Road Trip

PROLOGUE: Season Above, Season Below.

Possum Springs suffered its worst blizzard since 2010 in 2017. Honestly? We should thank the distribution company for giving us so much rock salt to work with. Those fantastical weather wizards...The roads managed to stay clear for the majority of the harsh winter and honestly it brought in a lot of work for the Ol' Pickaxe. At least I managed to actually graduate from being an unpaid intern to being a paid one by helping Bea and the others unload all the rock salt. It was a lot of work and all our arms were sore after hauling all those bags. But nothing a little hot chocolate couldn't fix! But other changes came from the blizzard too.

Pastor Kate actually managed to set up a homeless shelter in the abandoned Food Donkey too, it was honestly really strange. Seeing what was just a husk at this point being reborn into something else. I wish that Bruce guy had stuck around for it...But he said he had family waiting for him so maybe he did get somewhere nice for the winter.  I was surprised with how busy I was actually becoming during the winter. I felt...Productive even? Useful? Honestly maybe it was just helpful to have something to do after what we went through in the fall. Despite the kind of masks we put on, I still think Gregg, Bea and Angus were still trying to process everything as much as I was. It never felt like the right time to really talk about it so I kept the feelings to myself. I already burdened them with so much...But then again that's what friends are for isn't it? Burdening each other with junk that we need to share like, here's this big friendly junk pile where we can drop off our junk and maybe talk about it! Regardless, I'd wait to speak up, just waitin' for the right time.

Spring rolled around and Bea actually helped me land a job at Taco Buck! It wasn't because I wanted to work there obviously, it was because the money for our Road Trip wasn't gonna materialize in my bed as much as I wanted it to. So I worked! And maybe swiped a free taco or two every now and then. 100% employee discount! Every night when I came home from work I took out that map of the states I snagged from the bookcase down on our 2nd floor and plotted our route. The spring was full of a lot for the four of us actually. The council actually wanted us to play some music at some sort of Spring Fundraiser they were holding. Of course I accepted the offer...On behalf of everyone else. It was actually really strange seeing everyone actually pretty happy for once? For once it didn't feel like we were living in a rotting skeleton of what Possum Springs was. It felt like what it had been like back in our school days. The turnout was huge and we even got a good chunk of cash from playing! Though everything would be cut short towards the end when the shitty old barbeque someone's dad brought over burst into flames and torched one of the wooden picnic tables. Though while that fire had been getting put out...I couldn't help but notice something out of the corner of my eye. Towards the edge of the woods. But my focus would be broken by Gregg grabbing my shoulder and laughing his ass off at the fire.

I had asked Gregg and Angus if they wanted to come with us on the road trip, but it turns out the two of them were finally moving out to Bright Harbor come late May.  It was a bit of a bummer actually saying goodbye to them that day. But that's what the internet and surprise visits are for! Me, Bea and Germ waved them goodbye as they got on the bus, too good to be trapped by Possum Springs.

Germ just kinda...Walked off after everything was said and done and it was just me and Bea. We talked for a bit, mostly about our own trip. I didn't mind going without Gregg and Angus, we're already the Bandit Queens! The world doesn't stand a chance against Maebea! Gregg and Angus on board would already be overkill anyway. We both came to agree that June would probably be the best time to leave, giving us a few months before winter would come again and things would get serious. Not to mention it would be nice to be home again for Longest Night. With that out of the way me and Bea began our final preparations for our Road Trip!