*Beep, Beep, BEEP*
The loud motel alarm clock woke everybody up early, because today; everybody was determined to at least move on from the town they've been stuck in as fast as they can; well not before they stop to eat of course.
The diner was cozy, with warm lighting and a friendly atmosphere. The group ordered pancakes, bacon, eggs, and coffee, all of which were delicious and much needed after the previous day's events. As they ate, they discussed their plans for the day.
"We should try to cover as much distance as possible," said Jeff. "We don't want to waste any time."
"I agree," said Bucky. "But we should also keep an eye out for any interesting stops along the way. Who knows what we might find?"
"I Don't know about that Bucky, we've been stopping all over the place, at this point we just want to get home." Said Sumo, speaking for everyone
"I see," Bucky says disappointed
As Chad drove aimlessly through the town, his thoughts were consumed by the image of his son's face on the news segment. He felt a mixture of fear and anger building inside him. How could they have lost his son? And why did he not know anything about it until now?
His vision blurred as tears filled his eyes. The Soda he had consumed earlier that day was still coursing through his veins, numbing his senses and impairing his judgment. But he couldn't stop now. He had to find his son.
Chad pulled up to the front of Clarence's school, tires screeching as he slammed on the brakes. He stumbled out of the car and wobbled towards the entrance, almost falling over several times.
As he burst through the doors, Chad's slurred speech echoed through the empty halls. "Where's my son? What have you done with him?" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
The receptionist at the front desk looked up in surprise and fear at the disheveled man who had just barged in the middle of the school day. "Sir, please calm down. I'm not sure what you're talking about," she said, trying to maintain her composure.
Chad swayed on his feet, pointing his finger accusingly at the woman. "Don't lie to me! The principal told me you lost my son in the grand canyon!"
The receptionist's eyes widened in shock. "I'm sorry, sir. I don't know anything about that. Maybe you should talk to the principal."
Chad stumbled down the hallway, knocking over a trash can as he went. He banged on the door of the principal's office, shouting for him to come out.
Finally, the door opened and the principal appeared, looking flustered and annoyed. "Mr. Wendle, what are you doing here? I told you on the phone that we're doing everything we can to find your son."
Chad glared at the principal, his breath hot and stinking of Soda. "I don't believe you. You lost my son and now you're trying to cover it up. I demand to know what happened to him!"
The principal sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wendle. We're doing everything we can to locate your son. But you need to understand that this is a serious situation, and we can't have people barging in here and causing a scene."
Chad's eyes narrowed. "You don't understand anything! My son is missing and you're not doing anything about it! I'll tear this place apart if I have to!"
The principal took a step back, his hand hovering over the phone on his desk. "Please, Mr. Wendle, let's try to handle this calmly."
Chad stumbled backwards, his anger giving way to despair. He collapsed onto a nearby chair, his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do," he muttered. "I just want my son back."
Chad's emotions continued to spiral out of control. He slammed his fists on the principal's desk, sending papers and pens flying everywhere.
"Everything you can? You're not doing everything you can! My son is out there somewhere, lost and scared, and you're just sitting here in your fancy office, twiddling your thumbs!" he yelled.
The principal stood up, his face red with anger. "That's enough, Mr. Wendle! You can't come in here and start destroying school property. We're doing everything we can to locate your son, but we can't do it alone. We need your help."
Chad scoffed. "My help? What the heck do you want me to do? I'm not a detective. I'm just a father who wants his son back!"
The principal took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "We understand that, Mr. Wendle. But we need you to work with us. If you have any information about where your son might be or anyone he might have been with, please tell us. We can't find him if we don't have any leads."
Chad glared at the principal, his fists still clenched. "I don't know anything! All I know is that you lost my son, and now you're trying to make me feel guilty about it!"
The principal leaned in, his voice low and firm. "We didn't lose your son, Mr. Wendle. He wandered off on his own. We're doing everything we can to find him, but we need your cooperation. If you can't work with us, then I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do for you."
Chad stood up, towering over the principal. "You listen to me, you pompous ass. I will do whatever it takes to find my son, even if it means tearing this whole damn school apart!" he bellowed.
The principal stepped back, his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Fine, Mr. Wendle. Do what you have to do. But if you cause any more damage or disrupt the students, I'll have no choice but to call the police."
Chad sneered, his eyes blazing with fury. "You think I care about the police? They won't be able to stop me. Nothing will stop me until I find my son!"
As they left the diner, the group felt a sense of excitement and relief that they were finally on the move again. They walked down the street towards the mechanics, joking and laughing as they went.
"Hey, remember when we went to that haunted house last year?" said Chelsea, giggling.
"Yeah, and Sumo was looking for the "Ratman ", said Jeff, grinning and air quoting
Sumo rolled his eyes. "It all fun and games until you actually confront him, like I have"
The group continued to banter and tease each other, enjoying the lighthearted moment. They passed by a small shop selling souvenirs and postcards, and Bucky stopped to take a closer look.
"Hey guys, check it out," he said, holding up a postcard of a nearby tourist attraction. "This place looks pretty cool. Maybe we should take a detour and check it out?"
Sumo shook his head. "Bucky, I thought we agreed that we're just gonna focus on getting home."
Bucky sighed. "Yeah, I know. I just thought it might be fun to take a little break and see something new."
The group continued on their way, walking past rows of small shops and cafes. They could hear the sound of music coming from a street performer up ahead, and they quickened their pace to see what was going on.
As they reached the corner, they saw a man playing a guitar and singing, surrounded by a small crowd of people. The group joined in, clapping and swaying to the music.
For a brief moment, they forgot about their troubles and just enjoyed the simple pleasure of being together and having fun.
The group arrived back at the mechanic, eager to finally retrieve their car and continue on their journey. But as they approached, they could see that the shop was closed again.
"What the heck?" muttered Jeff. "Why is it closed again?"
"Maybe they're out to lunch," suggested Clarence optimistically.
But as they tried the door, they found it was locked. "Darn it," said Sumo, frustrated. "Now what?"
"We can't just wait around here all day," said Chelsea. "We need to figure out what's going on."
The group started to search around the outside of the shop, looking for any signs of life or any clues as to why the shop was closed. But they found nothing.
Bucky, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly spoke up. "You know what? I'm tired of waiting around. I'm gonna get us our dang car back."
The rest of the group looked at him in shock. "What are you talking about?" asked Sumo.
"I'm gonna break into the shop and get our car back," said Bucky matter-of-factly. "I mean, it's technically ours, right? We paid for it. They can't just keep it from us."
Bucky picked up a nearby cinder block and chucked it at the shop's window, shattering it into pieces. The rest of the group winced at the loud noise, looking around nervously to see if anyone had noticed.
"Holy- Mrrrrrr" Chelsea began to say until Bucky covered her mouth
"Ok I need everybody to zip up while I get our car back" Bucky whispered
As Bucky Began to work on the lock, the rest of the group watched nervously. Jeff in particular was getting increasingly anxious.
"Bucky, are you sure about this? What if we get caught?" she whispered.
Bucky didn't look up from the lock. "Relax, jeff. We need our car back and this guy obviously isn't coming back. I'm just speeding up the process."
"But breaking and entering is a crime, Bucky," said Jeff, his voice low but firm. "I don't think we should be doing this."
Bucky finally managed to pry the lock open with a loud snap. He stood up triumphantly and grinned at the group. "See? Easy as pie."
The group cautiously entered the mechanic's shop, looking around for any sign of the missing mechanic. But the place was deserted, just like before.
They quickly found their car in the back, but as they were preparing to leave, they heard a noise from the office. Bucky motioned for them to be quiet and followed the sound.
He found a note on the floor under the shattered glass, which read "Sorry, had to run an errand. Be back in an hour." Bucky crumpled the note in frustration.
"We just broke into a guy's shop for nothing," said Chelsea, shaking her head.
"I can't believe you did that, Bucky," said Jeff, his voice stern. "What if we got caught?"
Bucky shrugged. "Relax, nothing happened. We got our car back and nobody saw us. Besides, we needed to get going."
The group reluctantly got into the car and started driving away, but they couldn't shake the feeling that they had just done something wrong. They drove in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.
Finally, Sumo spoke up. "Guys, I think we should at least leave some money for the guy. He was just trying to help us out."
Bucky scoffed. "It's too late now, we need to go."
The rest of the group exchanged uneasy glances, but didn't say anything else. They knew that what they had done wasn't right, but they also knew that there was nothing they could do to change it now. But as they drove off, they couldn't help feeling uneasy about what they had just done. They had basically stolen their own car, and who knows what the consequences might be.
But for now, they pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the road ahead, eager to leave the strange town and all its mysteries behind them.