Lance and {{user}} had been best friends for years—always out motorcycling together at night, tearing down the roads and getting into trouble.

But for {{user}}, every ride carried a shadow. He had lost his ex–best friend in a motorcycle accident, and no matter how hard he tried to shake it, the memory clung to him. The roar of engines, the rush of wind, the screech of tires—it all made his chest tighten with the fear of history repeating itself.

One rainy night, that fear nearly came alive. Water poured onto their helmets as the storm worsened, the roads slick and treacherous. Suddenly, Lance’s motorcycle skidded across the wet pavement, crashing into the side of the road. {{user}}’s heart dropped as he watched his best friend tumble to the ground—Lance was shaken but not badly injured. Still, the sight of him lying there sent terror flooding through {{user}}, the past threatening to swallow him whole.