Hello to everyone who's been so kind as to read this! This story is based entirely off of the escape scene in the movie, starting when they drive over the Topeka, Kansas sign. If I get any of the dialogue or imagery wrong, don't sue me or anything, because I'm doing this from memory.
This is more a collection of one-shots than anything else; each chapter is a different time increment with a different event. Consider yourselves warned, though; some chapters will be intentionally ridiculous.
I've never tried to write anything like this before, so any constructive criticism would be much appreciated.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inkheart, or its movie.
Enough of my incessant chatter! Onward to chapter 1!
The van crunched over a piece of wood in the road; it read, "Topeka, Kansas," but nobody noticed that. Mo's eyes were fixed firmly on the road ahead, and Dustfinger and Meggie kept glancing anxiously behind them. Elinor was sitting stiffly, obviously frightened, while poor Farid was positively shaking with terror.
Suddenly, a shadow passed overhead, seeming to brush the van's top. "Mo, watch out!" Meggie screamed, and everyone ducked instinctively. Dorothy's house flew overhead, landing with a solid THUMP on the other side of the escaping vehicle.
"Whoa," Farid whispered.
Mo blew out a shaky sigh and decreased his speed slightly. "How much longer until we're off this road?" he called to Dustfinger.
"Five hundred yards," the scarred man replied. "After that, we get onto the mountain trails. Capricorn's men won't dare to follow us there."
"Why not?" Meggie asked quietly, watching the surrounding trees fly by.
"State police patrol there all the time; it's the closest they'll get to the village. Capricorn won't risk his men getting caught." Dustfinger watched the road for a moment, and nodded grimly. "Speed up," he told Mo.
Mo turned around to face the man, surprise etched onto his face. "What?"
"There's a barrier up ahead; we've got to go through it. And to do that, you have to speed up."
"What?!" Mo exclaimed incredulously. "No, if there's a barrier, we're going around it!"
"This is a one-lane dirt road, surrounded by forest on both sides!" Dustfinger snapped. "There is no way around!"
"Then we'll stop and drag it off!"
"No, you have to go straight through!"
"What in the name of Chaucer's beard are you talking about?!" Elinor burst out, unable to keep silent. "Have you gone right out of your mind?!" Angrily, she jabbed a finger toward the windshield. The barrier, a wooden one that stood at least half the height of the van, was getting alarmingly close.
Meggie gasped when she saw it, and shut her eyes tightly. there was no way they could go through that without getting hurt. Dustfinger was insane.
Elinor seemed to feel the same way; she grabbed the collar of Dustfinger's shirt and pulled him in so they were nose-to-nose. "We can't go through that, you bloody idiot!" she cried. "We'll be smashed to bits!"
"This van was built to sustain worse damage that that!" Dustfinger replied, shoving Elinor off of him. "This is it!" he shouted to Mo. "Go!"
CRASH!
Splinters of wood flew everywhere, and Meggie screamed. Mo cursed loudly, speeding away from the broken road-block. Farid hunched over, his hands covering his ears, and Elinor began screaming at Dustfinger, but Meggie didn't hear a word her aunt said. Instead, she watched the trees, trying to get her heartbeat under control. Mo turned off the wooded road onto a winding, open mountain trail, and Meggie breathed out a sigh of relief. They were safe.
Well, there you have it. I apologize if this is not very good. I wrote it on a bus; my band went to a music festival in Williamsburg, Virginia, and we had a 15-hour bus ride. The perfect opportunity to write a story about a road trip.
Please take the time to review, if you read this. Tell me what you liked, what you hated, what could be improved, and what you'd like to see in later chapters.
That's all from me. Bye for now!