FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

I ran down the stairs. Waiting for the elevator would take too long. My feet moved so fast there were on the cusp of slipping on the edge of every stair. I body-slammed the push-door into the parking garage open and bolted over to my car.

If you asked me to describe my car, subtle would be the last word I would ever use. As well as quiet, easy-to-miss, and sneaky. Unfortunately, at this moment in time, that was exactly what I needed. I need to tail both Cassandra's taxi and that grey car. For the first time in my life, I wished I had a Prius. It would have been perfect for this. But I had pretty much the farthest thing from a Prius you can get: a 1969 Dodge Charger. Huge, loud, aggressive, eye-catching, and a carburetor that has better suction than my damn vacuum cleaner. I unlocked the door and slid into the seat. The interior was fairly standard for a Charger. All period correct, aside from a newer radio unit that did have a USB port.

I turned the key. There was a few coughs, then a massive roar. The car shook as all eight cylinders of late 60's Hemi goodness exploded into life, the engine chugging at idle louder than most cars are when they are at top speed. I took off from my parking spot, spinning my tires a bit and burning rubber. I sped down the lane and into the crowded city streets. The taxi was heading south, undoubtedly taking her home. I turned left onto the road and sped away.

I won't lie, I take great pride in my car. I had done a lot of work on it since being rear-ended in that attempt on my life. I found myself a proper 426 Hemi engine for it, and added some R/T badges. I didn't care that it wasn't an original R/T, I just wanted the speed. But my lucky escape also taught me that while fast, the Charger was severely lacking in nearly every other department. It handled like a boat, and the brakes seemed to only vaguely suggest the car to slow down, instead of actually stopping it. I took care of both of those problems right quick. I found myself some wider wheels so I can have more rubber on the ground, but with the same classic Magnum design. I took inspiration from another Charger I saw online and got myself a brake kit consisting of modern Charger disks and Viper calipers. I stiffened the suspension and added a sway bar, so now I can actual turn the damn thing without risking life and limb.

I also painted the exterior a dark blue. No, it doesn't change performance. I just liked how it looked.

I always thought I'd be using those new features to escape people who were chasing me, but the rules had changed. I zigged and zagged through traffic, trying desperately to catch up to the taxi. That when I realized my mistake. Stupidly, I had forgotten a simple fact.

"Too many fucking taxis..." I groaned and put my hand to my head. Which taxi was hers? "Fuck." I needed to change my plans. I looked around the intersection. If I turned right, I'd be on the freeway. The taxi is undoubtedly going through the city. While distance-wise it was longer, I would be faster with my 426 cubic inches of engine. I turned right and sped down the onramp. I accelerated as I turned, the Charger staying glued to the inside line of the curve. I was already at 120km/h when I reached the freeway. I quickly merged into the traffic. There was a path ahead of me. If I kept merging and passing other cars, I would be able to average around 130km/h or even 140km/h if I was lucky. I hit the clutch and downshifted.

I felt like I got punched in the chest. I was slammed into the back of my seat as the engine roared. I took off down the asphalt. I weaved between cars, not daring to go any slower. A drive that usually took me half an hour ended up taking me only fifteen minutes. I took the exit and continued to barrel towards Cassandra's house. I turned onto her street, and immediately slammed on the brakes.

Completely empty. Was I too late? I crawled up to her house at normal speed. Empty. Dark. She just wasn't home yet. I backed up a ways down the street, hiding in the shadow of a building as I parked myself on the shoulder. I waited for the taxi to arrive. Five minutes later, a yellow Crown Vic with a taxi top and checkers pulled up to her house. After another minute, the door opened. It was Cassandra. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was here first, but they grey car would soon be following. She stepped onto the sidewalk and the taxi drove away. I put the car into gear and drove up to her house.

She heard me coming. Looking my direction, she stopped. Her face was just blank. I couldn't tell if she was pissed or sad. Maybe both. I turned off the car so we could hear each other talking. I opened the door and stepped out.

"Cassandra..." Fuck. How was I going to start this? How am I going to convince her I'm not insane?

She responded with silence. No answer what so ever.

"Look... I'm really sorry about what I said. I was just confused. But we have bigger problems-"

"Not now." She said quietly. Now I could see it in her eyes. Pain.

"Look you need to come with me right now."

"What?" She scowled. "No! Leave me alone! I need some time right now..."

"Cassandra, there were somebody taking pictures and following you!" I was pleading with her. "Please you need to come with me right now before-"

"Stop it!" She was almost screaming right now, tears starting to run. "You're... you're insane! You're so paranoid! You probably have that fucking gun with you, don't you?"

I paused. "Cassandra please! We-"

I was cut off by a car and the sound of skidding tires. I whirled around to see the grey car about a block away from us. It was a BMW sedan. Four door. Two figures got out of the car. I couldn't tell what species they were. They wore black hoodies, their hoods over their heads. They began to walk towards us.

"...David who are they?" Cassandra backed up towards the house. "David?" I grabbed her arm and sprinted to the car. The figures began to jog towards us. I slid over the hood and jumped into my seat. Cassandra wasted no time getting into the shotgun seat. The figures stopped and sprinted to their own car.

"Hold on!" I slammed the car into reverse.

"David what the hell-"

She was cut short as I released the clutch and floored the accelerator. We were both flung forwards, nearly smashing against the dash. (Oh, did I mention this thing didn't have seat belts?) I turned my wheel a bit to the left, then yanked it to the right. The nose of the Charger swung around with squealing tires, and in an instant I was facing the opposite direction. I shifted into gear and punched the gas again, being slammed back into the seats as I took off down the road. I checked the mirror. The BMW's took off after us, both figures inside the car.

"DAVID!" yelled Cassandra, now bracing herself by putting her hands on the dashboard before her. "WHO THE HELL ARE THEY!?" I threw the Charger into right hand turn. The tires squealed and I was pushed against the left side of the car as we whirled around, before putting down the power again and speeding away as I regained control of the oversteer. The BMW behind us did the same.

"Remember what I said before?" I had to almost yell over the roar of my engine. We were a couple blocks ahead of the BMW. I was surprised that my old car had managed to hold its ground. "They're after me!" I veered suddenly to the right and cut through a parking garage. I slammed on the brakes and turned right out of the other side of the garage, causing no small amount of oversteer. Cars honked and braked as I pretty much slid into the street. I turned right one more time as the BMW bolted from that same parking garage. Turning right three times to lose a tail was the oldest trick in the book. And they knew it.

"Oh my god David you're going to kill somebody!" She shrieked as I dodge a bus.

"Probably me." I mumbled. I would get impaled on the steering column if I hit anything head-on.

The BMW was gaining ground. It was meant for cornering and handling, and the Charger... well frankly it's best in strait lines. I needed to get onto the highway. It couldn't handle as well as the BMW but it had way more horsepower and speed. My tries squealed as I ran a red light, barely missing a minivan. I sped towards the onramp, the BMW right on my tail. I felt my Charger shudder as his bumper bashed against mine. Cassandra screamed. I was too focused on keeping my car in control to scream. The onramp was right in front of us. A pickup truck pulled out in front of me.

I hit the brakes, swerving to the right and dodging the truck by a hair. I struggled to regain control of the rear end of the Charger as I heard the BMW slam on its brakes to navigate around that same truck. I hugged the inside of the ramp to keep the BMW from slipping beside me. Instead, I saw it gain ground on the outside on the turn. I glared at the driver. A white tiger and a Doberman.

I had the advantage in weight. I jerked the wheel to my left. The Charger side-checked the BMW. With the scream of tires and brakes, the BMW hit the gravel and spun out of control, kicking up dirt and grass as it slid into the grass beside the onramp. I gunned it down the highway, and only began to slow when I was certain nobody who saw it was around me. We pulled off the highway on the edge of the city into the parking lot of a vacant corner store. Cassandra immediately jumped out and backed away, staring frightfully at me. I got out and held my hands up and open, in almost a surrender.

"OH MY GOD!" She screamed, her fingers digging into her hair. "Where do I even fucking start!?"

"Well for starters..." I looked at the side of my Charger. A dent, some scratches, but nothing major. "...be grateful you are alive."

"GREATFUL!?" She crossed her arms. "No thanks to you."

"No thanks to me!?" I waved my hand indiscriminately at the city. "What did you think they were going to do? Give you a flier and tell you about their Lord and Saviour? No! They were probably going to kidnap your ass or try to blackmail me!" At the mention of kidnapping, Cassandra's eyes widened.

"Well... oh fuck I don't know! Dammit David!" The turned away from me and looked at the lot around us. "In under twelve hours I went from a normal relationship to losing like... five of my lives!"

"I did what I had to." I crossed my arms. "The cops wouldn't be there soon enough. You wouldn't have been able to fight them off."

"Wanna bet?" She flicked her tail. "I got claws and hairspray."

"Hairspray?"

"You know... for their eyes..." She shook her heads and looked at my hoodie. She could see the bulge of my holster. "Oh, right. Lead is such a better solution."

"You think I enjoy it?" I jerked my hand at the gun, the car and the city. "You think I enjoy being fearful of every other vacant car I walk by? You think I enjoy thinking somebody is always out to get me? No! I fucking don't!" I crossed my arms. "But - as you can see - I have a couple reasons to think this way, don't I?" Cassandra and I just stared at each other for a while, then I averted by gaze and sighed. "Look... I'm so sorry. But... well this is what I meant..."

"Meant by what?"

"Not being sure." I looked back to her. "I... I really do love you. But... but I didn't want to get you involved. In this. In all of this." I looked back and the ground, feeling my sweater brush up against the bald scar on my back. Cassandra just kept looking at me. Instead of angry, she seemed more in pain than anything else. I could see her eyes watering.

"But now I am." She said frustrated. "Dammit David! You almost got me killed! If I knew about this..." She looked away. "...well I don't know. I might not be with you."

That one hurt. That one hurt a lot. I felt it hit me right in the chest. My shoulder slumped and I pulled out my phone. "I... I need to call the police." I said. Despite my best efforts, I could hear it in my voice. "I was in an accident. I need to call them. Want me to take you-"

"No. I'll just take a taxi." Cassandra walked past me. Our eyes met for a brief moment, both flushed with tears and pain. She averted her gaze and walked down to the street. We weren't far from a main road.

When she was out of sight, I finally let it out. I let the tears run, slumping against the side of my car and sliding down until me rear was on the ground. I sat there huffing and breathing deeply for a while, not wanting outright sob in public. After a few minutes I wiped the tears off of my eyes and went through my contacts. I held the phone to my ear There were three rings.

"Hello?" The voice was male. Old and gruff, but warm.

"It's David." I sighed. There was a pause on the retired judge's end of the line.

"What happened?"