Dr. Spengler wrapped his arms around himself tightly. It was still very
cold outside, but fortunately it was no longer snowing. He thought about
how much time had passed since he had last looked at his watch and resisted
the urge to look. Egon calculated the amount of time it should take to walk
to Angonak when he first started. The average person walked a mile in about
thirteen to fifteen minutes and there were five miles. He'd be there in an
hour. If he didn't freeze first. The proton pack on his back was probably
slowing him down, but Peter could be right. It may come in handy. Egon
forced himself to continue despite everything. Peter and Dani were counting
on him to find help. The scientist brushed away some of the condensation
forming on his glasses. He tried to focus on something either than the cold
and the headache from the bump on his head.
The Ghostbuster smiled to himself as he thought about Janine. She was a very beautiful woman when he really focused on it, but he always knew there was more to her than that. Janine Melnitz was smart in her accord and often stumped the physicist with trivia more obscure than some of the old books he often read. Egon was happy that after all these years he finally decided to pursue a relationship with the woman. And despite how annoyed he often got with his cousin dating Ray he was happy for them as well. Ray needed someone like Dani to share in some of his enthusiasm about life and what new adventures each day brought though they were much like the day before. She never seemed to tire of it. The two complemented each other much like Egon and Janine did. Winston and Tammy seemed to be the same way even after dating for two years. Peter was the only who couldn't find someone. Well, he hadn't found someone for a few weeks. Egon's thoughts were interrupted by a loud honking noise.
Egon stopped and turned around to see an old-looking pickup truck coming down the road. It honked again than came to a stop a few feet in front of Dr. Spengler. The passenger door opened and the blonde man walked toward the door. A young man wearing a fleece jacket sat at the driver's seat.
"What are you doing walking out here?" The young man asked. "And what's that thing on your back?"
"My friends and I had an accident a few miles back," Egon answered. "I was trying to make it to Angonak to get help." He adjusted the pack on his back. "And I'm wearing a proton pack. I'm a Ghostbuster."
"A Ghostbuster? I've heard of you guys," the young man replied. Egon wasn't surprised. Most of the world knew of them since their job often taken them to other parts of America where they often ended up on the news or in another country where trouble often followed. Like ending up in jail for violating some custom. Leave it to Peter to single-handedly make a mess of things. "I'll take you to town. I was heading there myself. Hop in." Egon gratefully climbed into the warm vehicle. The young man started his truck back up and they were heading down the road. "Mind if I asked what happened? Oh, I'm Kip Johnson."
"Dr. Egon Spengler," Egon said. "The answer to your question though is rather long and intricate. To surmise, however, I believe a ghost we caught in another town caused us to have an accident injuring my companions as well as myself."
"Are they alright?" Kip asked. Egon could tell the young man was more interested in the part about the ghost rather than the injured people, but wanted to be nice.
"I believe they are," Dr. Spengler answered. "I just need to call for some help. Paramedics and someone to pull out the car."
"Well, you aren't going to find those in Angonak," Kip told him. "They'll have to come from Cleveland and it'll probably be an hour or two because not all the roads are clear between here and there. And that's only if it doesn't start snowing again."
"I don't believe it's supposed to snow again," Egon responded. "However, I've been know to be incorrect. On rare occasions that is." The rest of the short car ride went in silence as Kip turned on to a street that seemed to go on forever until snow covered buildings started to pop up. He drove past them all than went down another street and Dr. Spengler watched as the buildings disappeared and once again all he saw was white. They came upon a lone house a few minutes from the small town. Kip pulled up the driveway and stopped the pickup truck about five feet from the front door.
"This is home, Dr. Spengler," Kip said. He jumped out of the truck and ran into the house. Egon followed slowly. The scientist walked in and was greeted by the smell of delicious food and a warm atmosphere. He closed the front door and looked around. The front room was decorated with what looked like many hand-crafted objects and on the walls were pictures of people ranging from babies to grandparents. "Dr. Spengler, meet my mother. Edna Johnson." Egon turned around to find a small, pleasantly plump woman wearing an apron.
"Hello, Mrs. Johnson," Dr. Spengler greeted. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting your holiday, but my friends and I had an accident."
"Yes, Kip told me all about that. You may not get help for some time, but you are free to use the phone. It's right in the kitchen." She pointed to a doorway to the left.
"Thank you." Egon walked past the two and into the kitchen. His nose was greeted by even stronger smells of the food. He saw pies lying on the counter and could make out the form of a turkey in the oven through the door. Egon wished he was at his mother's partaking in the Christmas dinner, but that wasn't on today's agenda. He had to focus on why he was in the Johnson's home. The scientist found the phone on the wall next to the table. He took of his proton pack and sat down in the chair closest to the phone. Egon dialed his mother's number.
"Hello?" A tired voice said.
"Mother, its Egon."
"Egon, dear, are you alright?" She quickly asked. "I was so worried. What happened? Are you injured? Is Dani hurt? What about Peter? Where are you?"
"Mother, I'm quite alright aside from a small bump on the head," Egon informed her. "We had an accident and --"
"An accident?" His mother repeated. "How did it happen?"
"Mother, I will explain that to you later. I just wanted to assure you we were alright," Dr. Spengler said. "I'm sorry we did not call."
"It's alright. I was just worried." She paused a moment. "I may have worried your friends, Egon. I called them this morning when you did not show up."
"I should call them."
"Are you sure everything's alright, Egon?"
"Yes, mother. I will call you again shortly."
"Very well, dear." Dr. Spengler heard the click from the other end and felt a bit bad he had been a bit short with his mother, but he needed to assure his friends that he, Peter, and Dani were not dead. Egon hoped that it was true for Peter and Dani. It had only been an hour, but the longer they stayed in the cold weather the shorter their time would become. Egon quickly dialed the number to Janine's cell phone.
"Hello?"
"Janine, its Egon."
"Egon!?! Oh, are you alright? Are you in the hospital? What happened? When your mother called this morning I got worried. Where are you?" She continued to ask questions that Egon couldn't answer because she wouldn't stop for breath. "Well, aren't you going to answer me? You've had me so worried that I haven't been able to enjoy anything."
"Janine, we were in an accident. I had to leave Peter and Dani behind to get help. I'm not sure that it will come for some time. Kip didn't exactly make it sound hopeful."
"Who's Kip? And why did you leave Peter and Dani? I know they can both get annoying at times, but to leave them behind is heartless, Egon. Dani's your cousin and Peter's one of your best friends."
"I had no choice. Peter's leg is stuck and possibly broken. Dani may have fractured or broken a rib. And Kip is the young gentleman who brought me to his house so I may use his phone. I had to let my mother, you, Winston and Ray know we were alright as well as call for help."
"I'll call them, Egon. You get help for Peter and Dani. We'll try to get out there as soon as possible. Wait, where are you?"
"In Angonak."
"Where?"
"A small town about 35 miles away from Cleveland. I can't recall ever passing it on my way home. Perhaps I never noticed."
"You notice everything, Egon. Maybe it just sprung up. Don't worry. I will call the guys and tell them everything. We will come out there."
"Thank you, Janine. I'm sorry for causing you any anguish."
"You caused a little, but you can make up for that," Janine informed him. "When we get back to New York we're going to spend a little alone time together. Just you, me, and a box of Twinkies." Egon could feel a blush start to rise and it wasn't just from the heat the stove was producing.
"Sounds very nice," Dr. Spengler stated trying to keep his cool. "I will talk to you later."
"Bye, Egon. I love you."
"I love you too, Janine." Egon heard the click once more and stared at the phone for a moment. What could you possibly do with a box of Twinkies besides eat them? The scientist pondered the thought a moment before realizing what he really needed to do. He dialed one more short, but important number.
"9-1-1 Emergency. How may we help you?"
"Yes, my friends and I were involved in an accident," Dr. Spengler started.
The Ghostbuster smiled to himself as he thought about Janine. She was a very beautiful woman when he really focused on it, but he always knew there was more to her than that. Janine Melnitz was smart in her accord and often stumped the physicist with trivia more obscure than some of the old books he often read. Egon was happy that after all these years he finally decided to pursue a relationship with the woman. And despite how annoyed he often got with his cousin dating Ray he was happy for them as well. Ray needed someone like Dani to share in some of his enthusiasm about life and what new adventures each day brought though they were much like the day before. She never seemed to tire of it. The two complemented each other much like Egon and Janine did. Winston and Tammy seemed to be the same way even after dating for two years. Peter was the only who couldn't find someone. Well, he hadn't found someone for a few weeks. Egon's thoughts were interrupted by a loud honking noise.
Egon stopped and turned around to see an old-looking pickup truck coming down the road. It honked again than came to a stop a few feet in front of Dr. Spengler. The passenger door opened and the blonde man walked toward the door. A young man wearing a fleece jacket sat at the driver's seat.
"What are you doing walking out here?" The young man asked. "And what's that thing on your back?"
"My friends and I had an accident a few miles back," Egon answered. "I was trying to make it to Angonak to get help." He adjusted the pack on his back. "And I'm wearing a proton pack. I'm a Ghostbuster."
"A Ghostbuster? I've heard of you guys," the young man replied. Egon wasn't surprised. Most of the world knew of them since their job often taken them to other parts of America where they often ended up on the news or in another country where trouble often followed. Like ending up in jail for violating some custom. Leave it to Peter to single-handedly make a mess of things. "I'll take you to town. I was heading there myself. Hop in." Egon gratefully climbed into the warm vehicle. The young man started his truck back up and they were heading down the road. "Mind if I asked what happened? Oh, I'm Kip Johnson."
"Dr. Egon Spengler," Egon said. "The answer to your question though is rather long and intricate. To surmise, however, I believe a ghost we caught in another town caused us to have an accident injuring my companions as well as myself."
"Are they alright?" Kip asked. Egon could tell the young man was more interested in the part about the ghost rather than the injured people, but wanted to be nice.
"I believe they are," Dr. Spengler answered. "I just need to call for some help. Paramedics and someone to pull out the car."
"Well, you aren't going to find those in Angonak," Kip told him. "They'll have to come from Cleveland and it'll probably be an hour or two because not all the roads are clear between here and there. And that's only if it doesn't start snowing again."
"I don't believe it's supposed to snow again," Egon responded. "However, I've been know to be incorrect. On rare occasions that is." The rest of the short car ride went in silence as Kip turned on to a street that seemed to go on forever until snow covered buildings started to pop up. He drove past them all than went down another street and Dr. Spengler watched as the buildings disappeared and once again all he saw was white. They came upon a lone house a few minutes from the small town. Kip pulled up the driveway and stopped the pickup truck about five feet from the front door.
"This is home, Dr. Spengler," Kip said. He jumped out of the truck and ran into the house. Egon followed slowly. The scientist walked in and was greeted by the smell of delicious food and a warm atmosphere. He closed the front door and looked around. The front room was decorated with what looked like many hand-crafted objects and on the walls were pictures of people ranging from babies to grandparents. "Dr. Spengler, meet my mother. Edna Johnson." Egon turned around to find a small, pleasantly plump woman wearing an apron.
"Hello, Mrs. Johnson," Dr. Spengler greeted. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting your holiday, but my friends and I had an accident."
"Yes, Kip told me all about that. You may not get help for some time, but you are free to use the phone. It's right in the kitchen." She pointed to a doorway to the left.
"Thank you." Egon walked past the two and into the kitchen. His nose was greeted by even stronger smells of the food. He saw pies lying on the counter and could make out the form of a turkey in the oven through the door. Egon wished he was at his mother's partaking in the Christmas dinner, but that wasn't on today's agenda. He had to focus on why he was in the Johnson's home. The scientist found the phone on the wall next to the table. He took of his proton pack and sat down in the chair closest to the phone. Egon dialed his mother's number.
"Hello?" A tired voice said.
"Mother, its Egon."
"Egon, dear, are you alright?" She quickly asked. "I was so worried. What happened? Are you injured? Is Dani hurt? What about Peter? Where are you?"
"Mother, I'm quite alright aside from a small bump on the head," Egon informed her. "We had an accident and --"
"An accident?" His mother repeated. "How did it happen?"
"Mother, I will explain that to you later. I just wanted to assure you we were alright," Dr. Spengler said. "I'm sorry we did not call."
"It's alright. I was just worried." She paused a moment. "I may have worried your friends, Egon. I called them this morning when you did not show up."
"I should call them."
"Are you sure everything's alright, Egon?"
"Yes, mother. I will call you again shortly."
"Very well, dear." Dr. Spengler heard the click from the other end and felt a bit bad he had been a bit short with his mother, but he needed to assure his friends that he, Peter, and Dani were not dead. Egon hoped that it was true for Peter and Dani. It had only been an hour, but the longer they stayed in the cold weather the shorter their time would become. Egon quickly dialed the number to Janine's cell phone.
"Hello?"
"Janine, its Egon."
"Egon!?! Oh, are you alright? Are you in the hospital? What happened? When your mother called this morning I got worried. Where are you?" She continued to ask questions that Egon couldn't answer because she wouldn't stop for breath. "Well, aren't you going to answer me? You've had me so worried that I haven't been able to enjoy anything."
"Janine, we were in an accident. I had to leave Peter and Dani behind to get help. I'm not sure that it will come for some time. Kip didn't exactly make it sound hopeful."
"Who's Kip? And why did you leave Peter and Dani? I know they can both get annoying at times, but to leave them behind is heartless, Egon. Dani's your cousin and Peter's one of your best friends."
"I had no choice. Peter's leg is stuck and possibly broken. Dani may have fractured or broken a rib. And Kip is the young gentleman who brought me to his house so I may use his phone. I had to let my mother, you, Winston and Ray know we were alright as well as call for help."
"I'll call them, Egon. You get help for Peter and Dani. We'll try to get out there as soon as possible. Wait, where are you?"
"In Angonak."
"Where?"
"A small town about 35 miles away from Cleveland. I can't recall ever passing it on my way home. Perhaps I never noticed."
"You notice everything, Egon. Maybe it just sprung up. Don't worry. I will call the guys and tell them everything. We will come out there."
"Thank you, Janine. I'm sorry for causing you any anguish."
"You caused a little, but you can make up for that," Janine informed him. "When we get back to New York we're going to spend a little alone time together. Just you, me, and a box of Twinkies." Egon could feel a blush start to rise and it wasn't just from the heat the stove was producing.
"Sounds very nice," Dr. Spengler stated trying to keep his cool. "I will talk to you later."
"Bye, Egon. I love you."
"I love you too, Janine." Egon heard the click once more and stared at the phone for a moment. What could you possibly do with a box of Twinkies besides eat them? The scientist pondered the thought a moment before realizing what he really needed to do. He dialed one more short, but important number.
"9-1-1 Emergency. How may we help you?"
"Yes, my friends and I were involved in an accident," Dr. Spengler started.