It was just before noon when he returned from his foray into the other world; at this rate, he figured he could have two more of these trips before turning in for the night. James dreaded having to go to work the next day; it seemed even worse than it had only a few days before. Being an avatar was just so much more thrilling.

After some sorely-needed ablutions, he copied the table of cop bribes from the journal, then ventured back into the other world. Driving around in a newly-stolen car, which he found in his apartment complex’s parking lot, he found a few of the bribes, but it was difficult to memorize their locations. Gallivanting all over the city became tedious, with no idea of where they were in relation to him or any landmarks. At least all the backtracking let him practice high-speed driving; he was getting much better at dodging the other traffic, even venturing into the opposite lane on occasion.

Craving a more exciting activity, he found the side street leading to Consolidated Inc.’s ever-ringing payphone, and picked up the handset. “Hey, Salamander! Thad Donnelly here. The Odesa are dumping their shoddy party-favors on the streets. I need you to supply my dealers–FAST. Collect the shipment and get moving!” The line went dead, and the gray arrow pointed elsewhere. James hopped back into his car and drove away, heading deeper into Consolidated-controlled territory.

The narrow roads made high-speed driving more difficult, but after a few turns, he found himself at his destination; the gray arrow suddenly flung itself forward and into a building. He got out and walked into a large atrium; the gray arrow hovered near a briefcase near the back, just past a desk tended by a lovely lady secretary. “Mmmm,” she purred as he walked by. “You look like you live a life of danger.” James returned her smile; perhaps that was his opening!

James jogged past her, grabbing the briefcase. As he returned, he decided to make his move. “How ’bout I pick you up when your shift is over?”

“Welcome to Consolidated,” she replied heedlessly. “Hope you enjoy your stay!”

Frowning slightly, he tried again. “What would you say to an evening of dinner and dancing?”

“We’re always looking for new recruits,” she responded blankly. James frowned; it seemed she couldn’t be anyone but a secretary at a desk. He jogged back to his car, suddenly noticing a timer below his respect-meters; it read “2:45”. This was a timed mission? And he had wasted fifteen precious seconds flirting with an automaton! Jumping back into his car, a surge of adrenaline hit him as he pulled away.

The arrow pointed northward; James took the first street in that direction. It quickly became a T intersection; he chose to turn right, not knowing which direction would be best. It took him a long distance out of his way; finally, he turned left and, he hoped, got closer to his target. It was not to be; he had to make several sharp turns to arrive at the first dealer, each turn robbing him of precious speed. Finally, the gray arrow leaped to a shady-looking, long-haired man in gray clothes, smoking a cigarette.

James jumped out, opening the briefcase as he ran, and handed over one of the four packages inside; the dealer immediately ran away. Closing the case and bolting for his car, he glanced at the timer; there were only two minutes remaining! Sweat poured from his brow as he threaded his way through the streets, hoping the twisted maze would cut him some slack.

Before long, he found the second dealer and delivered his merchandise. This time, he had driven his car up some steps, parking only a dozen or so feet from his target. Hopping back into his car, he noted one minute and fifteen seconds remained. He raced toward a nearby boulevard and turned left, hoping it would lead him to the target sooner.

The traffic here was thick, but he managed to swerve expertly between the cars, little more than pylons to him. A split second later, and it was for nothing; a green-shirted man seemed to come out of nowhere, running in front of his car without even looking. Before James could react, he disappeared under the bumper with a scream.

With no delay, a single glowing police badge appeared in his vision, and the unwelcome whine of police sirens rang out over the bustling noise of auto traffic. James cursed; would he ever learn to avoid these catastrophic mistakes? It was as if the city itself was out to get him. He weaved between the other cars, suddenly making a screeching U-turn as he realized the arrow was now pointing the other way. The cop drove straight for him! He turned sharply to avoid the head-on collision; sparks flew as the cars’ sides scraped, but he kept moving. The cop collided with another vehicle, destroying his momentum.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

His celebration was short-lived, as he realized there were now two glowing police badges in his vision. Groaning in frustration, he turned right onto the street he had missed earlier, swerving in and out of the way of oncoming traffic. Finding himself in front of a train station, he drifted left to enter the parking lot, tires squealing and the car shuddering. The gray arrow quickly fled to a dealer, looking identical to the two he’d already seen. Jumping out of the car, he practically threw the package at its target, who caught it easily before leaving at high speed.

James noticed two cop cars rushing up to the train station’s entrance; one crashed outside against the wall, but the other caromed off the column at one side of the opening; two cops jumped out, both with pistols drawn. James dove back into his car, backing up at high speed, running over one cop and causing the other to jump out of the way.

As he left the parking lot, another cop suddenly ran into the path of his car, going down quickly. He spun his car around and pulled away, heading to his last target. He glumly noted his remaining time; only thirty five seconds to go! His eyes widened as he now saw three bouncing police badges in his vision. A knot formed in his stomach as he wondered what that meant.

He found out quickly. A cop car raced up to him and collided with his side, causing his car to veer out of control, almost coming to a stop. Two cops jumped out of that car and ran toward him. As he pulled away, they continued to follow on foot. James laughed; were they really that dumb? He found a wide boulevard and turned left, tires screeching throughout the turn.

He gaped at what loomed before him; the police had formed a roadblock! Parked cop cars alternated with metal barriers, an armored officer behind each one. They fired on him as soon as they saw him. Bullets impacted with his windshield, shattering much of the glass and making it difficult to see where he was going. A small fire sprung from his engine compartment; how long until it became a large fire?

James knew he had no choice. Flooring the gas pedal, he headed straight for a metal barrier; his car easily flung it out of the way, taking the police officer with it. The collision had sapped about two-thirds of his momentum, but he had no time to think about that; there were only twenty seconds left!

Police cars were on all sides of him; two chased him from behind, and every few seconds, one driving on the other side of the road veered into oncoming traffic and tried to hit him head-on. James turned the wheel furiously and pumped the brakes as needed, dodging the unrelenting onslaught. He barely noticed the gray arrow now pointed to the right; he found the next street and barreled down it at a blatantly unsafe speed.

Ten seconds to go! Where was his target? He saw a park not too far away; that sounded like a good place for a dealer. The gray arrow, mercifully, honed in on someone standing near the entrance, but there were only six seconds left. With police behind him, new police in front of him closing the distance quickly, and the engine compartment’s fire growing, he knew he was out of options. Reaching the park, he jumped out of his car, rolling to a stop with only a few cuts and bruises.

The car continued forward at high speed; as it collided with a concrete wall and exploded, James ran up to the dealer. Four cop cars stopped just off the road; eight cops on foot now trailed him. With his last bit of energy, he reached the dealer and delivered the last package. As he watched the dealer run away, his wanted level disappeared instantly, and all the cops returned to their cars and drove away.

He weakly looked up at the timer. He had made it with two seconds to spare.

A nearby payphone started ringing. James shuffled up to it, fumbling with the handset before putting it to his ear; Thad Donnelly spoke. “You drive like a bat out of hell, Salamander! It’s long past time for some higher-profile jobs. In the meantime, take $20,000 for your trouble.” He heard several sharp clicks, then a dial tone.

James hung up the phone and looked at his cash balance; it was nearly $50,000 now. A surge of joy ran through him; this was a world where he could finally succeed! He tried to imagine what its equivalent of his joyless daily grind would be, and concluded there was no such thing here. With a spring in his step, he sauntered up to one of the dead cops, his baton twirling nearby.

James saw an ambulance approach in the distance, but he still had a few seconds. He snatched the baton and waved it around a few times, enjoying his trophy. He wondered if this is how Alan started his collection of law-enforcement vehicles. Everyone has to begin somewhere, he thought. He tapped the baton on his pants and it disappeared inside.

Smiling to himself, his eyes swept over the peaceful tranquility of the city park. After such a hectic mission, he felt he deserved a stroll through the trees.

The park was lightly populated, and had people of all ages; they ambled slowly along the paths. A gleaming blue lake occupied the middle; several people lay on the ground, looking out over it. The trees sported bushy green leaves; there was no sign of disease or decay. His face broke out into a wide grin as he walked around the perimeter of the lake.

As he approached the far end, he saw something moving in the corner, opposite to where he entered the park. Moving closer, he realized it was some sort of long blade. It revealed itself to be a machete as he approached it. Grabbing it, he immediately touched it to his pants, where it vanished. He wondered if he’d find a use for it against plants, or only the barely-alive people that infested the city.

He was three quarters through his trip around the lake when he heard someone call out. “’Sup, bro?” James turned to see a man dressed in a t-shirt, baggy pants, and a floppy knit hat, lounging under a tree near some boxes, waving at him. He waved back.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” the man shouted.

James smiled and strode up to him.