Chapter 9 - "Miss Hostage"

Lightning was asleep at the impound and the sound of voices surrounded him. Lightning yawned and slowly opened his eyes. When he looked over to his right, his engine sank. All of the townsfolk were crowded around Sally's Cozy Cone Motel.

"Maybe she's cleaning one of the rooms?" asked Ramone.

"No! No! I'm-a the first to see her when she drives to work in the morning. She passes my store first!" Luigi explained.

"I didn't see my girl arrive to work either!" exclaimed Flo, "She didn't even have breakfast!"

"Maybe she is with Big Al!" yelled Lizzie.

"No, don't think so, Lizzie," said Doc.

"What's going on over there?" Lightning called out to them. Ramone immediately turned to him, "Sally didn't show up to work today, man."

"What?" Lightning quickly pulled up to the fence, "Are you sure?"

"She never misses work!" called out Flo.

Meanwhile, Mater went to the Wheel Well as soon as he saw Sally wasn't at work. Mater knocked on the front garage door.

"Miss Sally? Erm..I mean almost Mrs Sally! You there?" he called out. Mater heard a faint screaming coming from inside. He put his side up to the door and listened in. It was Jane crying.

"Jane! It's uncle Mater!"

When she heard the familiar voice, Jane's crying turned into a soft whimper.

"I'm comin' in!" Mater grabbed the spare key behind one of the switches of the gasoline pumps. He unlocked the door and pushed it open. When he looked around, the place was empty.

"Sally!" he yelled, "Jane is crying. You home?" he continue to drive around, "You...here?"

Mater drove to Jane's room. The little Porsche was on the floor shivering.

"Jane!" Mater drove to her, "Are you okay?"

Jane just looked up at Mater with tears in her small eyes.

"Come on!" Mater hooked Jane and lifted her onto his truck bed, instead of having her roll behind him. He kept his hook wrapped around Jane so she wouldn't fall out, "You're gonna see daddy, okay?"

Mater quickly drove back to Radiator Springs, passing by everyone crowding the cozy cone. When he sped by, everyone turned around.

"I have Jane! She's here!" said Mater. He gently let Jane down from his tow hook. When Jane saw Lightning she smiled and started bouncing, "Ah! Ah!"

"Hi there, little star," Lightning said, trying not to make her panic.

"When I was at the Wheel Well, Sally wasn't in there! Jane was crying on the floor!"

"How did she get on the-..Sally wasn't home?" Lightning shook his hood in disbelief, "I-..I don't understand what's happening."

"Maybe someone took her!" Lizzie cried.

"Who could have taken Sally?" asked Sarge.

Mater overheard and looked at Lightning, "Maybe it was Chick! He hates you enough to do that."

"Hates me enough to steal my girlfriend?" Lightning furrowed his eyelids, "Actually.."

"I wouldn't put it past him," said Doc, as he drove over to the conversing cars.

Sheriff shook his hood, "Don't worry I'll get-"

"No," Doc interrupted, "Let Lightning go."

Doc pressed the switch to open the gate with his tire. Mater drove next to Lightning and unlocked his boot.

"Let Hotshot pay 'em a visit."

"Doc, I arrested him for getting into an altercation already. I don't want to have to-"

"Then don't. Let the kid go."

Lightning moved his tire around, being in the boot for a while. He pulled out of the impound then kissed Jane. He wrapped his axles around her, "Everything is going to be alright...I'm gonna go get mommy, okay?"

Jane nuzzled her front end into his wheel, "Ah-ba-ba-ba.."

"I promise," Lightning looked up at Mater, "Watch her...watch Jane. Please."

"You got it, buddy," Mater said.

Meanwhile, Sally had just awakened from being passed out. She looked around and quickly remembered what happened. She was in a nice home. Everything was clean, except for the car in it with her. She took in a deep breath and an amazing aroma filled her senses. She tried to drive forward and follow the scent, but something didn't feel right. She couldn't drive forward or backward. She couldn't move from the spot at all, stuck on Bubba's mattress with an extremely rusty boot on.

"Help!" she yelled, "HELP!"

The bedroom door flung open and Bubba was at the door with a tray hooked on his side. There were two eggs, two pieces of bacon, two slices of toast with butter, and a little glass of orange juice. Sally's mouth hung open, "W-What did you do to me?"

"G'mornin', beautiful. Had a nice night?" asked Bubba with a chuckle.

"What did you do to me!" Sally repeated frantically.

"Who me?"

Sally's engine sank. She cringed at the thoughts of Bubba having control over her all night and not knowing what he did, "Look! I don't care what you did to me! I just want my baby!"

"I didn't do nothin' to you."

"..and Jane?"

"Jane? I don't have her. I want nothing to do with her. Just you. Now here. Eat your breakfast," Bubba put the tray on the bed with her.

Sally looked down at the food and slapped it away with the rusty boot, but when she hit the tray, Sally noticed a piece of the boot fell off.

"Oh! Now look at this mess! I made it all for you!" said Bubba. He clenched his teeth, "Now I need to make it again."

He drove out of the room and back into the kitchen. Knowing that Sally wouldn't eat it, he had another meal ready for her. The meals weren't immediately finished though. He would always have to add the last ingredient: Poison.

Not knowing that Bubba had her meals prepared already, Sally thought she had a lot of time. She hopped off of the edge of the bed, making sure she bashed the floor hard - boot first.

Just as she planned, half of the boot was off.

Success.

Since only half of it was off, she was able to put it back together if anyone saw her, but just then the door opened, and Sally gasped. When Bubba drove in, he saw Sally on the floor, but now the whole boot was on her again.

"What in tarnation are you doin' on the floor?" asked Bubba.

Sally quickly answered, "I fell!"

Bubba rolled his eyes, "Anyway..here," he put the tray of food in front of her. She hadn't eaten all day and missed dinner last night, so it looked delicious, and she was starving. She put her mouth up to the plate and went to take a bite, but Sally saw his awful smile at the corner of her eye.

Sally snarled, "I don't trust you," and she pulled her face away from the food.

"Well, Sally.."

She narrowed her eyes, "What?"

"I don't trust you NEITHER," he stretched his tire out and slammed the tray of food in her face. Sally yelped and tried to shake the food off, but while she was distracted, Bubba grabbed the tire with the rusty boot. He shook her axle and the boot fell right off in two halves.

"I KNEW IT!" he growled, "You know, Sally..I don't appreciate it when cars lie to me," he drove forward into her. Sally was backed up against the wall. She couldn't back up anymore. She went to scream and Bubba stuffed his tire in her mouth, "Shut up."