Flavour Story - Slime
A thick cloud of red dust was kicked up from the Australian desert as the cars thundered round the corner. The sharp cracks of gunfire and the howls of pain from the wounded were lost amidst the fans’ screaming their approval as the death race sped round the dilapidated bowl circuit.
The woman they called Suso watched on impassively from the pit wall, all tanned skin and worn leathers with a machete hanging off her back. She was a scout for Slime, watching for any racers that she thought could cut it on a bigger stage. She had her eye on one this time, an angry little firecracker called Ro. This girl was no more than 5’4” on a good day, but she scrapped and battled with men who towered over her even before she got into her car.
Out on the track, the supercharger whine and the roar of the big V8 drowned out any other sound in Ro’s big muscle car. She was jealously guarding her lead, and as a stripped out dune buggy tried to slip past on the right she swung her car towards it. There was a loud crunch of metal and the buggy veered away but she followed it. Ro held her line as the buggy driver realised he was being shepherded straight into a wrecked pick-up but he had nowhere to go. He couldn’t get far enough ahead, he didn’t have the weight to knock her out of the way, and as he tried to think of something else he ran out of time.
The buggy hit the wrecked truck with a dull whumpf, flipping end over end and corkscrewing off into the stands. Ro grinned behind the bandana covering her mouth, the glass of the car long ago shot out and replaced with a mesh that offered some protection against incoming fire but nothing against the elements.
She threw the wheel around as she pulled a power slide through the last corner, straightening up as she hit the straight and passed the line to start her next to last lap. Behind her she recognised an olive green jeep nose ahead of the pack, and then her blood ran cold as launchers covering the thing’s roof suddenly fired.
Ro did her best to evade but there were so many rockets. The first two hit the ground near her door, showering her in red-hot sand. One clipped her back wheel and she had to hang on grimly to keep the car in a straight line, but it left her helpless when two more thundered into the back of her.
The fuel tank blew with a teeth-rattling concussion before the force of the blasts lifted the car off the ground. The back wheels flew in opposite directions as the back of the car came apart, bits of broken metal spinning away. It flipped over, landing on its roof and skidding as the crowd bellowed and the other cars flew past the still smoking wreck. Blood poured down Ro’s face, her ears bleeding and her skin covered with cuts and bruises. Slowly, gingerly, she released the seat harness and dropped face-first onto the roof, easing herself free.
Suso was about to turn to leave, when she caught the expression on the girl’s face as she emerged. It wasn’t disappointment or fear or any of the normal reactions. It was just a look of pure, total and unmitigated murder.
Ya ain’t finished are ya… Suso thought, watching as Ro took cover by the side of the track with what looked like half an axle in her hand. The girl waited until the roar of engines came around again, and she leapt as the lead jeep got close, landing awkwardly on the bonnet and somehow managing to stay on.
The pain in her legs where the car hit her was bad, but it was nothing compared to the pain she felt right now at being cost this race. She screamed her defiance and smashed the axle into the windscreen. The jeep swerved as she hit it again and the glass shattered. She let herself be carried into the cabin by the rushing air and took a swing at the driver, catching him on the temple and stunning him.
Ro pulled off his harness and kicked him out, his body hitting the dust and then bucking as one of the back markers ran him over. She ignored the pain in her legs as she jammed the throttle wide open and the jeep kicked up clouds of red earth as it dove towards the line. She swore loudly as a sleek exotic shot past on the inside and she didn’t have the reach to get to him, her stolen jeep taking second as the checkered flag ridden with bullet holes waved.
Ro let herself have a spiteful sideswipe of the deep blue supercar as she went past on the wind down lap, before pulling the jeep over to the side of the track. Slowly and gingerly she got out and started to hobble towards the first aid station.
Suso was waiting for her there, and she treated the smaller woman to a huge bearhug.
“You’re my kinda psycho!” she shouted as she let Ro go. “I’m not sure if I call that bravery or stupidity but what a show!”
Ro pushed her off roughly.
“Who the hell are you?” she demanded, blood still flowing freely from cuts all over her face and arms.
“They call me Suso. I’m one of Slime’s oldest chooks” the other woman replied. “An’ I want you racin’ for us. Welcome to the big time!”
The woman they called Suso watched on impassively from the pit wall, all tanned skin and worn leathers with a machete hanging off her back. She was a scout for Slime, watching for any racers that she thought could cut it on a bigger stage. She had her eye on one this time, an angry little firecracker called Ro. This girl was no more than 5’4” on a good day, but she scrapped and battled with men who towered over her even before she got into her car.
Out on the track, the supercharger whine and the roar of the big V8 drowned out any other sound in Ro’s big muscle car. She was jealously guarding her lead, and as a stripped out dune buggy tried to slip past on the right she swung her car towards it. There was a loud crunch of metal and the buggy veered away but she followed it. Ro held her line as the buggy driver realised he was being shepherded straight into a wrecked pick-up but he had nowhere to go. He couldn’t get far enough ahead, he didn’t have the weight to knock her out of the way, and as he tried to think of something else he ran out of time.
The buggy hit the wrecked truck with a dull whumpf, flipping end over end and corkscrewing off into the stands. Ro grinned behind the bandana covering her mouth, the glass of the car long ago shot out and replaced with a mesh that offered some protection against incoming fire but nothing against the elements.
She threw the wheel around as she pulled a power slide through the last corner, straightening up as she hit the straight and passed the line to start her next to last lap. Behind her she recognised an olive green jeep nose ahead of the pack, and then her blood ran cold as launchers covering the thing’s roof suddenly fired.
Ro did her best to evade but there were so many rockets. The first two hit the ground near her door, showering her in red-hot sand. One clipped her back wheel and she had to hang on grimly to keep the car in a straight line, but it left her helpless when two more thundered into the back of her.
The fuel tank blew with a teeth-rattling concussion before the force of the blasts lifted the car off the ground. The back wheels flew in opposite directions as the back of the car came apart, bits of broken metal spinning away. It flipped over, landing on its roof and skidding as the crowd bellowed and the other cars flew past the still smoking wreck. Blood poured down Ro’s face, her ears bleeding and her skin covered with cuts and bruises. Slowly, gingerly, she released the seat harness and dropped face-first onto the roof, easing herself free.
Suso was about to turn to leave, when she caught the expression on the girl’s face as she emerged. It wasn’t disappointment or fear or any of the normal reactions. It was just a look of pure, total and unmitigated murder.
Ya ain’t finished are ya… Suso thought, watching as Ro took cover by the side of the track with what looked like half an axle in her hand. The girl waited until the roar of engines came around again, and she leapt as the lead jeep got close, landing awkwardly on the bonnet and somehow managing to stay on.
The pain in her legs where the car hit her was bad, but it was nothing compared to the pain she felt right now at being cost this race. She screamed her defiance and smashed the axle into the windscreen. The jeep swerved as she hit it again and the glass shattered. She let herself be carried into the cabin by the rushing air and took a swing at the driver, catching him on the temple and stunning him.
Ro pulled off his harness and kicked him out, his body hitting the dust and then bucking as one of the back markers ran him over. She ignored the pain in her legs as she jammed the throttle wide open and the jeep kicked up clouds of red earth as it dove towards the line. She swore loudly as a sleek exotic shot past on the inside and she didn’t have the reach to get to him, her stolen jeep taking second as the checkered flag ridden with bullet holes waved.
Ro let herself have a spiteful sideswipe of the deep blue supercar as she went past on the wind down lap, before pulling the jeep over to the side of the track. Slowly and gingerly she got out and started to hobble towards the first aid station.
Suso was waiting for her there, and she treated the smaller woman to a huge bearhug.
“You’re my kinda psycho!” she shouted as she let Ro go. “I’m not sure if I call that bravery or stupidity but what a show!”
Ro pushed her off roughly.
“Who the hell are you?” she demanded, blood still flowing freely from cuts all over her face and arms.
“They call me Suso. I’m one of Slime’s oldest chooks” the other woman replied. “An’ I want you racin’ for us. Welcome to the big time!”
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