Wish's Folly

Chapter Six: Driven to Walk

Liv was hesitant to open the garage door tonight. The past two nights had already earned her enough guilt to last a lifetime. Still... Hopefully, the race car was sleeping tonight. Then she could actually have an evening to herself. Maybe she would go and walk further along that path that she had been exploring last night... If she could even call it 'exploring'.

Her foot hit the door button. The garage door was pulled upward, one inch at a time. Thankfully it was rather smooth, but the groans of old machinery still refused to be fully silenced. Liv stepped out from under the still-moving door. She found the outer button and hit it twice. The door reversed.

Her eyes flicked to Flo's gas station. There were a few customers... But not a lot. Fillmore and Sarge were once again out, looking at the light above the road. It was clicking yellow, every few seconds it would turn off and then on again. Lightning was pulled in at the furthest gas pump. Liv thought for a few seconds... And made her decision.

Screw it. Lightning wouldn't tell the others... If he did, she would leave. It was a major risk, but at this point, he already knew about her existence regardless. In the blink of an eye, she was at the gas pump, one foot pressed down into a button on the ground. The pump itself fell, landing cleanly inside Lightning's gas tank. Well... It wasn't the gas tank, but she wasn't sure what else to call it.

She shuddered at that thought. Note to self...: Find some brain bleach.

Lightning attempted to look over. Liv shrugged. Fillmore and Sarge were thankfully too caught up in the light to notice.

".... What're you doing?"

".. Eh... I could use some company tonight on my walk..... Unless you want to just go sleep at the cones." She gestured to the Cozy Cones. Thankfully, Sally had already gone to bed for the evening. Fillmore and Sarge... She wasn't sure how late they would stay up, but hopefully not too deep into the night. 

"... A 'walk'?"

".. Well... I guess you guys would call it a drive, or something like that... Haven't you ever just... Gone driving for the heck of it?" Lightning stared at Liv as though she'd just said the world was made of cheese.

".... No...?"

"... Well then, consider this your first drive." He pushed the nozzle back up into its slot, and Liv stepped around. She started walking. Her steps were light, without care or concern. Her eyes betrayed her actual emotions, darting left and right in search of anything that might cause her harm. Such a thing couldn't be helped. It clung to her thoughts and actions, even now.

"... So where're we going?" Lightning drove up alongside Liv as she ambled away from the gas station, mostly hidden by Lightning's frame.

"You can't always have a destination in mind... Takes all the fun out of the journey." She chuckled. Something hit her. "... One second."

She flipped back, making her way to her 'home'.

"Huh?" She could hear Lightning's tires on the pavement. Liv reached the metal that covered the entrance. Her hands clung to the edge. The metal was pulled with a few quiet screeches away from the entrance. Liv stepped inside. ".... Isn't this just an abandoned shop?..."

"All the visitors would like to think that, wouldn't they...? I guess it's best that they do." Liv grinned. She easily made her way to her pack. She pulled it up. Sure, it had nothing in it... But it was nice to have. ".... Let's head on out, then." Liv zipped it closed, slinging it over her shoulders. It was weird to have an empty pack on her back, but it was nice to have something familiar on hand. She let the hoodie she had tied around her waist fall to the floor. She could put it back on later.