Status: I wrote this when I was in seventh grade. Look away.
Far From Home
Man Behind the Madness
*Shaggy’s point of view*
The back seat of the van had become a bed for me, and I had grown accustomed to waking up on it every morning. Stifling a yawn, I climbed into the driver’s seat and pulled open my map. I had managed to find my way into a small town outside of St. Louis last night, and was now only half an hour away from the city itself.
The past few nights had been rough, forcing myself to drive farther and farther, wanting to be as far as possible from the cabin. It was better to be exhausted and safe than lazy and dead. I shuddered at the thought of Mikey getting hold of me, he’d surely shed my skin for leaving without their permission. We had to stay out of site, we were registered criminals, kidnappers to say the least. I imagined they were well aware I had taken the van by now.
Closing the map, I set it on my lap and sighed, staring at the pavement of the hotel parking lot I had parked on and fallen asleep. That’s when it hit me. I slammed the map across the front seat, furious at myself. By the time I got to St. Louis, they wouldn’t be there. They were on tour, they could be anywhere in the country by now.
I reclined my head back and closed my eyes, my head throbbing from the stress I was now under. I had to come up with a plan now, one of the many things I was not good at. First, I would need to find out where this band was, then, I would need to find a way to get there before they moved on. And also, If they were too far, I would have to find another method other than driving. And what about money?
My head was reeling with questions. I looked at the clock and saw that it was a little past eleven. I had a lot of things to do and not much time to do them, so I needed to start now if I wanted to find her by tonight. The van roared to life and I peeled out, searching for a something to give me the location of Jesslynn.
Could a CD store help me? It was worth a shot. I swung in and leaped out the van, taking large, quick, steps to the door. A young man with a lip ring and tattoos approached me. “How are you doing? Can I help you?” He asked. “Yeah, great, fine. Hey, listen, do you know of a band called…ahh… it was a city and undead.” “Hollywood Undead! Yeah, their new track is selling like crazy, we’re all out. Sorry, man,” he said.
“No, no, that’s not what I want. I need to know where they are currently.” “Ahh, you’re one of those stalker guys, eh? I was once one of them, with Avenged Sevenfold. Gotta love that A7x. Anyway, I’m pretty sure with their current tour dates they’re somewhere around the Topeka, Kansas area.” “I’m not a stalker,” I huffed, “I’m just… looking for someone. Thanks.” He grinned at me a little, and walked away.
“Problem one, solved,” I whispered to myself as I climbed back into the van. Unfolding the map, I studied it carefully. Five hours. That’s how long I needed to drive to get to Topeka. Speeding out the exit, I headed for the nearest gas station, filled up the tank, and withdrew money from the gang’s account.
Just as I climbed back into the van, sipping on a coffee I purchased, I heard a faint tone coming from the very back of the van. I cell phone? Jesslynn’s! I shoved the door open and ran clumsily to the back, throwing the doors open. There lay a small pink sliding phone, vibrating away, along with a loud, obnoxious pop song blaring, then finally coming to a stop.
I gingerly reached for the phone, as if the slightest touch would set off a bomb. 40 missed calls, 53 new messages, 23 voice mails. Across the country, a whole town was going mad, swarming with the news of an abduction. And I was the man behind said madness.
I looked around, as if at any moment, police men would jump out, forcing me to the ground. “I’m safe here,” I tried to reassure myself. It didn’t work. But, I knew of a way to settle this. Opening up the phone, I searched through the recent contacts and found a contact that seemed to be used often. It was someone by the name of Bailey. Perfect.
I dialed the number, and a young voice answered immediately, “JESSLYNN?! WHERE ARE YOU?!” I took a deep breath. “Bailey, don’t panic, let me explain myself.”
The back seat of the van had become a bed for me, and I had grown accustomed to waking up on it every morning. Stifling a yawn, I climbed into the driver’s seat and pulled open my map. I had managed to find my way into a small town outside of St. Louis last night, and was now only half an hour away from the city itself.
The past few nights had been rough, forcing myself to drive farther and farther, wanting to be as far as possible from the cabin. It was better to be exhausted and safe than lazy and dead. I shuddered at the thought of Mikey getting hold of me, he’d surely shed my skin for leaving without their permission. We had to stay out of site, we were registered criminals, kidnappers to say the least. I imagined they were well aware I had taken the van by now.
Closing the map, I set it on my lap and sighed, staring at the pavement of the hotel parking lot I had parked on and fallen asleep. That’s when it hit me. I slammed the map across the front seat, furious at myself. By the time I got to St. Louis, they wouldn’t be there. They were on tour, they could be anywhere in the country by now.
I reclined my head back and closed my eyes, my head throbbing from the stress I was now under. I had to come up with a plan now, one of the many things I was not good at. First, I would need to find out where this band was, then, I would need to find a way to get there before they moved on. And also, If they were too far, I would have to find another method other than driving. And what about money?
My head was reeling with questions. I looked at the clock and saw that it was a little past eleven. I had a lot of things to do and not much time to do them, so I needed to start now if I wanted to find her by tonight. The van roared to life and I peeled out, searching for a something to give me the location of Jesslynn.
Could a CD store help me? It was worth a shot. I swung in and leaped out the van, taking large, quick, steps to the door. A young man with a lip ring and tattoos approached me. “How are you doing? Can I help you?” He asked. “Yeah, great, fine. Hey, listen, do you know of a band called…ahh… it was a city and undead.” “Hollywood Undead! Yeah, their new track is selling like crazy, we’re all out. Sorry, man,” he said.
“No, no, that’s not what I want. I need to know where they are currently.” “Ahh, you’re one of those stalker guys, eh? I was once one of them, with Avenged Sevenfold. Gotta love that A7x. Anyway, I’m pretty sure with their current tour dates they’re somewhere around the Topeka, Kansas area.” “I’m not a stalker,” I huffed, “I’m just… looking for someone. Thanks.” He grinned at me a little, and walked away.
“Problem one, solved,” I whispered to myself as I climbed back into the van. Unfolding the map, I studied it carefully. Five hours. That’s how long I needed to drive to get to Topeka. Speeding out the exit, I headed for the nearest gas station, filled up the tank, and withdrew money from the gang’s account.
Just as I climbed back into the van, sipping on a coffee I purchased, I heard a faint tone coming from the very back of the van. I cell phone? Jesslynn’s! I shoved the door open and ran clumsily to the back, throwing the doors open. There lay a small pink sliding phone, vibrating away, along with a loud, obnoxious pop song blaring, then finally coming to a stop.
I gingerly reached for the phone, as if the slightest touch would set off a bomb. 40 missed calls, 53 new messages, 23 voice mails. Across the country, a whole town was going mad, swarming with the news of an abduction. And I was the man behind said madness.
I looked around, as if at any moment, police men would jump out, forcing me to the ground. “I’m safe here,” I tried to reassure myself. It didn’t work. But, I knew of a way to settle this. Opening up the phone, I searched through the recent contacts and found a contact that seemed to be used often. It was someone by the name of Bailey. Perfect.
I dialed the number, and a young voice answered immediately, “JESSLYNN?! WHERE ARE YOU?!” I took a deep breath. “Bailey, don’t panic, let me explain myself.”