"Man, what is wrong with you, bro?"
"What do you mean? You saying I screwed up in purchasing this relic?" Edward turned to face his friend Rollins as they roared down the desert highway of Bakersfield. Outside, dust was kicked up by the Fury's wheel as they sped down the dirt road. The grey-blue clouds that covered most of the sky gave the desert ground an ominous glow.
"Yes-I mean, you could have saved thousands of dollars by buying one of the better quality cars. A Camaro or a Dodge Challenger like mine would have been a bang for your buck, bro."
Eddie just shook his head. "Thanks, but I am content with Christine here. She is a beauty, not to mention an antique. She would be worth thousands."
"First of all, 'she' is old and worn out." Rollie pointed out. "I mean, take a look at the odometer, it keeps moving backwards."
The dark-featured teen glanced over at the odometer, which was glowing a ghostly green color. Sure enough, the dial was moving quickly backwards rather than forward. The other features of the car seemed to be moving out of wack as well.
"It may just be some type of malfunction with the car's computer or something. I will look into it. "
"You do realize old cars like this one lack the tech of their modern counterparts? For example, how many Furies do you see nowadays?"
Ed looked deep in thought. "That is precisely why the car's system is prone to error. I swear I can fix it. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. I will return you to your own car soon enough."
"Fair enough." Rollie sighed. The short-haired dude then sniffed the air and frowned.
"Something wrong?" Eddie asked, catching his buddy in the act.
"You smell that? It smells like corpses that were sprayed by skunks."
Eddie Knight then decided to confirm his friend's claim. Sure enough, a rotten stench greeted his nose, causing him to crinkle it.
"You know what? You are right! The smell is god-awful. That is another thing I need to look into later on. I am going to take her to the car wash immediately afterwards. Want to tag along?"
"Thanks for the offer, but my brother has a football game later," his closest friend responded. "Besides, I have a special concern we need to address."
"And that is?"
"Why do you keep referring to the car as a she?"
Eddie frowned. "Cuz Christine is a feminine name. Don't tell me that never occured to you."
Rollie crossed his arms over his black and white Nirvana shirt. "I am well aware of that. No one referred to a decorated piece of metal with a pronoun such as she. It isn't a woman, mind you."
A dark look passed across Edward Knight's face as they drove through the dirt road. Every once in a while, pebbles would clang against the Fury's red hood, creating the illusion that some little critter was scurrying across the vehicle. Rollie wasn't sure if it was the dim glow of the odometer or the storm clouds outside, but his friend's expression seemed even more ominous by the minute.
"It seems you have been against me buying a car in the first place. Look, I know we were cool going around in your Challenger, which is a pretty rad car, but please just let me enjoy my car. We can keep taking rides in your car while you are welcome to hitch one in mine. Nothing will change, you have my word."
"It isn't that I don't want you to get a car. It's only-"
Rollins Ritter trailed off after seeing his friend's expression darken even more. Feeling uncomfortable and bamboozled by his friend's bizarre behavior, he remained quiet through most of the ride. It was then that he saw spotted bright headlights bearing down on them from ahead. The bluish ghostly light nearly blinded the pair as Eddie swerved off-road briefly to avoid colliding head on with the the other car. The blaring of horns was heard and Rollie was surprised to see his friend give the the offending car, a purple Hyundai Sonata, the bird before returning to the road.
The JROTC cadet raised a brow. "Wow man, that's a bit much for you."
The driver of the Fury glanced over at his friend, an anxious expression plastered on his face. "Can't you see that those idiots in the other car nearly ran us down? It could have been devastating to say the least. I mean, how would you have liked to spend the rest of the time to graduation in the hospital or even the morgue?"
"Look dude, I get that those dumba$$es were irresponsible, possibly baked or drunk, but that is to be expected from a gravel road. These aren't as safe as typical paved roads. You feeling ok? You look more edgy than usual."
"Yeah, I'm fine, bro." Eddie smiled at his friend. He may have been faking it, but his eyes shown a different story. "It is only the stress of buying a new car, coupled with the anxiety of the upcoming AP tests."
"Yeah, I feel you." Rollie still couldn't help, but feel unsettled. "We will make it through. I have a question for you. You going straight to the military after you finish your education or applying to college? If so, what branch?"
---
"Thanks again, dude! Want to go over to Nevin's place Friday?"
As Eddie dropped Rollie off at the Valero gas station where his Challenger was parked, the two had stopped to chat. The brown-haired cadet had pulled up beside his friend who was in the Fury's wheel and lowered the window to speak with him.
"I don't see why not." Eddie grinned. "I have saxophone practice with the band, but I'll come by to pick you up afterwards."
"Sounds good. See you then."
As his longtime buddy pulled away in Christine, a flash of lightning lit the vicinity. Rollie thought it was his mind playing tricks, but the bright headlights of Christine's tail reminded him of a sneering eyes and a leering face.
Maybe I am overthinking this, but I have an ominous feeling about Eddie's new ride.
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Well, things are kicking off now. If any of you saw the movie or read the book, then you'd see that I had included some references like the odometer and the smell. Enjoy!
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