"Bollocks!" Madeline cursed as she saw the warning light on the dashboard blink. She was too scared to look at the rearview mirror, but she knew they were still hot on her heels.
The 2020 Toyota Corolla swerved and gave a somewhat tired grunt as she ventured further, almost as if it were protesting.
Before she could fully understand what was going on, the dashboard lights flickered in a migraine-inducing way; the steering wheel rolled on its own, and the car swerved in reverse and stopped. It basically died. No matter what she tried, the car would not start.
With shaky hands, Madeline held her head. What was she supposed to do? Run out? Or wait for them to take her out of the car? Either way, she was not making it out alive.
The wraith-like creatures drew closer to the car, and by this time, Madeline had braced herself in the betrayer of a car.
"Fool!" the one who seemed to be their leader said, in a voice so calm and melodic it bordered on hypnotic. It held a leash holding back a ferocious cat-like monster that was frothing at the mouth, waiting to sink its scissor claws into something.
Madeline reached into a jacket pocket as they dragged her out, throwing her at the feet of their leader.
"You know that impurities will not be accepted in these plains," it said, nodding pointedly at the now useless hunk of steel. "From the start, you were fighting a losing battle."
Madeline smirked, her wrinkly face looking a tad bit younger. "You know me. When have I ever followed the rules?"
Her hand shot from her pocket, clutching a glob of light that pulsed with a dozen unsettling, bruised colors. She wasn't going down without a fight; before the beast could lunge, she slammed the light into the dirt. Its impact brought a loud, fearsome explosion that clouded and consumed in every direction.
No one survived.