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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Zaped
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“I opened the bag wider and grabbed another handful of jewels. Camilla watched me with pity. I mean, it was a waste to just throw these expensive jewels away.”
“If you twist your wrist while throwing, you’ll strain it. Just clench your fist and push it forward like this. It’ll go farther. Watch me,” she demonstrated.
I tried her way.
I wasn’t sure if it went farther, but it was definitely easier.
Feeling a bit awkward, I turned up the volume on the news.
“And we have a live call coming in! The caller claims to be from the car we’re chasing. Hello? Hello?”
“Yeah, we’re heading to Districts 17, 18, and 19,” Cassandra replied casually from the front seat.
“Ah, so you’re the ones throwing the jewels? Can you confirm that for our viewers…?”
“I’m throwing,” Cassandra said, and with that, she tossed another handful of jewels into the air.
The sparkling gems floated through the air.
The motorcycle police were good at chases, but they were terrible at crowd control.
The police tried to threaten the crowd with their guns, but with Hampton’s citizens already armed due to the zombie outbreak, a single misfire could have disastrous consequences.
“Step back or we’ll disperse you by force!”
“Screw off! With just one of these stones, we can eat for ten years!”
The police were being mocked and ridiculed.
In the end, it was only the officers themselves who were getting angry.
But Cassandra remained calm. She followed the script I’d given her.
“I understand you’re hunting us as major criminals. Are the hostages safe?”
“The hostages and the jewels are fine. But if you don’t let us go, I’ll blow up the car. The jewels will be destroyed, and so will the hostages. And by the way, the other car has jewels too. Not as many, but still.”
Of course, I had no idea if Cassandra’s accomplices would actually throw jewels.
But it was necessary to create that impression.
That way, the civilians would keep coming, and the police would be hesitant to use force.
With luck, we could escape.
But it would mean taking on a bigger risk.
The anchor asked another question.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I don’t care about the jewels. I just have something to say.”
Cassandra looked at me through the rearview mirror. I nodded.
“…Citizens of Hampton, the police are blocking your way to the jewels. Can you please come a little closer?”
Meanwhile, we had entered District 18.
The anchor tried to ask another question, but Cassandra hung up and threw the phone out the window.
“Aren’t you going to miss it?” I asked.
Cassandra shook her head.
“It’s a government-issued phone with a tracking device. I have another one.”
“I wasn’t talking about the phone. I meant, didn’t you have something else you wanted to say?”
Cassandra nodded slowly, then shook her head again.
“I have a lot to say, but now is not the time. Nothing’s been confirmed yet.”
“I thought you were just a crazy person, but I kind of like you now,” Camilla muttered.
Cassandra seemed a bit pleased, but she quickly returned to her cold demeanor.
“By the way, those jewels are all mine. How are you going to pay me back? Do you know how much they’re worth?”
“It’s cheaper than your life, isn’t it?” Camilla retorted.
I gently pushed Camilla’s leg. She looked at me with annoyance.
“I’ll pay you back, Cassandra. I’ll find a way to get you those jewels.”
“No. I want your body.”
“What?!” Camilla exclaimed.
“Cassandra, you’re crazy!”
“Cassandra is just like everyone else. She’s sick too,” Cassandra said, pointing to the scars on her arm.
“I’ve been experimenting on myself. I’m close to finding a cure, but I’m not there yet.”
I looked at the scars on her arm.
They were from injecting herself.
I had thought they were from being experimented on, but it seemed like she was doing the experiments herself.
“Cassandra, why are you doing this to yourself?”
Camilla stammered.
“Because I have to,” she said simply.
Just then, we heard a motorcycle approaching.
“There she is!”
Virginia, the police captain, was closing in. She aimed her gun.
“Camilla, do something!”
I grabbed a large, metal ornament from the back of the car.
As Virginia drew closer, I threw it out the window. It hit her helmet and she was thrown off balance.
“Cassandra, now!”
Cassandra slammed on the brakes.
The car skidded to a halt, and the motorcycle slammed into the back of our car.
The car lurched violently as the motorcycle slammed into the back. We braced for impact, but the car held.
“We did it!” Camilla exclaimed, relief washing over her face.
“Not yet,” Cassandra warned, her eyes fixed on the rearview mirror.
Virginia, miraculously, had not fallen.
She had somehow managed to maintain her balance on the motorcycle, even after the impact.
She leaned forward, her face a mask of fury.
The visor of her helmet was shattered, revealing a face scarred from the impact.
But there was no sign of slowing down.
“She’s not giving up,” Cassandra said, her voice grim.
Virginia gunned the motorcycle’s engine, the roar deafening.
She gunned the throttle, the motorcycle surging forward.
She was attempting to climb onto the back of their truck.
“No way!” Camilla yelled, grabbing for her own gun.
“Hold on!” Cassandra shouted, bracing herself for the impact.
Virginia, with a terrifying display of agility, managed to leap onto the back of their truck.
The impact sent the truck reeling, throwing them all against their seats.
“Damn it!” Cassandra cursed, struggling to regain control of the vehicle.
Virginia, now perched precariously on the back of the truck, raised her revolver.
“This ends now!” she screamed, firing.
The bullets ripped through the truck’s rear window, shattering the glass.
“Duck!” Cassandra yelled, throwing herself over Camilla, shielding her from the gunfire.
The truck swerved wildly, almost tipping over.
They were trapped, cornered by a determined and ruthless opponent.
The situation had escalated beyond their wildest expectations.
What had started as a desperate escape had turned into a deadly game of cat and mouse.
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