The sun was just starting to set as the guys made their way down the main stretch of road going through RailWood, a small town no bigger than Radiator Springs, just outside of Troop County. As darkness fell around them, they pulled off the road, and into a small parking lot.
"Hey Doc?" Lightning asked after looking around.
"Yeah?"
"What are we doing?"
Doc turned to face him, looking him over. He noticed how tired the younger car looked, and sighed. "We're just pulling off for a breather."
"But, we need to keep—"
"You need some sleep. If you could see yourself right now, I don't think you'd be arguing."
Lightning blinked, sinking down on his shocks. Doc continued driving towards a small gas station, in hope to find help.
"Hello?" He called out, making a small Honda Civic jump. She turned around, smiling when she saw that it was a customer.
"Hi! Welcome to Grandma Sawyer's diner. My name's Christine, can I help you?" She asked in a thick southern accent.
"Yes, I was just wondering if—"
"Ask him if he brought anybody else!" He heard an elderly voice yell from the back.
Samantha frowned, turning around. "Grandma would you just let me handle this?!" She turned back around, smiling apologetically. "Sorry 'bout that. You were saying?"
"I was just wondering if you knew a place where my friends and I could stay?" Doc said.
Her smiled faltered a little. "Oh, I'm sorry Sir. We ain't got a motel around here, but you're welcome to stay in any empty shed or garage you can find. They're ain't too many residents around here."
Doc nodded, sighing. "Thank you."
"'Night, Sir! Sorry for the inconvenience!"
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Sally sighed. She'd lost track of time, and had no idea how long she had been standing up on that lift. She'd spent most of that time thinking of a way to escape. Considering she had no idea where she was, and that she was blindfolded, and gagged up on a lift, she couldn't think of anything. She tried wedging the handkerchief out of her mouth, but almost vomited because it was so deep in her throat. She kept trying, and eventually spat it out, taking in deep breaths.
"H-Help!" She croaked.
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"This is hopeless!"
"Stop complaining, son," Doc scolded Lightning. "At least we have somewhere to sleep."
"Then why aren't we there?!"
"Because we haven't found it yet! Now shut your yap before I shut it for you!" Sheriff snapped.
They were all tired, their patience worn thin. If they didn't find somewhere to rest soon, someone was likely to get their tire ripped off.
"How about this shed?" Mater asked, referring to a small shack about 10 feet from the road.
"Nu-uh. Too small." Doc replied, shaking his front.
The rest let out several groans and complaints, but kept on moving.
They approached a slightly bigger shack, that looked as if the roof would fall in at any given moment.
"I think this'll work." Sheriff said.
"Is your windshield fogged up? Look at it!" Sarge argued.
Sheriff glared at him. "I'll fog your windshield…" He muttered.
"What was that?"
"I said I'll fog your goldurn windshield!"
"I'll do more than fog yours!"
Lightning slipped away from the rapidly increasing argument, and noticed a warehouse a short ways away from them. He approached it cautiously, and examined it. He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a soft, muffled noise. He drove up closer to it, and heard the noise again. It was difficult to understand, but it sounded as if someone was crying.
"How about we just talk this out?" He could hear Doc telling the old Jeep and Police Cruiser.
"Oh, I'll talk it out all right." Sheriff sneered.
"Oh, you will? Well come on then! Bring it—"
"Will you guys shut-up?!" Lightning suddenly snapped, his voice just above a whisper.
The other cars approached him, temporarily forgetting about their little dispute. They examined the warehouse carefully, not noticing the noise.
"Nice job, rookie. I think we can—" Doc started.
"Shhh…." Lightning whispered, cutting him off. "Listen."
Everyone grew silent, edging closer to the door.
"H-h-heeelp……"
Lightning pulled back, looking the rest of the cars in the face. "Was that just me, or did that sound like a cry for help?"
Sheriff nodded. "I say we investigate."
Ramone rolled his eyes. "What is this, man? Scooby Doo?"
Mater perked up. "Scooby Doo? I love that show!"
"Guys stay focused!" Lightning whispered. He turned to Doc. "What do you propose we do?"
"I say we go inside. It might be Sally. Or, it might be some defenseless car that needs help. Either way, we'd be of some help." Doc replied.
Lightning nodded, and reversed so that he was facing the door. He drove through it, and disappeared into the building. Mater, Ramone, Sheriff, and Sarge followed, leaving Doc to enter last. He drove slowly through the doors, stopping to look around. It seemed just like an empty warehouse. Everyone else seemed to think it was empty also. He spotted Lightning a few feet ahead of him, and drove up next to him.
"Maybe we were just hearing things, kid." He let out a small laugh, but stopped when he saw that Lightning wasn't laughing. He was just staring up at the ceiling, a blank expression on his face. Doc followed his gaze, and gasped.
"H-help me…"
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Cliffhanger! Course, if you're smart, you should already know who's saying "H-help…"
Considering I told you in the last chapter! XD I'm on break for a week starting today, so expect an update sometime then.