The night was thick with fog, the kind that clung to the skin and made everything look like a ghostly blur. The car's headlights barely pierced through the darkness as it sped down the deserted highway, music blaring from the speakers.
Sitting behind the wheel was Mako Ishida, her expression a mix of boredom and annoyance. Her hands gripped the steering wheel a little too tightly, her eyes sharp and focused on the road ahead. Beside her, slumped in the passenger seat, was her boyfriend, Ryo. He was tapping his fingers to the beat of the music, his foot rhythmically thumping against the floorboard.
Mako glanced over at him, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Having fun there, Ryo? Maybe you could try being useful and actually navigate or something."
Ryo smirked and turned up the volume even higher. "Relax, Mako. We're in the middle of nowhere. There's only one road. How could you get lost?"
Mako rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, "I wouldn't put it past you to find a way to make that happen."
The two of them had been driving for hours, and the tension between them had been building. Mako wasn't in the mood for one of Ryo's carefree nights. She had too much on her mind, too much weighing on her shoulders. Life felt like a constant series of disappointments lately, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep up the pretense that everything was fine.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a shadowy figure appeared in the middle of the road. Mako barely had time to react. She slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching against the pavement as the car lurched violently. But it was too late. The impact was swift and brutal—a sickening thud as the front bumper collided with the stranger.
The car skidded to a stop. The music was still playing, but it felt like the world had gone silent.
Ryo sat up straight, his eyes wide with shock. "What the hell, Mako?! Did you just hit someone?"
Mako's heart was pounding in her chest, her knuckles white against the steering wheel. "No, Ryo, I decided to test the car's suspension by running over a freaking person. Of course, I hit someone! Did you see them come out of nowhere?!"
Ryo's face turned pale, panic setting in. "Okay, okay… calm down. Maybe they're not… you know, dead?"
Mako shot him a look of pure disbelief. "Are you serious right now? Dead or not, we just hit a person! We need to check if they're alive!"
Reluctantly, they both got out of the car. The cold night air was biting, and the fog seemed to wrap around them like a shroud. They walked around to the front of the car and saw the crumpled body lying still on the ground. Blood pooled around the figure, seeping into the cracks in the asphalt.
Mako's heart sank. She felt a pang of guilt, quickly masked by frustration. "Great, just great," she muttered. "This is exactly what I needed tonight."
Ryo looked around nervously, his hands trembling. "Maybe we should call an ambulance or something…"
Mako cut him off. "No kidding, Sherlock. But first, let's make sure they're not—"
Before she could finish her sentence, they heard the distant wail of sirens approaching. Ryo's eyes widened, and he grabbed her arm. "Mako… we have to go. Now."
Mako yanked her arm away. "Go? Are you insane? We just hit someone! You can't just—"
The sirens grew louder, closer. Ryo's panic escalated. "They'll blame us, Mako! They'll think we're drunk or something!"
Mako scoffed. "Well, maybe they'll blame the idiot who wasn't paying attention—oh, wait, that's you, Ryo!"
But Ryo's mind was already racing. The blue and red lights flashed in the distance, casting eerie patterns in the mist. He looked at Mako, a sudden, desperate idea forming. "Mako, listen to me… you were driving. If they think you did it, they'll go easier on you. I can't get in trouble again, okay? My record—"
Mako's eyes widened in fury. "Are you actually trying to pin this on me? Are you kidding, Ryo?"
He nodded rapidly, his voice frantic. "Mako, please. I can't go back to jail. Just tell them you were driving. You're better at talking your way out of things."
Mako's jaw clenched. "Unbelievable. You coward."
The sirens were deafening now, and the police car came into view, skidding to a stop a few feet away. Two officers jumped out, guns drawn.
"Hands in the air!" one of them shouted. "Both of you, now!"
Mako raised her hands slowly, glaring at Ryo out of the corner of her eye. "I swear, Ryo, if you try to screw me over on this…"
Ryo shot her a pleading look, whispering, "Please, Mako… you owe me."
She snorted, her voice icy. "Owe you? For what, exactly?"
The officer approached, his flashlight blinding as he pointed it at their faces. "Who's responsible for this?" he demanded. "Who was driving?"
Before Mako could open her mouth, Ryo blurted out, "It was her! She was driving!"
Mako felt a surge of rage so intense that she could barely contain it. Her voice was cold and calm, but her eyes burned with fury. "Are you serious right now? You're actually going to stand there and lie to their faces?"
Ryo gulped, his voice breaking. "I… I'm sorry, Mako. I had no choice."
The officer frowned, turning to Mako. "Is that true, ma'am? Were you driving?"
Mako took a deep breath, weighing her options. She could feel the heat of the headlights on her face, the tension crackling in the air. Her mind raced as she considered what to say.
And then, with a smirk that could cut glass, she spoke. "Yes, officer. I was driving. But let me tell you—if I was behind the wheel, it was because my idiot of a boyfriend here was too busy jamming out to the world's worst playlist to notice someone in the road."
Ryo's mouth fell open, and the officer raised an eyebrow. "So, you're admitting to it?"
Mako shrugged, still glaring at Ryo. "If it means getting this moron out of my life for good, yeah. But you better believe I'm gonna have a few words with my lawyer. And believe me, I have plenty of those."
The officer nodded, slightly amused by her attitude. "Alright, we'll sort this out at the station. Turn around, hands behind your back."
As the cold metal cuffs snapped around her wrists, Mako couldn't help but smirk. She shot a final glare at Ryo. "You better hope I don't get out anytime soon, Ryo. Because if I do, you're gonna wish you were the one hit by that car."
As the officers led her to the police car, Ryo watched in stunned silence. The weight of what he'd done began to sink in, but Mako didn't give him the satisfaction of looking back. She knew one thing for sure: this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
The door closed behind her with a satisfying thud, and Mako leaned back in the seat, her mind already plotting her next move. She might be in handcuffs, but she wasn't beaten. Not yet.
---
And so, as the police car drove off into the night, a new story began to unfold. One where Mako would need every ounce of her cunning, her sharp tongue, and her fierce determination to navigate the mess she found herself in. This was just the beginning, and she was ready to fight her way out of it—one sarcastic comment at a time.