Project #134

CHAPTER 1

A young adult by the name Aron Wolfe woke up excitedly on a Saturday morning in late September. It was his last day home before he left for his trip to Mount Rushmore, a place he had always wanted to visit. He quickly got out of bed and went downstairs.

Aron was in his twenties, and had light brown hair. He lived with his parents in the Chicago-area but hoped to move out soon. He recently graduated from college and worked at a hospital.

He yawned and stretched his way through the kitchen to the pantry, of which he grabbed a toaster pastry. He put in the toaster and went to the fridge. Aron grabbed the orange juice, found a glass, and poured himself a cup. He took a few sips until his cell phone rang, interrupting him.

He stared at the number on the screen;it was one he didn't recognize. After pressing the ignore button on his phone, he continued to enjoy his beverage. The pastry popped out of the toaster as his phone rang again.

"Now what...?" Aron sighed as he looked as his phone. His mom was calling. His parents were currently visiting relatives in Florida.

"Hi Mom" he said.

"Hi Aron," she said back. "How are you this morning?"

"Good" he replied. "I'm about to start packing for my trip. How is Florida?"

"Beautiful" she replied "Your dad and I saw dolphins jumping in the ocean yesterday."

"That sounds amazing" he said.

"It was amazing. Definitely a sight I will never forget." Her voice tone then changed. "Hey, uh, did you watch the news this morning?" she asked.

"No, I just got up actually..."

"Apparently, there was an incident at Mt. Rushmore."

"What... really?!" he responded

"Yeah, a female college student went missing there. I'm not sure if she was drinking or what actually happened, but they never found her."

"That's strange."

"Listen," she continued "both your father and I understand that you are a full grown adult and are capable of making decisions on your own. We won't stop you from going on this trip, but please be careful."

"I'll be careful, mom" he assured her.

"I know you are a responsible young man. I just... had a bad feeling about this."

"I'll be fine mom, don't worry!"

"I know, I know. I tend to worry myself too much, sometimes. Anyway, have a great trip, and feed the cats before you go."

"Thanks mom!"

"And text me updates on your trip!"

"I will" he said.

"Alright, have a great trip. Be safe and have fun!"

"Thanks"

"Love you. Bye!"

"Bye" Aron replied as he ended the call.

He then proceeded to finish his breakfast and walked over to the living room. He sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, flipping over to CNN. Sure enough, Mt.Rushmore was the first thing that popped up with the headline'COLLEGE STUDENT GOES MISSING AT MT. RUSHMORE' with the subtext reading 'BODY NEVER FOUND – PRESUMED DEAD'. The portion Aron was watching had investigators on saying that the park would still be open but security would be increased.

Aron stood up and turned the TV off. He went back upstairs to start packing. He opened his bedroom door and began to think about the incident.

(What if something happens to me when I am there? What really happened to that girl?) he thought to himself. He shook off the thoughts and proceeded to rummage through his dresser drawers to find clothes for the trip.

Aron finished packing about an hour later. As he needed to shop for a few items, he proceeded to take a shower and then got dressed. He went to a local Target to pick up the items he needed, as well as stopping for lunch at Culver's on his way home.

By the time Aron got home, it was 2:00pm. He relaxed for the rest of the day by playing video games. By he next time he checked his watch, it was 8:00pm. Aron fed the cats and made himself a small dinner.  Almost on cue like breakfast was, his phone rang again. It was his friend, Dave.

"Hey Man, what's up?" Aron asked.

"Hey Aron, my dad won Bears tickets at work for the game tomorrow!" said Dave excitedly

"That's awesome!" Aron replied.

"I was going to take my girlfriend along, but she won't be able to make it tomorrow. Her brother ended up in the hospital. So I have a free ticket. Want to come along?"

"I honestly would," Aron started. "But, I leave for South Dakota tomorrow morning."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Did you hear about that girl that went missing? Aint that crazy? No traces of her body were found."

"Yeah I did, and it was a little crazy."

A few moments of silence passed.

"Well, I thought I would ask you,after all, I still owe you for those Blackhawk tickets. Have fun in South Dakota!"

"Thanks Dave"

"Cya later!"

"Bye" Aron said as he hung up.

After the phone call, Aron finished his dinner, cleaned the dishes, and put them away. He had then realized that he never looked up the directions for his trip, so he went to his computer and pulled up Google Maps. According to Google Maps,the trip was about 900 miles in length. It was also quite a simple drive – he only had to follow I-90 out of the Chicago area, of which it would take him through Wisconsin, Minnesota, and eventually to Rapid City, South Dakota – his destination.

Aron wanted to plan a few rest stops along the way as well. After playing around with Google Maps, he decided on Wisconsin Dells, Albert Lea, Humboldt, and Murdo. These destinations were roughly equidistant from each other, and he figured he would be able to do them in reverse for the trip home as well. He was now all set for his vacation.

Glancing at his watch, Aron noticed it was 9:30PM, and therefore, decided to go to bed. He brushed his teeth, and walked into his bedroom, only to find one of his cats on his bed.

"You're going to miss me, huh?" he said stroking its fur. Aron slid him away so he would have room to fit in the bed. He turned off the light and closed his eyes.

– – –

His phone woke him up the next morning at 5:00AM. Aron got up, took a shower, and got dressed. He threw on a sweatshirt of his Alma-mater university and a pair of athletics pants. He then went downstairs to make himself some coffee for the road. The sun was just peaking over the horizon, looking to be a beautiful morning. He checked the food and water dishes for the cats and grabbed his suitcase, heading outside. He locked the door, got into his car, and texted his mom that he was on his way. It was now 6:00AM according to his clock in his car. He began to pull out of the driveway, and was now South Dakota bound.