TCM

Chapter 4

It had been around an hour since they had set off, Connie watched as the empty rolling fields slowly became more littered with man made structures, albeit still few and far between. The energy had been high, with everyone a little more relaxed about venturing out, even Julie. The car hummed loudly as it swung into a small gas station the one on the map. It had two pumps, and the building itself looked cramped. Paint peeled off the sides and the singular glass window was grimy, hiding what was within. The signs displaying the price were fair and the group thirsty once again, so they pulled up. Leland ushered the rest inside while he sorted the fuel. Inside didn't fare much better, the shelves tipping with unbalanced weight, cracked floorboards and a dim humming light didn't do the small room any favours. The whole place seemed like it had never gotten any attention beside what was needed for it to function, no décor apart from hung trophy heads of animals. The man at the counter reflected the buildings age. Connie grabbed a drink and waited for the others to do the same avoiding the man's glare. Ana approached the man with one of her posters.

"Hi sorry to bother you, but have you seen my sister?"

He grumbled and shakily took it out of her hand. Connie felt unsettled by him. His perpetual glare towards the poster led Ana to speak again.

"She came this way is all."

The man slammed his hand on the counter, making Ana jolt. 

"Now do I look like a charity to ya? Why would I bleedin' know where she is. Now ya'll buy something or get out!" He sniffed as Sonny came and stood in front of Ana. 

"Chill out dude, she's just asking."

"An' I don't have time for silly questions, a man has a business to run."

"Yes we are buying things." Ana looked surprised and also pretty fretful still and the man kept staring at her over Sonny, despite him being the one speaking.

"Buy then we'll talk, damn kids."

Sonny nodded to keep the peace and took the drinks off Connie, placing them down as Leland came inside. He looked at Ana then Sonny. He pulled out his wallet and paid for the drinks and spoke briefly to the man about the fuel. Julie took Ana outside to put a poster up while he was distracted, figuring there was no harm in doing so.

Sonny spoke once all payment was done.

"Okay so have you seen her?"

The man looked thoughtful, as if he was considering options, before speaking.

"Maybe so, don't make no sense to me why you young in's can't stay put! An' you.."

Leland cut him off.

"Come on. Where did she go?"

He began yelling at Leland, "she came by ere' alone, was nattering to me about a school project, that's all you youth do, talk talk. A business man has got stuff to do, no ethics in yous. An' then you come in to do the same! Talk to me about strangers thinking I would just tell ya with no business going. Now if it'll get ya to leave me alone, she went East. Something or other about pictures."

While he was blabbering on, Connie stood staring at an old map on the counter. It had years worth of drawings and scribbles on, East seemed empty apart from a scribbled over house. It was in the middle of a farm of sorts, accompanied by a labelled wind mill. There was nothing else of interest East, of course assuming the employee wasn't lying. She pointed at it and looked at the other two, "look..."