Chapter 5
A week since Anne and Luz settled in the Therman Estate. Usually living alone, Michael has quickly gotten used to his new houseguests, immensely enjoying their company. Yes, everything was peaceful for the young man, except there was one problem he hadn't prepared himself for.
"I'm so bored!" Anne groaned with fatigue.
"Super bored!" Luz agreed, the feeling mutual.
Anne and Luz were on the couch, watching the Hallmark Channel. The two lounged like a bunch of ragdolls tossed willy-nilly, not bothering to sit up properly. The two were no longer wearing their usual garments: Anne was wearing a purple-sleeved V-necked Tee with shorts and flats, and Luz was wearing a lavender top under an opened hoodie with shorts and leggings. Gifts from Michael with the help of Amazon Prime's new drone delivery system, the young man didn't have to worry too much about clothes shopping for the girls (or avoiding the dirty looks from the women's department).
The older woman drooped with her back against the seating, legs stretched out limply as if giving up on life. Because she refused to move, her torso and arms pushed into the other side, forcing Luz into an uncomfortable position. The witch-in-training shifted, laying sideways, her butt adding pressure to Anne's stomach and her open-toed stockings getting all up in the disgusted young woman's face.
Anne sneered and turned away. "Hey, Luz. You mind getting your feet out of my face?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, is it bothering you?" Luz asked, feigning an apology. "You could always move yourself, but I guess those cow utters of yours restrict your mobility."
"Funny, I thought you having such a board of a chest would give you a better view, but I guess I was wrong," Anne returned fire with a snarking grin.
"What did you say, Mt. Lady!?" Luz snapped, her body leaning up.
Anne was close to Luz's face as she growled venomously, baring her teeth with sharp fangs. The witch-in-training wasn't intimidated and did the same, her body nearly hawkish.
"You heard me, little miss witch girl! If you don't like it, you can always get on your broomstick and fly back to Oz!" Anne said with a hard edge.
"Will you two stop bickering already? You guys are so loud, I'm shocked Daniel Boone's ghost hasn't risen from the grave!"
Michael stood behind the sofa, a vein throbbing along the side of his temple. For two days straight, it was like this, hearing the girls groan and complain. Eventually, turning into bickering and fighting, and the young man grew sick of it. With tired eyes and a heavy weight on his shoulders, Michael's patience was running thin.
The duo went silent as Anne looked up at Michael with narrow eyes. "Well, I'm sorry, but Luz and I have been cooped up in this house for days and it's putting us on edge. There's nothing here to do but watch TV and play board games, and that's getting old pretty fast."
Michael tilted his head. "Oh, come on. They weren't all bad. What about when we played Warhammer 40K."
"You're kidding, right? That one was a nightmare on a board, and Luz hasn't gotten her PTSD from the last campaign!" Anne pointed at the agitated mess known as Luz, watching her in a fetal position while rocking back and forth.
"What kind of sick monster genocidally wipes out a planet full of adorable bunnies?" Luz whimpered to herself.
"Those resources and that planet were necessary for the Imperium of Man," said Michael haughtily before changing to a softer demeanor. "But I can see how that can be quite traumatizing, especially when playing with newbies."
"The point I'm making is that there's nothing for us to do here and Luz and I just want to get out. I think, if we're going to live together, we need to have more roaming privileges. One of those privileges is to get out of the house. You keep telling us a lot about your world, but you won't let us go out and explore it. There's so many opportunities and we don't want to miss out on them," Anne said with a little reason in her tone.
"At least let us walk outside and get some fresh air? It's not going to kill you." Luz craned her neck.
"Absolutely, it would," Michael stated bluntly.
Anne and Luz looked at one another, sharing deadpanned expressions.
The young man stepped over to the window, peering the blinds open with his fingers. "I know how this is making you all antsy, and I'm sorry," Michael said in a low hiss as he examined the front porch, kids playing and neighbors conversing. "But not too long ago, a couple of government agents tried to kidnap Luz and are probably still roaming the town. The last thing I want in my life is Big Brother breathing down my neck, so forgive me if I'm being too cautious."
Anne got up and walked over to Michael, a soft hand placed on his back. The young man looked at her, seeing her give him concerned eyes. Behind them, Luz got up and joined in as she stood with the two, giving a weak smile.
"Luz and I appreciate all you're doing to protect us, babe, but we can handle this ourselves. You have to know that this isn't healthy for us and yourself," Anne reasoned, hands on her curvy hips. "We're adults, not kids, and you need to stop treating us like we are one."
Luz crossed her arms. "I may not look like it sometimes, but I'm practically college age, by the way."
Michael scratched the back of his head before his stern expression mellowed into slight defeat, unable to come up with a clever rebuttal.
Anne eyed Michael with a pleasant smile. "Also, you forgot that you're not the only badass in this room. Back in my world, when the Plantars were hiding at my house, I technically challenged the entire government to keep them safe, so this would be a cinch."
"Yeah, and I helped lead a resistance movement against a tyrannical god-king on the boiling Isles," Luz chimed in, flexing her arms comically.
"It's a lot more complicated than you two realize around here," Michael argued as he plopped onto the loveseat, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The authority figures you faced were either well-intentioned extremists or borderline incompetent villains. The U.S. Government is corrupt and cutthroat when it comes to getting what they want. Ever since MK Ultra and Project Northwoods were proven true, people are wary on getting on their bad side, especially when facing whatever bureau comes their way. This predicament will get out of hand if we're not too careful, Anne. I'm sorry."
Michael was shaking his head and tried to be reasonable with his hands up to his shoulders. Anne stood, sighing before nodding her head. Luz, however, was a tad miffed as she sat on the chair's armrest, looking at the young man with understanding eyes.
Anne sighed, moving her arm into her pocket and pulling out a folded paper. "Well, if we're going to be hold up here for a while, at least buy us a few things when you get to town," she said and handed him the paper. "I didn't want to say anything because it's incredibly embarrassing, but I don't really have much of a choice, now."
"What do you need?" Michael opened and read the note, and the sound of a thousand plates seemingly broke in the background, staring blankly. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no! Anything but this! If you want this stuff, I can just order it online with free delivery!" he pleaded.
Anne crossed her arms and gave a smug grin. "That'll still take too long to get here, and it might be too late. Unless you want to spend your free time bleaching and cleaning the red out of your house, every once a month, then I suggest you get going and start shopping, tough guy."
"Fine. Once I get out of class and get off work, I'll pick up your supplies before I get back home," Michael grumbled.
Michael groaned and was defeated as he got up and slugged his way to his room, getting dressed and preparing to head out. The paper fell out of his hands and almost hit the floor, Luz catching it in time to read what was written. The little witch-in-training scanned the name of one particular item before blushing and giggling, Anne giving her a wicked nod as she played the young man like a fiddle.
A few seconds later, Michael was out of the house, leaving behind a shred of his manhood as Anne and Luz kept an eye through the blinds. Once the young man had disappeared from view, the two girls moved away and celebrated, having the house all to themselves for the very first time.
"Finally, Michael is out of the house and an opportunity of a lifetime is in our hands!" Anne cheered, ecstatically pumping her fist.
"I don't see how watching his house is an opportunity since it's primarily no different than any other day. Also, just so you know, I'm the worst house sitter on the count of my…." Luz cut herself off, staring blankly at the trapped blue jay flying around the spacious ceiling, whispering. "Ooh, that's the most beautiful bird I have ever seen in my life!"
Anne's eyes followed as well.
"Yeah, we might need to do something about that later."
Anne face-palmed and groaned. "No, Luz. What I mean is that with Michael out of the house, we have the opportunity to go out, see the sights, and finally get a breather for once," she clarified, to which Luz acknowledged.
"First question, though, isn't Michael's heading into town too? Won't he notice us? On top of that, how are we going to get into town? It's far away and we would have to go on foot just to hike up a couple of hills," Luz pointed out as Anne waved her hand dismissively with a playful raspberry.
"Girl, please. Mikey'll have his hands full to even spot us. By the time he gets back, he'll assume no shenanigans took place while he was out. Also, I grew up in Los Angeles, infamous for its slopey roads and highways. The same diff with North Carolina's mountainous terrain, which I can handle nicely," Anne remarked matter-of-factly.
"That may be the case for you, but I grew up in Connecticut where we don't have such landscapes. Aside from that, my weak nerd legs can't stand such exercise, unless you want to give me a piggyback ride until we get to town," Luz said with a rough edge.
Anne eyed the Latina, "Then I'm completely out of ideas since our only option just got rejected. Seriously, there's got to be another way."
A knock on the door was heard as if her prayers had been answered. Anne's frustrated expression softened as she moseyed over and unbolted all the locks. A precaution Michael installed just in case. The young woman gingerly opened the door, peaking out and seeing a man in overalls, a clipboard in hand.
"Can I help you?" Anne asked suspiciously.
"Is this the Therman Estate? I'm here to drop off a Cadillac car for a mister Michael Therman," the man addressed, not bothering to look up while writing on his clipboard.
"Any particular reason?"
"All I know is that he sent it to get it repaired and that it's a vintage, something about his grandfather leaving it to him," the delivery man said plainly. He hands the keys outward, Anne instinctively taking them from his hands. "You just sign for this, instead, and I'll be out of your hair."
"Umm…sure…no problem." Anne shrugged.
The delivery man handed Anne a pen, the young woman signing on the dotted line on the clipboard, her name in cursive. The man bid them farewell and walked away, Anne and Luz waiting not a single second to go outside and see the car in question. The sight of its sleek rims and bright red exterior was enough to grab the girls' attention, an instant chick magnet in all forms.
Throwing the keys and catching them mid-air, an idea immediately formed in Anne's head as she looked to Luz, seeing her caress the wings on the back. The young woman proceeded to the driver's seat, whistling loudly, the witch-in-training turning and looking up at her roommate.
"Hey, Luz. How do you feel about going on a little road trip?" Anne mischievously smirked as Luz flashed the same look.
("Good Time" by Owl City)
The afternoon sun began to set over Boone as a red Cadillac cruised into town through the Blueridge highway. Fluffy orange clouds drifted along, painting a picturesque scenery. Birds soared through the fog that floated in the mountainous edges, their kaleidoscopic noise adding more to the tranquility as Anne and Luz drank in the beautiful scenic route.
Anne was leaning back with sunglasses on, bobbing her head to the music on the radio, keeping one hand on the steering wheel. Luz was sitting in the passenger seat next to her, lounging with her arms behind her head. Behind them, angry and bustling cars moved past them, the drivers pointing the middle finger at how slow the girls were driving, but the two didn't care.
Luz had brought the sunroof down with a press of a button, enjoying the chilling air and the caressing wind in her hair. Subsequently, Anne was taking in the breeze, though not so much the bug swarm. Anne was hit without mercy, some of them getting in her mouth. Luz was no exception, arms flailing and swatting, almost making the driver lose control. With her svelte figure, Luz acted fast, automatically bringing the roof back into place as the bugs dissipated. Anne's ruffled look reflected the brief ordeal, eyes widened with both hands on the wheel, glasses dangling. The witch-in-training was riddled with bug bites, and her suffering split ends.
"Let's never do that again, okay?" Anne coughed up a fly.
Luz nodded in agreement, still picking tiny wings out of her hair.
The two got into town, the Cadillac pulling up to a drive-thru at a McDonald's. Anne and Luz made their order as the woman at the window handed over the food. The pair got out whatever money they could find, searching through pockets and cushions, the cashier staring at them unnervingly. Handing the correct change and taking the bag, Anne and Luz drove to the exit but stopped, seeing a posse of young men hanging in the parking lot.
Anne waved and got the college boys' attention while she and Luz sent flirtatious winks and kisses in their direction. Jaws nearly dropped to the pavement in shock as the frat boys couldn't believe two stone, cold foxes were checking them out. One swaggered over, trying to lay on the charm. Still, before he even set foot, Anne floored it and drove away, leaving the young man and his friends utterly dumbfounded and with severe blue balls.
"Oh, God. Did you see the look on their faces? Must be the first time those frat boys ever had a girl give them any attention without offering beer," Anne laughed as she got back on the main road. "This has been the most fun I've had all week, and I seriously don't want it to end."
Luz nodded and ate a French fry. "I know! The sights, the smells, and a hot rod that can make everyone turn heads!"
Anne grabbed a big mac from the bag, took a bite, and spoke with her mouth full. "Honestly, I don't know what Michael was worried about, we're handling ourselves alright. It's been, like, what? A whole hour? And, so far, nothing dangerous or weird has happened to us."
"Yeah, we're totally acing this without a hitch," Luz smiled before looking at the scenery. "I can't believe Michael's paranoia almost made us miss out on all this stuff."
"Hey, give him some slack. Mikey means well and is just trying to look out for us. Remember, we are technically aliens to his world, and he doesn't want us winding up on a dissection table, or worse," Anne mildly retorted, she and Luz shivering at the thought.
"I know, and I appreciate it. I just wish he would lighten up a bit," Luz said when a bright, blinding light approached. "Anne, look out!"
Luz nearly jumped out of her seat before she and Anne turned and noticed the incoming car on the left side, failing to give the right of way. A white combination car was coming in hot, flashing bright lights, and loud sirens erupted (don't know how those two missed that). On the side of the car, there was a sticker of a ghost trapped behind a "no" sign, which both Anne and Luz caught a glimpse of it as the two took evasive action. Anne's heart leaped in her chest as the Cadillac swerved to evade the collision, erratically dodging the other car, almost rear-ending by a hair. It was nearly a close call, and Anne tried to stabilize the vehicle but inevitably hit the streetlamp on the curve.
(Good time replaced with the Ghostbusters theme)
As for the other car, a purple flash of light erupted around the vehicle as it drove through the crossroads, swerving past oncoming traffic before heading straight for uptown. One of the passengers popped his head out the window and saw the wreck, his eyes bulging on his chubby face in suspense. His friends, however, were either not too concerned or preoccupied with something else, all wearing matching jumpsuits with the same logo.
"Holy crap, Pete! Did you see that?" he said with a troubled edge.
"I did, Ray, but it didn't look too much of an accident. I'm sure who's ever in there is perfectly fine," Pete assured and waved his hand, Ray bringing his head back in before looking at his friend. "Besides, we got bigger problems to deal with, and it's not to play ER."
"As much as I hate to admit it, Venkman's right," said the third member as he fiddled with a device in hand, Geiger counter fluctuating. "We've crossed over into another dimension through unknown means. From these reading I'm receiving, there seems to be a high trace of ectoplasmic residue and tachyon particles in the atmosphere. That means that whatever brought us here has brought us to the epicenter of the nexus, or possibly one of them, but the data is inconclusive until we came gather more empirical evidence."
The fourth guy perked up while checking the equipment. "What're saying, Egon. We're stuck in this world?"
"That's a high probability, Winston, but one we can solve in due time," Egon answered as he pointed to an abandoned fire station. "Till then, pull the Ecto-1 over there. It's only logical that we set up a temporary base of operation."
Pete groaned. "Another fire station? Why not a five-star resort."
"Out of the budget, I'm afraid."
(Music stops)
Anne was shaking in her seat, gripping the steering wheel hard. Luz rubbed her head and calmed the bump from hitting her on the glove compartment. No smoke was coming out from the hood, which was reassuring. However, it wasn't comforting enough as Luz exited the passenger's seat. Anne banged her forehead onto the wheel while uttering a desperate prayer, though she wasn't sure whether God was listening.
"Please be okay! Please be okay! Please be okay!" Anne repeated, over and over again, as Luz called her attention.
"Hey, Anne! You might want to see this!"
She cursed in a low tone, lightly punching the dashboard.
"Shit!"
Anne staggered out of the car, walked to the front, and her expression immediately turned white as Luz directed her to the crime scene.
Luz pursed her lips and scratched her scalp. "Well, the good news is that the majority of the car is undamaged. The bad news is that right headlight is out of commission."
Like Luz had said, the Cadillac's right headlamp was shattered with the copper wiring exposed. Glass was all over the concrete sidewalk. At the same time, some of the paint was superficially scratched, but that could be fixed. Although trying to stay calm, Anne and Luz were in panic mode to the point of prattling about and almost bumbling to each other's feet from not paying attention. Anger touched Anne's eyes as she fumed and pulled her curly hair in frustration. Luz was on the verge of hyperventilating as she took deep breaths. When the two stopped being mad at themselves, eventually, they resorted to standing and sulking on a street corner.
"Oh, God! We are so dead! We took Michael's car, his grandfather's car, for a joyride only to crash it! When we get back, he's definitely going to notice this, and he'll go ballistic! Not only mad, I bet you he's going to kick us out, leave us on the street, and we'll have to fend for ourselves in a world we barely know! Sure, both of us know how to survive in the wilderness, make camp, and forage whatever nature provides us but what then? Sleeping in a cave, or a tent, is not a solution and let's not forget about those government guys who are after us," Luz was beginning to spiral into pure rambling before Anne grabbed and slapped her across the face.
"Girl, get a hold of yourself!" Anne scolded as Luz gawked, rubbing the hot palm print on her cheek, whimpering. Giving one last glance to the headlamp, the young woman walked back to the car. "Michael's stubborn, but he's not cruel. Besides, none of that is going to happen because we're going to make sure he doesn't find out. Don't forget, we're smart, independent women who can figure out how to overcome this minor issue. All we have to do is take the car to an auto-shop, get the car repaired, and then drive back home and beat the clock before facing the consequences."
Luz arched a brow, still not convinced. "Are you sure that's going to work?"
"I want to say positive, but I've been through something like this before, back in Amphibia. However, that was with repairing an ancestral cane and then almost getting killed by a giant stick bug monster," Anne recounted with her eyes staring upward, then shook her head while gesturing Luz to come over. "Nevertheless, I'm incredibly desperate and will try anything, so are you coming or what?"
Luz let out an exacerbated sigh.
"Yeah, I'm coming," she said with a sour edge.
Once the witch-in-training quickly hopped back into the passenger seat, Anne reversed the car and slowly drove away.
"You know, none of this would have happened if Michael would have given us free roaming in the first place," Luz reflected.
Anne retorted, "Too late for that now."
Meanwhile, at Appalachian State University. Michael was sitting at his desk, a packed classroom behind him from the front row. In his opinion, he looked up to his professor, an almost dead giveaway to Ben Stein. Michael was listening promptly to the old man reciting the Battle of Thermopylae from his book. The young man tried to concentrate on taking notes, but the strange feeling of someone talking about him was difficult to shake off. The random sneezing that followed was further confirmed as Michael's gaze darted briefly.
Okay, that was weird!
"Mr. Therman, I know this seems a bit pedantic, but I would caution you to cover your mouth the next time you sneeze," said the professor, monotonous and boring.
"Uh, yeah. I'll be sure to do that, professor," Michael apologized before class resumed.
Anne and Luz drove around town for almost an hour. The pair searched for any sign of an auto shop or dealership but only got close calls. Fortunately, before deciding to go home and face the music, Luz pointed at a small auto shop coincidentally placed next to the same McDonald's from earlier (very serendipitous). It seemed their luck was beginning to turn, but there was one problem.
"What do you mean it's going to cost 5,000 dollars?!" Anne shouted at the top of her lungs.
"What I mean is, it's going to cost 5,000 dollars to repair your car, even for such a minor altercation," the mechanic clarified. "You see that there car is a vintage 1955 red Cadillac worth over 65,000 dollars. Only a few authentic ones remaine in the world, and in working condition. The parts needed to fix' em is expensive, and even the headlight you need is worth an arm and a leg." He combed a hand through his scraggly beard before pointing over his shoulder. "Plus, I gotta spend days looking through contacts, finding the right people, and waiting for the exact time and date for delivery, which would add you another thousand bucks, give or take."
Anne hung her arms in exasperation, her jaw almost hitting the ground. Luz merely stared grimly, unsure what to say in this situation. Clasping her hands together and recomposing herself, Anne tried to reason with the grease monkey before her.
"Look, I don't have 5,000 dollars. Also, this isn't even my care, but a very dear friend of mine's. Can't you just make an exception, use a spare part in your garage, and maybe we can pay you back later?"
The mechanic huffed and shook his head. "Sorry, girlie. I can't help ya. Like I said, the car is vintage. Even if I could Jury-rig a part or two, it won't work since the wiring ain't compatible." He adjusted his overalls before turning and walking away. "Nope, the only place you can find a matching part is either from a collector, or from a junkyard, but even your chances there are a tad slim."
Seeing red, Anne was grinding her teeth while a vein formed on her temple, the urge to stranger the mechanic too great. Luckily, Luz caught wind of it and stopped her friend from committing potential homicide, grabbing her arm and leading her outside. The evening air was enough to help calm the nerves, both hers and Anne's, feeling the breeze caressing their skin and hair.
Anne frowned. "Well, I'm completely out of ideas. The only option left is to go talk to Michael and he is not going to be happy about it."
Anne leaned against the gray wall with her hands through her bushy hair, "You heard what that hillbillly said, it's going to cost us an arm and a leg to fix that car."
Luz smiled and shook her head. "He also said we can get one at a junkyard, and what do I see right over there?"
The witch-in-training pointed her index finger to the distance as Anne followed, and her mouth fell agape. Despite the shadowy veil covering the mountains, there were piles of cars stacked up just over the horizon. Anne turned back to face Luz, placed a hand on her shoulder, and gave her the most ambitious grin ever formed from ear to ear.
"I hope you have the stomach for it because we're about to do a little salvaging," Anne declared, Luz smiling back.
A/N: Hey, everyone. This is Kman134. I'm here to deliver you the next chapter of "Intruders from the Other Side." I'm also answering some questions. First off, Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss characters will appear in the future (chapter 2 hints Verosika Mayday is in Michael's world). As for Teen Titans and Avatar: The Last Airbender, they are not going to be featured for a number of reasons, such as continuity, how to debut them, etc., etc. I did have plans to feature some anime and non-Marvel/DC comic book characters (again, chapter 2 hints of Rorschach from Watchmen appearing), and I might feature Tulip Olson from Infinity train as another houseguest/love interest for Michael (I have a weird kink for pony-tailed redheads). Also, the Ghostbusters make a slight cameo in this chapter, gearing up later for something big because I love the movie. Lastly, I know it's kind of a dick move, but I ended this chapter on a cliffhanger. Sorry, not sorry. Anyways, look at it, tell me what you think, and provide some constructive criticism.