"Ah!"
Steven gasped like a stranded fish and jolted his eyes open, as though waking from a chaotic dream. The world before him came into focus.
"Oh my God!!"
With his vision restored, Steven froze in shock. The sight before him nearly made him scream.
He found himself sitting in a car speeding along a winding mountain road, his hands gripping the steering wheel and his foot pressing hard on the accelerator.
Beep, beep, beep! Beep, beep, beep!
The shrill honking shattered the silence. Steven shuddered all over, veins bulging on the backs of his hands as pain shot through his rigid legs.
A truck bore down on him from straight ahead, terrifyingly close. Its frantic honking and the driver's curses rang in Steven's ears.
The truck was like a ferocious beast, ready to swallow him at any moment, while the driver inside roared at him like a savage.
"Get out of the way-!! You bastard!!!"
Steven's heart nearly leaped into his throat, but he reacted quickly, wrenching the steering wheel to one side. His car narrowly scraped past the truck.
The car rocked violently. He clung to the wheel, struggling to steady it.
Once the car stopped swaying, a shaken Steven glanced in the rearview mirror, just in time to see the departing truck driver stick out both hands and wave goodbye with the "international gesture of friendship."
[🖕...🖕]
"Hah... hah..." Steven gulped down air, trying to calm himself.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
He tried to wipe it away, only to discover that his hands were covered in blood. The overpowering metallic smell made him nauseous.
"What happened?" Steven desperately searched his memory, but the last thing he remembered was closing his right hand around the Golden Scarab and slamming that fist into the face of the