I don't own any of this Loud House belongs to Nickelodeon.
Arturo had made some good travel time as he drove through Mexico in the red Jeep. During the coming weeks, he had drove past Tabasco and Veracruz. By the time he reached Puebla the Jeep had ran out of gas.
Arturo cursed under his breath as now with no spare gas to refuel the Jeep. He would have to travel on foot again, which he really didn't want to do as the ash fall is far more intense here as there's a volcano somewhere near by.
Arturo didn't have anything to cover his face to protect himself from the falling ash. What was he to do? He'll be wasting time by staying in this vehicle, but if he goes out there he could suffocate from the ash fall. This is a difficult situation that he is in, he didn't know what to do.
He needed to think about this, so he leaned back against the seat watching the falling ash building up on the hood and windshield, some time later he fell asleep.
The convention center had changed during the month. Alarms that Ronnie Anne had first thought about is actually set up, but instead of wind chimes, bells were set up instead as that was all the group that went out for more food had found, so yeah they had alarms now.
But that wasn't all that changed. The weight of the ash had made the rest of the roof above the main area collapse, crushing those that were in there at the time. The ones who weren't there at that time, now find themselves sleeping in the hallways, luckily none of the Casagrandes weren't in the main room when the roof collapsed.
The human population of the convention center was now half then it once was, and although they now had a half population the hallways were crowded, making it hard to walk around in.
In the closet turned medical office. Maria Santiago along with her son were busy sorting out the items that Maria had collected over the past month.
"Thanks for helping me sort out these things Bobby." Maria exclaimed as she placed some penicillin on a shelve.
Bobby puts some bandages in his mom's makeshift desk, before addressing his mother. "No problem mom, besides it's worth getting out of that crowded hallway. I think I accidentally stepped on three people this morning."
"Yes, it's a real shame we lost the main area. The hallways aren't a suitable place for this many people."
"You think we're going to move?"
"I don't know Bobby."
Mother and son continued to sort out the stuff in the medical office. During the month of its operation, Maria had been busy using her medical knowledge to help those that needed it. Today it was slow, so it was a perfect day for sorting out stuff.
Maria placed an eye chart on the wall, she placed her hands on her hips in satisfaction as she had that chart leaned against the shelve for weeks, so it was great to finally have it up. "This chart looks good up here, doesn't it Bobby?"
"Sure does mom." Bobby replied.
Maria glances over to her son, she can tell that despite his smile he was troubled. Maria knew why he was troubled as what he had experienced she couldn't blame him, thinking about it now made her sad over the death of her father.
But she couldn't dwell on that, as for right now her son needed someone talk to. Maria may not be a therapist, but she was still his mother. "Do you need someone to talk to Bobby?"
"Huh?" Bobby looked to his mom with question spread on his face. "What do you mean mom?"
"I can tell that you're troubled and I already know why. So why don't you tell me about it, so that I can help you feel a little better." She tells him gently.
Bobby looked down unsure, he didn't know if he could tell his mother about what had happened on that horrible day. Maria could see the look on her son's face, she didn't like to see him upset, but if it was to help her son feel a bit better then she has no choice but to press on. "Come on Bobby, it will do you good if you tell me."
Bobby looked to her still unsure. Would she herself be alright after he tells her his story? "Come on Roberto. Please tell me."
"Ok" Bobby hesitates for a moment. "It all happened like this."
Arturo was woken by the Jeep shaking and a deep rumbling sound. He jumped up in surprise, wondering what the hell was going on? "Aye dios mio! Is that the volcano?"
Arturo strained to look out through the ash covered windshield, he couldn't really see anything until two bright lights came into view. "What's that?" Straining his eyes at the approaching lights, he saw that they were headlights.
Unbelievable excitement came into Arturo. There were other people and what's even better? They had a running vehicle! Finally he could get help and possibly get a lift to the Mexican border. The vehicle stops right next to him, Arturo heard their doors open, then the Jeep door opened quickly and his smile is wiped clear from his face as army-class rifles were pointed at him and the men wearing respiratory masks ordered him out of the vehicle.
Petrified by this sudden turn of events, Arturo raised his hands up and got out of the Jeep. "Bien cálmate, cálmate." He told them calmly, the men however thrusts their rifles at him, one gave him a spare mask to keep the ash from getting inside him.
Arturo gratefully for this action, gladly puts the mask on. "Gracias" Unfortunately that is the only nice thing the group did as they then forced him onto his knees as they kept their rifles on him, while one of them looked through the Jeep where he found his backpack.
The person who held the backpack looked through it, nodding at the things that were in it. Arturo although feeling really scared, kept his mouth shut for the good of his life.
He then felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and everything went dark.
"And that's what happened." Bobby stated tearfully.
Maria had many thoughts going through her head, the main one she felt though is horror. The fact that her own son had experience that horrible event with such a great detail scared her completely. It's no wonder her son is so troubled, heck she felt troubled after hearing that story.
Bobby saw the look on his mother's face and immediately felt immense guilt for making her feel this way. He knew that he shouldn't have explained what had happened, now his mother is most likely just as traumatized as him.
What she did next surprised him. Slowly Maria went up to him and pulled him into a hug. Bobby is silent as his mother held him in her arms, for that long moment everything around them seem silent and everything that has happened seemed to be forgotten.
"Do you feel a bit better after you told me?" She gently asked him.
Thinking about it, while he still felt troubled about that event, Bobby surprisingly did feel a little better. "A little."
Maria brushes his hair. "That's good." She whispered while continuing to brush the top of his head. "That's very good."
"SMACK!"
"SMACK!"
"You like that scumbags!
From outside the closet; people wisely walked passed as it sounded like someone is really giving another someone the business. Though in reality it was just Ronnie Anne who is wearing her white tank top, punching two punching bags that had crude drawings of the two men that killed her grandfather.
The punching bags were battered as Ronnie Anne had been doing a good number on them for the past couple weeks. Ronnie Anne didn't just used her fists though, she also used her feet to kick at them, and baseball bats to really do a good number on them.
It was not hard to guess that during the past weeks, Ronnie Anne had converted this closet into her personal training room. People might not know why Ronnie Anne is even doing it, including her family if they even knew about what Ronnie Anne does in her free time, when she's not with a group collecting supplies.
Ronnie Anne doesn't dare tell them, they just wouldn't understand it. They wouldn't know that this was for their own good, as this training would help her protect them if they ran into those two scumbags.
Ronnie Anne gives two punches to the left punching bag which swings backwards from the force Ronnie Anne delivered. "Take that!" She shouted fiercely.
Through these sweaty endorsing trainings, she felt like that her punches and kicks were getting stronger after each day. This made her smile as with her doing better at fighting and becoming stronger, the chances of besting them is greater.
Ronnie Anne punches the bag more harder, the chain attached to it groans as it threatened to detached itself from the bag. Ronnie Anne goes back a few feet, she ran at full force where she delivered a roundhouse kick to the bag, which does detach the bag from its chain and sends it flying, until it crashed against the wall with a loud thump before falling to the ground.
Ronnie Anne stood underneath the swinging chain, huffing and puffing while smiling over what she had just accomplished. "Sweet! Those guys better watch out when I come across them."
"Ronnie Anne?!" A voice called out from the hallway.
Ronnie Anne panicked for that was CJ, she couldn't let him see what she has been doing, if he does then he'll blab about it to the rest of the family. Quickly Ronnie Anne took the other punching bag down and dragged it to the other one, where she laid them side by side against each other, before she then places a big, black tarp over them.
With the bags covered, Ronnie Anne quickly put on her signature purple hoodie then went to the door, but didn't open it yet as CJ didn't need to see her coming out of her training room. Listening carefully Ronnie Anne couldn't hear him anywhere near the door, so very slowly she opens up the door and peeks out where she couldn't see him anywhere.
Satisfied Ronnie Anne stepped out from the closet and shut the door quietly just in case CJ is nearby. She then went to the other side of the hall, where she leaned against it in a cool way.
CJ came around a corner and smiled upon seeing his older cousin. Ronnie Anne snapped her finger and pointed at him. "S'up CJ?"
"I've been looking for you everywhere Ronnie Anne. Do you wanna to play pirates with me?" He asked her while swinging a wooden spoon around like a sword.
Ronnie Anne thinks about it. She really wanted to continue on with her training as she didn't wanna to be weak when she came across those men, but it wouldn't hurt to spend some time with one of her family members. Besides if she doesn't, CJ might get suspicious and find out about her little secret.
"Alright captain CJ."
CJ smiled brightly. "Great! Come fallow me now, Captain's orders!"
Ronnie Anne gives him a playful salute. "Aye, aye captain."
CJ leads Ronnie Anne down the hallway, until they finally reached a dead end where a cardboard made pirate ship is stationed. Ronnie Anne could also see a small purple chest set next to a paper drawing of an island that strangely looked like the island you see in the SpongeBob opening.
Ronnie Anne also notices that CJ's friend Chloe is there next to the ship, wearing a makeshift bandana and eye patch. During the past month CJ and Chloe had become very close friends, wherever CJ went Chloe would be close behind, playing whatever game they came up with or go around as super CJ and her as his faithful sidekick Chloe-Shaker.
Upon seeing Ronnie Anne, Chloe looked away shyly though she did give Ronnie Anne a small wave. "Alright" CJ began, "Everyone on the ship and get ready to set sail." Captain CJ ordered his crew.
The rough waves of the sea crash against the front of the ship, up in the sky; dark storm clouds dumped a downpour of rain that's blowing sideways from the heavy winds while lighting flashed everywhere.
On the ship; Captain CJ'S crew battled against the fierce rain that blew into their faces. First mate Chloe stood in the middle of the ship using a sextant to navigate through the storm, while up on the crows nest Ronnie Anne looked through the telescope for any land up ahead, but the waves made it hard to see from how high and rough they were being.
Captain CJ bravely navigated his ship through the storm, for the smell of treasure is on the horizon. A large wave approaches the ship, it crashes onto the deck leaving behind sea creatures like a sponge, octopus, crab, sea star, and a clownfish. First mate Chloe mopped the sea creatures back into the sea, lighting flashed above the crows nest making Ronnie Anne flinch.
"Ronnie Anne! Any sign of land?"
Ronnie Anne continued to scan the waves for the island they were sailing towards. "Not yet captain!" She hollered down to him.
"Don't worry, we'll find some land soon as the map says so! Just keep your eyes on the horizon!" Captain CJ reassured his crew member.
The ship continues to sail through the stormy seas, first mate Chloe looked out from the port side of the ship to the raging waters. The waves lowered revealing a rock with a mermaid lounging on it, the mermaid waved to her then dives into the ocean just a second before a wave crashed into her rock.
Ronnie Anne felt a little seasick from the sawing the boat did in the storm, she fights off that nauseating feeling and looked back through the telescope again, where all that seasickness seemed to disappear as a palm tree could be seen in the horizon. "Land hoe! Repeat land hoe!" Ronnie Anne called down to captain CJ.
"Good job crew mate!" He called up.
Captain CJ sails the ship towards the island, the ship battles through like an unstoppable warship until at last it hits landfall. "Drop the anchor!" Captain CJ order, the anchor drops onto the sand, the three pirates eagerly jump off the ship and onto the sandy ground.
Now on the island, they began to trek through the beach in search of the X. After three minutes the three climbed a hill then saw the X that marked the spot, the three pirates quickly raced to the X, Ronnie Anne and first mate Chloe took out some shovels and quickly dig out the treasure chest.
Captain CJ opened up the treasure chest, revealing shiny gold and jewelry. "We did it faithful crew! We found the Flying Dutchman's treasure! Now let's get back to the ship and split the treasure equally."
Another flash of lightning strikes from above, which was fallowed by a green mist that came up from the ground. The mist raised up over their heads, it then formed into the ghost of the Flying Dutchman. "Who dares lays hands on the Flying Dutchman's treasure?!" The ghost boomed.
Captain CJ stepped up with his sword drawn out. "It was me! Captain CJ of the seven seas!"
"Argh! You'll pay for stealing me treasure!" The Flying Dutchman took out his own ghostly sword. "When I'm done with you, you'll be spending a nice time in Davy Jones Locker! And I must warn you Davy Jones has been working out again, so it's very smelly in there."
"Bring it on ghost pirate!" Captain CJ launches at the Flying Dutchman and they had an epic swordfight. Ronnie Anne and first mate Chloe watched their captain bravely clash swords with the spector. Captain CJ and the Flying Dutchman now lock their swords together, they both tried to break it off in order to damage the opponent.
"Give it up matey! I got a hundred years of sword fighting experience!" The Flying Dutchman bellowed.
"Oh yeah. Well at least I don't have a mud stain on my shirt!" Captain CJ shot back.
The Flying Dutchman looked down to his shirt in disgust. "Aw dang it, this is my good shirt."
"Haha!" Captain CJ suddenly reached into the ghost's jacket and pulled out a sock. "I got your sock." He stated triumphantly.
The Flying Dutchman instantly started to panic as that is his dinning sock, he can't eat without it. Quickly he raised his left hand up defensively, as he began to shake. "Whoa there lad! Just take it easy with me sock."
"You going let us have the treasure?" Captain CJ asked.
"Never!" He bellowed.
Captain CJ hugged the sock close to his chest as he turned away from the pirate ghost. "Then you can't have your sock back."
The Flying Dutchman grimaced as what was he to do? Does he give up his treasure to get his dinning sock back? Or keep his treasure and not have his sock ever again. Captain CJ continued to hold the sock to his chest giving the ghost a serious look.
Finally the ghost made his decision. "Alright you can have me treasure, just give me back my sock!"
Satisfied Captain CJ threw the sock to the Flying Dutchman. "Here you go."
The Flying Dutchman grabbed his sock and hugged it to his face. "Oh! It's so nice to have me sock again. That sure did give me a good scare." The Flying Dutchman now turns to the sea. "Come on sock, let's go scare the souls out of some fish folks." Lightning flashes several times until he disappeared in a puff of green mist.
With the Flying Dutchman gone, Captain CJ and his crew stood around the treasure victorious.
CJ held up the small chest above his head. "We got the treasure!" He exclaimed proudly, beside him Chloe giggles from how much fun she is having.
Ronnie Anne also smiled as she couldn't deny that her imaginary adventure was rather something. Sergio aka their Flying Dutchman flew away bitterly as he called what CJ did cheating, Ronnie Anne could only roll her eyes at the retreating parrot as he was always a shore loser.
Inside the treasure chest wasn't gold or fancy jewelry, but instead a bunch of Oreos, perhaps the last Oreos in existence. CJ gladly gives out an equal share to all three of them, then they happily ate the cookies that may be for the last time.
Deep in the city; in a former five star hotel that had half of its building gone. Sid and her family were staying in one of the first floor rooms, they weren't going to stay in any of the top rooms. The reason why is very clear as because if the other half of the building collapsed, they would like to get out as soon as possible instead of being above ground when it does.
Now this stay was only for a day, so by tomorrow they would be out of here where they would then continued to walk through the city streets, hoping to find a suitable place to live in this godforsaken city. If they couldn't then they'll have to go into the out into the suburbs on the very outskirts of the city.
Sid sat on a dust covered bed looking around the fancy room, she never thought in her life that she would ever be able to set foot in such a fancy hotel like this one. On her cheek where her stitched up wound is set, the wound is all red and still hurts like the dickens whenever the wind brushes against it.
"Hey Sid look!" Adelaide called out.
Looking over to her younger sister, Sid saw Adelaide holding a pillow behind her neck. "What are you doing Adelaide?" She asked in amusement.
"I'm a Frilled-neck lizard from Australia." Adelaide answered proudly. Adelaide makes a couple hissing noises and then runs around the room. Sid rolled her eyes in amusement, despite the situation they were currently in; it made her happy that her little sister still found some ways to have fun.
The door of the hotel room then opened, Mr. and Mrs. Chang came in carrying a bag full of supplies. "Alright girls we got some lunch." Mr. Chang informed his daughters.
Adelaide places the pillow back on the bed while smiling brightly. "Oh boy! I'm starving!" She exclaimed while rubbing her tummy to further emphasize the point.
The Chang family gathered around the table, Mr. Chang gave each of them their food, then they all ate. While she chews her food, Mrs. Chang glances over to her oldest daughter's cheek with worry. A month has passed and Sid's cheek still looked bad, it's no doubt that it had indeed become infected.
They really needed to get to the hospital, but it was still miles away. If they wanted to get there, then they needed to go straight to the place with no dilly-dallying what's so ever.
As Sid chews her food, she winces a few times as her cheek moved. Mrs. Chang didn't like how much Sid winced or her wound becoming infected, she immediately makes up her mind. Tomorrow they were going straight to the hospital and they weren't going to stop until they reached the hospital.
A military truck pulls up to a gate that is attached to a barbed wire fence which circled around the front of a military bunker that is built inside the bottom of a cliff. Lights that are attached to the fence are powered on by diesel fueled generators, lit up the area in a brilliant glow.
The guard who's assigned to the gate, approaches the driver side of the vehicle. The window pulls down revealing the driver who nodded to the guard, the guard nods back then motions for the vehicle to move forward. The gate opens sideways allowing the truck in, which pulls up to the front of the bunker.
The men stepped out of the truck, two went to the back where they pulled out an unconscious Arturo. They drag him by the arms into the bunker, inside multiple people were spread out around the room: five of them were circling around a heater, one is sitting against the rocky wall sharpening up a knife, three stood in the middle of the room talking amongst themselves, and on the above catwalk one looked down at the room.
Everyone there turned to watch as the group of men and their unexpected visitor walked by them and into a corridor. The corridor they went down is narrow and it leads to the kitchen, some bunks, and the detainment area where they were currently going towards.
Coming into the detainment area; the room had only one large cell that had contained previous prisoners. The room also had only one light source which was a wooden torch attached to the wall.
One of the men went over and opened up the cell door allowing the two men to drag Arturo into the cell where they then dumped him onto the floor with so little regard. They leave the cell and shut it with a slam, after locking up the cell door tightly the men leave the unconscious Arturo alone in his new cell.