An Excerpt from The 25th Hour (Book One in The Adventures of Mackenzie Mortimer):
The needle on the speedometer passed 85 mph. The engine
roared and the black SUV had begun to vibrate. “Dexter, slow down,” Margo
Walston pleaded.
The 16-year-old driver gulped another swig from the beer
bottle. “Relax, babe. I’ve got this.”
In the back seat of the speeding SUV, Zigs Carlyle turned to
Marlene Prentice. The nine-year-old made no attempt to hide the wet spot on his
pants. “I’m scared, Marlene. Make him stop.”
The thin white stripe painted on the side of the black SUV
remained constant, but the white line painted on the street appeared to come
alive in a sinuous fashion, as the vehicle barreled down the two-lane road,
swerving across both lanes. “Watch this.” Dexter Brannigan kicked off his shoe
and placed his left foot on the steering wheel. “Look Ma, no hands.” He
chug-a-lugged the beer and pressed his right foot on the accelerator.
“This isn’t a game, Dexter,” Margo said. “Pull over and let
me drive; you’re drunk.”
Marlene gazed through the windshield. “That light up ahead…”
Her heart raced. “A car’s coming.”
“That’s not a car, it’s an eighteen-wheeler,” Zigs said.
Margo turned from the boy to the road in front of them.
“Dexter!” she screamed. “You’re in the wrong lane.”
The speedometer rolled passed 100 mph. The lights from the
oncoming truck blinded the SUV’s passengers.
“Look out!” Marlene screamed.
The truck slammed into the SUV, flipping the smaller vehicle
like a child’s toy. It tumbled across the road, breaking through a guardrail,
and plunging into a ravine. Dexter’s body, unrestrained by a seatbelt, was
propelled through the windshield. Shards of glass shredded Margo’s face and
sliced through her jugular vein. The SUV landed upside down, causing Zigs to
strike his head and lose consciousness. Several empty beer bottles rolled past
Marlene’s head. The gas tank erupted in flames. Marlene tugged on her seatbelt,
attempting to free herself, but the belt was snagged. Seconds later, the SUV
exploded.
Time is running out… fortunately, Mackenzie Mortimer has a few more minutes than anyone else!
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