knowing what was waiting for them there. 

The kids drove into Mount Sutro and parked at the summit, where the race was. Mave wanted to prepare Cosmo for the race. She told him everything about this course. It was a downhill course, mostly dirt roads, requiring expert rally driving and the exit was the intersection of Lawton and 7th Street. Mave had a feeling of fear and wouldn’t get out of the car. Cosmo stayed with her and tried to memorize the course. 

“I don’t even know who is racing tonight. I hope you’re ready, this could get ugly.” Mave said with her arms crossed. 

“Relax, I’m going to do my best. Let’s just see who comes in for the race.” Cosmo trying to calm down Mave. 

Some time passed and only a few drivers came in. Cosmo pulled his 944 into the starting line as the clock turned 2:58am. He looked through the windshield and took in the nature around him. Something about this mountain gave Cosmo a cool chill to the fire burning in his heart. He could sit, breathe and keep in pace with the movements of nature. 

The boy released his hand from the tight grip of stress. Meditation was something foreign to Cosmo, a life of racing and adrenaline was all he knew. He closed his eyes, thinking of nothing but feeling everything. Cosmo saw Mave’s anxiety bubbling up like a hot pot, he felt the tall trees wave as the cool wind of the bay passed through it, he heard all the little animals of the forest moving and tasted the dust from the dirt road.

A wind of somber blew away the soft peace. The big hand of Mave’s watch hit three o’clock. Cosmo’s eyes shot open. He faced forward as the wind of somber blew through his heart strings, playing a song of hysteria. His brain created a violent sea of thoughts and emotion, forming a visible anxiousness on his face. The anxiety was a gas stove to the flame in his heart. What was anxiety and confusion changed to curiosity and wonder.

‘What are you?’ Cosmo asked, the glow from his marks shined as he pondered through his thoughts.

From the horizon came the sound of mass migration, crows cawing, wings flapping. Nobody’s interest was taken by the sound, loud mouth thugs interacted with hardcore gangsters. A crowd full of men, familiar with death, stood around the cars. Slowly, the moonlight began to disappear and a loud flapping noise appeared. Darkness swallowed the starting line and the crowd looked up. The gangsters gasped as thousands of crows rained from the black sky. Crows landed simultaneously on the confused crowd. One by one, the crows flapped their wings and cawed together. They sang their song of gloom and terror for the storm of darkness approaching. Shivers shook the spines of all the men, the feeling of something behind them, gave rise to mass paranoia.

The horrifying cacophony struck Mave’s soul with a cold chill. She sat in her seat and gazed upon the madness around her. Her hand gripped the car door tightly, trying to make thought of what she was seeing. However, her confusion came to an end when the realization hit her. A single thought of it, made her eyes weep uncontrollably.

Covered in fear, Mave looked to Cosmo for comfort but what she saw surprised her. Her eyes were gaping so much that the strange purple marks next to her pupils began to expand. She lost her breath when she saw the grin on Cosmo’s face stretching from cheek to cheek.

Cosmo’s devious smile sent a chill through Mave’s spine. She couldn’t think of anything that could’ve made him smile that hard. Until another realization hit her.

“Cosmo, there is no way. This could be the end for the both of us.” Mave said with worry in her voice. 

He looked through the windshield and said in a joyous voice, “Whatever’s coming. Better hurry it’s ass up!”

Mave just put her head down to her thighs and reapetadly said, “Oh God, oh my dear God!”

 His excitement was stirring like a volcano, ready to erupt at any moment. His arms were shaking and his heart pumping. His mark’s glow was reflecting off the windshield, creating a slight blue illumination to the dark car. 

The sound of the crows and the screams frightened souls abruptly ceased when a deep ear-shattering roar filled the mountainside. A roar that resembled the sound of a cougar establishing its dominance, petrified all who were at the starting line.

There was a huge hush all around the starting line. Chilling was the silence around him while everyone stood still. Including Mave, who sat with her jaw dropped to the ground, arms to her sides and her white skin covered in goosebumps.

The silence was enough for Cosmo to feel nature again. He let out a deep breath from his lungs that he held in from all the excitement. The hairs on Cosmo’s right arm suddenly stood up as he felt a ghastly wave of energy come from the forest. A feeling of lonesome with the emptiness of loss generated by a quick movement as if it passed by on a rocket. 

Cosmo turned his head to the right, giving attention to the feeling. Before Cosmo could address what he felt from his right there came another roar, this one more ungodly than the last. A sound so piercing it made eardrums bleed. People tried to run but the ground shook them to their knees. It was getting closer, Cosmo felt the darkness coming ever so closer.

Cosmo looked ahead and saw a glint from the road ahead of him. Upon seeing it, Cosmo was filled with a slight exhilaration setting off a lightning bolt in his heart. The people noticed the glint and stood petrified. Mave started to calm down, the situation she found herself in brought her to a slight acceptance of the circomstances. She could let out a breath. 

While the mysterious glint approached the starting line, the thousands of crows turned to its direction in perfect unison. The crows pointed all their heads up at the moon and began to caw. Their caws turned to an eerie symphony that filled the mountainside in an even more sinister tone. The motionless crowd was just silent in the freezing wind.

When the crows stopped singing, a loud growling came from the glint. The men started yelling, “Is it a demon?!” others yelled, “It’s a wild beast!”

Mave put a stern look on her face. Her heart quaked and fists clenched as she said, “That’s not a demon, it’s a man. He does have the strength and speed of one though.”

“So all the crows and roars are from him?!” Cosmo said with the excitement of a little kid. 

“It’s what happens before he comes to any race, his power is enough to scare life from miles away. His spirit has enough power to cause an earthquake. And he is one of Devil Chauffeur’s top men. He drives a car that’s presence scares racers from all over the bay.” Her thoughts put her mental health in a dark void of fear.

“Who is he?” Cosmo asked as his marks shined. 

“Il Corvo. One of Devil Chauffeur’s Black Knights.” 

“Il-what?” Cosmo said with his eyebrows crossed.

“Il Corvo, it means The Crow in italian. He has to be one of the greatest drivers to walk the earth. What the hell is he doing here?” Mave said as she tried not to shake in her seat.

Then from the strange glow came a growl that called out to the starting line. “He has arrived,” the other drivers said to themselves. A growl like a tiger rolled closer to the starting line. The growling became louder as it turned to an idle. Fear spread to the different drivers as the lights became brighter. Its headlights shot out a bright ray and lit up a path to the starting line. Crows covered every inch of the car as it rolled through a spooky white smoke. They all cawed together, introducing their master. 

The crow covered car stopped in front of the other cars at the starting line. The crowd stood frozen in shock. 

Cosmo stared right through all the crows. He felt the pure power radiating from the driver. His muscles became tense from excitement and the smile on his face stretched across his cheeks. 

‘What the hell is taking so long!’ he said with excitement boiling in him. 

Mave grabbed his arm and said, “Cosmo, The Black Knights of Devil Chauffeur are considered the most powerful beings ever known. Racing this guy would be suicide!” 

Sitting in front of Il Corvo sent ambition through his veins. He turned and saw Mave’s hand on his arm. Cosmo slowly looked up at Mave’s mysterious eyes and said, “If I’m not willing to risk everything, I should just walk away.” 

Mave pushed herself back in shock of what Cosmo said. Her body became weak and her head washed away the negative thoughts. She didn’t respond to Cosmo, instead her eyes closed by themselves and her mind brought her somewhere else. 

Her eyes opened, she felt the soft sands of Linda Mar Beach on her feet. Sunlight blinded her eyes and warmed her wet skin. Her purple hair was soaked in salt water and felt cool on her back. Her shoulders rested as she took in a deep breath of the ocean breeze. Her nerves were more still than ever, fear had left her heart. 

In the distance she saw two figures running towards her, a man and a woman. “Mave! You did it!” the woman yelled out. 

“My little girl surfed a barrel! A barrel!” the man cried out in joy. 

Mave took the surfboard’s leash off her ankle. She smiled and laughed as she ran to them with open arms. Her heart was filled with happiness and love. She kicked up sand as she jumped into the arms of the two figures. 

“You’re ok! It was just a nightmare! A nightmare!” Mave cried to them in pure happiness.

She landed hard on a cold surface. Mave looked around and recognized the old furniture of the house she used to live in. The room was full of darkness and a freezing breeze. The only light in the room was a lit candelabra, its gold paint was chipped and worn from time. The base was covered in a dark red liquid and poured down from the fireplace. 

The sound of blood dripping from the fireplace gave her body goosebumps. However, the sight brought Mave to her knees and gave a sickness in her stomach. The vintage Victorian wallpaper was stained with dark cold blood and the glass on the big window was broken. Blood seeped through the dark brown floorboards and poured to the basement. 

The ground she sat on was drenched in the tears from the strange purple marks in her eyes. A stench similar to the rotting flesh smell at the Geary tunnel crept through her nasal system. Fear turned her skin to a pearly white and made her body shiver uncontrollably. 

A sudden wind blew through her back and put out the fire from the candelabra. The powerful wind hushed all the sound in the room. Mave looked down and saw a faint shadow of a man on the floorboards. 

“You weren’t strong enough.” A deep chilling voice whispered in her ear.

Mave gasped when the feeling of falling out of a dream made her body jump from the car seat. She sat back in her seat completely stunned as tears fell from her eyes. 

“What the hell.” she said wiping the tears away.

Mave turned to Cosmo to tell him they were not going to race. However, Cosmo wasn’t in his seat, the driver side door was open. She was shocked and began scanning the environment around her. When she found him, a bolt of fear went through her.

Cosmo stood tall with a high head. The crow covered car sat in front of him, revving its engine. The engine shook the tall trees and brought the crowd to the ground. It rumbled the earth with pure fury. Cosmo stayed planted to the ground and gave a cold glare to the car. Everyone whispered amongst themselves, questioning what Cosmo was doing.

“Cosmo! Get your dumbass in here!” Mave screamed as she hid under the dashboard and locked all the doors.

Cosmo didn’t respond, he kept glaring at the ominous car. All the crows looked back at Cosmo as if they were trying to tell him to move. So Il Corvo revved his engine again, more powerful than the last time. The shaking was so intense, people flew up in the air. Small trees fell to the ground. Cracks began to form on the earth. 

However, Cosmo stayed firmly planted to the ground and just kept giving a cold look through the crows. This time Il Corvo hits the gas pedal hard. An enormous 20 foot flame exits the exhaust pipe and illuminates the entire starting line in orange light. Ginormous cracks erupt out the ground as a thunderous roar rocks the mountain side. Cracks spread across the starting line and open the earth. Trees the size of buildings collapse into pieces as the cracks swallow them into the ground. The ground violently swayed side to side as it threw people into the dark forest. The sound of nature crashing against itself made eardrums explode. Mave lets out a terrifying scream as she holds on for dear life. 

In an instant the rumbling ceased, the ground stood completely still. Silence plagued the starting line. The chilling growl from Il Corvo’s engine echoed through the forest. Mave slowly climbed up from underneath the dashboard. Her body was in shambles and her head was dizzy from the massive earthquake. But she tried to keep herself together to find Cosmo. Mave then went to look out the window but her view was blocked by a dense dust cloud that covered over a mile. 

“Where the hell is he?” Mave said as she sat in her seat. She looked all over the starting line and couldn’t spot Cosmo anywhere. Mave let out a sigh. Her body felt a twitch as she turned her attention to the left. The dust cloud quickly dispersed and revealed Cosmo. Mave’s jaw dropped, her body froze as chills climbed up her back.

A crater formed underneath him as steam rose up from the ground. His legs were slightly shaking and his clothes were covered in dust. His jacket was covered in scratches and dirt. Blue glow came from his marks but the fire in his eyes glowed brighter. Cosmo was a statue planted to the ground with the smile of a little kid. Everything around Cosmo and the car was destroyed except the ground they stood on. 

The flock of crows sitting on Il Corvo’s car began to caw. In complete synchrony, all the crows jumped from the car, unveiling the midnight black paint shining like a jewel in the moonlight. Both his windshield and the silver rims dazzled in the light. Standing in front of the sparkling 1990 Corvette ZR1, Cosmo couldn’t help noticing the strange white racing stripe on the hood and roof. Its wavy pattern went from the roof down to the hood of the car. A strange feeling in his gut rumbled as he stared at the strange line.

Cosmo’s attention shifted in the blink of an eye to the driver’s side. The sound of the Corvette’s door opening sent the whole crowd into hiding. The door was wide open, with ominous black smoke creeping from the inside. A black glove came from the car and gripped the window. Slowly a black figure climbed to the outside, until his entire 7 foot body stood outside the car. 

Il Corvo’s black trench coat stretched all the way down to his black loafers as the buttons shined like diamonds. His face was covered by an old, early 20th century oprah mask, half gold, half silver. His enormous body standing next to his small sports car gave an eerie image to Cosmo. Il Corvo closed the door and began to move towards Cosmo. Cosmo couldn’t see his leg movements, the man floated like a ghost. 

Il Corvo’s massive body cast a shadow over Cosmo, the man towering over Cosmo like a skyscraper sent fear through Mave’s body. Cosmo looked up and saw the man’s cold, lifeless, white eyes shoot a frightening stare down to his soul. Every breath he took in, felt as if a massive vacuum was sucking the air from the world. And when he breathed out a deep growl from his breath rattled the ground and created a wave of shivers across the crowd. Anger in his deep voice spread silence throughout the starting line as he said to Cosmo, “What are you playing, boy?”

Cosmo looked straight up to Il Corvo’s shiny mask. The anger in the man’s lifeless eyes sent excitement through Cosmo’s veins. Playing with the wrath of a god, gave Cosmo a chilling chuckle through his thrilling smile. 

“If I was playing, I would be racing with the Devil Chauffeur. This isn’t even enough to call a warm up.” Cosmo said in a cocky voice as he smiled at Il Corvo. Il Corvo just let out a deep breath on Cosmo. 

Il Corvo’s breath was a gust of wind blowing through Cosmo’s hair as his lightning bolt earrings flew in the air. In a deep and angered voice, Il Corvo said, “Get in your car, boy.”

“How ‘bout a mint for that stanky breath..” Cosmo said as he waved his hand in front of his nose. 

“I told you to move boy, now get out of the way!” Il Corvo’s frustration created a tremor. Cosmo didn’t move, he kept smiling up at the Black Knight. 

“I just wanted to look at the man who’s ass I’m gonna kick.” Cosmo said as he began to walk away from Il Corvo. 

“Was that so hard to do?” Il Corvo said to Cosmo’s back. 

Cosmo turned around. He stared at Il Corvo’s empty eyes and told him, “I’m going to go on that track, so I can beat you. I just wanted to see your face before I did.”

Il Corvo stayed in front of his car, frozen in place. His black loafers became dirty from the mud he was standing on. Il Corvo’s tall trench coat swaying in the wind as his headlights shined behind him gave a cold image to the cowering men that saw him.

As Cosmo walked to his car, he saw Mave in the passenger seat. She had her head down to hide from Il Corvo. When Cosmo grabbed the handle to open the door, she jumped from her seat.

Cosmo opened the door and sat down in his driver seat. Mave hit Cosmo on the back of the head. The force of the hit sent Cosmo face first into his horn and the car let out a small beep. 

“What the hell was that for?!” Cosmo yelled at Mave as he grabbed the back of his head. 

“Are you trying to kill me?!” Mave screamed in a voice full of anger. 

“That guy you just had a little conversation with knows me! If he tells Devil Chauffeur that he saw me with you…” 

‘What? What’s gonna happen? He is more worried about me than anything.” Cosmo said as he cut off Mave mid sentence.

“How do you know that?” Mave gave a look to Cosmo as she questioned him.

“Look at that weirdo! Just standing there like some cracked up moron.” Cosmo pointed to Il Corvo as he laughed. 

“Still why the hell would you do something as stupid as that!?” Mave’s face turned red as she screamed at him. 

“I just wanted to see what he looked like. And if that dramatic entrance was just for show.”

Mave looked at Cosmo with a face of confusion. She struggled to understand the reasoning behind his ridiculous behavior. To her it seems Cosmo does the complete opposite of what anyone would do in a situation. 

Her thought process stopped when a man in all black walked towards the starting line. Racers saw the man and hastily prepared themselves for the race. The slowness of the man’s walk boiled anxiety in the racers’ minds. The black bandanna on his belt waving in the wind felt like a calling to the eager drivers sitting on the starting line.  

He stopped his slow walk twenty feet from the cars. His legs slowly spread apart. The strong, open stance resembled a cowboy ready for a standoff. The top half of his face was covered by the bill of his black baseball cap. Wind passed by his body as the moonlight shined a spotlight upon him. Trees waved behind while the wind picked up dust and leaves from the ground. 

Cosmo had a strange feeling in his gut when he looked at the mysterious man standing as the dust and leaves orbited around him.  In a quick motion, the man snatched the bandanna from his belt and raised it high above his head. Then, the wind died down whilst an immediate silence set upon the starting line. Leaves slowly fell to the ground as the dust cleared. Moonlight illuminated the forest around the cars. 

“Drivers!” The man shouted. The attentive drivers clenched to their steering wheels.

“Start your engines!” His voice echoed off the trees when the drivers all turned their keys. One by one, a rumble of power came from all the cars. All the different exhausts shouting like a pack of wolves howling at the moon. 

“Ready!” He screamed.

Mave looked at the man with an odd feeling in her stomach. ‘He shows up to every dead hour race to start it, then leaves without a single trace.’ She said to herself. Mave leaned forward to get a better view of him. 

Slowly, the bill of the man’s cap peaked up. As it revealed his disturbing eyes. Mave’s breath was taken by surprise when she saw that the man didn’t have pupils. In an instant, Mave felt her sanity blow away when the man’s eyes stared back at her. Everything around her turned to black as the sounds of the starting line left. 

“What the hell?!” she yelled in confusion. She looked all around her and couldn’t see anything. The air around her dropped to a freezing temperature. Mave began to panic as she frantically tried to get out of the darkness. Running in multiple directions, looking for a way out. 

Her soul left her body as the feeling of a cold, bony hand grabbed her ankle. She slipped and fell face first onto the ground. The hand instantly pulled her away. Mave was dragged away at an incredible speed as she screamed and cried for help. She stopped in an instant. 

Mave got up from the ground and looked around at the same dark room from her dream. She became confused and depressed, ‘Why?! Why do I keep going back here!?” Tears left her eyes while she screamed in agony. Chains erupted from the ground and broke the blood stained floor boards. Mave looked up at them as she tried to get away. The chains grabbed her and wrapped around her body. They threw Mave to the ground so hard it cracked the wood. Her shirt soaked up blood from the floor. She cried and cried as the metal around her body became frozen. 

Two cold hands gripped her shoulders tightly. The hands lifted her up from the ground while she continued to scream in pain. The cold hands then threw her to the source of blood. 

“STOP IT! PLEASE STOP!!” She screamed in immense pain while the tears from her eyes poured down. Mave kept her eyes shut and tried to look away. 

“Open your eyes.” A deep voice said to her. 

“FUCK OFF! GET AWAY! STOP IT!” She screamed. 

“OPEN YOUR EYES!!” The horrifying voice pierced her eardrums and shattered all the windows in the room. A strong force moved Mave’s head forward and forced open her eyes. 

The two lifeless bodies of Mave’s parents leaned against the wall with their eyes wide open. Their bodies had been mangled and twisted, blood covered every part of their corpses. Bones pierced their skin as the enormous cuts exposed their organs. 

Mave felt her entire heart stop. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Words didn’t make sense to her and thoughts felt like nothing. A drop of blood hit her face. She slowly looked up. Blood began to pour from the ceiling. Mave became covered in red. The room began to fill up with blood. Mave continued to sob uncontrollably. 

Human mouths began to sprout from the walls. They shouted at Mave. 

“IT’S YOUR FAULT!”

“YOU DID THIS!”

“YOUR PARENTS WENT TO HELL BECAUSE OF YOU!”

“YOU’RE A WEAK BITCH!”

“YOU WEREN’T STRONG ENOUGH AND YOU NEVER WILL BE!”

“BURN IN HELL CUNT!”

“KILL YOURSELF!”

Mave tried to scream but the blood from the ceiling filled the entire room. She couldn’t breathe at all. Her body twitched and squirmed, trying to break free from the chains. Mave looked beneath her. She saw knives, thousands of knives, float towards her. Mave rustled and moved faster, trying to break free from the frozen chains around her body. The knives flew to her and pierced her skin. Thousands of knives thrusted into her body. As much as she tried, nothing broke her free. The incredible pain made her body numb.

Then, the chains untethered from Mave. She then dropped to a cold ground. Her body became soaked in sweat from a burning temperature. Mave looked around and saw the same darkness from before. 

Her body dropped to the ground as tears fell from her face. “What the fuck?! Why is this happening to me?!” Mave cried out. 

A circle of orange fire lit up around mave and pushed the darkness away. Mave’s eyes became blinded from the light. She got up and looked in front of her. 

A 7 foot tall figure stood in front of the flames. The incredibly tall figure stood like he was impenetrable. Darkness covered him and made an outline of his insanely large body. Long strands of hair sprouted up from his head. His broad shoulders spread out from his body. A long black trench coat covered him. 

The man looked down at Mave and said with a deep voice,

“Mave, you will never feel love again. Everything about you is disgusting and the only thing you are useful for is nothing. You really should do the world a favor and-“ 

“Like I give a shit. Nothing I do would even come close to the kind of monstrosity you are. Guess what, I’m going to make it my life’s mission to stop you. So enjoy the rest of your miserable life before I end it for you!” Mave yelled at the man. 

After she said those words, a cool air filled her lungs. The burning heat vanished as she felt her body fall out of the darkness. Her body jolted awake.