Chapter 2...
"What?! Where is he?!" Lori exclaims.
Lynn Jr. came into the living room and said...
"Hey, what's going on here?"
"I told you, i found Lincoln." Clyde answered as he came inside and moved toward the family's television.
From upstairs, Lana heard the whole thing and said to her sisters...
"Hey, guys! Clyde found Lincoln!"
The Loud girls rushed downstairs toward the living room and furiously asking questions and demanding answers, Lori silenced the crowd by yelling...
"QUIET!" Lori turned to Clyde and asked. "Where is he, Clyde?"
Lola, dressed with her now clean pageant gown, joined the crowd in the living room.
"He's at Flip's store, or was at Flip's store, but he..." Clyde answered as he placed the disc inside the dvd player. "Well, just watch this video, i borrowed it from Flip."
"Are you sure?" Lynn jr asked sternly.
"Nope, i blackmailed him for it." Clyde honestly explained. "After i got it, Flip threw me out, closed up shop and moved to Canada."
In a flashback scene at Flip's Food and Fuel...
"Alright already! Take it and get out!" shouted Flip. "Get out now!"
Flip opened the door, and pushed Clyde out of his gas station.
"I'll be in Canada until this whole thing blows over." said Flip as he slams the door, locks it and turns the sign to "Closed".
End of flashback...
"Poor Canada!" Luan shouted and laughed at her joke.
"LUAN!" The other girls yelled at Luan.
"Sorry, sorry, i always wanted to do a canadian joke." said Luan as she giggles.
"Can you save the stupid puns until we bring Lincoln back home?" Lucy snarled at Luan.
"Sourpuss." Luan grumbled.
After a few seconds, the video from Flip's security camera plays, the footage revealed Lincoln Loud entering the scouts' bus trying to get out of the rain, after a while, a group of boy and girl scouts and their scoutmasters entering the bus along with its driver, then the bus drives out of the gas station.
"Uh, Clyde, like, what does this mean?" asked Leni.
"It means he's not in Royal Woods anymore, he's in another town." Clyde answered.
"But where, Clyde?!" asked Lynn Jr as she grabs Clyde by his shirt collar. "Where was that bus going?!"
"I think i might have an idea." said Lisa.
Lincoln Loud slowly opens his eyes, yawns and gets up and do a stretch before getting off the bus, once outside he examines his surroundings, he finds himself at a parking lot that's next to a small gas station and a motel that's across the street. the buildings were surrounded by tall trees, the trees were unfamiliar to Lincoln as it reminds him of that camping trip he had with his best friend, Clyde.
"W-Where am i?" Lincoln asked himself.
Lincoln left the parking lot and looked around before decided to ask someone for help, if there are people around, that is. Lincoln's first stop is the gas station, he goes inside and approach the counter, the clerk on duty is a half african-american, half hawaiian woman with a little muscular build hidden inside her pudgy body, with medium long black hair, and wears a orange shirt, blue short jeans and short tan boots. The woman was watching tv, but Lincoln cleared his throat and said..."
"Excuse me, ma'am."
The woman turned her gaze into Lincoln and said...
"Yeah? Can i help you?"
"Yeah, do you know where i'm at?" asked Lincoln. "I'm kinda lost."
"Not from around here, are you, boy?" The woman said.
"No, i'm from Royal Woods." Lincoln admitted.
"Royal Woods, huh? asked the woman. Lincoln nodded. "Well, you're a long way from home, honey, but if you want to know where you are, the town's called Iron Trail."
"Iron Trail?" asked Lincoln. "Weird name for a town."
"Well, believe it or not, this town was part of the Rickety Rail Route, until it was shut down nearly a hundred years ago." The woman explained the town. "But the town moved on, and sure we all have our ups and downs for a long while, but after everything's going on recently, this whole town has gone down the drain."
"What happened?" asked Lincoln.
"Some nasty animals came out of nowhere and overran the area around the old railroad, which includes the train graveyard, the town's tourist attraction." the woman answered. "Even worse, some dang crooks moved into the woods and started stirring up trouble, and i'll tell you this: any of those punks try to rob me, i'll break one of their legs."
Lincoln gulped and backed away from the counter slowly.
"Oh, sorry to scare you, just sour grapes." said the woman. "So, how did you get here, anyway?"
"I ended up here by accident." Lincoln answered. "I had a quarrel with my sisters, i went to Flip's store to get a soda, but then i got on that bus outside the parking lot to wait for the rain to stop, but then i fell asleep reading one of my Ace Savvy comics and that's when i came here by mistake."
"That bad, huh?" asked the gas station clerk.
"Yeah, i hope they don't know i'm out here, but i should get back home before my family really freaks out." said Lincoln. "I better see if the town has a bus station."
"Wait, i don't think you should..." the woman tried to finish, but Lincoln was already out the door. "Hey, boy, wait!"
The woman stepped outside, but Lincoln was long gone, she looked around before going back inside to make a phone call. What she didn't know is that Lincoln was behind a sign called "Welcome to Train Grave Forest", he groans...
"Oh, great... first time i ever gone out of town on my own."
Lincoln soon hear snoring and tracks it to a homeless man sleeping on a bench, the man appeared to be African-american, in his late 50s, with little hair, and his clothes, shoes and coat have seen better days. Lincoln decided to ask him for help and he taps the man on the shoulder, he doesn't respond as he is still asleep.
"Excuse me, sir." Lincoln said to the sleeping. "Please wake up, i need some help."
The man remains asleep, impatient, Lincoln shakes him and shouts...
"Hey! Get up!"
"Alright, i'm waking up, no need to shout." said the man as he opens his eyes and sees the boy. "Geez, boy, what's with the white hair? You aging fast?"
"Hey, now's not the time to talk about my hair, okay?" said Lincoln as the man sits up and yawns. "I need to find the driver of that bus in the parking lot, so i can ask him to take me back home, can you help?"
"What, that bus?" asked the man as he points to the scouts' bus. Lincoln nods. "Yeah, i know it, belongs to some scout groups who come by here every few weeks to go camping. Of course, the woods ain't safe these days, so the only place that's safe for them is the old summer camp, which the town renovated into campgrounds, they also built walls around the place to keep the animals out... and the criminals."
"Well, do you know where it is?" asked Lincoln.
"No, i forgot. But the rangers might know, their station is nearby." The man answered.
"Thanks, mister." said Lincoln.
"Call me Herbert." said the homeless man.
"Okay, uh, Herbert, thanks for the help." Lincoln thanked the man. "I gotta go now."
Lincoln turned around and before he walked away, Herbert stopped him by saying...
"Oh, hold on, boy, i don't think you should go in those woods on your own, not without an adult to watch over you."
"Look, thanks for the offer, but i'll take my chances." said Lincoln.
"And i'm not taking chances of you getting hurt out there." said Herbert as he stands up.
"No, really, i can take care of myself." Lincoln tried to reason.
"Oh, there you are, thank goodness." said a woman's voice. It was the female clerk from the gas station.
"Oh, hey, Leilani, how you been, girl?" Herbert greeted the woman.
"Fine, Herbert." said Leilani. "I was out looking for this boy, but i see you found him first."
"Leilani? That's her name?" asked Lincoln.
"Yeah, she's half hawaiian. Guess she didn't told you that." Herbert answered.
"Yeah, well, anyway, thanks for finding him, Herbert." said Leilani. "I'm gonna take him to my place and watch over him till his parents come get him."
"No, no need, baby, i'll take him to the campsite and look after him." Herbert intervened.
"Absolutely not!" Leilani objected. "You know well that those woods are infested with wolves, bears and who knows what else is out there! He's much safer with me!"
"Now, come on, i said i'll take care of him." said Herbert. "I'm just gonna get directions from the rangers first and then head to the campsite."
"I heard that before, do you know what happened to the last kid you looked after?" Leilani argued. "You said you were going to take him to that campsite and the two of you got mugged by some gang on the way there."
"Yeah, well, we didn't have anything, not even money." Herbert tried to explain. "I'm surprised they didn't snatch the boy."
Lincoln groaned and quietly said...
"I don't have time for this."
The white haired boy silently entered the forest while the two adults continued arguing. They stopped when they discovered Lincoln is gone.
"Kid? Kid!" Leilani called out, but got no answer.
"Aw, man." Herbert cursed.
"Don't say another word." Leilani commanded. "Just go and find him."
"What you gonna do?" asked Herbert.
"I'm gonna call a friend in Royal Woods and find out who the boy is." Leilani answered. "If you find him, bring him back here, i mean it."
"Alright, woman, i know what you're saying." said Herbert as he goes into the forest.
Meanwhile, in the woods, Lincoln has already arrived at the ranger station, it looked small and there was a tower next to it. The door was locked and the lights were out inside the building, the rangers must have gone out on patrol, either that or the place is abandoned, but Lincoln saw a postboard with a map attached to it, and as luck would have it, there was a holder with a brochure inside that had a map on the back, which the boy took since it'll come in handy. After checking the map, Lincoln left the ranger station, not knowing there was a security camera on a pole near the entrance watching him. On the way to the campgrounds, Lincoln looked around the forest he's in, the woods had a creepy atmosphere, it made him nervous, and the white haired boy can't help feeling that someone or something is watching his every move.
"I get the feeling i'm not in Royal Woods anymore." Lincoln said to himself.
Back at the Loud residence, Lisa is on her computer in her bedroom, while the rest of her sisters were watching her. Thankfully, Lisa didn't forget about the tracking device she placed on each of her siblings and her parents. The computer screen was showing a map of north america, the map zoomed in closer and closer until it stopped at a small town near a forest in which a red dot appeared on the forest of the map.
"Let's see... it's a small town nearly over 300 miles southwest from here." said Lisa.
"What?! That far away?!" Lola shouted.
"Quite a long journey for one bus and our only brother is out there.. alone." said Lucy. "This is a ill omen indeed."
"Well, now that we know where our bro is, let's go there, find him and bring him back home before mum and pops get home." said Luna.
"Uh, reality check, they have the van, remember?" said Lori.
"Dang it. There must be another way to get there." said Lynn Jr.
"Like, i always wanted to ride a train, can we like, take one there?" asked Leni.
"Unfortunately, the railroad route to that town is closed." said Lisa. "The only means of transportation we can take is the bus."
"She's right, if Lincoln took the bus there, then so can we." said Lana.
"I guess we have no choice." said Lori. "I'll go see if we have enough money for the fare."
Lori leaves the room. and Lola is first to say...
"Well, i ain't going! I had enough of those yucky woods for one year, and i have to prepare for next month's pageant!"
"Tough luck, sis, we're all going whether you like it or not." said Luna.
"Besides, you're a Bluebell, just like me!" Lana reminded.
"AND you went to Scratchy Bottom Campground with her, i might add." said Lisa.
Before anyone can say anything else, Lori returned with some money and said...
"Bad news, girls, i don't think i have enough for our bus fare. Any of you guys have any money?"
"That's a good question." Lucy answered. "Why don't we check ourselves?"
"I'll search the house for some change." said Lana.
The loud girls leave the room except for Lori, Lola, Lisa and Lily.
"Well, as much as i want to help, but unfortunately, all my available funds have been dried up." said Lisa.
"Well, i ain't got any money, and if i did, i'll never lent any of you some, so there!" Lola taunted as she sticks out her tongue at the girls and storms out the room.
Lori sighs and said...
"I got to do something about her attitude."
Meanwhile, back at the forest, Lincoln Loud continued his journey to the campsite as he follows the directions on his map, but after a few minutes, he comes across a bridge on a river, he takes one look at his map and said...
"The campsite should be across this bridge, if i make it there, i can get a ride home."
Lincoln puts his map away and begins to cross the bridge. Halfway there he gets blocked off by a teenage boy with brown hair and wears a black t-shirt with a skull painted on it, blue jeans, a black belt and white sneakers.
"And where are you going?" the teenager asked. "Nobody crosses this bridge until they pay a toll."
"Oh, real charming." Lincoln said sarcastically. "Listen, i need to get to the campgrounds on the other side, now, do you mind if i pass?"
"The only way you're getting across there is by either coughing up the cash or swimming over there, which i doubt you'll make it through." said the teen bridge guard. "So, unless you have the money, you can turn around and walk away."
"How much is the fare?" asked Lincoln.
"Twenty bucks." said the older boy.
"Well, you're surely asking a lot from these folks." Lincoln told the teen. "I take it that you're a runaway?"
"Hey, that's none of your business!" said the teen punk. "So, either pay up or get out of my face!"
"Tough luck, bud! I'm going through and i ain't afraid of you!" Lincoln shouted arrogantly.
"You can go ahead and try." the teenage boy taunted. "But you'll never beat me, shrimp."
"Fine, i will!" Lincoln snarled as he tries to force his way pass the older boy... but to no avail.
It was then that the young hoodlum lift Lincoln off his feet and laughed at him before carrying him back to the bridge entrance and dropped him to the ground.
"Tell you what, come back when you got the money and i'll let you pass... maybe." the teenage punk taunted.
"Okay, i get the idea." Lincoln grumbled as he gets back on his feet and walked away from the bridge muttering... "Jerk."
Lincoln soon finds a tree stump and sits on it to ponder his next move.
"Great, what am i going to do now? I got no money for the fare and i want to get out of here. There has to be another way across."
Without warning, Lincoln heard a twig snap and jumped back on his feet and gazed at the direction of the noise, he slowly backs away but after another twig snaps, he bolts for it. After running a bit, Lincoln manages to lose whatever is chasing him and stops to catch his breath, and after that, he notices a cabin not far from his position and goes there. Once at the cabin, Lincoln peeks at the window and discovers the place empty, he opens the door which was unlocked, goes inside and closes it, breathing a sigh of relief in the process.
"At least i'll be safe in here... until i can find a way out of these woods." Lincoln told himself.
To Be Continued...
Author's Note: Sorry the chapter took so long, everybody, keep hitting dead ends, and what happens in the next chapter, i do not know, but i'll think of something... i hope. Anyway, thanks for reading and i see you in the next chapter... hopefully.
