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Zoe's POV
Chapter Six – Fallen Giant
Zoe sat on the window casement and watched Claire carefully fold and pack clothes and then arrange them with numerous other things in her new suitcase. The room smelled of the new clothes that were being stored; new and clean (Claire had insisted on washing everything) and although not unpleasant, still slightly alien.
Claire straightened and observed her handiwork proudly, closed it and zipped it up. Turning, she made her way out of the room and Zoe saw her give it too one of the maids.
Zoe looked outside. The world glistened as the morning sunshine set droplets of the recent rain shower alight. Below her, she could see Ironhide in the driveway; newly cleaned and packed with the tent, random supplies and now her suitcase.
Ready for her camping trip.
Hearing footsteps coming up the hall, Zoe walked across her room just in time to meet Daniel in the doorway. Giving her a brief hug she heard him whisper "Stay safe."
Pulling away, the teen cupped her foster fathers face with her hands. "I will, I promise. Besides, I'm not going alone; Miranda, Michael and Tony will be there."
Nodding almost sadly, Daniel gently grabbed Zoe's wrists and gave her another hug.
Making her way over to Ironhide, Zoe sighed and lent against the passenger door. The metal was warm and she fiddled with a piece if her hair, deep in thought.
"Should I even go? I mean, I don't really know Tony or Michael, there isso going to be alcohol and I have no idea how to put up a bloody tent!" She wondered aloud, shaking her head before making her way to the driver's door. Opening it slowly, Zoe clambered in and started the engine, suspicious when it gave a low growl.
"What is it big guy?" Zoe asked, sinking into her seat. "You don't want to go either do you?"
When she didn't get an answer – well, duh she thought it is a truck – she rolled it down the driveway, pausing to wave out of the window at her foster parents.
The large town melted away as she drove; suburbs slowly turning into cliff side, roads turning into dirt paths. Thanks to the awesome suspension, Zoe didn't even realize she had left the tarmac until she saw the trees on either side of her.
Although the drive itself was pleasant, Zoe didn't notice it and spent much of her time consulting the map and having to put up with the annoyed grunts of her Topkick when she went the wrong way.
"Oh stop it. I have no idea where we're going, so stop complaining." She groaned at her truck as it gave a grumpy and annoyed grunt when she was forced to pull over to check the map again.
"See? This is why I need a SatNav, although for some reason it is not compatible with my car." Zoe muttered swigging from an almost empty bottle of water. Her seatbelt squeezed her waist to the cool seat, a brief sense of revenge Zoe guessed and she grinned.
"Evil truck."
Glancing at her watch she groaned again; she had now only twenty-five minutes to get to the forest place camp site thing to meet her friends. Staring at the fork in the track, Zoe pursed her lips.
"Which way? Left right left right left... right, we're going right!"
They turned right and proceeded down the track slower than before, Zoe checking either side of her; desperately searching for signs. The sun was high in the sky, cascading its rays through the tops of the looming pines and turning the vegetation a shimmering emerald. Bird's happy chatter sang out through the trees and Zoe's open window. She shifted gear and glanced out of it, peering past the thick trunks and the dense undergrowth.
Zoe grimaced, "Remind me again; why the hell am I doing this?"
Turning her attention out of the windscreen once more she suddenly yelled and slammed her foot on the brake. After a few seconds of gripping onto the steering wheel with white-knuckle force, Zoe opened one eye wearily and then slumped in the seat with relief. A few feet in front of the bumper was a massive tree trunk. As thick as her Topkick was wide, Zoe gulped as she took in the sheer size and bulk of it and was glad she had not driven into it.
Panting slightly, Zoe unclipped her seatbelt and hopped out of the truck. Eyes wide, Zoe carefully made her way over to its stump. Picking her way over the slowly drying grass, the teen frowned. The place the magnificent tree had once stood looked... well blown apart. She may have been no specialist but she knew that the scorch marks along the ground running away from the charred stump was not from an axe or lightening! What could have done this? It looked recent to, fresh and new.
"Shit..." Zoe breathed, running a shaking hand over the remains of the tree. A loud sharp honk made her give a small scream in alarm, jolting her from her thoughts. Wheeling around, realization hit her and she carefully made her way back to Ironhide, steeping over the serrated wooden shards littering the ground, she had not noticed them before. Reaching the Topkick, she noticed her truck was raising itself on its axles. Literally, it was now about thirty centimetres higher off the ground than before.
"What is it 'Hide?" Zoe asked anxiously, running a hand over the bonnet. Her eyes narrowed for a second; almost positive she had felt the truck quiver.
"Ironhide?"
Zoe was afraid, no scared. Yes she had joked with herself that she had a 'living' truck, that it had its own personality, that it could understand her. She had laughed it off and had either embraced it with hardly contained excitement or ignored it; believing her imagination was running away from her. But never had she ever had any reason to fear her Topkick. It had startled her, seemed to be laughing her at times or even seemed to enjoy her company but this; Zoe could feel the anger and tension pouring of it in waves. It flooded her, making her muscles stiffen and...
As though realizing what it was doing, Ironhide lowered itself with a soft hiss. Although the anger was still present, Zoe could instinctively tell it was not directed at her. Swallowing softly, the young human made her way back to the fallen tree. Hands on her hips she shook her head in exasperation.