The roars of engines filled the air in the circuit.
The cheers of the spectators and the loudspeaker of the commentator accompanied the roars.
20 cars. 20 drivers. 20 dreams. 20 people's burning desire to win the race.
The heat of the moments in the whole race is indescribable. It's like a battlefield of speed where even a single tiny mistake can have devastating consequences.
In the 58th lap of the race, a car, seemingly out of nowhere, overtook every single car in front of it and syphoned the first place from them.
The insane skill required for such a manoeuvre could only be performed by one driver in the whole race.
Eric Wyatt.
"And, we are still looki- WOAH! LOOK AT THAT! FIRST PLACE WAS JUST STOLEN FROM AURORA FORMULA! AND THE PERSON WHO TOOK IT... NEBULA MOTORS! ERIC WYAAAAAATT!!!!!!!", the commentator yelled into the mic, sending waves of cheers throughout the spectators.
Eric, the driver who just stole the first position right from under everyone's noses, wasn't even hearing the chants of the crowd.
The only thing he could hear was his engine and the wind blowing past him.
The 19 other cars, followed by Eric zoomed past the spectators like a storm.
It was the last lap of the race. Everything depended on this. Everyone wanted to win.
But then, tragedy struck.
*BOOM!*
Eric's field of vision darkened and he almost lost consciousness at the sudden jolt.
"OH NO! ERIC WYATT... HIS TIRE HAS EXPLODED!!!!!!! HIS CAR HAS GONE OUT OF CONTROL!", the commentator's voice was filled with fear and dread.
The crowd followed the commentator's emotions and loud gasps and cries of worry filled the atmosphere.
Eric's car lost control and rammed into the side wall, exploding on impact.
Eric was still conscious, though, thanks to all the training he had endured.
But it would have been better if he had just died.
The flames blistered his fire-retardent suit and quickly threatened to do the same to his skin.
But Eric was helpless in this situation.
His limbs were broken and mangled. The pain he felt was immense but he couldn't even let out a slight breath, because of his own blood choking him.
But his heart and mind weren't grieving because of the physical pain.
His dreams of becoming a world-famous F1 racer had been shattered. He was now permanently crippled, if not, on his way to death.
They say that when someone is about to die, their entire lives flash before their eyes.
Well, that certainly wasn't the case for Eric.
All he felt was rage and hatred.
'A tire rupture in this day and age...? Don't kid me...', he thought as his consciousness finally started fading.
'I'm dying... murdered by my own teammates... What a sad way to die...', Those were his last thoughts before eternal darkness enveloped him and he could no longer feel the physical pain he was feeling.
Outside, Eric's car burned in a blazing inferno. Modern F1 cars are designed to absorb most of the impact by sacrificing their components, but this crash seemed to be an especially unlucky one.
Not only did Eric get trapped in the car, the fires were not stopping at any cost.
Even the rescue trucks and the firetrucks were having a hard time to just stop the fires.
After an excruciating 5 minutes, the fires were extinguished and the rescue team ran towards the car, in hopes that Eric was still alive.
What they found was something stomach-churning.
Eric was long gone from this world. His body was a charred, mangled mess.
An aspiring new F1 driver... Permanently gone from this world...
The fans howled as they realised the weight of the situation.
--- Eric's POV ---
Eric's consciousness awakened in a dark abyss.
He couldn't feel his body, not even his head. He couldn't see, hear, touch or smell anything.
Just pure darkness.
In this limbo, Eric thought.
'So I died... Murdered to be precise... So... Is this the limbo?', he wondered.
His mind was filling up with questions, but he managed to calm himself down, thanks to his training, back when he was still alive.
'I'm sorry Dad... I couldn't fulfil my dream... Even though it was your last wish...', Eric wanted to say out loud, but he couldn't.
He wept in the darkness, even though he couldn't feel any tears.
Eric's mother had died of cancer when he was just 5 years old.
His father was an F1 driver, just like Eric.
Eric's father was mortally injured in a crash during one of his races.
On his deathbed, he told his last wish to his son.
'I'm sorry I couldn't be a proper father to you, my son... But... as a father, it is my responsibility to give you knowledge about life from my experience. Listen well, Eric... Whenever you think that you are stuck or not having motivation... The reason is always the absence of a goal... A solid goal is necessary in life... It will not only give you motivation but purpose and happiness too... Too bad my goal turned out to be too much for me, haha... But, I'm sure you will find your own goal and be successful in it... Fulfill your dreams... Work hard towards them... And you will find happiness... Even if you don't manage to complete the goal, you will find yourself smiling at your failure because you would know that you had given it your best, and that's all... that matters...'
Those were his last words.
Those words changed Eric permanently.
From that day on, he would go out in the world and try to find a goal.
But, like father, like son.
Eric found himself drawn to the world of racing. He knew of it quite well and what it could mean to fail in it first-hand, but he didn't care.
He started training to become an F1 driver, just like his father. He got selected as well, he won many races too.
But... Where did all of that lead him to?
Betrayal...
But... He realised that his father's words weren't wrong.
He was unconsciously smiling in the dark abyss.
He knew for a fact that he had given it his all. He wasn't regretful in the slightest at his failure.
Although, it would be a complete lie if one said he was happy.
Not having regrets and dying happily are two very different things.
Who in the world would be happy if they got killed by their own comrade?
Rage and hatred enveloped his mind, twisting his personality.
But, what could he do in this dark place?
Without any way to vent his anger, he started cursing at his betrayer.
Countless time passed as the cursing spree continued.