Project #134

CHAPTER 2

Aron turned right to head north on the freeway. Traffic was light, considering that it was a weekend. He turned on his favorite radio station, 105.3, a frequency specializing in classic rock. The sun gleamed through the windshield... it was a perfect day for driving. He passed several places on the highway he remembered seeing as a kid, giving himself a brief reflection of how much he has grown up.

Aron eventually took the off-ramp to get onto I-90 to head northwest towards Rockford. As he merged on to his new highway lane, the radio station took a news break. Aron gave a strange look as news regarding Mt. Rushmore came on over the car speakers.

"In Keystone, South Dakota,authorities believe that 21-year old" BEEEP! A reckless driver swerved between Aron's vehicle and another car "...went missing three days ago on the Mount Rushmore premises. New evidence points to her disappearance as an abduction. This possible kidnapping follows a rising number of disappearances in South Dakota within the past three years. The woman's mother commented on the situation. 'Please, whoever and wherever you are... bring my sweet angel back to us. She did absolutely nothing wrong and is a role model for our community. Please... please... please let'" GRRRGHHHHH! A gravel truck slowed down next to Aron's car. "...free. I beg of you whoever you are!' At the moment, there are no leads on suspects. If you have information, you are urged to contact the Pennington County Sheriff's office."

Aron closed his eyes, shook his head,and changed the radio station. He opened his eyes again. Why was this disappearance bothering him so much? He didn't even know this girl and yet the whole situation was striking a chord within him. Aron turned up the radio to help clear his mind. A few minutes passed, and as soon as he knew it, he was approaching Rockford.

Aron kept heading north towards Wisconsin. He noticed there were dark clouds ahead, possibly meaning storms. He noticed the 'Welcome to Wisconsin' sign as he passed the state-line border. His radio station was cutting out, as he was leaving the coverage area. He put the tuner in 'scan mode' to find a station to his liking.

"...I went 2.7 seconds, on a bull named Fu-Man... Briiiiinnnggg meee toooo liffeeeee... The Brewers defeated the Cubs yesterday 12 to 1," his radio played back. "...new polling data shows that Americans are the most frustrated with... what a feeeeling, being's believing.... neveeeerr had to knock on wood, but I know someone who has... the hits you've missed on WPZV-FM, Madison... authorities say that she was kidnapped at the Mt. Rushmore National Par..."

"AUGH!" Aron interrupted, turning off the radio. He decided to keep the radio off for a little bit to clear his mind. Silencing the radio did help. After 30 minutes of silence, he passed by Madison, eventually catching up with the dark clouds. It was now 8:35AM. He was about 45 minutes out of his first rest stop, and it was starting to rain. Aron was starting to feel ill. He wasn't sure if it was himself being upset over the kidnapping or something he had eaten recently. Aron put his money on the kidnapping.

He passed a few smaller communities eventually arriving at his first rest stop at a gas station near Wisconsin Dells. He texted his mom of his first arrival. It was a cool morning in Wisconsin and yet Aron was sweating when he got out of his vehicle. He filled up his car with fuel and quickly walked towards the restroom of the facility. He started to breathe heavily.

"It was just one disappearance... you will be fine, Aron." he told himself. He then splashed cold water on his face, making him feel better.

He exited the restroom and looked around for a snack and drink to buy. After browsing the aisles, he picked up some cereal bars and a bottle of water. He proceeded to stand in line at the checkout behind a lady with magazines, beer, and chips. He glanced over at the TV near the corner entrance and looked away quickly, as it was a news network reporting the obvious. It was now his turn to checkout.