(A.N: This is my first story ever. All comments are welcome. Special thanks to Poke-masterAlex for inspiring me to write this. Hope you enjoy.)
The early morning air was painfully cold as it passed over his teeth and tongue and into his lungs. The laptop in his messenger bag had felt weightless when he'd left the house nearly two hours ago, but hiking over low, rolling hills and valleys had left his feet aching, and the computer felt as though it weighed a ton. For the hundredth time, he wished he had been able to drive the car, but it would still be a few weeks until he would get his lisense. Besides, the old V-Dub had a faulty starter.
By the time the sky was starting to lighten as a precursor to the sun, he could just make out what looked like the roof of a baby blue van. His apprehension sky rocketed as he slowly approached the boxy hulk, casting jerky glances every which way, searching for signs of life. Hesitantly, he rapped the knuckle of his middle finger on the side door six times, just like they agreed upon. The passenger side window was open slightly. Pressing his cheek against the glass, he softly whispered through the gap, "A banjo is the only answer." He barely had time to think about how stupid that code phrase sounded before the big, sliding door was pulled open from the inside.
A group of three guys stood looking down at him. They all looked even more nervous than he felt. One spoke up and asked, "Are you Ray?". He nodded his head in answer, too nervous to respond verbally. A hand was offered and he took it, pulling himself into the van. "Come on in then. You're late."