Ride of Terror

Nick runs into the unexpected on his bike. 300-word Flash

Ride of Terror

Nick jumped on his bike and headed up Airport Hill. He was part daredevil part thrill-seeker, and this was his chance to be both. He pushed himself to his max and was almost at the summit of the steepest hill in town, when the phone in his pocket rang.

“Who is calling me now?” he asked himself. But being a slave to his phone, he couldn’t let go to voice mail. He pulled it out of his pocket. The change in center of gravity did something unexpected.
The front tire on his racing bike went pop. He began to roll backward at rate of speed he did not expect with a flattened tire.

“I can’t turn, so I have ride it out and hope I survive the trip,” he said out loud.
Needless to say, it was a harrowing ride backward down the hill. The hardest part being watching where he was going while avoiding traffic and the too soft shoulder. Finally, he felt the road flatten and he pulled over.
A police car arrived and stopped in front of his bike. An officer got out and approached him. Nick was drenched in sweat and still panting.

“That was truly amazing! What’s your name?” the policeman asked.
“Nick, Nick Burton.”
“I think I can see what happened,” the officer said as he examined the front tire.
“It was unexpected,” Nick said.
“It might be best when taking a ride up a hill like that one, if you put your phone on voicemail before you start.”
“I certainly will, sir.”
“Well, seeing that you were as safe as you could be during this mishap, I’ll let you off with a warning,” the officer said.
“Thank you, officer.”
The policeman nodded and went back to his cruiser to leave.