Me: Welcome to Chapter Four!

Chiro: (Yawns.) That was the best sleep I've had in days.

Me: Glad that was. Hope you're ready for a wake up call!

Chiro: What wake up call?

Me: The dangers of hitchhiking on a slippery road.

Chiro: I don't like the sound of this…

Me: I don't like the sound of it either. But I have to! I mean, I have to give Antauri another excuse to never let you out of his sight again!

Chiro: You are so evil.

Me: Hey! At least I'm not making you Mandarin's slave!

Chiro: True.

Me: (Sighs.) I do not own SRMTHFG.

Chiro: Read and Review.

Chapter Four: Way to Close!

I walked down the road in the pouring rain again. Emily had given me a poncho when she dropped me off at a little gas station. She also gave me a bag of apples and a canteen of water. I sighed. Emily had dropped me off two days ago and I had just past Douglas.

A car sprayed me for the tenth time today. I guess no one cares about teenagers walking down the highway in the pouring rain. No one but Emily.

I heard tires screeching and I turned around. A semi had just lost control.

I screamed and tried to get out of the semi's path. I pressed myself against the road barrier and closed my eyes tight. I'm going to die! I screamed inside my head.

Then the screeching stopped. The rain continued to pound me. I opened my eyes.

My face was just inches from the semi's load. The semi's tires just inches away from running over my feet. "Darn it!" I heard a man yell.

"Help!" I shouted.

"Uh?" the man said. "Where are you?"

"Behind your truck!" I yelled back. I heard footsteps and a bearded man with a cap emerged.

"Holy cow!" the man shouted. "That was to close!"

"Way to close," I said. "I don't think I can move," The man only nodded and pulled me out. "Thank you," I said.

"No problem kid," the man said. "You seem like a nice young one. But why are you hitchhiking in the pouring rain?"

I sighed and explained my whole story again. The man whistled and said, "You sure have a long ways to go. If you can't get a ride it's going to take you twelve days at least if you don't stop and rest. I can get you a ride from here to Otisville if you want,"

"Please sir," I said. "I really need a ride. The last time I got a ride was two days ago,"

"One minute please," the man said. He walked over to the cab of his truck. "By the way," he shouted over his shoulder. "My name is Edward but everyone calls me Eddie. What's your name?"

"My name is Chiro," I said.

Eddie went into his cab and I heard him talking. I knew he was getting in touch with the person who would take me to Otisville. I just hoped that Otisville had a pay phone I could use.

I waited with Eddie for a couple of minutes. In that time I learned that he was a single father who was raising four daughters and two sons. His oldest child was sixteen, his youngest was five. "I think you'd like Hannah," Eddie said. "Always up for an adventure or a fight. Willing to give up what she has for her brothers and sisters,"

"She sounds like an amazing girl," I said.

"She is," Eddie said. "Looks just like her mum but has the heart of her grandpapa,"

A huge semi pulled over. "There's your ride kid," Eddie said.

"What about you?" I asked.

"My boss is coming to get me," Eddie said. "Maybe we'll meet again,"

"Maybe," I said. "Bye, thank you, and good luck!"

"Right back at you!" Eddie shouted back. I laughed and jumped into the cab of the other truck.

"Why hello there," a man with a mustache said.

"Hi," I said. "Eddie said you could take me to Otisville?"

"Yup," the man said. "My name is Willard. What's yours?"

"My name's Chiro," I said.

"Nice too met ya," Willard said. "Otisville is a day journey by truck from here. Bet your glad Eddie got you a ride,"

"Tell me about it," I said. "I thought I was going to have to walk in the rain,"

"Well you don't," Willard said. He started up the truck and began to drive. "You a runaway kid?"

"No," I said. "I was kidnapped. Just wanna get home,"

"Where is home?" Willard asked.

"Shuggazoom City," I said.

"And you plan to hitchhike all the way?" Willard asked.

"At least until I find a pay phone," I said. "Then I'm calling the monkey team. They'll come and pick me up,"

Willard sighed. "The closest pay phone is at Bill's Gas Station," Willard said. "That's a five day journey by truck. Ten day journey by walking. You've got a little while kid,"

"I know," I said. "Right now I'm just hoping that the next person who picks me up will be nice. I've heard of kids who got raped or murdered or both by hitchhiking,"

"Yeah," Willard said. "You know Mister Gakslapper?"

"Yeah," I said. "He makes the best hover burgers in town,"

"I have a way to talk to him," Willard said. "I can give him a message to tell your monkeys if you want,"

"Please," I said. "Hearing that I'm alright might calm the monkey team down a little,"

"I'll send it when I get to Otisville," Willard said.

"Thanks Willard," I said.

"No problem Chiro," Willard said. "You've saved Mister Gakslapper and the other people of Shuggazoom so many times it's the least I can do,"

I yawned. Today was just action packed. "Get some sleep kid," Willard said. "Tomorrow isn't gonna be easy,"

"I know," I whispered and fell asleep.