Helena stepped out of prison, the morning sun reflecting on her face. Outside, she saw her: Mariana, with a mischievous smile, leaning against a convertible, smoking a cigarette and blowing the smoke away. Helena's heart raced.
— Let's celebrate — Mariana said, raising a bottle of gin and taking a swig, her eyes shining with adrenaline.
As soon as they entered the city, Mariana parked in front of a bank, and before Helena could process the moment, the brunette leaned in and kissed her deeply. The kiss was electric, but it didn't last.
— Wait here for me — Mariana ordered, before entering the bank with an expression that mixed confidence and audacity.
Seconds dragged on, and Helena watched, an unease growing in her chest. Then chaos erupted. Gunshots echoed down the street, and Mariana emerged from the bank, a bag of money in hand, her eyes wide with excitement.
Helena took the wheel without thinking twice. Mariana tossed the bag into the back seat, and with sirens approaching in the distance, they sped off. With a full tank, Helena hit the gas, and the two drove away without looking back, freedom pulsing in their veins.
After two hours on the road, they reached the beach, where the sunset painted the sky in shades of orange and purple. Helena smiled, remembering how everything seemed calm, even with the chaos they had left behind.
— It would be better without so many sirens behind me — she thought, with a wry smile. — I haven't seen the mess get this bad in a long time... This destiny fooled me again. My first day free started with a getaway... again.
But there was no time to rest. The sirens were a constant presence, growing in number with every turn. For four days, they drove in a frenzy, swapping cars in a risky dance of life and death.
As they passed a gas station, the smell of gasoline and smoke mingled in the air. Helena and Mariana exchanged knowing glances, and in a burst of impulse, Mariana threw a lit cigarette butt behind them, the flame dancing before finding the leak in the gas line.
— I'm going to miss those girlish eyes. — Helena thought, as the world around them transformed into a hell of flames and smoke, an explosion of colors and sensations, a final shout of freedom.
And there, amidst the fury of fire and chaos, Helena knew that she had lived and died the way she wanted and, more importantly, with the one she loved.