Chapter Two
The Ghoulish Hyena
Luka stretches and cracks his knuckles as he enters the abandoned garage once more. Well, not quite abandoned, as he essentially made it his second home. Scattered tools, crumpled-up schematics, and the sweet scent of Jungle Karma Pizza, his next-door neighbor.
But, the meal could wait, right now, he had this beaut of an '86 Sprinter Trueno that could really use a suspension upgrade. Maybe an engine replacement, a new radio, but he shouldn't get too ahead of himself.
He can't help but let a little smile form on his face as he remembers how he acquired it. His only friends, the twin daughters of the pizzeria that sat next door, were kind enough to pitch in for it. Of course, he had to take a couple of their shifts, but it seemed more than a fair trade.
… It was a bit lonely, now that they'd both left Ocean Bluff. Off to greater things while Luca slugged through his last year of high school.
He sighs. No use thinking on the past. He gives the mini-stereo a light tap with his foot, and sets himself on the creeper as his beloved 80's tunes begin to blast through the empty garage-
And then his phone rings. He gives a pout as he checks it. He was getting too used to this hermit-like lifestyle. He merely stares at the caller ID, and lets it ring for approximately 32 seconds before actually picking up.
"Kat, dearest. What do you want this time?" He speaks in a teasing tone, propping the phone on his shoulder and using the creeper to roll himself beneath the car.
"Hey, Luka!" Kat says in a voice that's just cheery enough to sound insincere. It would probably annoy him more if he heard it in person. "I have just a tiny problem with my sister's birthday gift, see…"
Luka rolls his eyes, giving a long, exaggerated sigh. "Ah, yes, your lovely present for your dear adoring sister. You've failed once again, and now you come to me. The genius."
"I don't know any genius that listens to dad music like you do."
"Harsh but fair." Of course, she has the gall to interrupt his favorite pastimes when he finally has all the parts. He planned to tinker with this car for most of the day, and maybe jailbreak a couple of those old phones he'd came across a while back. Nope. "What's the problem?"
Kat lets out a sigh. "I'm having trouble getting the hydraulics to work on this hidden door in the forearm… Every time I try and test it, it just gets jammed and won't open."
"Did you check the springs?" Luka dully asks. He cackles as he hears Kat groan over the phone.
"I knew you were going to ask that!" She hisses at him. "Yes, I did check the springs, it's not the problem this time."
"Hm…" He brings his spare hand to scratch the side of his scalp. "Let's see, did you try-"
He flinches, suddenly hearing a crash and approaching footsteps.