Chapter Ten: Returning Home

Chug had placed the old puppet trunk into the trunk of his car and slammed it shut. He was a little upset at them for being mean to Torch last night, but he couldn't do anything about it. It was their fight, they had to settle things between themselves.

But he can fume about it to his brother later, right now he had to gather them up and put them in the car so they could leave.

"Alright guys, up and at 'em! We've got a long drive ahead so in the car you go!" he shouted, gathering Jester, Tunneler and Blade and placed them in the backseat. Pinhead and Six Shooter followed and climbed in. Chug also gathered his modeling trunk and stuffed it in the back with them. "So you can see outside." he said, securing it then went over to the driver's seat and started up the car.

The puppets were rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, except Six who went back to sleep, and looked around. Jester was the first one to notice someone was missing. "Where's Torch?"

"What?" yawned Tunneler, stretching his limbs.

"Torch is missing." Jester said, looking around. He got up and looked over the edges of the trunk, then tried to climb up front to see if he was riding shotgun.

"He's not here."

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Chug was trying not to smirk at their little predicament. Jester was obviously worried about Torch, but so far, he appeared to be the only one. 'Let's see how the rest react once they wake up.' he thought, watching them in his review mirror.

He heard Jester cooing worriedly, his face in a frown. Blade started hissing and nudging everybody awake. He was a little rough with Six in his rousing but soon they were all looking around for Torch.

Six Shooter didn't seem to be trying too hard and finally gave up, crawled onto the surface under the back window, lied down, pulled his hat over his eyes and fell back asleep.

Blade noticed this and started hissing and waving his hook at him.

"Hey, I'm gonna turn on some music, alright?" Chug asked, not waiting for an answer and switched on the radio. His mp3 was hooked up to it and he started playing that. The first thing to come on was a loud heavy metal rock band. Six jumped up and hit his head on the window and the rest covered their ears. Chug pretended to ignore it and started singing.

"I'm gonna ri-i-se to it! You know I really can do it!" he sang.

Their suffering didn't last long, thankfully, but he wasn't finished with them. Once the music was at a more tolerable level for them, he activated a visor screen that separated them, but he was still able to see them and they were still able to see him. Then he placed his hat in the automated stick-shift (the middle arm) upside down and the puppets saw Torch climb out of it and onto the passenger's seat.

Then they saw the kid press some buttons on the radio station and then turned away from the steering wheel to face Torch and buckle him in.

"What the hell is he doing?! Keep your hands on the wheel!" shouted Blade, waving his arms.

Chug turned back to the wheel and they felt the car's velocity increase gradually. They could hear the engine hum and then Chug pressed a few more buttons on the radio station and then gradually pulled the steering wheel towards himself.

"Now what does he think he's doing? Flying an airplane?!" Blade asked and fell backwards as the car tilted upwards. He looked out the window and saw the horizon tilting and the top of the tree lines became visible for a few seconds before disappearing completely.

"Uh, . . . Yeah." Pinhead said, looking out the window as well.

"Well, I'll be damned." Six muttered. "G'night."

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The puppets had all calmed down about an hour later when it became apparent that they couldn't be heard. Six was unbothered by the whole thing and was asleep again, Jester was mad at Six because he started it in the first place, Pinhead and Tunneler minded their own business and kept themselves busy looking out the window and playing 'I Spy' and Blade decided to get some rest because his leg was starting to kill him.

The only highlight about the trip was that they weren't locked in the trunk and left in the dark. Blade didn't think Jester would handle that very well. And to be honest, he didn't think he could either. Four masters had abandoned them by taking them someplace and leaving them there trapped in the trunk. Maybe they wouldn't be abandoned this time if the kid was letting them ride in the car and not in the trunk.

He didn't even put them inside a bag or do anything to hide them from sight. Well, that wasn't exactly true, he took them into the air. And who was going to see a flying car with living puppets in the backseat other than birds?

Although he did wonder why Torch and the kid were giving them the silent treatment. Torch, he could guess that it was about last night and Six's harsh words, but why would the kid be ignoring them? They didn't do anything to him. But then again, maybe he was feeling sympathetic towards Torch, he could understand him after all. Torch probably ranted about them in front of him.

Whatever the case, it was probably a good thing. Torch didn't really have anyone to confide in and always stayed out of their group activities.

He stopped pondering on these thoughts when the kid let go of the steering wheel, pushed his chair back and brought it down and pulled his own fedora over his eyes and fell asleep. He was going to panic, he just knew it.

.

.

Five hours later. . . .

Blade could feel his brain shutting down from exhaustion. He had kept an eye on the wheel, watching it steer itself when an automated female voice declared they had reached their destination and was asking for clearance to land. The driver woke up, finally! and took control of the flying car and stuck an earpiece in his ear and started talking. He couldn't hear what he was saying, but it seemed they had permission to land because the car suddenly dipped and began to descend.

He could feel himself losing the battle with consciousness and began to nod off, but he told himself that he wouldn't sleep until they were back safe on the ground once more and inside the hotel.

'Just a little longer. Just a little longer. Just (ya-a-a-wn) a little . . . longer . . .'

He lost.

Of course the music didn't help either. A slow jazz song called Sleep Away was the last thing he heard.