Grand Adventure

Chapter 1

Tough roads can sometimes lead to amazing destinations. When you're traveling those challenging routes, being jostled around, your head hitting the ceiling of the car, it doesn't feel like anything good can come from heading down that path. But then, you crest over a hill or take a sudden turn and the landscape changes. You smile as you look around you, wondering how in the hell you managed to arrive in paradise after the strenuous journey you just traveled.

Traveling along the road is just like life. There are always things ahead of you, some that you anticipate because you planned them. Some are unknown to you, holding the potential to take your breath away or send you crashing to your knees. There are always things behind you, some that you miss and some that you want to leave back there, putting as much distance between you and it as you can. There can be things that can be challenging and scary, but things that can also be magical and beautiful. The unknown awaits you and that can be terrifying, life-changing, but also amazing. Sometimes the road is straight and easy and sometimes it takes you for twists and turns that completely send you off course.

These were the thoughts flowing through Dani's mind as she sat next to Eddie in his van. The two of them had definitely been through a strenuous journey together, from the grieving, the fighting, the hiding, the uncertainty of graduating, and the attack by the pack of rabid jocks. Yet, somehow, here they were, the two of them headed off on the adventure they'd always talked about but never really thought would happen.

They had left this morning, saying goodbye to Uncle Wayne and her mom. The two had made them promise that they would call and check in at least twice a week. The gang had all shown up, racing and breathless to catch them before they left. Dani and Eddie had been surprised because they thought they'd said their goodbyes to them the night before. Not that they weren't happy to see them one more time. But after more hugs and more assurances of phone calls, they had finally gotten on the road. Now, they were a few hours out of Hawkins.

Dani watched the world going by out the window while Prince sang about a raspberry beret. The previous song was Iron Maiden's 'The Trooper'. When Dani made these mixtapes, she tried to alternate the songs so they had the best of both worlds, anticipating that Eddie would only be able to take so much mainstream before he completely lost his shit.

"So, are you up for a little detour?" asked Eddie.

"We've been on the road for three hours and already you're going off course?" Dani laughed. "This does not bode well for the rest of the trip."

"It's not out of the way. It's a town called Alton. It's just on this side of the Mississippi before we would enter Missouri. But Gareth told me it's supposed to be the most haunted town in the country." He looked over at her, a huge grin on his face, his eyebrows rising and falling in excitement.

"Of course you would want to go to the most haunted place," Dani sighed, shaking her head. "You know how I get. You just want to make fun of me when I scream and get all freaked out."

"Nah," he insisted, his hand coming to rest on her thigh, gently running up and down. "I want to be there to comfort you and provide my body for you to cling to when you get scared."

She snorted, "So, what makes this town so haunted?"

"Apparently it has a history of death, disease, and violence," Eddie beamed, a little too excitedly.

"I don't know that death, disease, and violence should make you so happy," she laughed.

"They also have the biggest bottle of catsup," Eddie offered with a shrug. "I mean, how many people can say they've seen the biggest bottle of catsup?"

"Ghosts and oversized catsup," she mused. "Sounds like a dream destination."

"Right?" he chuckled, pulling off the highway. "So, since your mom packed us a lunch, I was thinking we could find a pretty spot by the Mississippi river to enjoy our lunch and then head into Alton. We can find the big catsup, there's a statue of, like, the tallest dude ever, and then we can scope out the creepy mansion. It will be way more fun in the dark."