Bridger Brownlee

Mr. Shields, Eng 1010

brownleebridger@gmail.com
Race Against the Clock

It was the last lap. Alex was almost there. The only two cars left were him and

Dash Flash, his ultimate rival. They were neck and neck. Hugging the corners as tight

as they could. Alex knew there was only one way he could win. He had to activate his

experimental turbine engine, that hadn’t been tested yet. However, he knew there was

no way he was going to lose. It was the final stretch and Dash Flash was in the lead. It

was time, he flipped the switch. Everything went black, he couldn’t see anything, but he

could hear a faint sound. Beep, Beep, Beep, it was getting louder and he couldn't move.

It kept getting louder and louder, he didn't know what was coming, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.

He opened his eyes.

Alex was staring at the ceiling of his bedroom. He looked over at the alarm

clock, it read 6:30 A.M.; he swung his arm over like an executioner's axe and slammed

it down, stopping the noise. Class started at 7:30, he had time. He pulled up his covers

and faded back into his deep slumber. Before he knew it he was back in his racecar.

The turbine switch had been activated, he zoomed past Dash Flash and won the race,

leaving his rival in the dust. He was now the world's best Formula One driver. After

gracefully coming back to the world of the living, he felt refreshed and better than ever.

Feeling like Superman he was ready for the day. He glanced over at his alarm clock, it

read 7:22, he was going to be late.

 He felt the panic setting in, the room was a deflating balloon closing in around

him. He couldn't be late again, and there was no way his mom would call in sick for him.

Just then he heard his mother,

“Alex! You better be outta that bed!” she shouted.

The fear then doubled, there was nothing he was scared of more than his mom.

He knew that if he wanted to live to see the next day he would have to act. Immediately

just like his race car he zoomed out of bed. First he had to get out of his PJ’s, he was a

racecar driver zipping down and out of his suit, his socks were old tires that he had to

get changed. His feet were race cars cruising through his pant legs just like smooth

asphalt. His belt was a timing chain that he expertly threaded through the loops, and his

shirt was a clean coat of paint that added the final touches. He was now a finely tuned

racing machine ready to go. He grabbed his backpack and sprinted down the stairs. He

saw his mother washing her hands at the sink and his father reading the paper and

sipping his coffee.

“You better not be late for school again.” His mom said.

“Don't worry mom I got it under control.” He said knowing full well he did not

have it under control.

He started to think of the fastest way to get to school. His normal route wouldn't

work, he had to take a short cut. He ran out the door and grabbed his big wheel Razor

scooter from the porch. His house was in the neighborhood right next to the school, just

about two streets over. He immediately launched from his driveway like a racecar and

headed down towards the end of the street. At the stop sign he ditched his scooter and

headed for Mrs.Thatcher's yard. Mrs. Thatcher was a cranky widowed woman, so he
knew if he got caught his life would be over. Although cutting through her yard was the

only way. She did not have a lock on her fence but it made him feel like a spy when he

stuck his arm through the fence and heard the click of it unlocking. Once inside he

stayed near the bushes, Mrs. Thatcher would always watch the birds fly by every

morning so he had to move quickly to avoid detection. He made it to the rusted chain

link fence, he was home free, he started to climb over. When he got to the other side he

was mortified, it was the school cop. As he stood there in total shock, Mrs. Thatcher

walked out from behind a tree.

“That's him alright officer,” She said. “That's the one whose been sneakin’ in my

yard eatin’ my tomates.” she said.

Alex had no idea what she was talking about, he didn't even like tomatoes. Alex

tried to explain that he was going to be late to class.

“I don’t care boy no one steals from Mrs. Thatcher.” The officer said,

Just as Alex was about to be arrested for a crime he didn't commit and losing all

hope, he heard a whooshing sound. He looked up and it was a helicopter flying really

low right above him. A ladder fell from the copter and the officer jumped out of the way.

The wind from the helicopter felt like a graceful ray of hope. Alex instinctively grabbed

on and the helicopter took him away like his guardian angel. The men in the helicopter

pulled him in and put a headset on him.

KRSHH. The static of the radio blared in his ear.

“We’ve been sent here by your father to make sure you're on time to school.

Over,” said the pilot.

“WHAT!? WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?” Alex yelled over the propeller blades.
 KRSHH. . . “No time to explain kid we got a small window, over.” The pilot said.

Just then the man who pulled him into the helicopter ripped his backpack off his

back and threw it out the side. He then slid a parachute bag onto the back of Alex. Alex

looked backwards out of the helicopter to see his backpack falling through the air. It

landed right at the feet of the officer and Mrs. Thatcher, there was a huge flash of light

and a loud boom followed by a mushroom cloud that formed out of nowhere. Alex

couldn’t believe what was going on, he looked down and he was right above his school.

“GOOD LUCK KID,” the man in the back yelled as he gave Alex a mean push.

Alex was screaming as he was falling through the air, he couldn't hear his own

thoughts over the wind rushing around him. He could feel the wind again, but this time it

felt like daggers piercing his skin. He started to pull every chord on the parachute pack

but nothing was happening. He closed his eyes and tried not to panic, he knew it was

over. Everything was black, and all he could hear was BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.

-1135 words