caz, Zendelxex, blood shifter, Sin-Skyeon, altern, Toa Karou, varsitylove16 and mallory-nicole: Thanks for the reviews guys, I'm glad you're enjoying it!
Happy Valentines!
***
Chapter 2
***
The trip to the grocery store was a little nerve wracking, but ultimately uneventful. Sarah had to keep reminding herself to make her turns wider so she didn't clip a curb and to allow more room to stop.
The truck handled beautifully, and by the time Sarah was finished with the shopping, her day seemed like it was on a more even keel. She loaded the groceries into the truck and strapped Annabelle in with only a little difficulty. It was incredibly awkward to have to climb up into such a big vehicle.
"Okay, Beast," she told the truck as she stuck the key in the ignition, "we got here in one piece; let's get home without any problems. Alright?"
Right.
Her route home took her by the college campus. Students made their way along and across the busy street, caught up in the daze of finals and papers in the last two weeks of school. Several waited at the crosswalk of the intersection for a green light to cross. Sarah found her gaze turning to the left as she approached the intersection, her attention caught by a group of boys roughhousing.
She never saw the distracted boy on the right who stepped out into traffic.
The steering wheel jerked in her hands and rubber squealed as the truck slammed on its brakes. Sarah screamed as it jerked to a stop, staring at the terrified student inches in front of the truck. She could barely see his head over the truck's hood; he had a music earphone hanging out of one ear and his hand still held a cell to his other ear.
Sarah suddenly became aware of Annabelle crying in the back seat and the sound of horns blaring behind her.
The boy got himself together and started to give her the finger, but took a second look at his situation and decided that retreat was the better option. He quickly headed for the sidewalk.
Shaken, Sarah hesitantly pressed on the gas pedal, suddenly realizing that she hadn't touched the brake at all. The truck moved forward obediently and she managed to steer it into an empty parking lot, Annabelle crying louder in the back.
"It's okay, it's okay," she said, her hands trembling violently as she parked the truck and turned it off. "Mommy's here, I'm coming."
Sarah crawled over the front seat into the back, anxious to get to her daughter. She fumbled her free of the baby seat and climbed out of the truck, her legs weak and threatening to give out under her.
For half an hour, Sarah stood in that parking lot and reassured Annabelle, her eyes never leaving the truck that had somehow saved her from accidentally killing that boy.
***
Sarah eventually managed to gather her courage and drove the truck home, hyper alert for any sign of the truck taking control again. Nothing happened, and by the time she had the groceries unloaded and was feeding Annabelle, she almost had herself convinced that she must have merely stumbled on the reason why the truck was classified. It had to have some sort of advanced computer system in it to help avoid collisions.
That thought didn't stop her from leaving a message on Will's cell phone and telling him that he had some explaining to do.
***
That night, Sarah dreamed she heard laughter. A male's voice, delighted and genuinely amused, it teased another voice which was gruff and a tad embarrassed. The two bantered back and forth, their words friendly sparring.
'Old friends,' Sarah thought sleepily, 'old, very good friends.'
It was a good dream and she basked in it until the chirrup of an emergency vehicle's sirens jerked her fully awake.
She scrambled to the bedroom window, nearly tripping in the tangled bed sheets. A search and rescue vehicle was in her driveway. Sarah stared at it blankly for a moment, then dashed for the stairs. Her rush for the front door earned her a stubbed toe and by the time she got outside, the search and rescue vehicle was pulling out of the driveway and onto the old dirt road that lead to the property.
"Hey!" Sarah yelled, but the driver kept going and she found herself blinking in the sudden darkness. What was he doing in her driveway? Was he lost or looking for someone? If he was looking for someone, why not come to the house? The property was fairly isolated; people usually didn't show up unless they intended to.
Bewildered, Sarah ran a hand through her tangled hair and looked around. Nothing had been touched or moved, though the truck looked different, like it was farther from the garage door than she had remembered.
No...it had to be a trick of the moonlight. Trucks didn't just move, and even if this one was an exception, she hadn't heard the big engine start up. That kind of noise would have woken her for sure.
She started back for the house, but paused when something in the truck's shadow caught her eye. It was the car seat.
The car seat she had left strapped inside the truck. Hadn't she? Or had she been so thoroughly rattled earlier from the near hit that she had pulled it out without remembering? Had the search and rescue driver been digging around in the truck? Sarah tested the doors of the truck; they were all locked.
Unsettled, Sarah put the car seat in the garage and hurried back into the house. She set the alarm system she never used, then grabbed Will's baseball bat and did a quick check of the house, making sure it was as empty as it was supposed to be. And after all that, still uneasy, she grabbed Annabelle and locked them both in the master bedroom.
Dawn was a long time in coming.
***
By morning, Sarah was exhausted and more than a little strung out over yesterday's strangeness. Whatever was going on, it all centered on the truck.
Will, bless his timing, finally called home. Sarah opened fire with both barrels and didn't bother with a warning shot.
"Classified?" she hissed, her voice rising into a shout. "I thought you were joking! What the hell is that truck Will? And why on earth did you bring it here?"
"Wait, wait," he said, at a complete loss. "What happened?" Will's voice was echoing some, like he was in an extremely large building. The phone picked up other voices in the background, talking animatedly.
"What happened?" Sarah yelled. "What happened is that the truck is not normal! Yesterday, some stupid kid at the college stepped into the road, and I didn't see him-" Her voice broke and Sarah suddenly found herself trying not to cry. "I would have hit him, Will! But the truck slammed on its breaks, the truck, not me! And that wasn't the only thing. Last night-"
"Whoa, hold on Sarah," Will interrupted. "Just take a deep breath for me, okay?"
"But, Will-"
"Sarah, please!" Will said firmly.
Sarah shakily complied, using the back of her hand to wipe away the tears that were trying to get the better of her. The voices in the background of Will's phone erupted in laughter and she heard a young, boyish voice yelling incredulously, "Wait! You had to get what out of Ironhide's backseat?"
"First, are you and Annabelle okay?" Will asked, his voice drowning out the background voices again.
"Yes, we're fine."
"The truck is still there, right?"
Sarah looked out the kitchen window at the truck. It looked like it was still in the same spot from last night. Maybe. "Yeah."
"Alright, I know this is a little scary, but I swear the truck will not hurt you. He really is classified, but with the way things are going here, I think he might be staying with us for a while. Things are a little nuts, but I'll do what I can to get them moving on getting you permission to be informed, okay?"
"Okay," she said quietly, wondering why a classified truck would be staying at her home of all places.
Will sighed. "Listen, I've gotta run, they're getting ready to get started here. Just remember, he won't hurt you. Hey!-" There were sounds of a scuffle and Sarah could hear Will yelling in the background as another voice suddenly came on the line.
"Hey, Mrs. Lennox!" Epps greeted her enthusiastically.
"Bobby," she said with a smile. "You giving Will a hard time?"
"Always ma'am, it keeps him sharp." There was more scuffling and Epps hollered, "Bee! Block him for a minute, will ya?"
Something heavy moved and she could hear Will trying to order someone to let him go. What on earth was going on over there?
"Sorry about that," Epps continued cheerfully. "Fig and I were talking and we've got a great idea, but Will's being a stick in the mud so we're doing a run around."
"Your funeral," she said. "But I'm listening."
"Remember that big barbeque you threw for us when we got shipped out last time?"
Oh, she remembered, alright. She remembered the planning and the shopping and the two straight days of cooking. She remembered the drunken games and the water fight that ended up inside the house and the ten foot bonfire in the back pasture that brought the firefighters out for a hello.
"I remember," she said.
"Any chance you'd consider doing it again?" he asked hopefully. "It's just – Fig and I've been talking about it and now the new guys are curious and it would do them a world of good to get away from this political B.S. for a while."
"New guys?"
"They're a little different, but good soldiers, all of 'em. You'll get to meet them at the party, if you're willing?"
Sarah sighed. Oh hell, why not. "Two conditions. I want your immortal soul in payment and your butt on cleanup detail."
Epps laughed. "All yours."
"Fig's too!"
"Done!" Epps said immediately. "Thanks Mrs. Lennox, we- oh, damn! Bee, you weren't supposed to let him go!"
Sarah could hear the sounds of Epps running, with Will yelling threats in the background. There was more laughter.
"One more thing," Epps got out in a rush. "Go say hi to that truck; he's gotta be getting bored silly by now."
What?!
There was more scuffling and Epps yelled "Catch!" There was a thump, a moan, and then Will came back on the line.
"Ignore him," Will said, irritated and breathless. "Sarah, you sure? Last time you said hell would freeze over before you put another one on."
"I know, I know," she said. "But after the last few weeks, I think we could all use a bit of fun."
"You're the greatest," Will said sincerely. "Okay, I've really got to run now, but I'll call as soon as I can on when they're going to give us some time off. Love you, bye!"
"Bye," she said absently to the now silent phone, her eyes narrowed in thought. Why on earth were Will and Bobby referring to the truck as 'he,' and more importantly, how could it be 'bored silly'?
tbc
