ushernet Chapter 123 The Race (1)
Chapter 123 The Race (1)
The message was from Lisa.
Lisa. Explore more stories at empire
He shot upright so fast, his head smacked against the headboard. "Ow! What the—" he hissed, rubbing the back of his skull. But the pain didn't matter because his eyes were glued to the words on the screen:
[Babe! I'm back in town. You up for the bike race tonight?]
Hugo blinked. Once. Twice. He leaned back, holding the phone at arm's length like it was about to explode.
Then he leaned forward again, squinting, as if the words might change if he looked at them differently.
For a full ten seconds, Hugo just stared at the message. His mouth hung open. His brain short circuited.
"WHAT?!" he yelled, his voice cracking.
He read the message again, and then once more, as if it might magically change. But no—it was real. Lisa was back. She wanted the race. Tonight.
"Tonight?!" he shrieked, his voice going even higher. "She wants to race tonight?!"
His hands trembled as he clutched the phone. His mind was spiraling into overdrive.
'Okay, okay, think, Hugo. She said I had to beat her in a bike race before we could... you know. And she's been gone all week! Now she just shows up and wants a rematch? At night? No warm up, no prep? Who does that?!'
His eyes were bloodshot and his breathing was rough. He looked like half a lunatic.
'But wait. If I win this race, then... doesn't that mean I can complete the mission? And if I complete the mission, I won't die! Holy crap, this is it! This is my chance at survival! My glorious ticket out of doom!'
Hugo's eyes darted to the timer in his vision. [Two hours and forty-nine minutes.]
Two hours and forty minutes until death. This was literally his last chance to live!
His heart skipped a beat. "Oh, no. Oh, crap. Oh, hell no!"
He practically threw his phone in panic before snatching it up again and typing furiously: "Where's the location?"
Her response came almost immediately: "Abandoned airport track. Be there."
He stared at her reply, his heart pounding. His palms were sweaty—though that might've been from gripping the phone like it owed him money.
She was leaning casually against her bike, her white leggings and crop hoodie catching the light in a way that made her look almost angelic.
Her long, dark hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders, and when she glanced up at him, a playful smirk tugged at her lips.
Hugo's pedaling slowed to a stop as he stared, mesmerized. For a moment, everything else faded—the world, the race, even his impending doom.
All he could see was her, standing there like some kind of goddess of speed and beauty.
"Nice of you to show up," she said, her tone teasing.
Hugo's breath hitched. For a moment, all his panic and dread melted away, replaced by a single thought: 'She's so freaking gorgeous!'
Lisa raised an eyebrow. "You planning to stare all night, or are we racing?"
Hugo snapped out of it, his cheeks turning bright red. "Nice to see you too. Also, I was just, uh, mentally preparing."
Lisa laughed, the sound light and musical. "Sure you were." She swung a leg over her bike, her movements fluid and confident. "Ready to lose, Hugo?"
Hugo gritted his teeth, trying to summon every ounce of confidence he had. "Lose? Me? You're dreaming. Tonight, I'm leaving you in the dust!"
She grinned, clearly amused by his bravado. "Big talk. Let's see if you can back it up."
Hugo tightened his grip on the handlebars of his rental bike, his knuckles white. His heart pounded in his chest like a war drum.
'Everything depends on this race,' he thought, his stomach twisting into knots.
He leaned forward, his gaze locked on Lisa. "Let's do this."
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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!