Road Trip

PART II: A Pit In Your Stomach

Bea had finally pulled onto the highway, the two of them finally out of the grasp of Possum Springs for a time. Mae thought she would feel more excited...She should be excited! But as soon as they pulled onto the highway it felt like something was clawing at her, or maybe something was trying to grab her attention. She felt like if she turned around she'd see something she didn't want to see. But there was that nagging curiosity. Curiosity killed the cat. Grandpa was fond of that saying.

"Mae, you look like you're inches away from falling asleep and it hasn't even been a half-hour." Bea spoke up, glancing to Mae for a fleeting moment before putting her eyes back on the road. Mae's attention was brought back to what was in front of her.

"Oh, uh...Sorry..." She'd rub the back of her neck.

"You can open a window if you want or something, I don't really care." Bea spoke.

"Maybe. I dunno I just felt really weird for a sec there." Mae said as she pondered what she just felt.

"Homesick already? You left for two years, a few months obviously wouldn't hurt you. And don't forget who's idea this was to begin with." Bea responded a little sarcastically. Though Mae could feel some worry in her voice. The last thing Mae would want Bea to do would be to turn around.

"Hey! It wasn't being homesick, it was something else. I dunno. It just felt like something was trying to call me back there."

"Is...Is it the same as what happened in the autumn? With that thing or whatever that was talking to all those old dirt bags and you?" She asked, visibly concerned.

"No, it's different. Or maybe it's just nothing at all and I just imagined it. I dunno! I wouldn't put it past me that I developed some sort of PTSD Bea."

"Yeah no kidding..." Bea paused for a moment, before speaking again.

"So do you think like, every one of those weird cult dads died down there? I've been thinking about it ever since that night. There's the part of me that would be thankful that they all died. But I guess there's also the part of me that's too empathetic for my own good."

"I think it's good you have it Bea. Like, without it I think we probably would've taken them all up on that deal. About carrying on what they wanted to accomplish. It's not like we wanted to kill them to begin with!" Mae spoke up.

"The systems in place or whatever failed them and left them with nothing...And the thing that spoke to me took advantage of that. But we aren't left with nothing, we've always got each other." Mae smiled, gently nudging Bea in her arm with her elbow.

"Heh, you're surprisingly good at cheering people up when you're not a complete asshole." Bea would smile.

"Hey! I've been getting better! I just forget the right things to say sometimes."

"You better not beat anybody up if we actually find any parties going on during this trip. All I'm saying." Bea responded.

"I'll only beat em up if they're some douchebag that's too good for you." Mae would grin, crossing her arms.

"Hmm...You know what maybe it wasn't a bad idea to bring you along."

"Speaking of which, I already forgot what our first stop is." Mae would say as she leaned back into the car seat.

"Well it's one I wanted to check out. You remember the Crystal Caves we went to back in like...God it must've been elementary school.  It's up by Kontober Town."

"I think I remember that, I remember I shoved a bunch of those shiny rocks they had in that huge bin in the gift shop into my pockets and took them all home."

"Well apparently they have some new exhibits up there I want to check out, not to mention since it's up in the mountains we'll get some nice views."

"Ohhh right! Didn't you say your online classes was all about photography?" Mae recalled. She had only learnt of what Bea wanted to major in recently and she had only just remembered!

"That's partially why I want to see it. I'm just also curious in how well...Everything else out here is doing. You wouldn't believe how cut off I felt when I was back in town."

"I don't blame you, it took them forever to actually get cell reception working there!"

"Well I'm turning on the radio now...Any particular station you'd want?"