The Omega's Quest

2. Escape from Hell

THE HEAT WAS SCORCHING as Oscar drove a silver-grey Porsche on that highway. He was speeding at fifty-five miles per hour and couldn't care less about getting into an accident. He only got two options anyway; it was either he would die in a car crash or let Byron catch up with him and die in his mate's hand. His future looked bleak, regardless of what he chose. Thus, he decided to go with the easier one—the first.

His life had been hell for the past five years. It was high time he took his freedom back instead of worrying about his family’s safety.

"I should have kicked his balls on my way out!" He madly slammed his palm onto the steering wheel. His car honked so loudly that all the cars ahead of him got swept to the side to give him way.

"That motherfcker! I thought he would take care of me, but no! He was after my money. Tony and Dad could not have chosen any worse alpha than Byron." He then kicked the gas pedal and made his car hit the highway's speed limit. Everything outside became a blur as the establishments and cars he was passing by merged into a shadow with different hues; brown, green, and grey.

As the afternoon sun drenched the dashboard with light, Oscar's eyes grew tired. He was dry when he checked his navigation panel and realised that he had already passed three states since early morning. Sighing in defeat, he manoeuvred his car to the side of the road and took out his phone.

He began to search the internet for his friends. The first thing that came to his mind was Jason. He typed his name as he remembered it and hoped that Jason would pick up the phone. They had been intimate before. It wouldn't be too much to ask Jason to accept his call after years of no communication, right?

"Come on, dude. Pick up the call," he muttered as the ringing sound echoed in his ears. "Please... I need your help."

A few more rings and the operator announced that the receiving end of the call was unavailable.

Oscar tried redialing the number a couple of more times throughout the hour or so. He just couldn't give up. In between his calls, he managed to search for Jason's whereabouts using the UOFC database, which he had access to. It was for the survivors of the fights to interact with each other, although nothing much happened in the group these days.

As he looked at the page, the last posts of some members were months old already. Even those who were active before had been radio silent for a while. Was it possible that the moderators had stopped processing the posts?

"This is odd. How can everyone be silent?" he asked himself. He then began to look for his own posts if there were any left. As it seemed, he appeared to have flown under the radar of the UOFC. Despite the fact that he was a member, not a single post from him appeared in the database at all! He wasn't even mentioned in any of the posts either.

The final post came from Scott, one of his former rivals. It was about a resort-like oasis he found somewhere.

Oscar grew tired of the website and closed it. There was nothing useful in there, for sure. He then opened another application and typed a name, this time his former coach, Elliot.

He knew Elliot's number, and unless Elliot died, that number would be solely his.

"Come on, Elliot. Pick up the phone, dude. I am in dire need here." Oscar sounded more desperate as he saw the sun was about to set. After another round of dialling, he decided it was best to continue driving.

He was not safe in the middle of the road, exposed from all directions. Alpha Byron and his warriors could catch up with him at any time since they had all the resources they needed to track him down.

His family had a successful business, and Alpha Byron, being the leech that he was, began to partner up with their airlines, offering them deals for low-cost food and refreshments that they could serve their clients. Years after getting the deal with them, Alpha Byron's pack was able to afford all the high-tech ammunition and surveillance gadgets money could buy. Not only that, but Oscar also became one of those unlucky pack members who were the recipients of the tests.

Oscar shook his head as he recalled the last hit he got. The laser they bought was specifically designed to target any organ inside someone's body and make it pop. Yes, it was sinister and untraceable as the heat would dissipate after a few minutes.

He was one of the guinea pigs for it, and he got lucky that they only targeted a non-deadly organ that time. They only hit his gallbladder and appendix. Still, he was fed up with the treatment he was getting from his mate. Alpha Byron never cared for him at all, except for his name and influence. The alpha did not even touch him on their wedding night, thus not finishing their mating process.

The mark on his neck had slowly faded a few days after he left the pack. It was a sign that he was no longer part of their link.

Looking at the navigation of his car, Oscar found out that he was already in North Carolina. It was still six hundred miles away from New York, his next destination. As much as he knew, Elliot would be in that state to prepare for the upcoming season of the UOFC. He just needed to get a hold of him and explain why he had gone AWOL.

He stepped harder on the pedal and made his car go to its maximum speed of seventy miles per hour. The engine roared to life and passed the few cars left on the highway. He popped another espresso shot from the convenience store earlier, and it was keeping him pumped. The night was freezing, but it would do as he needed to stay awake. He intended to reach New York before the crack of dawn.

Oscar had to stay on the road a little longer, but he knew it would be safer than the skies as all passengers were being monitored by Alpha Byron by now.

With his eyes on the road and his safety resting on his shoulders, he blasted the car with EDM music to drown out his thoughts. It was his only connection with the rest of his friends. He just hoped that they would accept him back after being missing for so long.