Zed's hand throbbed with a dull pain. The bleeding had slowed after some time but every time he gripped a bottle, the pain shot up in intensity. He gave up holding the bottle and slung a bag around his neck with a bottle in it. One straw in, and he was ready for drinking and driving again.
The new car was a breeze. It drove like a memory through the heart of a lost lover. Fast and brutal. The more time he spent on the wheel, the harder he wanted to drive. Marilyn's voice was now in his head and she guided him as expertly as she had when she was sitting beside him. He missed her physical presence, but a man can't have everything.
She guided him through winding roads on the strange planet. Sometimes, he thought he saw things move on the side of the road, but he was driving too fast to notice any of them. He kept an eye out for someone resembling Krazkaf. If a man can't have everything, he can at least have revenge.
Marilyn guided him through some more turns and they ended up at a river that sloshed with clear white liquid. It looked like water, but it sparkled too much to be water.
"What is that river?" he asked Marilyn.
"It's our starting line."
"Other contestants?"
"Look around you."
Zed looked out of the windows and at first he saw nothing. Then, shapes started to materialize out of thin air. He was expecting other cars but his was the only car at the starting line. There were excited sounds from a big animals straining its leash, a big box just sat there on his right side, beyond that a bulbous white tube bubbled and fizzled with multicolored light, he saw Krazkaf in the line of "vehicles". He rode a tank-like machine that had turrets pointing out from most of its visible surfaces. Zed leaned on the horn till Krazkaf looked his way. Zed pointed at Krazkaf and then ran a finger across his own throat. Krazkaf raised his hammer in reply.
"When does it start?" he asked Marilyn.
"You will know."
The river in front of them bubbled, frothed and rose up in a wall. There were shapes in front of them that corresponded to their planets. Zed saw Earth loom up on the wall made of the river and he shook his head.
"Fuck the planet, I am in it to win it."
The wall collapsed with a sudden bang and thus, the race began.
The participants raced forward through the wall of river, but one of them didn't move at all.
Zed watched the others leave and quietly tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.
---
More, tomorrow.
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