Another story (no name yet.......any ideas?)

[Road Worthy]

Ethan sqwatted beside the old farm pickup, causiously-

attentive of any signs of trouble. It was well past midnight,

and the countryside was asleep, making the slightest noise

very audible across the farmland. His best friend Joshua,

of whom he had known since the age of five, came skirting

up to the vehicle, kicking up small stones on the gravel

driveway. One of the small stone thudded up against the

chrome wheel cap of the pickup's rear wheel. A hound, on

the other end of the property, began to howl.

"Shhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ethan angrily said as he grabbed Joshua's

shirt, pulling him down behind the cover of the pickup.

The two 1.5 liter fuel cans, Joshua was carrying, hit the

ground with a hollow resonance, as Joshua struggled to

keep his balance. "You dumb Bastard, Do you want us to

get caught?" Ethan harshly whispered.

From on the front porch of the run-down farmhouse, an

elderly farmer, wielding a shotgun and a flashlight, came

bursting out from the front door. He came to a stop on

the rotted planks a few feet from the edge of the porch.

The old man began to scan the beam of the flashlight

wildly across the yard, moving way too fast to be effective

"This is private land. You....You...Youuu better move

along if you know whats good for you!". The old man

yelled out into the night, in grumbly non-confident voice.

Ethan and Joshua froze still, their eyes wide open, and

their hearts pounding, behind the shadowy darkness

of the pickup. Joshua looked over to Ethan, scared, his

lips parted as he tried to mumble something.

Ethan shot Joshua a threatening stare, Joshua changed

his mind and went back to just looking real scared.



Time seemed to crawl for the two teenaged boys that night,

as they waited the old man out.

The flashlight beam, still wildly spotting the yard,

suddenly stopped in one location, just as the remnants

of a rotted crabapple fell from a tree bouncing off the rusty

lid of an old steel barrel. The hound dog, in the back,

erupted again into a chorus of horse howls.

"Shut the Hell up!" The old man grumbled.

"Just an apple." the old man thought, trying

convince himself that there was no danger

out there in the dark. "That's right, just an

apple." he thought again now truely convinced.

The old man switched off the light and lowered

his gun. He then slowly shuffled back into the

house, never looking back.

"Man, If you would have got us caught, I was

gunna use your ass for a shield." Ethan

scolded Joshua. "Where's the hose?"

Joshua reached around his neck and handed

Ethan the four-foot section of green garden hose.

Joshua loosened the caps on the fuel cans, as

Ethan inserted the hose down the throat of the

pickups fuel tank.

The two boys looked at each, reading eachothers'

mind. Both simultaneously shot out their hands.

"Paper covers rock!" Ethan triumphantly whispered.

Joshua rolled his eyes and picked up the other end

of the hose and placed it to his lips. He sucked into

the hose several times, each time try placing his thumb

over the end of the hose while he regained his breath.

On the third try, Joshua's eye's grew bloodshot, as the

nauseous gasoline flooded his mouth. Joshua spat out

the fuel onto the ground, his eyes were watering, as he

tried to hold back the gagging coughs. A steady stream

of fuel streamed from the end of the hose onto the ground.

The smell of fuel was heavy in the air. Ethan reached

down plucked the end of the hose off the ground and

inserted it into the mouth of first fuel can. Meanwhile,

Joshua sat back against the wheel trying to regain some

composure.

This was a pivital moment for the two boys. A passing

of some invisible threshold, of which there was seemingly

no return. Long ago were the days of care-free living. It

was a much different world now. A world filled with tormoil

and uncertainty. A world that seemed to teeter on the edge

of some unknown crisis yet to be seen.

Things really hadn't changed for the boys, that lived far inland

in the quite country, until the drastic change in fuel prices.

The fuel prices rocketed earliier that summer, driving up the

price of everthing. Families struggled to make ends meet.

Many resorting to selling off live-stock and equipment to

keep food on the tables.

Ethan had really felt the effects, even at his age. As newly

proud owner of his first vehicle, (a long deserved

Birthday/Christmas gift for working hard on the farm while

his father held a second job in town) Ethan, hardly had

a chance to learn to drive before the sudden fuel crissis

forced him to have to park it due to lack of funds. It had

been several months since it all started. The promised

relief in prices never came. Thats when Bulldog Nations

began their bickering.

The two boys silently made their way back off the old

farmer's property, sloshing cans of fuel at their sides.

After walking several hundred yards up the road the boys

stopped and retreived their bicycles that were hidden

along the edge of the road in the thick brush. The cans

were lashed to the front handle bars of their bicycles

with thick twine. Soon the boys dissappeared into

the moonless night.

After riding several miles away from the farmhouse, the

whole time thinking of what they just did, Joshua spoke.

"I can't believe we just did that. Man, were close to

getting caught!"

"How are we supposed to drive without fuel. You know

I don't qualify for rationing. That old man, he'll be able

to get more, and besides, no one was hurt. That's what

we agreed upon, wasn't it? That no one gets hurt." Ethan

tried to explain.

Far off in the distance two headlights crested the horizon.

"Quick, ditch the bikes!" Joshua shouted as he pointed

to the fast moving vehicle moving their way. The two boys

quickly hid the bicycles in the brush again along the road

and then began to walking..

Several minutes later, the vehicle's lights flooded them.

The boys squinted their eyes, bringing their hands up to

cover their eyes.

The vehicle slowed dramatically and then finally stopped.

a dozen yards ahead on the road. The babble of a radio

could barely be heard over the grumble of the idling engine.

The boys stood there waiting, now wishing that they hid

along side the road along with their bikes.

Suddenly, from on top of the vehicle, two piercing lights

stabbed the darkness. The strobe-effect of the flashing

lights made it even more difficult for the boys to see.

The vehicle began to move again, but this time at a

crawling speed. It finally stopped alongside the nervous

boys in the middle of the road. The driver switched off

the lights and cut the ignition to the engine.

It was several seconds after the lights were cut off, that

the boy's vision returned. They stood there rubbing their

eyes.

"What are you boys up to?" the driver asked in an

authoritative vioce.

"Ah, we.......Ah we, were just out getting for some fresh air.

We couldn't sleep, so we thought we'd go for a walk."

Ethan said, his eyes now fully adjusted to the darkness,

seeing an uniformed officer inside a marked vehicle.

"We've got a curfew here. Haven't you heard? No one

out after dark." the officer said trying to size up the

two boys.

"No sir, we haven't. We don't get much news out here

on account of not being able to get to town much because

of the fuel problem." Joshua said.

"Well now you know, you need to tell all your friends and

family about it, next time I going to have to haul you in."

the officer said.

"Why is there a curfew?" Joshua quizzically asked.

"Let's just say these roads are not as safe as they use to

be." the officer replied.

"Are you part of the town's police? Because, I never seen a vehicle

like this before." Ethan asked, truely impressed with

the officer's vehicle.

"No, we're a new outfit sent to help make safe passage for the land-trains

that travel the Transcon. There have been reports of trucks being

attacked and looted, we just here to wipe'em out and secure the roads.

No big deal really. You kids go straight home, I wasn't kidding about

hauling you in next time. You don't want those, gangs to get you, so

to be safe, stay inside."

The officer's speech was abruptly interrupted by the radio above.

"MFP unit 4224.......Come in"

"This is unit 4224......over"

"Assistance needed in sector 3, officers in pursuit...over"

"I'm on my way... Any Details?.......over"

"Not at this time.....over"

"4224 out"

"Look boys, listen to what I said and go straight home."

the officer said with the dead look of seriousness on his

face.

The boys nodded. The officer started the engine, and rev'd

it. The vehicle growled, as it took off down the road, leaving

the boys alone again in the middle of the night. On the rear

of the vehicle, the boys were just able to the word "PURSUIT"

bolded painted on the rear of the vehicle before it vanished

into the darkness.

[MFP]

In Reply to: Another story (no name yet.......any ideas?) posted by Road Worthy on March 15, 2000 at 20:22:54:


WOW! I like the start of this!!!!!

[Big Bopper]

In Reply to: Another story (no name yet.......any ideas?) posted by Road Worthy on March 15, 2000 at 20:22:54:


Mad Max: The Beginning