Chapter 16

Thanks For The Ride

'Are you really that dense enough to actually forget calling me yesterday? Your own mother, for crying out loud!'

Well, even if she didn't call her in the early hours of the morning, there was still something else that would tick her mother off enough to set the tone of this conversation, but then again, this didn't come as a surprise to Cora. In fact, she had kind of been expecting this, but that didn't mean it did not make her feel like absolute crap. Leave it to the likes of her mother to kick off a morning with a snide comment that could easily ruin a whole day, on the day where her daughter was arriving at Autumnfield.

After the sudden attack from those two Mindless that had been lurking in the darkness of those woods for God knows how long until she and Darby came along, Cora had thought that she would remain awake from the remainder of the night when they headed back into the van with a good portion of adrenaline still running through her veins, expecting herself to be staring into the darkness around them and catch a glimpse of a massive, grotesquely misshapen phantom with antlers serving as its eyes crawling from the shadows and leap to the van with the intention of avenging their defeated brethren. And yes, for as far as she could remember, she did stay awake for a good while, unlike Darby; it actually kind of amazed Cora that he could fall asleep that quickly after having to fight for his damn life moments earlier, but then again, a sudden attack launched by ghosts that had promptly manifested themselves could easily be a part of the life of a ghost hunter as well, so it shouldn't be that surprising if he had been used to that by now. But before the bonfire they had decided to leave on was about to start dimming, her eyelids had grown so heavy that she was unable to keep them open and slept like a brick for the rest of the evening.

By the time Cora woke up, they were back on the road again, and plenty of drivers of the vehicles that had passed them by must have had a good snicker with the sight of the sleeping young woman's cheek pressed against the window. Heck, it might have even amused Darby as well, judging by the fact that he had a humored smirk plastered on his face when she lifted her sleep-charged face to look where exactly they were at now. After he had greeted her with a good morning followed with the nickname 'sunshine', the blonde ghost hunter informed her that they were going to have to pull over at a gas station sooner or later since there wasn't much fuel left to keep the goth edition of the Mystery Machine going. And if they were lucky, Darby mentioned, she could perhaps find a payphone and call her mother to tell them that they were definitely arriving at Autumnfield this afternoon. While most people would consider this as a good idea and the right thing to do, but to Cora, it instantly reminded her of the possibility of her mother chewing her up over the fact that she hadn't been contacting her yesterday, which was more than enough to not only fully shake off all the sleep that was still lingering inside her, but also for a small but uncomfortable knot to form in the pits of her stomach. As much as she had been used for many years to her own mother being a real piece of work when she felt like she had been wronged in some way, knowing that she was going to hear some words that would definitely sour the rest of the day was anything but a pleasant feeling, no matter how old she would become. And she knew she was going to be forced to deal with her mother's unbearable personality for as long as she was going to Autumnfield, which would definitely be one hell of a driving force to save up as much money as she possibly could and leave her mother behind once again when she would find a place that was hopefully far, far away from her.

Not long after she had woken up, both she and Darby saw the outline of a building that was most definitely that of a gas station in the distance, which was soon proven true when they drove closer. All of sudden, Cora noticed that she was secretly hoping that a payphone would still be a relic of the past when it came to this location and that she didn't have to kick off her morning with her mother chewing her up and spitting her out like a piece of gum, but she decided to not openly voice this wish to Darby when he switched off the engine near one of the station's few petrol pumps. The blonde ghost hunter hopped out of the vehicle and not long after that, Cora heard the familiar squeaking of a filler cap being removed, followed by the scraping and thumping of a nozzle being inserted into the van's filler. When the fuel began gushing down the entrance, the rookie ghost huntress quietly slipped out of the van and before her feet could even touch the ground, she was instantly greeting to the ever-present heavy smell of fresh gasoline. Her hands remained comfortably tucked away in the pockets of her customized denim jacket while she slowly walked away from the vehicle, looking around to see if there was indeed a payphone present at this place, all while a part of her still held onto that strong hope that she would be spared of making that phone call and receiving a scolding. Then, much to her dismay, she could see it on the side of the building. Having survived that time period where most people didn't own a smartphone and had to get in touch with a family member, tow truck company or a mechanic if they were able to reach this gas station just in time before their vehicle would give up on them for some reason, a payphone installed on a wooden pole could be found right around the corner. Cora found herself letting out a soft sigh of annoyance and rolling her eyes, but nonetheless, she mustered up whatever will she had inside and walked towards the payphone, because she thought that after all, she should let her mother know that they would arrive at her place this afternoon. In an attempt to slightly humor herself, she mentally pictured Darby jumping in joy near the petrol pump upon realizing that this would be the final day he would have to spend with her, big, joyful grin on his face and all; maybe he just happened to have a party popper full of colorful confetti stashed away in the back of the van to make this occasion even more joyful. Today he would finally be able to go back to his usual life of fighting aggressive ghosts by himself without having to worry about the safety of his unwanted traveling companion. Cora had promised him she would get out of his hair as soon as he would drop her off at her mom's place… and she intended to stick with that promise, since that was only fair. Her wallet thankfully (or rather, unfortunately) contained just enough coins to make a short, quick phone call to a specific woman residing in Autumnfield. And she didn't have to wait long for her incoming call to be answered.

Needless to say, Geraldine Jade didn't waste any time in laying into her daughter after she confirmed that it was her when the conversation was started with the question of who was calling.

'Sorry about that mom, but I really didn't have any chance for that yesterday, my phone has been broken before I even left.' Cora replied, rubbing the back of her neck in an attempt to make this call a bit more comfortable. 'But I just wanted to let you know that we're getting close to Autumnfield now, and I'm going to assume that we're going to get there in the afternoon. I don't know at what time exactly, but you can count on me showing up somewhere in the afternoon.'

'Well, you sure took your sweet time getting here…' Geraldine mumbled. 'But it's about darn time. And it's good to hear that you'll be here soon enough. Just so you know, your bedroom is all ready.'

'Thanks for that, I appreciate it.'

'Oh, you'd better Cora, I spend a whole darn morning getting it clean for you. But don't expect me to be your freaking maid while you stay here, okay? Don't try to make too much of a mess in your bedroom, just like you did when you were a kid. Same goes for the rest of the house.'

'Don't worry mom, it will be fine. I'll see you later. Bye.'

'Bye bye, sweetie.'

She had done it again, but at the same time, it had stopped coming to Cora as a surprise a long time ago. An exhausted, dejected sigh escaped past her lips when she hung the phone back into the holder. Jesus Christ, the day had barely begun and she felt like all of her energy had been drained already by this damn phone call alone, something which her mother had been quite good at, hell, she may have even turned it into a damn art form. But this wouldn't have to last for long, she knew. She would try her damn hardest to earn as much money possible and get out of there as soon as she would get her chance. Shoot, how long has she been standing here now? Darby must be done filling up the Punk Machine by now, maybe he was already done paying for the gasoline and wondering if she had made the decision to head to Autumnfield on foot. After slowly breathing in and out through her nose, Cora turned around with the plan of reuniting with Darby at the petrol pump.

As it turned out, Darby knew exactly where she was at, because he had been standing behind her long enough to overhear most of the rather unpleasant conversation. The sudden sight of her traveling companion caused Cora to softly gasp in mild surprise, but somewhere inside, despite assuming that he had definitely heard most of what had been said… his sudden presence did feel a bit comforting. But at the same time, she hoped that he wasn't going to ask many questions about this, if any. There was no way in hell he could ignore her slightly slouched shoulders and the dejected look on her face, though.

'I'm not that much of a body language expert or anything, but… you don't really look like you're looking forward to go to your mom.' the blonde ghost hunter said.

'It's not a big deal, really.' Cora replied while briefly shrugging. 'I have dealt with her ever since I was a kid, I know exactly how she's like. I'm used to this. Like I said, no big deal.'

'Well, if you say so, princess…' That's when Darby reached into his pockets and retrieved what appeared to be two hand-sized candy bars at first, but when Cora saw the rather earthly color scheme off the plastic wrappers and the explosion of wheat, grain, raisins and nuts that were printed on it, she quickly figured that these snacks were anything but diabetes-inducing.

'I know this ain't much of a well-balanced breakfast, but… would you care for a gas station granola bar?'

Jeez, what a gentleman. Despite the negativity she had felt earlier, it did make Cora chuckle in amusement. 'Thanks, I could really use one.'

They hopped back in the van and took off, soon leaving the gas station far behind, far enough for them to start eating their breakfast for today. But it wasn't long after Darby had stashed the empty, ripped wrappers into the vehicle's tiny, build-in trash can underneath the radio before Cora decided to say something that crossed her mind just now, turning her head to look at Darby.

'Kind of funny, really…' she said. 'As intense and crazy as our ghost encounters had been while I have been traveling with you, I have just started to get used to them by now. Shit, I didn't have a freaking clue on what to do with my powers a few days back when I first discovered that I had them, but now, I feel like I can control them. They have become a part of me, you know? Just like… ghost hunting had started to become a part too.'

Darby quickly glanced at his temporary traveling companion before he was forced to fix his sight back on the road ahead of them again, but he did briefly nod in understanding. 'Yeah, it can grow on you really fast if you're open to it. There are many things in this world that can make your heart pound out of your chest with adrenaline and feel that absolute rush, but ghost hunting… I honest to God believe that there's nothing that can truly compare to that. It's all about keeping the innocent among the living safe from a ghost's wrath, of course, don't get me wrong. That's what I'm doing it for. But the rush that comes with fighting off a Mindless that's willing and ready to rip your head clean off… holy shit, that's quite something.'

'Well, I would be lying if I said that I hadn't felt it during these past few days, especially last night. Damn, that was intense. Really freaking intense.' The rookie ghost huntress ended that sentence with a light chuckle.

'Cora…' Darby truly couldn't help but ask her this, after everything he had seen and heard from her during this time. 'Are you sure you want this?'

'What do you mean?'

'You know what I'm talking about. You staying with your mom.'

The small smile that had came along with the chuckle was suddenly turned into a flat, somewhat saddening line. Cora's sight was then fixated on the sight of the passing landscape behind the window, which was entirely composed of other vehicles, signs and the massive mountains on the horizon.

'Yeah, I'm pretty certain of it.' she said. 'That has been the whole point of this road trip, right? It had all been about me getting to Autumnfield, and once we get there, you'll be rid of me. That what I promised you, remember? I'll be fine, Darby, I know how to handle her. And besides… I'm only going to stay there for a short time. Because as soon as I find work and save up enough money, I'm out of there. Simple as that. I appreciate you worrying about me, but… you really don't have to, okay? It will be fine.'

As much as he wanted to believe her every word and truly believe that she was going to be okay as soon as he would leave her behind with the same woman who wouldn't even think twice about giving her a hard time, Darby was unable to fully get rid of that feeling of… shit, he could hardly believe it himself, given how he had only known her for two and a half days, but it was a feeling of worry. Worry for her. Nonetheless, he decided not to say anything.

The only times Cora had opened her mouth to say something by the time the afternoon came rolling around and traffic signs that showed the name of her destination above and next to the road followed in quicker succession was to give directions on how exactly he should drive. She had been singing with a few songs on the radio, which had been set on the frequency of a radio station that was specialized in music ranging from punk to metal for as long as Darby had been driving around in this van, happily singing along with the lyrics of the songs she just so happened to know. Honestly, Darby hadn't minded it; as long as it would keep her mind off what was going to come to her this afternoon, he was okay with it. And to be fair… her singing had been anything but bad. Pretty pleasant, even. But as soon as she realized that they were getting closer and closer to Autumnfield, the singing abruptly ceased and were replaced with the occasional directions. Other than that, nothing else came out of her mouth, her sight glued to the road in front of them the whole time, and even Darby could sense the nervousness that was slowly but surely building up inside of his traveling companion.

Less than an hour after they had departed from the gas station, they exited the bustling highway; it may have taken two full days with their ghost hunting adventures included, but in the end, they had finally arrived at Cora's childhood home.

At first glance upon driving through this place's main street, Autumnfield seemed nothing more but your typical all-American, blue-collar, Michigan town. Nothing about it seemed like it was an absolutely horrible place to grow up at with the local youth facing a horrifically bleak future, seeing how they were plenty of shops and business with rather neat outward appearances, and the few people that they saw passing by on the streets didn't appear to be shady of any kind at all. Cora knew these streets all too well, finding it unsurprising how little, if anything, had changed at all. These were the same streets she had passed through on her way to school, where she rolled across the pavement on her beloved skateboard (much to the chagrin of some of the other pedestrians), where she would head towards a friend's place after school to hang out, or to run an arrand her mom just so happened to forget during her weekly grocery shopping. But looking to the surroundings that were all too familiar to her didn't fill her to the brim with warm, happy nostalgia that made her fondly remember her childhood years, but rather with… defeat. She couldn't escape from this place after all, she couldn't escape from her mom who chose the side of whatever piece of crap guy she allowed into their home each year. In the end, she had to come back here, like an unruly, disobedient dog being harshly pulled back to its owner by its leash. Temporary, temporary, all of this is temporary, she kept silently repeating to herself in her mind like a mantra that was going to make her life much better. She had managed to get out of here once, so she sure as hell could get out of here again when the opportunity would present itself to her. Although he could sense the inner turmoil that was brewing inside, Darby kept quiet nonetheless, trying to believe what she had said just earlier.

Cora continued to guide him through her childhood town. After spending a few minutes in Autumnfield's main street, they ended up in one of the town's many middle-class neighborhoods. Each house was graced with a lively green, neatly trimmed front lawn and a row of white-picked fences. Dear God, Cora figured; not even here has one thing changed, as if this whole damn town had been frozen in time while she had been gone for three years. It was almost unsettling, now that she thought about it. And top of that, they must be quite sticking out like a sore thumb, driving through a neighborhood like this in a pitch black, somewhat outdated van.

There it was, at the very end of the street. The freaking lion's den. The house that Cora Jade grew up in as a kid with her mother and the occasional beau she was forced to refer to as her stepdad, starting when she was only thirteen years old.

'It's right here, you can stop. Just… park in front of it, please.' she told Darby. As soon as the vehicle came to a standstill, she reached behind her seat and took a hold on the straps of her duffle bag, where she had kept all of her stuff, the same stuff she would store away in the bedroom she had spend a good portion of her childhood in. As soon as the bag touched her lap, she pulled the handle and opened the passenger door, hopping out with lead in her feet. Darby got out as well.

But before she could even force herself to walk to the front door, it was already opened by a woman in her early fifties whose hair color perfectly matched the brown in her daughter's partially dyed hair, tied into a low bun. Cora would be doomed to admit that her face would strikingly resemble her mother's when the day she would that same age would come, given how strong her facial's features resembled hers. She was wearing a loose-fitting, white blouse with long sleeves, dark brown pants and she had quickly put on a pair of blueish-grey slippers with white trimming before she had headed outside. A golden watch that surely did look rather expensive graced her right wrist. The woman approached the duo with fast-paced steps.

'There you are, Cora!' she exclaimed, though not in an irritated or angry matter. 'My goodness, it must have been quite the trip, no? Took you long enough to get here… But I'm happy that you're finally home, sweetie.'

Only because she didn't want her arrival to instantly begin on a sour note did Cora hug Geraldine back when she pulled her in for a tight embrace.

'Thanks, mom.' she said while gesturing to her soon-to-be former traveling companion. You can thank Darby over here for giving me the ride, he had been kind enou-'

'Oh, did he? I see…' That's when Geraldine Jade took a moment to let her eyes slowly take in the sight of her daughter's driver from head to toe, lingering on his black clothing for a little moment. Cora thought that she was going to die from embarrassment when she saw her mother's face slightly wrinkle into a mask of mild disgust while she quietly continued to stare at him. 'Oh… Ah, well, Cora has always preferred to hang out with, uh…' She briefly paused to awkwardly chuckle. 'Unique people, so to speak.'

'Mom, can I please have a moment with him? Alone?' Cora quickly asked to prevent this whole situation any more painfully uncomfortable.

'Sure, sweetie. Here, let me take your stuff into the house.'

The soon-to-be former rookie ghost huntress had to try her hardest not to breathe in pure relief when her mother picked up her duffle bag and headed towards the house's open doorway, curling her mouth into a small smile when she turned to face Darby; God, did she hope that the awkwardness her mom had created hadn't affected him right now.

'So… this is it then, huh?' Cora asked. 'Time to say goodbye. Looks like you're finally going to be rid of me.'

'Yup, so it seems.'

'I just... Darby, I… I want to thank for doing all of this for me. Thank you for bringing me here. I know I could be quite the pain in the neck for you at times, but it has been cool traveling with you. And, well… good luck with your next mission. Whatever is haunting the Cedar Hills Motel, they don't know what's coming to them.'

The right corner of Darby's mouth curled itself into a reassuring smirk. 'Take care of yourself, Cora.'

'Thanks, you too. Bye, Darby…'

'See ya.'

And before Cora could even start considering of offering him at least a handshake, the blonde ghost hunter had turned around and headed back to the driver's side of the van. By the time he had sat down and closed the door behind him, he saw that his former traveling companion was now standing in the open doorway that was just about to close. That same small smile was still present on her face, but then he saw it clearly, so damn clearly; right before the door was fully shut, he saw it turning back into that same, flat stripe that she wore this morning, though much sadder in comparison.

All that was left for him to do now was to switch the engine back on and get the hell out. Back to his life on the road, back to being the lone wolf again, like he had preferred for as long as he could remember. But why? Why wasn't he doing any of that? As if he were frozen, Darby sat behind the wheel with his hands tightly gripping around it and staring right ahead into the distance. He simply couldn't understand why the hell he was feeling this way. Hell, he didn't even know what he was feeling right now, it was impossible for him to put a finger on it, to give it a proper description. Was all of this because of some girl he only knew for two and a half days? That was fucking ridiculous, he knew. Knowing that he had to snap the hell out of this, he mentally slapped himself on the forehead. Get it together, man! She was gone now, he was free to go back to his old ways. Everything had been fine until she came running around, so he sure as hell would be fine now too. After all, he had been doing this alone for ten fucking years. He would be okay.

And she would be okay too, she said so herself.

Seconds later, the black van disappeared around a corner after turning around to the opposite direction.