"Let me get this straight. You are telling me that you saw an old guy and a dude that looked like he belonged in the hippie era seated here and then they disappear. You sure you aren't on anything?"
Rollins Ritter glanced at his close friend Eddie as they entered the Interstate 204 on their way to an old buddy's home for a party. Half of the seniors from Carpenter High would be present and it was rumored that the Rivers family would be out of town for some time. That left Nevin home alone, resulting in his place being a sort of Wild West of unsupervised teens. Surely, there would be plenty of alcohol and loud music, possibly a hot cheerleader or two. However, these are all assuming that he and his buddy would arrive at their destination in one piece and this seemed like a remote possibility as the driver of the vehicle sounded like he needed to be catching up on several hours of sleep rather than being behind the wheel.
"I assure you I ain't, but that stupidass paper for McMillan kept me up all night. It was so darn grueling that I had to literally chug two cans of Red Bull to drag my a$S through it. "
"Why didn't you tell me? I could have driven us to Nevin's. You know I have a ride. It will be just like the old days."
"Old days?" The African-American driver turned and frowned at his Rollie. "Dude, I barely got Christine for a week. It wasn't that long ago that we were in your Charger. I admit, it was a pretty dope ride, but that was before I met this baby." He patted his car's glowing dashboard. "I would be kidding myself if I don't consider this a fantastic investment. She's the best thing that had ever happened to me."
A frown played upon Rollie's pink lips.
I wish he would stop referring to this ancient relic as Christine. Who knows how long it could hold itself together. For all I know, the tires could come apart any moment or the battery could die. It also really disturbs me how he refers to this hunk of junk with a pronoun like 'she.'
"Dude, I do not doubt your skills as a driver, but even I feel like crap whenever I have to pull an all-nighter for Psychology. Either Mr. Paulo is a sadist that relishes in seeing us suffer or he sees us as nothing but soulless robots to obey authority. "
Eddie cocked his head to the side. "So what's your point?"
"What I am trying to say is that if you feel so fatigued that you start to hallucinate an old fart or a nerdy dude, then we can switch places."
A dark expression clouded over Edward's broad face. "Let me get this straight. I am not sure I heard you correctly, but you are suggesting that I hand over the control of my most prized possession to you? Not a chance, bro. Don't get me wrong. You are quite bomb as a friend, but only I operate my girl, which I am perfectly capable of doing. Got it?"
This is getting even more ridiculous. "Listen, I have no intention of stealing your Christine from you. I only want to ensure that we will reach our destination in one piece. Is that too much to ask?"
Edward only laughed, rearing his head back. "Bruh! Like I've said before, I am perfectly capable of getting us to Nevin's. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. If your nerves are getting you on edge again, just pretend you are in the 50s and are riding in some greaser's car from Happy Days-Hey, watch where you are going, dumbass!"
Rollie sighed as he lay his head back, watching his childhood friend honk and curse at a Nissan Maxima, its taillights glowing bright red like a Cylon's eyes, who was drifting into different lanes.
First, he makes wild claims about two strangers hitching a ride in his car as well as his car having miraculous healing powers like a video game character. Now, he turns into an aggressive driver? I am fearing for Eddie's state of mind. He was a more rational and level-headed guy before purchasing this piece of garbage. Could it have some kind of influence on him?
Eddie turned back to his friend, shaking his head. "Don't you like it when it doesn't even cross their minds to turn on their turn signals. I mean, they were created for a reason."
---
"Don't bother telling him anything, son. Christine only reveals her unique abilities to those she likes. "
"That's right, he will never understand a treasure like our Christine."
"Huh?"
As he drove toward the freeway's exit, Edward glanced back to the backseat of his car and his eyes grew wide upon seeing the old geezer and the nerd who looked like he belonged in another age seated side by side. How two outlandish souls from a bygone era appeared in his car like apparitions was lost on him. This was just starting to get weird.
"I said nothing." Rollie shifted his attention from the window as he glanced over at him.
"I wasn't referring to you."
"Who else is aboard besides us?" Rollie narrowed his eyes.
"You telling me you don't see the two people behind us?" Eddie frowned. "This is the geezer and hippie duo I mentioned to you before." He turned to motion to the two new passengers. "Ask where they came from?"
His fair-skinned passenger glanced back with a frown before returning his gaze to his friend. "What the hell are you on about? There's no one back there. "
"Say what?" Eddie glanced up at the rearview mirror to see the two men in the back,one old, one young, smirk at him. He turned around to see his two new passengers still seated in the same position. "Are you blind? How dafuq can you not see two people behind you?"
"Eddie, for the last time, there is no one behind. No old fart or wannabe hipster. You know, you are worrying me. Lack of sleep isn't healthy for the mind or the body. I knew I shouldn't have let you go behind the wheel. Let's pull over and park. We can either take an uber or have someone from school give us a lift the rest of the way. I can call Andrew or Kyle."
Since when did you become a doctor?
Before the driver of the antique car could respond, flashing lights lit the interior of the vehicle. Eddie glanced up as the bright red and blue lights of a police cruiser greeted him while the bright headlights of a cop's Challenger glared at him.
Oh f*&k.
Seeing a nearby parking lot for an Aldi's, Eddie reluctantly parked and waited for the police officer to follow suit.
"Ooh boy, you just had to do it. " Rollins Ritter shook his head wistfully. "You only had this car for what? About a couple weeks and now you already have a traffic ticket. I told you driving while lacking sleep was a bad idea. First, you hallucinate extra passengers in the backseat, now this. Next time, for both our sakes, listen to me."
As Edward glanced down at the dashboard of the Fury, its lights blinking a ghostly green, he clenched his fist. As much as he hated to admit it, his friend was right. Maybe he should have left Christine at home and they could have went in Rollie's vehicle or called an Uber. This way, he wouldn't get a citation and risk his parents barring him from driving. Before long, the tapping on his window captured his attention. He lowered the driver's window as the police officer stood outside, silhouetted against the light of the streetlamp. Eddie decided to play it cool.
"Hi officer, what is the issue?" He smiled brightly like it was picture day.
The officer crossed his beefy arms before he spoke. "Well, son, you may not realize it, but you have pulled a 65 on 45 on 24th street and crossed a red light in the process. I am afraid I have to write you up on that. May I see your license?"
---
As soon as the police cruiser pulled away, the backlights of the Plymouth Fury lit up like a set of blood-red eyes. Unknown to many, the eyes followed the police car like a lion does to its prey. Once the prey was marked, the hunt would commence.
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