Author's Note: This is my entry for the latest Cars FanFiction challenge (from the Cars FanFiction Yahoo group). We were given two options: the day Radiator Springs was bypassed by the Interstate, and Lightning's arrival in the town from the point of view of Ramone, Fillmore, Sheriff, Guido, Red or Sarge. I chose the first option, written from Sheriff's point of view (though in third person). It was going to be from Doc's point of view at one time, until I realised Doc wasn't there in the flashback in the movie.
I used the title of the song from that flashback as part of the title for the story, it fits nicely.
Disclaimer: I do not own Cars, or the song.
Our Town: End of an Era
"And in other news, the final section of Interstate-Forty is due to be opened tomorrow. The road will connect towns and cities in the central states with San Francisco in California. This new development is sure to speed up the journey across the country – "
The rest of the announcer's voice was switched off suddenly as Sheriff flicked the button on the radio. He glanced around at his friends in the town. Most of them looked excited, most likely dreaming of the number of new customers in the town with the new road, but he was sceptical. As a representative of their little town, he had been to some of the meetings about the new road, so he knew the route it would take across their bit of the country.
A few of the rooms in the Cozy Cone motel were rented out for the night, and business had been booming as usual, but now afternoon was fading into evening, and most vehicles had found somewhere to stay for the night. Sheriff joined his friends at Flo's café. They were busy discussing what sort of improvements they could do with new customers.
"We could-a expand our range of-a tyres!" Luigi half shouted across the lot in his excitement.
"You should get some new paint for that dump." Lizzie rattled into her usual spot.
"Crazy devil woman." Luigi muttered.
"I can get more flavours for my Organic Fuel, man."
"That freak-juice?"
There was a soft chuckle from Sheriff. He had never tried Fillmore's Organic Fuel, never sure what the hippy put in the stuff, but plenty of cars that came through the town bought the stuff.
"If we get the customers, we should expand the surgery and get a doctor." Flo put in her two cents as she handed out drinks. "More customers means more accidents."
Red nodded seriously. Beside him, Mater grinned widely. "I gotta practice mah towin'."
"Think of the paint jobs, dude."
Sheriff sipped his drink quietly as the comments passed back and forth.
"What about you, honey?" Flo turned to him.
"A deputy." He replied. More customers might mean not only more accidents, but higher crime rates too. Thankfully he didn't have to chase many speeders in the height of the day when the road was busy, though links to the cities meant younger, faster models would be coming through.
On his way back to the station for the night, Sheriff paused and looked at the sign above the road. Red and Mater had put it up earlier in preparation for the next day. He was sure everyone around would know about the opening of the new road by now. He couldn't say what tomorrow would bring, but whatever it was, he hoped it was good news. Whatever tomorrow brought, he knew they would get through it together.
Excited voices woke Sheriff much earlier than normal that morning. He looked out of the window as the small group from the motel set off. He was surprised they didn't stop for breakfast first, unless they'd already had that. He yawned and stretched. Perhaps it was time he was up too, but a glance at the café told him it was still too early, the place wasn't even open. That explained why the cars on their way out of town hadn't stopped. He went back to bed for another hour or so, when more excited voices reached him. He recognised these voices though, they were conversing in rapid Italian. He grinned and went out to join them. Annoying they could be, but Guido and Luigi were the life of the town, along with Flo and Ramone of course. Lizzie, getting on a bit now, was prone to falling asleep wherever, Red as far as Sheriff knew, had never said a word, as for Sarge and Fillmore, they were almost constantly arguing over something. It tended to be a little alarming to some of the customers, but they soon got used to it. Mater was like the two little Italian cars, annoying as anything, but still very caring, especially when it came to his friends.
They gathered together in the café, all talking excitedly. Sheriff noticed there was a slight nervousness to the atmosphere, or perhaps that was just how he felt. There was still time, though for what he wasn't sure.
As nine approached, they split up to go and open their various stores, though Flo didn't have to go anywhere, instead she set about clearing the café up after breakfast.
By the time noon arrived, they were still sitting in their various stores, waiting for customers to arrive. Sheriff knew something was wrong. He sat beneath the banner, staring at an empty road. One by one, the rest of his friends in the town joined him. They exchanged looks, all silently asking each other what was going on. Sheriff made up his mind. He pulled away from the group and headed for the hill that overlooked the road.
The sight that greeted him when he got there was not the most pleasant one. Vehicles zoomed happily along the road, and not one looked in his direction. He followed the road until he reached the junction onto Route 66. They didn't even glance at it as they drove passed. He sighed heavily and turned around.
When he returned to the town, evening was falling. He watched Flo and Ramone consoling Guido and Luigi before the two Italians turned and drove into their shop and Ramone turned back to his shop. Flo hesitated for a moment before she followed Ramone. Sheriff didn't have the heart to deepen their disappointment.
For months, possibly years, they had been imagining what the new stretch of interstate would do for their town; none of them imagined something like this would happen. In the space of a day they had been forgotten, just like that.
Dinner was a sombre affair. Sheriff was the last to pull up in the café. All eyes turned to him. He sighed again.
"The Interstate was full." He said quietly.
"What are we going to do?" Flo asked in an unnaturally small voice.
"We're going to do what we always do in quiet periods." Sheriff replied. "We're going to stick together and fight. This is where we belong. They'll come back."
Author's Note: I know the opening of the interstate probably wouldn't have such an immediate effect, but this was my take on it.
I tried to write the other option as well. Originally from Sheriff's point of view, then Ramone's, then Sarge's...it didn't really work out, so I stuck with this one. I was going to see which story was better when it came to posting, but seeing as I only had one completed, it solved the problem.