Ch 560 - We’re Going to Hell

Alex continued to speed along the freeway, attempting to avoid the crossbow bolts being fired at them. He adjusted his speed and veered away, managing to escape each time.

By now, the others had fired ten bolts at them, and several fires burned on the road, but the men hadn't managed to hit Alex.

The man with the crossbow fitted another bolt, his lips pressed thin with determination.

Alex saw what he was doing and shifted gears, urging the car to move even faster. The car had almost reached its limit, and there wasn't much else he could do.

"Hold on!" he warned his passengers, spotting another car approaching.

Alex suddenly slammed on the brakes, taking the car into a spin until it faced the other way.

The other car also braked hard, but the driver was too slow to react, and he shot past Alex before managing to turn the car around.

Alex wrenched the steering wheel, turning the car to face the correct way again, and then he revved his engine and sped forward to attack.

"Crossbow," he ordered, holding out his hand and taking it from Will. Steering with one hand, he used the other to slip a bolt into place. Then he grabbed the wheel with his right hand and raised the crossbow with his left, angling it out his window to aim at the other car.

He wasted no time in firing, and the bolt hit the other car, exploding, and sending the car veering off the road. The bolts they had stolen from their attackers were not quite as powerful, but they were still strong enough to do some damage, and the men in the car rushed out, diving for cover as a fire broke out.

The flames grew higher, and moments later, the car exploded, sending plumes of black smoke into the air. The blackened remains of the car continued to burn as the men stood and watched helplessly.

"Hah! Gotcha!" Will shouted, laughing hard.

Alex kept driving, taking a sharp turn around a corner.

"Watch out!" Rufus roared, pointing at the road ahead.

Alex spotted a car which had broken down in the middle of the road. A smartly dressed woman stood safely at the side of the road, speaking into a phone, probably calling for help.

There was little time to react. He slammed on the brakes and turned the steering wheel, almost managing to avoid the collision. But he still clipped the other vehicle, sending his own car spinning. This time, he couldn't regain control, and his car skidded for a few minutes before leaving the road, overturning, and coming to a sudden stop.

"We need to get out!" Alex yelled, pulling at his seatbelt to free himself. Miraculously, he wasn't badly hurt, but he knew they didn't have long before their pursuers caught up.

They all kicked at the doors to open them, and then they crawled out, scrambling to their feet. Blood ran down Will's face from a cut on his head, but otherwise, he seemed fine. But there was no time to take stock of injuries because the other men were closing in on them.

One man held a crossbow, aiming right at Alex's car, clearly about to shoot.

"Move!" Alex shouted, dragging both Rufus and Will further away from the car and pushing them both down to the grass.

The car erupted in flames as the bolt struck it, sending flames shooting into the air. Alex's ears rang from the blast, and he could feel the heat from the fire that engulfed the car.

"What will it take to kill you?" yelled the man with the crossbow. Out of bolts, he tossed it aside and pulled out a gun, determined to put an end to Alex.

Suddenly, another explosion erupted as the flames reached the car's gas tank, turning the vehicle into an inferno.

Their attacker narrowed his eyes and moved back to a safer distance.

Alex took advantage of the distraction to move forward, hiding behind the thick smoke. Then he stepped out of the shadows, rushing to attack.

He moved quickly, catching his opponent by surprise. Before the man could raise his gun and pull the trigger, Alex barged into him, slapping the gun away.

Then he raised his fist, tapping into his inner power, and punched the man hard, sending him stumbling backward. The man hit his car and slid down it, completely out for the count.

One of the other men dashed forward, and Alex dealt with him quickly.

Then he took on another two men, catching them by surprise and knocking them out.

He turned to walk away when he spotted something that had fallen out of the pocket of one of the men. Frowning, he picked it up and discovered it was an access card for an amusement park.

He stared at the card, and then looked back at the men. It was an odd thing for them to be carrying, and he wondered why they had it.

He sighed. They still didn't know where Debbie was, and the only people who could tell them were currently unconscious.

"What now?" Rufus asked.

Alex looked him over, glad to see his injuries seemed superficial. Will's head wound was bleeding profusely, but it didn't appear too deep. Both men would be fine, but it had been a close thing.

"This isn't about Debbie," Alex said, looking at Rufus. "She was just the bait to lure me back to Baltimore. They wanted me here so they could kill us both at the same time." His lips twisted into a sneer. "Unfortunately for them, they underestimated us."

"Don't get overconfident," Rufus warned him. "You need to be careful, because I doubt this is over."

"If anyone else comes after us, I'll deal with them," Alex said, scowling.

"Do you think Debbie's okay?" Rufus asked, worried. "How much danger is she in?"

Even the resources of the Clifton family hadn't been able to find any clues about Debbie's location, and he was running out of hope.

"Don't worry," Alex said. "I'm sure she's fine."

Rufus frowned.

"It's okay," Alex assured him. "If I had died today, they would have had no further use for Debbie, and then they would have killed her. But since I survived, they still need her alive. Without her, they have nothing to hold over me." He smiled. "She's still alive."

"We have to rescue her as soon as possible," Rufus insisted.

Alex looked over at the leader of the men, who was still unconscious. He was their best chance to get answers, but he was badly injured and wouldn't recover for a long time.

He thought of his special supplement, which had healed even more serious injuries than these, and decided it was worth a try. The sooner the man regained consciousness, the sooner they could get answers out of him.

Once the supplement had been administered, Alex stepped back, giving it time to work. While he waited, he examined the access card he had found.

Hell World? he thought, reading the text on the card.

He recognized the name of an amusement park which had a Hell theme. The card granted access to the tenth floor of one of the buildings, and Alex wondered if that was where Debbie was being kept.

The more he thought about it, the more confident he got that he was right.

If Debbie had been hidden in a hotel or residence, Alex would have found her easily, especially with the Clifton family's resources. Her abductors would have known that, so it made sense they would have chosen somewhere with fewer people. No one would ever have thought of checking the amusement park, which would have many dark corners to hide in.

"We need to go to Hell World," he said, glancing at Rufus. Then he turned and ran for one of their attacker's cars, getting in and slamming the door closed. Within moments, he was speeding along the road, headed toward the amusement park.

Will watched him go, stunned at how quickly Alex had moved.

Very little surprised Rufus about Alex, so he merely shrugged and headed for one of the other cars, gesturing for Will to follow.

They drove quickly, trying to catch up with Alex in case he needed their help.