Tales from the Road
By Persephone
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution, I don't own any musician mentioned. I do own the hitchhiker. That's all.
A/N: Hi, ya'll! This story started out as part of a longer story that I lost interest in. But this is one of the parts I wanted to salvage, maybe make its own story. Please tell me what you think, I'll be very grateful. And tell me if you all like this, and would like me to continue it some more. Thanks!
The rain hit the windshield steadily as Todd Tolensky yawned. Road trip. What a laugh. So far, they had gotten lost twice, nearly been involved in five wrecks, been flipped off by an old woman, and ran out of gas. Hey, maybe they'd make it out of New York State pretty soon. Not to mention the whole reason for the trip was retarded. So what if Ozzy Osborne was signing autographs in Pennsylvania? An autograph wouldn't do them any good if they were dead. And to top it all, it was his turn to drive; meaning everyone else was asleep. He wasn't even old enough to have a permit! Good thing the other guys taught him how to drive after that disastrous incident in Lance's Jeep. Poor squirrel.
He boredly hit the scan button on the radio again, trying to find some decent music. He was sure to keep the volume down, though. He was pretty sure Victor Creed was not a happy kitten when woken up. He still couldn't believe Creed, Sabretooth himself, had shown up to go get autographs. That's how life went, apparently. Adults couldn't be bother with helping with the bills, keeping water on or food in the cabinet, but as soon as someone said, "Ozzy," watch them run. The stations flicked by... Pop .... ugh.... Country..... ugh..... more country.... ugh..... talk radio.....ugh.....Metallica..... pop.... Wait! Todd franticly jabbed at the buttons, trying to get the channel back to the Mighty Metallica. There.
Todd looked back up to the road just in time to swerve back into his lane. The Cadillac he'd nearly hit honked its horn at him. "Sorry." Todd muttered, even though the lady couldn't hear him. But Todd paid extra attention to the road.
That was why he noticed the hitchhiker in time to stop. The guy was just standing on the side of he interstate, wearing faded denim and flannel, with a worn-out duffel bag resting on the pavement beside him. The rain was soaking the poor guy! Todd instantly felt sorry for him, after all, if not for the Brotherhood, it could easily be him standing on the side of the road at everybody else's mercy. Todd pulled over.
The hitchhiker, looking grateful for the ride, ran to the van and opened the door.
"You don't mind it I gets the seat wet, do you?" The hitchhiker asked before climbing inside.
"No." Todd replied. The hitchhiker made himself comfortable in the passenger's seat, setting his gray duffel bag in the floor beneath his feet, and pulling a hand through his dirty brown hair.
"My name's Charlie."
"I'm Todd." Todd replied, briefly wondering if it was smart to pick up a hitchhiker. Even if it was a van filled with super-powered mutants, including an assassin, this guy could be a psychotic mass murderer or something! Too late now, though. Charlie suddenly smiled.
"What?" Todd asked, his voice cracking. Stupid, stupid! He thought. Now he knows I'm scared.
"Master of Puppets is a good song, isn't it, Bob Marley?" Charlie said, and then commenced to sing along. "Dedicated to, how I'm killing you! Come crawling faster! Obey your master!"
Funny how Todd had never noticed how...violent this song was.
"C'mon, boy, Bob Marley wants you to sing along!" Charlie exclaimed. "Your life burns faster!"
Todd joined in, reluctantly. "Obey your master, master, Master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings. Twisting your mind, smashing your dreams,"
"Shush." Charlie suddenly said.
"What?" Todd said. He'd loosened up during the singing. Nobody else in the Brotherhood listened to old Metallica.
"The dreams reminded me. No waking the dead. No waking the living." Charlie muttered. Todd looked at him. He really was a psycho! Charlie then leaned over his duffel bag, still muttering, "No waking the dead. No waking the living." over and over, like a mantra.
"Uhhh, man, you okay?" Todd asked.
Charlie sat straight up, turned slowly towards Todd, and said, "Bob Marley and Jim won't let anything happen to ole Charlie, don't you worry none about me."
"Okay." Todd said. Jim? Bob Marley? This guy was either on some major drugs, or he had just escaped from the loony bin. Either way, Todd was seriously regretting picking the guy up. Todd glanced in the back of the van. Everyone was still sound asleep.
Charlie said suddenly, "You want to meet Jim?"
"Okay." Todd replied. Well, at least he'd find out who Jim was. Please, God, don't let this crazy man pull a head out of his duffel bag. Charlie didn't even reach for his duffel bag. He pulled a string necklace out of his shirt. Dangling from the string was a plastic....skeleton? It seemed to be glowing in the dimness of the van.
"Mr. Todd, let me introduce you to Mr. Jim Morrison. Mr. Morrison, Mr. Todd." Charlie finished the formal introductions, and then said, " Jim prefers to be called by just his first name." There was a silence. "Aren't you gonna say hi to Jim, boy?"
"Uhh, hi, Jim." Todd said. Why wasn't anyone waking up? This guy kept getting freakier and freakier, and he had no clue what to do.
"Bob Marley don't want to meet you yet. He's a bit shy, Bob Marley is." Charlie said, and then turned his attention to the radio. "You like Lynard Skynard, boy?"
"Uhh, they're alright." A slight rustling came from the back. Todd glanced back. Vic sat up. Oh, no, anyone but him. Todd thought. He's gonna maim me for picking up this crazy man.
"Pull over." Vic said as he looked up front and saw a soaking wet guy in flannel playing with a glow-in-the-dark plastic skeleton in the front seat.
"Okay." Todd said, and pulled off into a rest area. Vic climbed out of the back, and into the driver's seat. Todd took the opportunity to get in the very back, where he huddled down, sure that Vic was going to kill him for picking up a hitchhiker.
"Hello, I'm Charlie, and this is Jim." Charlie said, interrupting the silence. Vic stared at him for a minute. Charlie didn't even blink as the killer scrutinized him. Vic growled. Charlie crooked his head to the side, and then said, "Bob Marley thinks you need a tic tac."
Please review!
By Persephone
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution, I don't own any musician mentioned. I do own the hitchhiker. That's all.
A/N: Hi, ya'll! This story started out as part of a longer story that I lost interest in. But this is one of the parts I wanted to salvage, maybe make its own story. Please tell me what you think, I'll be very grateful. And tell me if you all like this, and would like me to continue it some more. Thanks!
The rain hit the windshield steadily as Todd Tolensky yawned. Road trip. What a laugh. So far, they had gotten lost twice, nearly been involved in five wrecks, been flipped off by an old woman, and ran out of gas. Hey, maybe they'd make it out of New York State pretty soon. Not to mention the whole reason for the trip was retarded. So what if Ozzy Osborne was signing autographs in Pennsylvania? An autograph wouldn't do them any good if they were dead. And to top it all, it was his turn to drive; meaning everyone else was asleep. He wasn't even old enough to have a permit! Good thing the other guys taught him how to drive after that disastrous incident in Lance's Jeep. Poor squirrel.
He boredly hit the scan button on the radio again, trying to find some decent music. He was sure to keep the volume down, though. He was pretty sure Victor Creed was not a happy kitten when woken up. He still couldn't believe Creed, Sabretooth himself, had shown up to go get autographs. That's how life went, apparently. Adults couldn't be bother with helping with the bills, keeping water on or food in the cabinet, but as soon as someone said, "Ozzy," watch them run. The stations flicked by... Pop .... ugh.... Country..... ugh..... more country.... ugh..... talk radio.....ugh.....Metallica..... pop.... Wait! Todd franticly jabbed at the buttons, trying to get the channel back to the Mighty Metallica. There.
Todd looked back up to the road just in time to swerve back into his lane. The Cadillac he'd nearly hit honked its horn at him. "Sorry." Todd muttered, even though the lady couldn't hear him. But Todd paid extra attention to the road.
That was why he noticed the hitchhiker in time to stop. The guy was just standing on the side of he interstate, wearing faded denim and flannel, with a worn-out duffel bag resting on the pavement beside him. The rain was soaking the poor guy! Todd instantly felt sorry for him, after all, if not for the Brotherhood, it could easily be him standing on the side of the road at everybody else's mercy. Todd pulled over.
The hitchhiker, looking grateful for the ride, ran to the van and opened the door.
"You don't mind it I gets the seat wet, do you?" The hitchhiker asked before climbing inside.
"No." Todd replied. The hitchhiker made himself comfortable in the passenger's seat, setting his gray duffel bag in the floor beneath his feet, and pulling a hand through his dirty brown hair.
"My name's Charlie."
"I'm Todd." Todd replied, briefly wondering if it was smart to pick up a hitchhiker. Even if it was a van filled with super-powered mutants, including an assassin, this guy could be a psychotic mass murderer or something! Too late now, though. Charlie suddenly smiled.
"What?" Todd asked, his voice cracking. Stupid, stupid! He thought. Now he knows I'm scared.
"Master of Puppets is a good song, isn't it, Bob Marley?" Charlie said, and then commenced to sing along. "Dedicated to, how I'm killing you! Come crawling faster! Obey your master!"
Funny how Todd had never noticed how...violent this song was.
"C'mon, boy, Bob Marley wants you to sing along!" Charlie exclaimed. "Your life burns faster!"
Todd joined in, reluctantly. "Obey your master, master, Master of puppets, I'm pulling your strings. Twisting your mind, smashing your dreams,"
"Shush." Charlie suddenly said.
"What?" Todd said. He'd loosened up during the singing. Nobody else in the Brotherhood listened to old Metallica.
"The dreams reminded me. No waking the dead. No waking the living." Charlie muttered. Todd looked at him. He really was a psycho! Charlie then leaned over his duffel bag, still muttering, "No waking the dead. No waking the living." over and over, like a mantra.
"Uhhh, man, you okay?" Todd asked.
Charlie sat straight up, turned slowly towards Todd, and said, "Bob Marley and Jim won't let anything happen to ole Charlie, don't you worry none about me."
"Okay." Todd said. Jim? Bob Marley? This guy was either on some major drugs, or he had just escaped from the loony bin. Either way, Todd was seriously regretting picking the guy up. Todd glanced in the back of the van. Everyone was still sound asleep.
Charlie said suddenly, "You want to meet Jim?"
"Okay." Todd replied. Well, at least he'd find out who Jim was. Please, God, don't let this crazy man pull a head out of his duffel bag. Charlie didn't even reach for his duffel bag. He pulled a string necklace out of his shirt. Dangling from the string was a plastic....skeleton? It seemed to be glowing in the dimness of the van.
"Mr. Todd, let me introduce you to Mr. Jim Morrison. Mr. Morrison, Mr. Todd." Charlie finished the formal introductions, and then said, " Jim prefers to be called by just his first name." There was a silence. "Aren't you gonna say hi to Jim, boy?"
"Uhh, hi, Jim." Todd said. Why wasn't anyone waking up? This guy kept getting freakier and freakier, and he had no clue what to do.
"Bob Marley don't want to meet you yet. He's a bit shy, Bob Marley is." Charlie said, and then turned his attention to the radio. "You like Lynard Skynard, boy?"
"Uhh, they're alright." A slight rustling came from the back. Todd glanced back. Vic sat up. Oh, no, anyone but him. Todd thought. He's gonna maim me for picking up this crazy man.
"Pull over." Vic said as he looked up front and saw a soaking wet guy in flannel playing with a glow-in-the-dark plastic skeleton in the front seat.
"Okay." Todd said, and pulled off into a rest area. Vic climbed out of the back, and into the driver's seat. Todd took the opportunity to get in the very back, where he huddled down, sure that Vic was going to kill him for picking up a hitchhiker.
"Hello, I'm Charlie, and this is Jim." Charlie said, interrupting the silence. Vic stared at him for a minute. Charlie didn't even blink as the killer scrutinized him. Vic growled. Charlie crooked his head to the side, and then said, "Bob Marley thinks you need a tic tac."
Please review!