Chapter 13 -- Don't Do This To Daddy

Zed installed the bottles in his dashboard bar and picked one bottle on random to inaugurate the new bar.

"Cheers!" he raised to bottle of Marilyn who was already putting on her seatbelt.

Zed turned to look at her and saw a shadow loom on her side of the car. He saw the hammer swing and take off Marilyn's head along with a big chunk of metal from his car's side. Her head struck the back seat and sparks fizzed out of her neck.

An angry Krazkaf appeared in the hole left by the broken side of car.

"Zed," he growled, "you're dead."

Zed was frozen in that moment. Things were happening too fast for him to catch up. Then Marilyn's disembodied voice spoke from the back seat.

"Drive."

Krazkaf swung back the hammer for another strike and this one was aimed at Zed's head. But the car was moving by then and Krazkaf's hammer only struck the trunk of Zed's car. The car lurched for a second, but then it picked up speed and Zed was out of the parking lot.

"Marilyn," he said to the head, "you ok back there."

"No, I just got beheaded. I am not ok. I won't be able to guide you for long in this state. Drive where I tell you to. We need to find The Engineer."

"Shit, I am so sorry for this Marilyn. I should've moved sooner."

"Shut up and drive Zed. We don't have enough time. The race will start in a day's time."

Zed drove as guided by Marilyn through the strange landscape around him. Few times he felt her voice grow weaker and he had to strain to hear her. Then she told him to drive straight as far as he could, and her voice shut down completely. The sky slowly darkened all around Zed as he drove all alone on the road that went on till who knew where. Then his car lurched again. It sputtered and coughed like a sick, old man.

"No, no baby, don't do this to daddy."

Then the car stopped completely in the middle of nowhere.

"Shit." Zed said and slammed the steering the wheel.
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The navigator out of service, our hero stranded in middle of nowhere, and the race about to begin in a day's time. 

Phew! Too much to handle!