Holy carp, has it been nearly a year since I last updated?! I am so, so sorry about that! DX I haven't abandoned this story I promise! This new year has been pretty crazy for me, in ways both good and bad! But I'll talk about that later-here is the next chapter of Planet Earth Prix!
McQueen felt something hot beneath his undercarriage, and his room felt unusually warm. He fought to open his eyes, but his lids felt so heavy...
Suddenly, there was a loud pop, and a sizzle. Something hot touched McQueen's tyre, burning it.
"Ouch!" he cried, his eyes snapping open. He saw a glowing red wall of rock before him, with steam rising from the bottom.
"Where am I?" he wondered aloud. He heard a loud rumbling sound, then glanced down. He gasped in horror as realised it was a boiling pit of lava he was being held over—and that the rope he was being held by was old and rickety.
"Oh no!" cried McQueen, "I'm in a volcano!"
The sound of maniac laughter echoed off the rocky walls. "You got that right, rookie!"
McQueen's head shot up to see Chick Hicks staring down at him, grinning madly.
"Chick!" McQueen exclaimed, "you were behind all this?!"
"Yep!" Chick grinned evilly, "it was the easiest way to get rid of you guys and make it all look like an accident—Belia would never suspect me of putting dynamite in that volcano!"
"You won't get away with this, Chick!" McQueen warned, "Belia will found out, and you'll be scratched from the Planet Earth Prix, and probably the racing world, once and for all!"
"Oh no I won't!" said Chick, "I've taken good care of her, and of all the others! Now I can take care of you!"
McQueen cowered slightly. "W-what do you mean?" he stammered.
"I've taken care of those stupid racers and those snobby spies the same way I'm going to eliminate you!" Chick grinned evilly, holding up a knife. "So long, McQueen!" With that he whacked it across the rope, snapping it neatly.
McQueen screamed as he fell into the lava pit, the last thing he felt being the scorching,burning heat as it devoured his body, the last thing he saw being Chick's face as he sneered down upon him...
"McQueen! Up!"
"Huh?" McQueen asked groggily.
"McQueen, get up NOW!" A tyre slapped across his face.
"Hey!" he jumped upright. "What was that for?!" he demanded.
"We're late!" barked Sky, "our plane is going to leave in FIVE MINUTES! We gotta go right now!"
"WHAT?!" exclaimed McQueen, who was fully awake now. Then he calmed down, remembering that Siddeley was waiting for them.
"I'd better go wake Finn," said Holley as she hurried off towards the corridor, dodging the pillows and blankets that were flying everywhere.
McQueen groaned. This was much more drama than he had bargained for.
A few hours later, the racers and their friends had packed and they were on their way to the airport, which was slightly damaged but still in operable condition. As McQueen drove forward, he eyed the damaged area. He couldn't believe how one car could be so destructive; how one car had nearly ended all of their lives just by one act...
As he glanced back at the wreckage one last time, his mind wandered to Chick. Where was he? Had he survived? As much as McQueen disliked Chick, he didn't want him to be dead, in spite of what he had done.
….
"Raoul, are you sure you packed that thing securely?" asked Nigel as they hurried down the terminal, having barely made it in time.
"Oui, I'm sure," said Raoul, "this duffel bag has never failed me yet!"
Nigel eyed it curiously, noting how it was on the very verge of bursting. "What all did you pack in there?"
"Just the usual stuff," Raoul insisted, "it won't burst-"
Then suddenly, as if on cue, the duffel bag toppled off of Raoul's back, landing on the floor with a thump! The bag burst open, sending contents flying everywhere.
"Oh!" cried Raoul, running around to pick it up.
A tube of toothpaste landed on Nigel's bonnet. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, jumping backwards.
"Desole!" apologised Raoul, rushing up to him. "I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?"
"No," said Nigel, rubbing his bonnet. "You just hit me in the worse spot—right on my sore bonnet!"
"I'm sorry!" Raoul apologised again.
"It's alright," said Nigel, "let's just hurry and get in before our plane leaves."
"OK!" said Raoul. He picked up his bag—which was still bulging, but less haphazard in terms of breaking—and scurried down the terminal.
…..
"Goodbye island," said McQueen as Siddeley took off, "and goodbye Chick Hicks...I almost hope."
Finn glanced at him. "You really hope he's dead?" he asked, slightly shocked.
"No...not really," McQueen answered honestly. "I mean...I wouldn't wish that on him or anybody but...how could he possibly have the guts to go up there and set dynamite off in a volcano? I knew that Chick was desperate to win but...I didn't think he would EVER go this far! Never thought...he would actually try to commit murder."
"Some cars are very desperate," answered Finn, "They will do whatever it takes to achieve what they want, even if it means hurting or killing another. Some are so desperate for their 15 minutes of fame that they make rash decisions. Others do it as a means of terrorising others, trying to exert powers over others."
"But I just don't understand," said McQueen, "why anyone would want to do that, or how they could even ALLOW themselves to do it...it just doesn't make sense to me." He turned to face Finn. "Why...why do people do this?"
"Because some cars just want to watch the world burn." Finn replied. "They want to bring everyone down to their tyres and have everything under their control to get what they want." He then paused. "Although, I will admit myself, that I do find Chick's behaviour to be rather peculiar."
Holley then spoke up. "Do you think it's possible that Chick survived?"
Finn shrugged. "I have got no idea, Holley. Perhaps he did, perhaps he didn't. I suppose we'll find out at the next race, won't we?"
"I suppose so," said Holley, "speaking of which, how much longer until we reach New Reardenia?"
"Several hours," replied Finn, "and since we all had an exhausting night, I suggest we get some sleep now so we are rested for our journey."
"I am still pretty tired after the day's events," admitted McQueen.
"Well I think we could all use the rest," agreed Finn. "Let's get some sleep so we'll be all set for tomorrow."
"Right," said McQueen, settling on the floor. "Well, see you soon."
"Night," said Finn as he eased himself on the floor. Before long, all of Team McQueen was sound asleep.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Chick was parked outside his hut (which was one of the lesser-damaged buildings). He smirked as he eyed the damage, feeling quite pleased with himself. Grinning, he pulled out his cell and began to dial.
"Hey Nightsky! It's me, Chick! Can ya come get me at Gunung Berapi? I gotta get to New Reardenia before anyone spots me."
"I'm on my way," the wicked female voice at the end replied.
"Great! Be seein' ya!" said Chick as he hung up. He smirked to himself. "Just you wait McQueen….just you wait!"
Well now...it's been a long time hasn't it? Again, I apologise for that. DX I've just been having a LOT going on this year! I've graduated college, celebrated my 18th birthday (yes, I got into college at 16 via dual enrolment-note me for the whole story!) I worked a job at a roadside cafe (like Flo's) for awhile and now I'm a waitress at a senior living centre AND it looks like I might be getting my own car and condo later this month! So yeah...so much has been going on! So yeah...my new life unfortunately means I may not be able to update as quickly as I once could. I will try NOT to take as long as I did with this chapter but I can't promise XD
BTW I'm on Discord now! I'm AgentSandraCartrip#0391 if you want to chat with me there! :D
Oh and I'm just curious...are there any Hetalia fans out there? I only just recently got into the series but man...it is SO addictive! :D And it may or may play a part in my not being around here XD
And lastly, if you can guess which film and character Finn McMissile quoted from in this chapter, you might get a sneak peak at the next chapter! :D
Well that's all for now! I'll see you all with the next chapter! Don't forget to follow me on Deviantart for life updates XD
~Sandra
PS - I might be posting some more Cars fanfics soon! I've got a few in the works that I'm really excited about! And expect some Hetalia to follow as well XD