Silence settled over everyone in the car like a thick blanket. Millions of questions flew around in Freddy's head. He wanted answers, but didn't get them. Where were they? What did Gold mean by they knew where they were? A different location... A cleaner one. What in the world was that supposed to mean?
He voiced his question out loud with a simple, "what was that?"
Foxy and Mike immediately started talking, spurting out their ideas.
"A movie theatre!"
"No, a gas station!"
"What? No! A grocery store, maybe?"
"Why would he hide in a grocery store?"
"There's plenty of food there!"
"There's cameras- they would catch him immediately."
Bonnie, who had said nothing yet, finally spoke up. "A pizzeria. Just like the one we have here."
Mike and Foxy stopped arguing and they all turned to Bonnie, the idea of it sinking in. How highly likely that was the answer. It fit perfectly. He said it was a different location, and a cleaner one. It must be another old abandoned pizzeria, one that was cleaner than theirs, which Freddy didn't find that hard to believe, as the one in their town was absolutely disgusting in some rooms. Freddy bit his lip, not saying anything. Bonnie really was a genius.
Freddy took his phone out off of the console and typed things like run-down, abandoned pizzeria in the southeast USA into Google. Mike did the same. It was hard, not knowing the pizzeria's name, but they eventually found a pizzeria in Atlanta, Georgia. How had they not known there was a place like that in such a busy city? They wasted no more time. Mike used the map app on his phone to map out a route. Getting from North Carolina down to Georgia would take a few days, they had to get going as soon as possible.
The car started with a loud rumble and Freddy pulled out of the driveway and sped out of the neighbourhood. He turned onto the main road and settled into a speed that pushed the speed limit. No one spoke. Everyone watched out of the windows, nervous, hoping that Chica would be alright.
After about two hours of driving, Mike suddenly gasped. "Guys, what about school?" But nobody seemed to be as afraid of being absent as he was. Foxy shrugged, mumbling that he dropped out a while back, and Bonnie just turned back to the widow.
"I don't care if they chase us down in police cars." Freddy said, his eyes glued to the road, trying to keep his voice from cracking. "I'll do anything to save Chica." Foxy and Bonnie nodded in agreement and Mike fell silent again, obviously embarrassed at his worry.
However, he spoke up again after only a few minutes. "What are we going to do about food? Where will we sleep? Clothes?"
Freddy still didn't take his eyes off of the road, but he explained what was going to happen. They would have to sleep in the car, but they couldn't stop driving if they wanted to get there as soon as possible, so he, Bonnie, and Foxy would have to alternate who drove when the driver is about to fall asleep. They would occasionally stop at grocery stores and pick up food, and they would just have to stay in the same outfit for a while. Everyone seemed to like the idea, especially Mike, who was too young to drive so didn't have to do anything.
The sun was slowly sinking below the horizon as they crossed the border into Georgia, bathing the world in a warm orange-yellow light. Freddy felt his eyelids droop. To his relief, Foxy offered to drive for the night, as he was used to staying up pretty late. They pulled over and switched spots quickly, Foxy taking the driver's seat and Freddy moving into the back beside Bonnie. Mike still sat shotgun, watching the sunset silently. The sun eventually disappeared and the moon rose, nearly full, bathing the road in soft, silvery light. Luckily, the traffic was practically nonexistent, so they had no trouble driving. At around midnight, Freddy heard Mike's breathing even and his head slumped to the side, suggesting he had fallen asleep. Freddy's eyelids were beginning to droop, the world a dim blur.
Despite his worry and stress, sleep finally overcame him, and he welcomed it.
When Freddy woke again, Bonnie was at the wheel, watching the road calmly. Foxy was crashed in the seat next to him, snoring loudly. Mike was already awake, looking out the passenger side window. His hair was plastered to his head on one side from where he had laid against the window in his sleep.
"How close are we?' Freddy asked, stretching his arms as far as the low ceiling would permit, letting out a yawn.
"We should be there in about an hour and a half." Mike said, looking at Freddy in the rear view mirror.
He nodded his thanks and went back to looking out the window, thoughts of Chica consuming his mind.
The scheme around them changed from desolate highways to large, gargantuan city buildings. Freddy was looking around, trying to find anything like an old pizzeria, when Mike's phone, their map, sputtered and went black, dead.
Mike hit the side of the phone but nothing happened. "Ah, man!" He said. "It didn't even lead us all the way, and now we REALLY don't know where we are!"
"Didn't lead us all the way?" Freddy asked.
"Yeah. It just plopped us in the middle of the city and said 'your destination is nearby' but it refused to tell me where. It's like even maps are afraid of this place." Mine answered, taking his hands through his hair.
"You could have told us that earlier!" Freddy said, exasperated.
"Sorry." Mike said.
Bonnie pulled over and parked by a parking meter. "No point in arguing." She said, unbuckling her seat belt. "Let's ask someone."
They all left the truck, looking around the busy city. Foxy fed the parking meter, then looked around as well. The city was crowded with people and cars, all of which looked like they were in a rush.
"Alrigh'." Foxy said. "Ask fer a run-down pizza place."
The four weaves through the crowd, asking people directions, but people either seemed uninterested or frightened at the words 'abandoned pizzeria.' The gang eventually gave up and slumped against a building, watching people walk by on the busy streets.
"We'll never find that damn pizzeria." Freddy mumbled, trying to not think about Chica.
"Did y'all say abandoned pizzeria?"
The four looked up as a scruffy man wearing a big brown cost peeked out if an alleyway. He had a scruffy, short beard that was covered in dirt. He was hunched slightly and walked on an old cane. A dirty brown beret sat on his head. When he smiled, Freddy noticed a lot of his teeth were missing. His breath smelled heavily of smoke
"Yes." Bonnie answered simply, looking at the man with no expression as always.
He cackled and hobbled over in front of them with the help of his cane. He pulled out a piece of paper from his coat and pencil that had chips and cuts in it, along with being broken where the eraser should be. He scrawled something on the paper and ripped the section off, handing it to Freddy.
"Y'all kids be careful now, rumors say that place is haunted. Screams and moans can be heard from inside." The man said, then hobbled back into the alley, cackling. Nobody on the street seemed to even notice him.
Freddy looked down at the paper and read the address scrawled on it in messy letters:
665 Raven Ln.