Strolson Twins

Chapter XVII (Life is a Highway)

Alex's POV

I really wanted to scream. But I couldn't, my mouth wouldn't form the sound. I just sat there, shell-shocked to the core.

I couldn't wrap my head around it. Dutch was dead. I wasn't even that close to Mable; she was dead too. The mansion was gone. Burned and reduced to nothing but ashes. All of my belongings were destroyed in that mansion; my dog, my skateboard.

"-orth Dakota," I caught the tail end of Asher's words.

"What?" I asked.

"We're going to North Dakota," he said.

"Why?" I asked.

"We have nothing left for us in Canada," Asher shrugged, "The closest state in the US is North Dakota. All we have to do is drive straight and we'll eventually reach Jamestown."

"Jamestown? Never heard of it."

Asher reached his left hand into his pocket and fetched out his IPhone. He tossed it to me, "Google it."

I did. It wasn't much of a city, more of a large town.

"The Buffalo City," I mused, "Home of the only Albino Buffalo and the Buffalo Mall. It's got a Super 8 and a Walmart. And Perkins; never eaten there before."

"Sounds nice," said Asher, "You want to look up exact directions for me?"

Mr. Lets-just-drive-straight needs directions? Ha!

I found directions. My brother is an idiot.

"Asher," I said, trying to stay calm, "Jamestown is over twenty-two hours away. 1499 miles to be exact! Its not even straight down! You have to drive in Washington and through Montana before you even begin to reach North Dakota!"

"Well, we'll just have to drive a little longer then I originally thought, okay?" Asher must have been dead-set on North Dakota.

"Why do you even want to go there?" I asked.

Asher pulled out singed postcard, "I found this right next to Dutch," he said, handing me the card.

I flipped it over and stared at the picture on the cover. It was that of a wheat field. There was a little boy squatting in the middle of it, watching a combine plow it down. It was faded and worn at the edges. In barely legible letters at the top, it read: North Dakota.

Wow, I wasn't expecting that. I looked at my brother with new eyes. Now, I saw the slight slump in his shoulders and defeated look to his eyes. Is was hurting him just as much as it hurt me. He just sucked at showing emotion like a normal human being.

I gave him the directions and settled in for a long drive.

_________Around Four Hours of Guess and Check Driving Later___________

We reached Seattle. Driving nonstop for 220 miles isn't the worst thing in the world. Especially when you and your twin brother (who both have fairly good voices, mind you) are singing at the top of your lungs to random songs that come through the channels that we could get.

I tried tuning into stations until a certain Rascal Flatts song comes on.

"Oh, the irony," I said, turning the volume to maximum capacity.

Life's like a road that you travel on
When there's one day here and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind

Asher started laughing and singing along to the lyrics.

There's a world outside every darkened door
Where blues won't haunt you anymore
Where the brave are free and lovers soar
Come ride with me to the distant shore