Ch. 37: Wedding and a Plymouth Fury

A.N.:

Hey everyone!

As the title implies, Alma and Becket finally get married. Being F.E.A.R., I had to make it a little unorthodox.

The part at the end...this is my fanfic so Becket gets her as his car.

Besides, Alma and Christine are similar if you think about it.

All they want is love despite the assholes that f**k with them.

Then, once they have their lover, they take revenge on the assholes.

Alma=Christine

(o)(o)===v===(o)(o)

Read and review if you want.

"Russia has fallen..."

"Another mass suicide..."

"Contact has been lost with the Middle East..."

"Berlin has gone dark..."

"...the Pope's body dragged naked through the streets hours before Vatican City burns to the ground..."

"More and more groups of flagellants appear in the United States..."

"Mass lynching of Jewish community tied to local extremist group who authorities say blamed them for Akira's wrath..."

"No contact has been made with Japan in days..."

"All commercial flights grounded..."

"Europe has officially been confirmed as lost to Akira..."

"England evacuated..."

"Africa has been lost..."

"All able-bodied individuals are hereby drafted..."

"Alaska has gone dark..."

"South America lost..."

"Nothing can stop..."

"Many devout asking why there was no Rapture..."

"Why has God forsaken us?"

"Many believe that this is the end of the world..."

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since the incident at NATO Headquarters. Akira's Forces had overwhelmed everything in their path despite our best efforts. The encroaching blood-red cloud was on all sides of the United States of America and Sparta. To say that civilization had collapsed was putting it mildly. The world that had taken humanity centuries to build had fallen apart in mere weeks. Akira was winning; any fool could see that. The American Armed Forces were in chaos. In every sense of the phrase, Sparta held the future of humanity in her grasp.

However, that was the furthest thing from my mind. All I could think about was Alma. That incident at NATO had put certain things into perspective for me. With Akira closing in, I knew that time was running out. There was something that I had wanted to do ever since we had fallen in love all those years ago before I left Fairport. However, things had always arisen to stop us from doing it. She claimed to be happy with our current relationship, but I knew that she wanted one more thing from me before she could be truly happy.

"What's wrong Daddy?" I looked down at the infant in my arms. Her beautiful grey eyes were gazing at me with concern. I smiled reassuringly as I lowered my left index finger near her face so that she could play with it. Despite being an incredibly powerful psionic that could bring dead men back to life by bending time to her will, she was still just a baby. She was a handful at times but I felt blessed that she was my baby.

As she made cute baby noises while playing with my left index finger, I replied, "It's nothing sweetie...just..."

She asked, "Mommy?"

I replied sheepishly, "Yeah..."

Amara asked, "Are you two fighting?"

I assured her, "No, of course not."

With a confused tone, Amara asked, "Well, then what?"

I replied, "I want to ask her to ma..."

She interrupted, "Oh..."

I said sheepishly, "Yeah..."

We were silent for a moment. Then she asked, "Well, what's the problem?"

I explained, "I don't know how to ask."

Amara giggled briefly before she said, "Seems pretty straight forward to me."

I replied, "I know how to ask. I just don't know what to, you know, give her. Your Mother will kill me if I try to give her a ring."

Amara suggested, "Well...there is one thing that you can give her."

I asked eagerly, "Yes?"

She explained, "Think about it, Daddy. What is it that she loves but does not have?"

I replied, "More Armacham troops to kill?"

Amara giggled before she said, "Well...yes...but think Daddy. What is it that she loves almost as much as us but was taken from her? It has defined her life and belonged to her Mother."

My eyes shot open as I realized what it was. I audibly cried out happily, "Amara! You're a genius!"

She giggled and then said, "I know." I put her back into her crib and then bolted towards the door. However, Amara cried out, "Hey, wait! You have to change me!" I hurried back to her and, after dodging the pee stream with my reflexes, I successfully changed her. Then, I ran back towards the door to Amara's room. She called, "I'll distract Mommy. Good luck, Daddy!"

On the other side of the door, I found Alpha 1, who had been more or less guarding the door. Sensing my upbeat attitude, he asked, "What is it?"

I turned to him and grabbed both of his shoulders. As I held him, I replied, "I know what to get her!" I released him and started to sprint towards the control room inside Wade Mansion. We had recently moved in at Alma's request. The open space was a major upgrade from the cramped interior of the Harbormaster's Tower.

Alpha 1 ran beside me and asked, "What are you talking about? What are we doing?"

I explained, "We are going on a scavenger hunt."

By then, we had reached the control room on the first floor. I burst into the room, causing Morales to jump slightly. He cried, "Becket, damn man you scared the crap out of me. Where's the fire, man?"

The interior of the room had once been a spare living room but Jin and Stokes had repurposed it by setting the control room that had been in the tower up within its walls. It was late so only Morales, who appeared to still be suffering from insomnia, was there. I replied, "Manny, can we still get to Valkyrie Tower?"

He brought up a holographic map and after a moment, he said, "Should be able to. Why?"

I informed him, "I am going to ask Alma to..."

Knowing what I was up to, he stopped me, "Say no more, man. I am here to help."

I smiled slightly before I replied, "Thanks."

He nodded in response. We would need more than three people to search through the rubble. I spoke into my com link, "Foxtrot 813, do you copy?"

His image appeared in my HUD as he replied, "Yes, sir."

I asked, "You feeling adventurous tonight, trooper?"

He replied, "Depends, sir. What's the op?"

I explained, "Search and retrieve mission. I need to get something for Alma so that I can ask her to..."

Deciphering what I was doing, he interrupted, "Ah...say no more, sir. Foxtrot 813 at your service."

I informed him, "Meet us at the Dark Signal APC."

He replied, "Roger that, sir."

Just as we were about to head out, Stokes entered the room while rubbing her eyes. She yawned and dropped her hands down to her sides before she asked, "What's the commotion?"

Morales explained, "Lover boy over here has a crazy scheme to impress his girl."

She eyed me for a moment before she said, "I want to help."

Moments later, we were all inside the Dark Signal APC. I sat where I always sat. Stokes sat where she normally sat. Alpha 1 was examining his new Vollmer as he sat beside me where Keegan had sat. Foxtrot 813 sat slightly off center and looking towards the hatch door where Griffin had been sitting. As the massive engine rumbled to life, Stokes commented, "Amazing that she still runs considering everything that she has been through."

Morales said, "She is one tough little ol' girl."

As he navigated through the dense vegetation, Morales commented, "Man, I can't wait until they finish paving the roadway to the mansion. She wasn't meant to go off-road like this." His comment was confirmed moments later as we all suddenly bounced up as we hit a rut. I serviced my PK470 while we made our way to the remains of Valkyrie Tower. Alma may have had control over the city but there were still plenty of paranormal threats in the city to be concerned about.

As we traveled through the ruined city, passing through various checkpoints, I could not help but find some humor in the fact that I was returning to where it all began. As the APC slowed to make a turn, I cringed slightly. That fight at NATO had left me with irreparable damage that made it very uncomfortable for me to move.

I had suffered multiple broken bones including most of my ribs, my hipbone, and my collarbone. Thanks to the advanced medical equipment that ATC had abandoned in Fairport, my bones had been repaired. However, the nerve damage and loss of mobility were permanent. Alma cried the first time that she saw the railroad map style scars running along my body. I had tried to apologize to her, but she insisted that she had not expected anything else and that it was "who you are Michael. You always go into harm's way to protect the people that you care about". Having grown accustomed to pain, I ignored the red-hot sensations arching through my body.

My new, replacement Dark Signal Armor was a testament to how many bullets I had taken during that firefight. The only pieces of gear that were salvaged from my ruined uniform were my combat boots, my HUD glasses, my .44 magnum revolver, and, of course, my skull ski mask though I currently was not wearing it since the only time I wore it was when I left Fairport.

Foxtrot 813's armor had to be replaced as well and his helmet was dented in several spots while his visor had a hairline crack running across it. The hardened soldier had suffered multiple broken ribs and now, like me, had nerve damage all along his upper body.

Alpha 1 was still nursing several broken ribs that had been repaired but again like me, still had the nerve damage. Amazingly, he had to have replacement armor as well. However, he had refused a replacement mask and kept his original shrapnel damaged one.

As we neared the remains of the building, Stokes asked, "So, what are we looking for exactly?"

I replied, "You will know it when you see it."

About two hours later, after a lot of stair climbing thanks to the nonfunctioning elevators, we returned to Wade Mansion. As we entered the main dining room, Foxtrot commented, "Great, and only four more hours until PT."

Stokes commented, "What's the matter 813? You afraid I'll kick your ass again?"

Foxtrot retorted, "With all due respect, that only happened once ma'am."

They all went their separate ways while I went to the little workshop in one of the side buildings to inspect the fragile item. It was a miracle that it had survived the explosion. I carefully opened it and to my surprise, it still functioned. Of all the objects caught in the Origin Explosion, this old fragile item was still in one piece and worked. I smiled and started to clean it. I could not wait to show her.

After the quick visit to the workshop, I returned to the house to locate Alma. I moved as quietly as possible both out of courtesy for the others who were still asleep, and to try to prevent her from knowing that I was coming. In retrospect, the idea of sneaking up on the object of my affection was comical considering who she was. Finally, I found her in Amara's room.

She was in her clothed adult form and singing to our daughter out on the small deck that was connected to the exterior of Amara's room. Her back was turned as she held Amara in her arms while gazing at the blood red sky that rained down flakes of ash like snow flurries. I kept the item behind my back and called out to her through our bond in an unintentionally strained voice, "Al-Alma...sweetie...I have something to..."

She turned around with a slight smile on her angelic face. I smiled back as casually as I could before I asked, "Can...y-you let Al-Alpha 1 take her for a mo-moment?" She raised her left eyebrow slightly for a moment before she nodded with an expression of curiosity. Alpha 1 left my side and quietly retrieved Amara from her.

As he left the room, he said through our link, "Good luck, Brother." After he left, Alma entered the room and closed the doors to the deck with her mind as she continued to look at me with a look of half-curiosity and half-suspicion. I smiled as calmly as I could though I was fairly certain that I looked guilty of something.

She stopped before me and asked aloud, "What is it, Michael? Is something wrong?"

Using all my willpower to remain calm despite the knots forming in my stomach, I replied, "No, no, I...uh...wanted...to ask you...uh...something...really important."

She gave me a reassuring smile and then said, "Michael, you look like you are about to have a panic attack. It's okay. It's me...you know you can ask me anything." She went to try to hold my right hand, but when I had to pull back to keep her from seeing the item hidden behind my back, she paused. She studied me with an intense look of suspicion for a moment. Then, she asked, "What is that behind your back?"

I replied defensively, "Nothing...it's nothing."

She placed her tiny hands on her shapely hips as she said, "Awareness is one of the most crucial parts of survival, Michael. You taught me that. That is definitely not nothing. Now, what is it?"

I replied, "I will show you but first, I want to ask you something."

She gave me an awkward smile before she lowered her hands back down to her sides and giggled. Then, she said, "Michael, you're being weird. I haven't seen you this nervous when you were talking to me since you were a child. Come on, what is it? I'm your friend remember? You can ask me anything."

It occurred to me at that moment that I had somehow managed to not rehearse what it was that I was going to say. My goddess gave me a disarming smile and I was finally able to summon enough courage to start. I said with as much insecurity as a timid boy addressing the hottest girl in school, "T-There's som-something that I've b-been wanting to a-ask y-you." She nodded. I steeled myself and finished my leap of faith as my heart pounded in my chest, "Alma...Wade...will...will you marry me?"

Her eyes widened in shock as I presented her music box to her. I quickly commented nervously, "I would get down on one knee but it still hurts too much." As I finished, I gave off a quick, nervous laugh. She was silent but she extended shaking arms and slowly took the box from me. She brought it up close to her face and then opened it with her trembling right hand. Sure enough, the sweet haunting melody that meant so much to both of us started playing.

She continued to tremble and shortly afterwards, she started to cry. Her bloody tears rolled down her pale, almost frost grey cheeks before dripping down onto the playing music box. I reached out with my hands as I said with a shaky tone, "No...no...do-don't cr-cry. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you! Pl-please st-stop cr-crying..."

She said darkly, "Michael...Stop. Talking."

I slowly retreated from her with my head bowed. I had upset her? How could I have been so selfish? I had ruined everything! I said quietly with a heavy heart as I fought to keep myself from crying in anger at myself for having upset her, "I'm sorry. I'm leaving...just...please...don't hate me..."

I turned to leave, but, suddenly, I was forcibly thrown against the side of the nearby wall. After I slid down to end up sitting against the wall, I went to grunt in pain but was silenced by Alma as she clamped her satin soft lips over mine and held my head in a vice-like grip. The red-hot arcs of pain mixed with the cold relief from my goddess's body to form into an intoxicating drug inside both my body and mind. So addictive was the mixture that I dared not resist anything that she did. Meanwhile, she was so consumed by the raw feedback of her emotions that she was unable to focus. As a result, her body sporadically shifted between her normal adult form, her seductive form, and her child form as she continued to kiss me without reprieve.

Though we both wanted the moment to continue, eventually my vision began to darken. The last remaining uncorrupted part of my mind cried out and I had to say through our bond, "Alma, getting tunnel vision." Hesitantly, she relented and slowly withdrew from my bruised lips while a string of saliva was briefly connecting us. She moved down to wrap her arms gently around my lower chest while resting the right side of her face against my left shoulder.

As I gasped for air, she hummed softly with a distant happy smile on her angelic face. When my breathing finally calmed down, I asked, "I take that as a yes?"

She reached up and pulled my head down. After we quickly kissed, she withdrew. She looked me in the eyes as she replied, "What took you so long?"

I smirked before I said, "I was getting shot at."

She smiled in response before she asked, "So, do you want me to take your last name?"

I snorted before I replied, "Please...the name Becket dies with me."

She offered, "Well...you can be Michael Wade...if...you...want...I mean."

I smirked and then said, "Just between us. Everyone else will still call me Michael Becket."

She giggled briefly before she replied, "Okay...deal."

A few days later

A few people down, Holiday commented, "Shouldn't we be wearing suits or something?"

Without looking at where he was beside Point Man, I, wearing my Dark Signal Armor, snorted and then replied, "Do you really think any of us actually owns a suit?"

Beside me, Alpha 1, being my best man, commented, "A suit doesn't have shit on my armor."

Beside him, Foxtrot 813 laughed in agreement while I said, "Your shiny new armor does look pretty sweet Brother."

On the other side of the Harbormaster Tower's balcony, Stokes said, "My armor is much more comfortable than a bride's maid dress."

Beside her, Jin added, "Agreed." Then, she said to Point Man, "See! Becket proposed to his girl."

I heard Point Man move nervously and Alpha 1, Foxtrot 813, Morales, Holiday, and I could not help but snicker briefly. Then I asked Jin, "So, how many did it end up being?"

She replied, "200,000 units with a million more on the way. The rebuilt Industrial Section of Auburn is producing everything from bullets to power armor to medkits at maximum efficiency. I've never seen anything like it. Sparta is now the most industrialized and militant country that the world has ever seen. The rebuilt Still Island Nuclear power plant is supplying the entire region with power. The hydroponics section of the city is producing enough food to comfortably feed everyone and the emergency food stock has enough rations to feed everyone for two thousand years."

I corrected her, "Units Miss Kwon? They are free men now. You will call them Spartans."

She replied, "Sorry Sergeant."

Holiday asked, "Spartans? I thought that they were called Replicas?"

I replied, "Replicas was their slave name, Sergeant Holiday. As I said, they are free men now. They voluntarily voted to be named the Spartans."

Stokes asked, "Since we removed their slave programming, how can we be sure that they will continue to remain loyal to us?"

I turned and addressed the 200,000 Spartans in formation, their Spartan flags proudly waving in the wind, below us, "Spartans, are you with me?!"

They simultaneously bellowed loud enough to shatter nearby glass, "YES SIR!"

I asked, "Will you follow me?!"

They simultaneously bellowed, "TO HELL AND BACK SIR!"

I turned back to where I had been standing and replied, "That's why, Keira." Then I said to my Brother, "I promised that I would set you all free."

Alpha 1 replied, "Indeed you did, Brother. My brethren, like 813 and I, are free. Just as you promised. We will follow you and Alma until our bodies turn cold."

Before anyone could say anything else, Alma appeared. She wore the red wedding dress that belonged to her mother, apparently the Wade women all had a thing for red, and had Amara in her arms as she walked towards me. As she passed them, the members of Delta Force, F.E.A.R., and Dark Signal all saluted her except for Point Man and Foxtrot 813, who both gave her a slight nod of respect, causing her to roll her eyes before giggling quietly.

When she reached me, I bowed slightly. Then, I commented, "That dress makes you look fat." She winked at me before leaning in and kissing me.

After we retracted from each other, the cult leader Dr. Green, who was standing before us at the edge of the balcony, started, "We are gathered here today to witness the union between the Holy Mother and Saint Michael. If there is anyone who has reason that these two should not be wed, then speak now and be summarily executed for speaking blasphemy."

There was silence. She continued, "The couple will now give their vows."

I laughed nervously before I asked, "We will?"

The ex-Armacham scientist replied, "Yes, Saint Michael. Please, give the Holy Mother your vows."

I looked over at Alma, who was just as surprised by this as I was. Neither of us had ever been to or seen a wedding. I was stumped for a moment, but then, suddenly, a piece of paper with a series of statements written on it was presented to me. As I studied it, Alpha 1 remarked, "Your vows, Brother."

I quickly memorized the statements and then nodded. He retracted the piece of paper and I said, "Thanks, bro."

He replied, "Got your back, Michael."

I addressed Alma, "I, Michael Becket, take you, Alma Wade, to be my friend, my lover, the mother of my children and my wife. I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to cherish and respect you, to care and protect you, to comfort and encourage you, and stay with you, for all eternity."

Then, I added, "On a personal note, Alma I know that while you and I are very alike, we are still very opposite of each other. I fight for the freedom of those who are oppressed by tyranny and for those that I care about. You fight for the love of carnage and for your family. Because of our differences, you and I are going to argue occasionally. However, there is no one else that I would rather be bonded with for all eternity. At the risk of being cliché, you are my other half...I love you Alma, and I always will."

Foxtrot 813 quietly commented, "Someone is whipped." Seconds later, Alpha 1 elbowed him in his chest. Foxtrot 813 grunted and then said quietly, "Asshole, one of my ribs wasn't completely healed yet. Motherfucker...it hurts." Amara manifested before him in her older child form. She placed her left hand on his armored chest. I heard him moan slightly before she retracted her hand. He said gratefully, "Thank you, Miss Wade."

She giggled before she dissolved into a cloud of ash. Dr. Green announced, "Further blasphemy will warrant execution."

Alma giggled before she said, "It's quite alright, my child. Please, continue."

Dr. Green replied, "Yes, Mother." Then, she continued, "Thank you Saint Michael. Holy Mother, please, give your vows."

Alma addressed me, "For the first part, same thing that you said, thank you Alpha 1, except for the parts where they would be different because I am saying them."

Then, she added, "On a personal note, Michael I know what I am, and I am grateful beyond words that you still found it in your heart to love me. I know that we will argue, but I want us to be able to openly communicate. You're my other half too, Michael. Of all the variants of ourselves that exist, I am indescribably joyful that I am in this universe with you. I will always love you Michael."

Jin quietly commented, "Huh, I was expecting something darker."

Alma finished, "Michael, together, we will reclaim our world with fire and sword...we will throw the filthy retches back into Hell and everyone will know their place. This will be our world. No one who opposes us will be able to look up at the sky with hope. It will be as it should be: us...together, happy, and finally free from the evils of mankind. No one, not even the Gods will be able to separate us, Michael. I love you. No matter what happens, I want you to remember that. I. Love. You."

Stokes quietly commented, "Ah, there you go, Jin."

Dr. Green said, "Thank you, Mother." Then, she finished, "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you King and Queen of Sparta. You may now ki..."

Before she could even finish, Alma and I had already started kissing each other. We heard Amara comment, "Eww...gross." In response, we both laughed through our bond. As we continued to kiss, from where he was atop the tower roof behind us, Amara's dragon, Perses, roared and then tilted his neck and head back until they were nearly vertical. Then, he fired a huge fire blast into the air.

Moments later, Alma and I retracted as the first formation of Black Hawk helicopters, led by the old veteran helicopter gunship Mi-24 "Hind" Yankee 2, screamed overhead. Dr. Green moved aside and we walked to the edge of the balcony. Our 200,000 Spartans simultaneously saluted us. Alpha 1 walked up and stood beside me. He raised his right fist into the air as he yelled, "Hail to the King and Queen!"

The Spartans simultaneously threw their right fists into the air repeatedly as they gave off deafening war cries while the formations of REV6s, EPAs, and Leviathans simultaneously rocked the ground by stomping their right feet into the paved ground beneath them. In the harbor, the Flagship of the Spartan Navy, the Battleship Athena, rocked the entire city with thunder from her mighty 18.1-inch main guns. As she continued her salutes to her new King and Queen, the warships from the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Fleet joined in.

Meanwhile, in the blood-red sky overhead, the seemingly endless formations of Apaches and Black Hawks made their presence known. Above them, hundreds of V-22 Ospreys also made their presence known. Slightly above them, hundreds of F-22 Raptors roared through the air in wedge formations. More impressive was the massive formation of 500 AC-130U gunships, led by Ghost Rider, Ares, and Charon, that vibrated the air with their powerful engines. However, most impressive was the seemingly impossible gigantic yet perfectly coordinated formation of 2,000 B-52 Stratofortresses that thundered overhead.

Behind us, Holiday questioned, "Where did we get the resources for all of this again?"

I replied, "Hey, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing." Then, I addressed all of the soldiers behind us, "Brothers and sisters, with fire and sword, we will take our world back."

Then, I turned and embraced Alma once again. When we parted, I said, "I love you...wife."

She smirked slightly before she replied, "I love you too...husband."

Hours later

Once all the drama was over and the city grew quiet, except for the heavy pounding of machinery coming from the Auburn Industrial District, once again, Alma guided me towards the mansion's garage. She finally said, "It's inside here." I felt her guide me into the garage. She said again, "No peeking."

I assured her, "I wouldn't dare, sweetie. Can you at least tell me what the fuss is about?"

She replied, "You gave me my music box, my love. I thought that I would never again hear its sweet sound. To show my gratitude, I wanted to get you something."

I smiled slightly before I teased her, "We could just go upstairs and have sex again."

After a devious giggle, she replied, "Michael, we have been having sex since we came back from the tower like seven hours ago."

I commented, "Seven hours? Huh, I didn't realize that we were doing all those things for that long...I'm still good to go."

She sighed before she asked, "When did you become such a pervert?"

I replied defensively, "Hey, you made me this way."

She giggled deviously for a moment and then asked, "Yeah, I'm the dirty little girl that turned you into a dirty little boy, huh Michael?"

I replied, "You aren't helping me calm down, sweetie."

We stopped and she giggled briefly. Then, she announced, "You can look now." I opened my eyes and instantly forgot all about my raging hormones as I was met by an unbelievable sight. Alma smiled ominously before she said, "I knew that you would like her."

Before me, shinning under the overhead florescent lights, sat a beautiful, pristine red and white top 1958 Plymouth Fury with a chrome strip running from her iconic dual winged rear all the way down to taper off at a point near her front on both sides. Her chromed trim, including her infamous front bumper and grille with the golden "V" shinned flawlessly.

Her white walled tires were glossy black underneath her shiny hubcaps. At the base of her sleek wings on her rear side, her round red tail lights extended out from her exterior. Her windows were dark black tinted. So sleek were her sides that aside for the strip and her two chrome doorhandles, that even her side-view mirrors were mounted on either side of the back of her hood. Above and slightly behind her headlights, she had chrome hood ornaments that resembled backwards facing hooks. Between the beautiful curves of her front bumper and between her wings on her rear, her two California yellow license plate with black lettering read, "CQB 241"

As I continued to take her all in, I asked my wife, "Is...is...th-that?" Before Alma could answer, the Plymouth Fury thundered to life with her massive V8 "Golden Commando" engine roaring proudly. Her quad headlights emitted eerie blueish light and inside, her radio started playing Johnny Ace's "Pledging My Love". Thoroughly convinced, I remarked, "Holy shit, it is Christine! Where the Hell did you find her?"

Alma explained, "Found her...she was a crushed cube in a junk yard. They all thought that she was dead. Silly humans...some things just cannot die." She then asked with an inviting tone, "You wanna take her for a spin?"

I smiled darkly before I replied, "Try to stop me." I ran over to her driver side door. Gently, I opened the door and slowly sat down behind the wheel. She had a beautiful all red interior with chrome trim along her radio and dashboard. Being a sport, she had two seats up front and one long seat in the back though the back space was mostly for show. She had an automatic transmission, as I failed to see a clutch pedal. There was a push button transmission rather than a traditional lever on the side of the steering column. I looked down at her odometer and noticed with uneasiness that it read zero miles.

I smiled as I lovingly ran my hand along the contours of her immaculate dashboard. Knowing that I had fallen in love with her, Christine rumbled her engine in a way that almost sounded like she was purring. Alma opened the passenger side door and started to enter. However, Christine slammed the door shut in Alma's face before locking the doors. She rumbled her engine and honked her horn in protest. Her radio played Little Richard's "Keep a knockin'" loudly as she continued to rumble her engine.

Alma smiled before leaning in and saying to the sentient Plymouth Fury, "Remember your place, Christine. I can send you right back to that lonely junk yard and leave you to rot. Remember sweetie, I cannot die either. Now, be a good little girl and you will continue to have a loving home."

To my complete amazement, the normally defiant Christine opened the door to let Alma sit next to me. She even slowly closed the door and buckled my goddess in. Alma commented, "Good girl...Mother loves you Christine." Meanwhile, I mentally commented that only Alma could have tamed an obsessive, murderous being like Christine.

I took control of Christine and guided her out of the garage. Then, as the radio started playing Danny and the Juniors's "Rock and Roll is here to stay" at maximum volume, we thundered off towards the city as her massive 350 cubic in. 5.6L V8 engine easily pushed her up to 80mph even with the dense forest vegetation, which she casually bulldozed through.

Once we hit pavement, she roared her 305 horsepower engine and hit the end of her speedometer at 150mph. As we tore up the city's surface streets, Alma and I laughed in primal enjoyment of the experience. After a while, we joined in with Christine by singing along with the songs that she played over her radio.

As we outran the entire Spartan Law Enforcement while blaring old Rock and Roll songs to mock them, Alma and I exchanged a look of mutual affection. As husband and wife, nothing could stand in our way. Fire and sword, this would be our world.

A.N.:

Thank you to Stephen King for the novel and to John Carpenter for the movie.

This is movie Christine.

As Alma would say, "Love can never die."