After receiving a call from his friend, Paul Walker left the hotel and immediately spotted the red Porsche GT. Walking over, he couldn't resist running his hand over the car's roof. "This car looks amazing."
The man stepping out of the driver's seat was his friend, Roger.
"Hey, Roger." Paul couldn't hide his admiration.
Roger patted the red car's body and said, "Wanna give it a spin?" He tossed the keys to Paul. "No one else but me has driven this beauty."
Paul caught the keys, glancing down at them and then back at the car. He felt an itch he couldn't scratch—cars like this had always been his passion.
For a moment, he was tempted to say yes. But suddenly, Matthew's face flashed through his mind. Shaking his head, he handed the keys back to Roger. "I'll ride shotgun instead."
"Why not?" Roger asked, confused. "I thought you loved cars like this."
Paul sighed. "I signed a contract with the production. No street racing allowed!" He gestured toward the Porsche. "Do you really think I could drive a car like this and resist the urge to race?"
Roger accepted the keys with a shake of his head. "What kind of weird contract is that?"
Paul shrugged. "The Fast & Furious cast all signed similar agreements."
Roger opened the driver's door. "Fine. Hop in the passenger seat." Once Paul was seated, Roger started the engine and added, "No one would know if you took it for a spin."
Paul shook his head again. "I promised Matthew I wouldn't race."
"Is he your wife now?" Roger said with some annoyance. "Why's he so controlling?"
Paul laughed, giving him a light slap on the arm. "Alright, let's go. Don't make me miss the party."
Roger dropped the topic, pressed the gas pedal, and the car pulled away from the hotel, gliding onto a wide road. It accelerated smoothly, weaving through traffic.
In the city, where traffic was heavier, the Porsche GT couldn't unleash its full power. Roger kept his speed within the legal limit, wary of the occasional patrol car.
Half an hour later, they left the city, and traffic thinned considerably. Roger stomped on the gas, and the roaring engine transformed the Porsche GT into a streak of red lightning.
"Feel that!" Roger shouted excitedly.
Paul glanced at the rapidly retreating scenery outside the window, then at the speedometer. The Porsche was approaching 80 miles per hour.
For Paul, who had once enjoyed racing, this speed was nothing. Before rejoining the Fast & Furious crew, he'd hit over 100 miles per hour on more than one occasion.
But ever since filming Fast & Furious 4, Paul had given up street racing—not just out of respect for his contract, but also because of the promise he'd made to Matthew.
Watching Roger accelerate further, Paul began to feel uneasy. Even if he wasn't driving, wasn't this just as dangerous? And wasn't the passenger seat even riskier than the driver's seat?
"Roger, slow down," Paul said suddenly. "We have plenty of time. At this rate, we'll attract the cops."
Roger looked at him in surprise. "Are you still Paul Walker?"
"Slow down," Paul repeated firmly.
Matthew's repeated warnings against reckless driving had stuck with Paul, and Roger eventually eased up on the gas. The car slowed from over 80 miles per hour to a more modest 40, even under the road's speed limit.
As they approached a curve, Roger glanced at Paul and reduced speed further. Just as the Porsche entered the turn, the car suddenly jolted.
"What was that?" Paul, an experienced driver, immediately sensed something was wrong. "Why is it shaking so much?"
Roger gripped the steering wheel tightly. "The car…"
Before he could finish, the red Porsche lost control, careening toward the side of the road and crashing headfirst into a streetlight pole with a deafening boom!
The airbags deployed instantly. Paul felt the impact reverberate through his body, his head spinning. It took a moment for him to regain some clarity. Through the shattered windshield, he saw the car had been severely mangled, surrounded by shards of red debris.
His chest, ribs, and legs ached, but the pain wasn't unbearable—his life wasn't in immediate danger.
Turning to check on Roger, he saw his friend similarly pinned by the airbags, blood streaming from his nose, and still disoriented.
"Roger!" Paul shouted. "Roger!"
Hearing his name, Roger groggily came to. "I… I'm okay," he mumbled weakly.
Paul exhaled in relief and looked outside again, his heart pounding with fear. What if they'd hit the pole at 80 miles per hour? Broken limbs would've been the least of their worries—they might not have survived at all.
Racing wasn't just risking cars; it was risking lives.
In that moment, Paul had a revelation: street racing was far too dangerous.
Roger, now more alert, turned his head with difficulty and said, "Paul, you saved my life."
If not for Paul's repeated insistence, Roger wouldn't have slowed down so much.
Paul took a deep breath. "No, not me. You should thank Matthew Horner. He saved both of us."
If not for Matthew's warnings and the promise he'd made, Paul doubted they'd have escaped unscathed.
As they spoke, passing drivers had already called emergency services. Rescue workers arrived quickly, and both men were rushed to the hospital.
After leaving the set and arriving at the hospital, Matthew finally relaxed when he saw Paul Walker lying on the bed, alive and relatively unharmed.
He'd done everything short of preaching, but if Paul had still died in an accident, it would've been a bitter blow.
Hearing about the accident, Matthew learned his warnings had indeed made a difference. Paul had escaped with nothing more than a mild concussion.
"I'm fine," Paul reassured both Matthew and Justin Lin. "I'm so sorry for worrying you."
Sitting beside the bed, Matthew smiled. "As long as you're okay. Get some rest and recover quickly." He joked, "You've delayed the crew's work. I might have to dock your pay."
Justin Lin added, "Ignore Matthew. Just take a few days to recover. I'll adjust the shooting schedule."
Paul smiled faintly. "The doctor said I'll have another check-up this afternoon. If everything looks good, I can leave tomorrow."
Roger, however, wasn't as lucky, suffering a broken nose and a fractured rib.
Matthew advised, "Take a couple more days to rest, just to be safe."
With Fast & Furious 6 still filming and Fast & Furious 7 planned for next year, along with future sequels, Paul was an indispensable part of the franchise.
Paul turned serious and said, "Matthew, I need to thank you." Looking him in the eye, he continued, "If you hadn't insisted on that contract and reminded me so often, I wouldn't have told Roger to slow down. I wouldn't be here now."
Matthew waved it off. "It's no big deal. Don't mention it."
"No, it is," Paul insisted. "You saved my life. Truly."
Seeing Paul's gratitude, Matthew seized the moment. "Paul, no more racing—either driving or riding along with others."
Paul nodded solemnly. "Once is enough. I won't risk a second time." He smiled faintly. "I have a daughter to raise. I need to be there for her."
Matthew lightly patted Paul's hand. "We'll see you back on set soon."
After Justin Lin left, Matthew followed him out, leaving Paul to rest.
On the way back, Matthew realized he'd overlooked something: the contract only prohibited Paul from driving recklessly but didn't address being a passenger. Thankfully, his warnings had still made an impact.
He wondered briefly if he'd misremembered the circumstances of Paul's real-life accident. Had he not been the one driving? But that no longer mattered. Judging by Paul's attitude, he'd likely stay far away from street racing in the future.
Acting out high-speed chases on screen was fine, but risking lives off-screen wasn't worth it. Speed was thrilling, but the stakes were too high. If not for themselves, people had to consider their families. Losing a child to reckless racing would be devastating for parents, and for those with families, such irresponsibility was unthinkable.
Paul was already 40 years old. This incident served as a wake-up call. He wasn't just responsible for himself—he had a daughter depending on him.
If it were someone else, Matthew wouldn't have cared so much. But Paul was a friend he'd known since before his rise to fame, and as a lead in Fast & Furious, his safety directly affected the franchise's success.
Reflecting on Hollywood's many untimely deaths, Matthew realized there was no shortage of reckless behavior. From overdoses to bizarre accidents, the industry had seen it all.
For example, a few years ago, the actor who played Bill in Kill Bill had died in Thailand during an S&M session gone wrong with a ladyboy.
Someday, Matthew thought, someone should make a movie titled A Million Ways Hollywood Stars Die. It would surely be a hit.
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