You don't have to do this, but I recommend resizing your browser window to the size of the dashed lines. This is the width of the original writing and helps with the overall flow when reading, rather than the extended length FFnet normally displays in. Enjoy the chapter!
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Chapter 10
The crash ahead of him had happened in a split second.
Lightning was used to driving through collisions on the fly, especially when racing against Chick Hicks, but it seemed so much faster when it happened on the Formula One circuit at Monza.
The sudden brake lights caught his attention but the first thing he really saw was the wheel, still rotating, flying over the Ferrari and himself, just missing his body. The sound of screeching, wrenching metal he noticed next, followed by the expected and shrill noise of skidding tires in the same fraction of a second.
'Whoa! Whoa!'his reflexes seemed to be shouting at him. He tightened his brakes and continued steering himself to the left as controlled as he could manage. A few small pieces of debris were flying towards him.
Things sped back up an instant afterward. McQueen and the Ferrari shot past a yellow Lotus spinning out of control, one wheel missing, and the grey Aston Martin that had been involved before they even dropped below 115 miles per hour. He heard a sharp burst of noise just behind him as the unfortunate seventh-place car impacted with one of the wrecks.
Lightning winced as he heard the second crash, but he kept himself focused on the race. In moments, he was across the starting line, accelerating on through the remainder of the straightaway. The two leaders were still in sight but had widened the gap with the slowdown of the crash just a handful of seconds before.
McQueen pushed himself to get back up to speed. The crew chief radioed in before he pulled into the first turn.
"McQueen, no yellow or safety car on that crash. Keep on moving," he said.
"Alright," he answered.
He was still amazed that he hadn't lost anything, if not gained, on the Ferrari. They were a pair in tandem for the last ten laps, and neither had outdone the other. McQueen felt excited and driven at the challenge, but he couldn't remember racing anyone so evenly matched. It felt good.
It was back to normal, almost.
After Doc returned, Sally drove back to the Cozy Cone and started tidying the rooms to pass the time. She needed to, regardless, but there was practically nothing else she could do without more than a few guests staying the night. Business orders were filled, the Wheel Well was empty, and she hadn't seen any of the cars that were still staying or booked for that night more than a few seconds in passing.
She had free time, at least until Doc was updated on Corey. Wow. Nothing to do, she kept on thinking while finishing up the last room of the Cone. The sky was still bright and clear, with wisps of cloud off to the west, and the wind had begun to pick back up to its usual light pace. She closed up the room and drove back into her office, actually relaxed.
She checked the time, wondering how far along Lightning's race should be. She looked around her office for a while, keeping occupied but not working. She finally felt calm.
Mater drove by, hooting about something and heading to his salvage yard. She heard two higher voices and two excited, revving engines coming up the road, following Mater. She poked her front out the door to see what was going on.
Sally grinned. The two cars were the children from earlier that morning, tailing Mater and driving all over the road and laughing. Their parents were a little ways behind, taking their time. They weren't exhausted; they were taking another good look at the town along the way. I wonder if I'll see them again, Sally thought. I still want to tell Stickers about them.
"So, you all having a good day?" Sally called from her office door.
They both wore satisfied expressions. "I can't believe you get to live here," the father said.
"You're really lucky, you know?" the mother followed.
Sally couldn't help but give a full smile. "Yeah, I know," she said, driving out to meet them. "I've got my hands full with the Cone and Wheel Well though."
They all pulled over to the edge of the lobby-drive and watched as Mater and the two little cars drove into Mater's yard. Mater stopped in front of a small pile of rusted parts, grabbing the attention of the kids when he started talking about something.
The three of them watched a little longer as Mater moved on to another similar scrap pile, commanding the attention of the little cars even more. "And you guys are leaving today?" Sally asked.
The parents turned to face her. "Yeah," the father started, "we have to make it to Flagstaff and keep this trek going."
"We're headed all the way from California to Chicago," the wife said. She wasn't disinterested, but her husband's enthusiasm almost made it seem so.
"Wow," Sally said. "That's quite a trip."
They both laughed softly. "It is, but it's worth it," the father said.
"And we haven't ever had the time to take the kids this far before," the mother continued.
They all watched the two cars moving around the salvage yard with Mater a few moments before picking up the conversation again. The idea of children flew in and out of Sally's mind while she looked on, but it wasn't the first time it ever had.
"Well, I'm glad you has the chance to travel the Mother Road and stop here," Sally said. "From California, this is as far as I've really gotten."I'll bump the Route 66 road trip up on my list, she thought.
"I know. I know. It was hard to pull this trip together, what with our jobs and their school and everything, but here we are," the husband said, that look of satisfaction back on his face.
"I'm glad for you both," Sally replied. I'm definitely bumping up that trip.
Mater suddenly let out a short holler. The two children shrieked.
All three of them turned back towards the salvage yard. Mater flew onto the road from his lot, kicking up dust and rock along the way. The little cars shrieked again and started following him.
"What happened?" the parents asked in unison. They looked at each other and took off, following Mater and their children. Sally sped after them.
Mater went driving off into the sand at a mad pace. He was headed towards Willy's Butte. He turned suddenly, doubling back doubling and heading directly towards Sally, the kids, and their parents. He shot past them, giving another yell.
Sally stopped as the others turned around and followed him. Her lips were curling into a slight grin. I think I know what this is…
"Cody! Leon!" the parents called after them, continuing the little chase past the drive-in. Sally still followed them, but she stayed back and nodded when she saw confirmation of her guess.
Mater pulled off to one side of the road and slowed down, dragging his tow cable in the dirt and slumping on his frame. The little cars drove up alongside him then pulled ahead as he slowed. They looked excited.
"Kids! Are you alright?" the mother asked them as they caught up.
"…and then, I looked at my tow cable again. It was a lantern!" Mater said with excitement, peeking at the cable in mimic.
The children laughed. "Mom, Mater's stories are really funny!" one of them said when he noticed his parents approaching. Mater raised himself from the ground and turned to face the two parents.
"You'd really like them, Dad. I think he knew Grandpa," the other child said.
Mater chuckled.
"He was just telling us about the night he was attacked by the ghostlight!"
"The what?" asked the father.
"What's the ghostlight?" their mother asked.
"Mater, tell them about the screaming banshee too?" Sally said, driving up and having a good laugh.
"Sure did," Mater replied with a lighthearted chuckle at the end.
It didn't take long for the little cars to start moving around again. They kicked up little clouds of dust as they took off and stopped, apparently scrutinizing every inch of the ground around them. Once that idea was exhausted—which was rather quickly—they started criss-crossing the road in little sprints. "Hey, what is that?" one of them asked, stopping and looking over the landscape of the desert.
Sally and Mater followed his gaze while the parents stayed to the side and watched them. "Oh, that's Willy's Butte," Sally said.
"That's where it is?" asked the husband. "Huh. I can't believe we haven't been there yet."
Sally turned back towards the group. "Oh…I must have forgotten to show you guys yesterday," she said with a touch of embarrassment.
"Well, its not too far off. How do we get there?"
"Just take the right at Cross Street, follow the road, and you'll be there," Sally answered, giving a little nod in her business manner without realizing it.
"Kids! Hey, Cody! Leon!" the father shouted, trying to get the attention of the rowdy little cars, taking turns sprinting across the highway once again. "We're going to Willy's Butte!" He and his wife turned and drove off to corral their children. They had them ready to go in no time.
"Thanks," the wife said as they drove past them, headed towards the middle of town.
"No problem," replied Sally. She gave a satisfied smile after they had all passed her and Mater. The sound of the breeze took over once again.
"So, you're telling ghost stories now?" Sally said, giving a little smirk as she pulled up alongside Mater.
He nodded with a contented grin on his face. "Just tellin' them my stories," he said. "Got to scare 'em, too!"
They both gave a light chuckle.
"Hey, you remember when I told Lightning you was my fiancée?"
"Yeah," she said, rolling her eyes.
"You shoulda seen the look on his face Miss Sally. I knowed he was gonna like you already," Mater said.
"Really? 'Cause I wasn't so sure," Sally replied with the hint of a smile.
Sally sat parked in her office once again. The wind was constant and slight, as she was used to, and whistling through the now open windows around her. How much more time? she thought impatiently. There wasn't much of anything going on, as far as she could tell from the confines of her space.
She felt better than she had earlier. In fact, she felt surprised at herself acting the way she did when finally reflecting upon it in the free time of the afternoon. Less than an hour ago you were in shambles… Huh.
There was a slight rumble as two cars drove onto the lot and around her office to their room.
And to think of those days me and Lightning couldn't even see each other because of all the bookings. Good thing I convinced Doc to let him help out a little more often after we reopened the Well, she thought.
"Yeah!" Lightning yelled as his tires screeched on the coarse pavement. He left a few faint wisps of white smoke behind him. He revved his engine once in celebration as the car behind slowed to a stop and pulled off to the side.
The car laughed a little. Lightning turned himself about.
"So you finally won one Stickers," Sally said in her best sarcastic voice. "You should be glad I'm not out there racing against you."
Lightning rolled his eyes and returned her enthusiastic smile. "I'm not so sure I really won that one," he said.
"Saying I let you win?" she replied. Her face pulled into a grin before she could resist. Maybe I did… Just by a little bit, she thought.
"Yeah…" he began, Sally's expression giving it away. He didn't continue but gave her a quick glance and peck on the fender when he moved towards her.
Lightning maneuvered himself alongside Sally, letting the banter subside.
Huh. He usually keeps the sarcasm going.
The two of them backed up off of the road and onto dirt and broken stone behind them. Lightning stopped and took a good look at the front of the Wheel Well standing there in front of them. The simple grandeur always evoked a sense of awe in the two of them, leaving them calmed from their playful race and left in a sudden state of reflection. Every time Sally could remember, it did this to them.
"You know, I'm really glad you decided to come help out up here," Sally said. "We still won't get to see each other all that much, but it's more than what we've been getting the last few weeks."
"I know," he returned. "I like helping out anyway. I can't just race all the time and never see you."
"Thanks Stickers," she said calmly. Sally and Lightning continued their moment of peace, but Sally began rubbing her tire in the dirt. Her gaze shifted towards Lightning in an almost longing way. "Funny thing about running a business… I've got what I wanted after all that time of keeping the Cone open, but now I can hardly see you."
"Yeah," he said. He let her continue.
"And I hate thinking about it, but I wonder, sometimes, about getting too busy, you know?" She didn't seem as steady as she had just been.
Lightning tilted himself towards her. "Well… I mean, I'll be up here every night to close up and just around town during the day."
"I know, I know… It's just that…"
"What? The races?"
"No. Not that… It's… It's nothing," she said. She dropped her eyes to the ground and shook her head once or twice.
"Sally…"
She leaned against him for a few seconds. The warm touch of her fender on his own calmed him a bit.
"You know what? I'll ask to Doc to cancel the next few town races. That'll give us some more time," Lightning said. The idea seemed to cheer them both up a little, but Sally still looked and felt unsatisfied.
Sally pulled herself back and settled on her frame. "It'll help, but what about going for a drive? How long it's been? Time away from everyone else… That only time we get to ourselves."
"I know…" Lightning responded. They sat in silence a few moments afterward.
A quick thought flew into his head. He jerked ever so slightly when it hit him.
"That drive sounds like a good idea. It has been a while…"
Sally gave a confused look in return. You okay, Stickers? His sudden jitteriness had her lost. "I'm still booked solid tomorrow, Stickers. When are we going to take a drive?" she asked.
"Don't worry. Just get some sleep and I'll get the rest worked out," he said, a look of encouragement in his eyes. He also looked like he was formulating something in his head.
Sally pulled out in front of him. "Well, the drive tomorrow…" she started, turning herself around to face him, "I can make some time, I think. I'm booked, but most everyone is staying the night again. No full cleanouts or anything…"Lightning kissed her abruptly and rather passionately before she even finished her sentence. Her heart beat a little faster from the abrupt choice, but it also felt good.
She let out a quick breath in her own surprise. "What was that for?" she asked. And why haven't you used that kiss before?
Lightning chuckled lightly. "So you liked the kiss?"
"Uhhh, yeah," Sally returned.
"Let's clean these rooms before it gets late," he said. "And don't worry about the drive. I've already got it figured out." He gave her a nudge and another reassuring glance before driving past her.
Okay… Not your average Lightning McQueen, but I like it.
"Alright, I won't worry about it," she said. And what is this plan he has to have going on in his head? "But I think you need to know that I did let you win on the way here." She followed up with a rev of her engine.
"I know, I know," he said. "I saw it on your face. I'll just count it as another win for you." He gave her a quick nod and continued towards the motel.
Sally gave a false scoff. "You mean you won't even take a single win against me? Maybe I should just find a sponsor and race you next season."
The vivid memory left Sally's thoughts much like the wind blowing through the nearby windows.
That drive the next day didn't happen, she recalled. But I figured it out…
Sally took a quick look around her office and headed out the door.
She drove up to and nosed herself into Doc's clinic to see what he was up to. The light flooded the room like it always did, slowly returning to its normal greys and whites a few seconds later.
"Sally? That you?" a voice asked.
"Yeah, Doc."
"Come on in," he answered.
She pushed herself through the doors and drove up alongside Doc. He wasn't doing anything but sitting in wait as she had just been. The room was astoundingly quiet after being outside with the wind whistling through her office windows and the bright floor was somewhat distracting.
"Huh… Quiet now that everyone's back to their routines," she said to break the stillness. Doc didn't respond. Maybe he's asleep and I just didn't realize it, she thought.
Sally waited a moment and tried again. "How long ago did you check on the technicians?"
"Couldn't have been that long… Half an hour maybe," he said. "Said they'd come find me when they…"
The doors opened with a sudden clamor, sending sunlight flooding into the room. The shape in the doorway was large and boxy.
"So, are you done?" Doc asked.
The form of the ambulance became clearer as their eyes adjusted.
"We just finished up," he said.
"Then let's go check up on…" Sally began.
"Wait, wait," the ambulance interjected. "Don't touch anything. The new axle hasn't fully set."
He backed out of the door and made his way towards the garage. Doc and Sally followed closely behind. They turned the corner of the building and saw the two technicians parked outside looking weary but relieved. The quiet one had collected the set of tools and boxes next to him. The ambulance pulled over to pick up the gear.
The other stopped them at the door. "Be careful," he said. "We just finished setting that new axle into place, so don't touch anything."
Doc nodded and pulled the door open with his tire.
The technician stopped Sally and motioned her close as Doc made his way inside. "It looks like he's going to be alright. We found out that there was some damage to his exhaust system as well and patched it up too. He'll be in full running order as soon as his axle sets," he explained. The tech nodded towards the open doorway.
Sally tried her best not to act confused. She found herself back in front of the unconscious Corvette as she pulled alongside Doc. The tech closed the doors behind them.
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