“Oh, my…!”

She slid almost falling onto the road.

“Select!” Maxine shouted.

Using her powers, she made Select levitate until it collided with the glass of the car behind her, shattering the chair and freeing Select.

“My back!” She noticed the inside of the car. “Kate? Since when do you have a driver’s license?”

“Since… never.”

“WHAT!?”

Inside the truck, Maxine freed herself by burning the ropes with magic.

“How did you…?” Freya asked, confused.

“I already cut you out of my life once, and I plan on doing it again.”

Select held onto the windshield tightly to position himself.

“You have to get me closer to the truck again!”

“Okay,” Kate responded.

However, the Headless Horseman emerged from the bushes once again.

“Come on!”

The Horseman approached violently, striking the car with his ghostly horse.

“Your head will be mine,” he said.

With a sword strike, Select was almost done for, but luckily he slipped and got out of the sword’s path.

“Charles, step on the gas! I’m not letting you go, Max.”

“I said let me go!”

He cast a spell at Freya, who quickly moved aside.

“What… what are you?”

“I am the one who will prevent you from getting close to my friends.”

“You have serious anger issues, man!”

The Horseman didn’t respond, simply trying to attack again as Kate looked on in shock.

“Kate, hit the brakes, turn, do something!” Select shouted.

Kate shook her head to focus and accelerated.

“Wait, Kate, no!”

CRASH! The car collided with the truck again, causing Select to be back inside.

“You, what did you do to my son?!”

“It’s a daughter, you blind fool,” Select replied.

Outside, the Horseman picked up his pumpkin head and threw it at the truck.

“Select, down!”

A huge explosion made half of the truck disappear in flames, with Select ducking just in time.

“Almost!”

“Jump into the damn car now!” Kate shouted.

Maxine leaped onto the front of the vehicle.

“How do I get in?”

“Like this!”

With a punch, Kate broke the front glass, allowing Maxine to sit in the passenger seat.

Select approached the car.

“You… You did that to him!”

“Make her a better person and an extremely intelligent girl? Well, yes, that’s on me,” Select said with a wink at Freya.

“You’ll pay for this!” Freya shouted.

Select was looking for a vehicle access point.

“I’m going in through the back door!”

“That’s very dangerous!”

Select positioned himself on the side of the vehicle, slowly heading to the door.

The Horseman appeared on his side.

“Hey! Just dropping by to say hello?”

With his sword, he attempted to attack Select, who dodged to the side.

“I can’t stand you!” The Horseman shouted.

“I tend to have that effect when I’m nervous…”

Grabbing the door, he opened it abruptly, getting it cut by the sword.

“You separated the door from the car, you animal!”

Still holding it, he threw it at the Horseman, who fell off the horse and disappeared into the distance.

“Well, that’s that,” commented Select as he sat down.

“What the hell just happened?” Kate asked.

“My mother, it was my mother.”

Select and Kate fell into silence.

“What do you mean, your mother?” Kate asked, confused.

“Freya Powers is my mother, a lunatic obsessed with ‘proper manners’. So obsessed that if something goes out of the norm… she uses torture to ‘correct’ it.”

“Wow, what a psychopath.”

“Maxine, I’m sorry she did that to you,” said Select.

“Don’t be sorry, I don’t want pity. It was a bad moment, but luckily my father left her when he found out about her plans. She didn’t get to do anything to me.”

“I’m glad, she’s a horrible person.”

“That’s why we have to stop her. I want to put an end to her tortures. You’ll help me, right?”

Select smiled at Maxine.

“Let’s beat that witch up.”