On A Dark Desert Highway

[egghead]

Hefty, clomping footfalls dragged out like fresh roadkill across blacktop and melded with the jingle-jangle of spurs as the skinny guy emerged from behind an impenetrable wall of hired muscle. The brutes dwarfed him in comparison, even Glen towered over their leader by half a foot, but his underwhelming stature was made up for by the ravenous gleam in his eyes. They bulged from sunken sockets, blurry and bloodshot as if they were still glued to static on a screen.

"You." He leveled an accusing finger at the pretty boy who destroyed the family heirloom, handed down from at least two generations. "You ain't getting away this time."

Glen's hands shot into the sky. "W-wait," he pleaded, already on the verge of flipping on the waterworks. "Don't shoot! Please, we'll do anything!"

The outburst siphoned the tiniest hint of a smirk out of flesh that paralleled washed out beef jerky. "I know how we'll settle this." Batting his eyelashes ever so slightly prompted one of the thugs to stomp forward and seize the blonde's noisy friend. "See this person? Do you like him? Enough to...care about what happens to him? I'll give you a choice: this man's life. Or..." a sick chuckle bobbed his Adam's apple up and down. "ALL of yer belongings. Clothes, cash, pegleg, everything you got."

"No, please--" was all Glen could squeeze in before an oversized elbow jabbed his gut, effectively shutting him up.

"Well?" The boss didn't seem keen on sunbathing for much longer. "How about it? Yer stuff or his head."

 

[Axel1313]

"Not everything. I'll give you all the cash I got and the most expensive things I've got and that's it. And you let the old man go." Lucid stood his ground. Albeit a very stupid move for sure, he wasn't going to lose everything on him.

"I don't think our boss was clear enough little man." One of the goons walked up behind the young man, looped his arms under his armpits and hoisted him off of the ground. "Come on. Time to pay up. Boys, take all he's got on him." The man held Lucid tight as others swarmed around and stripped him of his leg, gun, E-cig, clothes, save for the ahem.... thong of course, none of em were going to touch that. Rummaged through his backpack for all the cash he had. Then tossed him to the ground without mercy.

"D...dammit. Assholes." He squinted up at them. The sun beat down mercilessly on his fair skin, turning it a deep shade of red.

"Heh, that's better." He smirked. Digging farther through the items. "Yeesh you're loaded little man, boss is gonna love this. or at least you should pray he does. Otherwise you gonna be paying the price boy.....nice gun, garbage, garbage, garbage, super garbage" With a sick grin he cracked the E-cig, leaving it barely hanging together by a wire. "What do ya say boss? Should we let the old guy go now or you wanna get some more fun out of em?"

 

[egghead]

Witnessing his friend get ransacked for everything he was worth then dumped onto the ground where his poor naked ass sizzled under the sky's magnifying glass was stressful enough, but watching a dad's only reminder of his son fracture was too much for Glen to stomach. "Th-that's..." he teetered forward, bile cooking chunky chili in the rear of his throat. "That's enough."

Expectedly, the same gorilla arm that elbowed him earlier yanked him back. The owner of the appendage could've easily held him down with one mutant finger but went the extra mile by securing him in a headlock; he wasn't going anywhere, or as the brute grunted: "You ain't going nowheres, bub."

A familiar rattle approached subsequently, boots creating sharp hisses as they marched nearer and nearer until he could distinguish every detail in the snakeskin. Close-up and personal, he also realized that the pearly soles, from the heel to pointed tip, were actually row upon row of teeth. He wasn't a fashion expert but something told him that body parts were a faux pas, even for desert raiders.

"I know what yer thinking, are they real?" The boss clicked his slimy tongue, answering his own question. "How about lending yours for the next pair?"

Blinking somehow gave his henchman the direct signal to pry open the tourist's gob. Yellowed, slightly coffee-stained, but otherwise straight; it would take sucking down a few more packs before anything in there began rotting. "Not bad," he noted with a whistle. "No holes or nothin'."

Glen hated the sound of that. "D-don't..." he wheezed past the muscle crushing down on his windpipe as his self-preservation switch flipped from ON to MORE ON.

The ringleader patted his spiky cheek so hard it bordered slapping him. "Take it easy, son. I ain't gonna take all yer teeth."

"You're not?" Before any sighs of relief could be sighed, a completely unexpected and unforeseen shove from his beef collar folded in his broken chopstick legs and banished him down to the blistering blacktop.

"Yeah, since..." Boss shrugged. "I just want one of 'em."

As the fires of damnation seemed to burn through the fabric of his slacks and licked his knees, reminding him once again where thieves and murderers end up, he strained to search for salvation in the heavens. Blinking through the perspiration pouring from his brow, a pint-sized cowboy was the closest touchable thing to a deity at the moment, and he was deaf to prayer.

A satisfying crack reverberated throughout the sandy front lawn as a left hook connected with Glen's jaw. Another followed, then another, meaty smacks against a flesh piñata rewarded by spurts of blood and spit. After the first couple swings, the battered man was let loose for the entertainment of watching him wobble like a drunken ballerina. Then it became a free-for-all, every wall owning fists that knocked him back and forth until a final blow spun his entire body around and ended the cruel pinball game as suddenly as it started. Reduced to less than vulture chow, he crumbled into a broken heap and stayed put even as his lucky gold-filled tooth was plucked from one of the mystery puddles he spewed. At the same time he was down, greedy hands looted his already near-empty pockets, leaving him with some lint and a paperclip. If only they had also spared his face...

Meanwhile, the gentleman who just finished beating an elderly hobo to a pulp whistled a merry tune as he scuffed blood off his new trophy. "Hope you tew learned a lesson about fucking wit' a man's soap opera!" He bestowed the blonde a farewell kick prior to mounting the loudest, spikiest motorcycle parked the lot. "Saddle up, brothers, we ride for Vegas!"

Glen waited until the dust clouds settled and he couldn't hear screeching tires any longer to move. That meant a millennium playing dead with half of his head baking into the road while the other side swelled and puffed up; an eternity spent bitterly imagining the gang rendezvousing with the redhead in some ritzy casino where they take shots and turns bragging about how they all personally screwed him over. "Ugh..." he groaned, curling up to shrink himself insignificant enough to fit in with the cool dead spider kids hanging out in the corner of his bedroom.

It took some time to notice that hot tears had blended with the sweat obscuring reality, it was probably going to take him longer to pinpoint when he started crying. "I'm..." his voice was barely more than a ghost before erupting into sheet-ripping sobs. "I-I'm sorry, Lucid, I should have kept going, should've just left you alone, ma-maybe this wouldn't be happening."

Lord knows he wanted to stop those bastards, to protect the only decent scrap of humanity he found in his world. The truth was that it was easier to have courage hiding behind a gun; he was spineless on his own.

"I'm sorry." It was an empty mantra. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

 

[Axel1313]

"Hey hey... Glen! Shut up old man!" Lucid stood up and hobbled over to him. Some of the goons had decided to wail on him as most of the space to beat old Glen was taken up. Luckily they spared most of his face seeing as their boss already had couple of his pearly whites and they had no interest them."It's alright. You don't have to apologize man. It's not your fault. I provoked them so it's all on me."

He looked off into the distance as the dust clouds of the freaky man rode off into the distance. "Screw those guys though. Old handed down television or not they're all just bullies....can't believe I even did any deals with them....their crack sucked ass." He sniffed and wiped his face as he helped the old man off the ground.
"Let's get you cleaned up and some pain meds in you and some bandages. I'll pay for the dentist work too man. Every last cent." He pat his back gently. "Looks like they only took the cash in my backpack and maybe some expensive things. I never keep anything sentimental in there either...got a lock box in a bank for that. Except for....well."

He scooped up the E-cig gently. Pain filling his face. "It's fixable...maybe. Maybe not usable but it can be fixed with little damage to my son's decorations. Let's. Worry about that later though. First your face. and...you got any spare clothes in your car? I'll wash em in the shower here if needed. I totally need to tan but my pale bitch ass fries like none other. Haha. Bet you know the feeling eh old timer?"

 

[egghead]

He said nothing despite his wails lulling to shaky, sniveling hiccups. For a long time, Glen said nothing, even after the reassuring back rub and joke about sunburns. We should leave, were probably the words that would sputter from his mouth if it wasn't full of invisible thorns. There's nothing left for us here.

Back on unsteady feet, the walking punching bag staggered towards his old jalopy and slumped over one of the crap-covered windows. They were too grimy to distinguish anything inside, so he grappled the nearest handle and heaved the door open with a creaky yawn. Heaps of beer bottles, crumpled newspapers and burger wrappers immediately spewed out to either bury his shoes or travel with the tumbleweeds.

Geez, not only did he forget to lock up, the keys were still plugged in the ignition. His oversight gave the motel "staff" no problem cleaning out the valuables, free of charge. They even took the air-freshener.

Salvaging his wallet from the pile of car vomit, reaping little comfort in realizing his driver's license was left alone, he returned it to his pocket before giving the latch besides the driver's seat a good pull. The trunk popped, and as Glen circled towards the back, he was already half-prepared to swallow the bitter pill, but upon getting an eyeful of the back compartment, his wheezing hitched, caught on a cactus spine.

"Is this...okay?" Glen lifted a flat package. Wrapped safely within the thin, see-through plastic was a black suit, recently purchased, definitely never worn anywhere except the tailor's. It used to be tucked in the furthest corner of his wardrobe, awaiting the most important day of his life, but out here, miles away from the closet and his old life, it was nothing more than deluxe rags.

"It might be too...um..." he held out the spare clothes. "I-it's all I have."

 

[Axel1313]

"I'm gonna be swimming in those but hey, better than being bare ass naked right?" He chuckled. Stepping around the impossible sized heaps of junk from the bowels of the car the young man approached Glen. Carefully taking the suit from the old man and removing it from the nearly untouched plastic.

Yup, no doubt about it. The scrawny shrimp of a man was going to have some issues with this new wardrobe. He had to tuck over half of the shirt into the pants just to keep them up, roll up the pant legs to halfway up his calves just so they wouldn't drag in the dust and the jacket. Welp, he could live in the damned thing if he wanted. It struck him as odd though that he had something like this just laying around. Compared to everything else the old man owned it was so...nice. Too nice. Personally tailored and embroidered. It looked awkward on him but would probably look great on old Glenny boy.

"Hey Glen, you sure this is alright? This suit is kinda.....real nice."
He cocked his head to the side curiously. "I mean, it's tailored practically perfectly for you. Not to mention it came out of the plastic perfectly pressed and clean and. well, y'know. I don't wanna impose if it's something special. Hell, I'll wear that assortment of burger wrappers until we get to a town if that's better for you. If you're saving this for a special time or something?"
@egghead

 

[egghead]

"It was a...gift." Glen admitted with a shaky sigh as his gaze swayed up into the orange soda sunset. "I-I mean, it's alright."

He scratched the back of his burning neck as he mustered courage to face the friend who stuck with him since the moment their destined desert paths crossed, to fully realize the extent of a toll another had to pay for his cowardice.

Expecting the worst, oozing grazes and black bruises, maybe even some broken bones sticking out, it was almost a shocker to realize that blunt force trauma only brought out more of a golden boy's otherworldly glow. Doubled with the suit, he seemed too Hollywood, appearing as if he escaped from a spy movie set, the filth smudging his skin merely makeup. Glen doubted that his own battered face, covered in a permanent botched shave job and unexplainable bread crumbs 24/7, looked as hardcore.

Now pressured to delve deeper into his shame, he continued with his confession. "Well, I was saving it for my...promotion," he chuckled a little, nervously, halfway hysterical, like he was laughing at a really funny joke. "That didn't happen, though...So, yes, I s-suppose it's alright."

After his tongue was too swollen to keep making strange noises, Glen turned away and hobbled over to the coffin on wheels and climbed into the driver's seat, hands already gripping the keys before he remembered the reason why they were forced to stop at this hostel: the car was out of gas.

"Damn." He gave up and leaned back, ready to let the vultures pick out his eyeballs when the heat finally finished him off.

 

[Axel1313]

"Oh really?! Where do you work? or probably where did you work?" Lucid grunted as he tried so hard to tighten the tent draped over him even more. "By the looks of this suit it musta been some place fancy. Haha. I never worked anywhere other than fast foods or gas stations before. Until I went looking for more. Didn't need to but didn't want to be sitting around doing nothing, only known as the pretty orphaned boy now living off of shit face daddy's money" He smiled happily at Glen. Through the bruises on his delicate face.

"Anywhoooo. Clunker's out of gas isn't it?" He hobbled over to the vehicle and plopped down in the passenger seat. "We could find another one around here and siphon the gas out if it? Ooooor better yet. Look at that old man." A wry grin crossed his face as he pointed to the very back of the motel. The slightest hint of a car was poking out from around the corner. A very very nice, shiny car. "We could steal that sexy beast. Grab everything you want outta this old thing and I'll hotwire that baby!"
@egghead

 

[Axel1313]

(boop to make sure this doesn't get locked as technical difficulties are a pain for forums x3. haha.)

 

[egghead]

On the other side of the foggy smear was a reflection of brutal aftermath. Etched into the door mirror was what he assumed was his own appearance, stale and lifeless as some nameless stiff stuffed in some forgotten corner of the morgue; another unidentified murder victim.

Glen could barely recognize the mincemeat staring back at him, scrutinizing, struggling to find a familiar portrait underneath lacerations and facial contusion. Copper streams long since ceased gushing out from both nostrils, dried and shedding away as rusty flakes, though he still tasted pennies while his tongue cautiously prodded around the gap enclosed by shredded gums. Throbbing prickles did not seem so unpleasant in comparison to a shot of ache injecting an undesirable with a dose of well-deserved agony. "Agh, dammit!"

Both man's cadaverous meathooks lunged for the console sitting in-between the seats, ripping the lid open for access to the painkillers he silently prayed had not been stolen along with the rest of his crap. Prayers were answered once they were found sitting within, unharmed, untouched, and when last of the prescription was dumped down his gullet, frayed nerves calmed with reassurance that the pills were gonna take effect in about 32 hours.

Whereas he would have liked to never move again, a new voice commanded him, puppeteer fingers reaching in to take hold of the strings in control of his every move. "O-okay, but I...don't think they left much."

He started searching the empty clunker, but after allowing reality to flood over a flimsy optimistic wish that anything useful would be found, then reached back and unearthed his emergency whiskey. Part of him almost hoped for rain, a flash thunderstorm, just a few drops of moisture to splash in and extract more flavour; he wanted to taste his consolation prize as much as possible. Instead he sipped it neat, savouring warmth only available in a bottle, until the planets and galaxies seemed to pull together and the entire universe aligned immaculately for the moment, a split second where nothing seemed wrong.

"Oh, uh..." Glen wiped off boozy drool with his sleeve, unable to make eye contact, unsure of what to say after finally speaking. "I have everything I need. We sh-should get....We should leave now, huh?"

Retreating out from the suffocatingly tight space and into wide open loneliness, he dragged his sorry flat ass towards the brand new set of wheels. To his dull surprise, the beauty was unlocked; realizing that the molars man was arrogant enough to not expect a robbery scratched the itch for revenge somewhat. "Um, go ahead," he sidestepped out of the way for Lucy to work his magic. "I warmed her up for you, ah ha...ha."

 

[Axel1313]

"Good good. Make sure ya save some of that liquid gold for me Glenny boy...they stole my stash." Lucid rummaged through his backpack. It made his heart hurt. Most of the sentimental things were still there. A few torn and broken but still there. Aside from. Well...the most expensive of course but they could possibly get them back right? At least that's what the rising star would convince himself of to dull the pain.

He watched Glen sadly as the old man dug desperately for pain meds to help his aching jaw. He felt horrible seeing how roughly they treated him. "Soooo uh...porcelain or ivory Glen? or some of that new fangled material they've got out there?" He caught up to the old man as they headed towards the car. Damn old man why did he have to be so....tall with such long legs. "I feel bad for what they did to you back there so I'll pay the whole bill for all the dental and facial work you need and or want." He chuckled. Quickly turning on his heel to poke Glen in the chest with his lips puckered. "And don't even think about answering yes or no. There is no yes or no in this! It's happening. Capiche? You deserve it!" Somehow the young man managed to sound completely threatening, caring and positive all at once. At least he meant well?

Anyhow. A wide gap toothed grin soon spread across Lucid's face. As Glen opened the door he gave him a small applause. "Glen you are a master at this y'know? I've never seen anyone get a door open so fast or easily." He playfully elbowed the old man in the ribs before sliding under the steering wheel.
Pulling out a small pocket knife he was able to unscrew a few small panels, pull out a few wires and in a few tries the engine roared to life. Woooo boy was it loud.
"Come on Glen let's get outta here before old assface in there hears this puppy. We'll get as far as we can in her then get ourselves a legally attained car eh? How does that sound? Maybe a nice sleek sports car or geep....maybe an old Jalopy is more your style though." His grin widened further. Even as the sound of a cheap aluminum door slamming shut barely sounded over the roar of the engine. "Come on Glen! I don't think I can pay for getting lead out of our asses too man!"
@egghead

 

[egghead]

Maybe it was the pulsating migraine, or the usual consistent, never-ceasing misery, but keeping up with youth's energy and optimism proved impossible for an ancient derelict. A decrepit stray whose salad days spoiled long ago and ripened into the mulch dumped all over his early years. Or at least the years salvaged from a blotchy memory.

"It isn't...I'm not...I mean, right now?" Glen snapped out of a trance ensnaring him since the hypnotizing hot-wiring show, then sighed and slumped awkwardly behind the wheel. "S-sorry, uh, guess I was lost in that sunset."

Clearing his throat unconvincingly, he flipped on a (hopefully) working stereo before anyone could mention that it was already twilight, horizon now bruised deep purple. Static broke silence, every radio station trapped in screeching mist, until fragments of song sputtered out of the speakers. Good enough, beats listening to his own wheezing.

Several miles were mowed down in an instant thanks to both a gas guzzler able to handle a little speed and a tipsy driver with too much wrong on his hands to worry about committing a little speeding. Succulent-shaped silhouettes watched with vision spread across as endless as the sand carpet below and the ceiling of studded night. Glen wondered why there were so many satellites and planes illuminating the sky.

"Erm, by the way..." he eventually mumbled, a fuzzy zebra-print cover melting his butter grip.

"Where are we going?"

 

[Axel1313]

Lucid shot the old timer a knowing little smirk. He may not have known Glen long at all but he could already tell when he was deflecting the most innocent and minor things. It was always rather humorous.
"It is a gorgeous one. No matter how Hellish the heat is the sunsets and sunrises out here are gorgeous....too bad there's no good tunes on to set the mood for the perfect night drive. Dude only focused on the outer looks of his car." He snorted. Tapping the radio in some pale attempt to get it working better. "Too bad I don't know how to fix one a these things."

The youth sighed and leaned back into the plush fabric of the seats. Closing his vibrant green eyes as the cool breeze washed across his face. Remaining silent for a few moments to drink it all in.
"That's a good question. Haven't really thought about it myself. Seeing as the goal back there was just get out." He laughed softly. Cracking his eyes open to stare ahead into diamonds slowly speckling the sky. "Why don't we start with the nearest big city? That way we can get a legitimate and legally obtained car, some clothes, food, other much needed supplies and some uh...things fixed." He gently rolled the broken vape pen in his long delicate fingers. "A bath where we won't catch every disease imaginable is also on the list. Wouldn't you agree?" He went silent for quite some time again. "If you don't mind...I think the city my son is staying in is around here somewhere too. Maybe we could. Y'know?" He shrugged. He wasn't going to pressure Glen into it but rather lightly suggest.

 

[egghead]

Drowning looming dread with another pull, he gargled golden mouthwash in hopes of rinsing out some funky aftertaste, but instead sprayed out a mouthful at the mention of returning to civilization. With one foot in the grave and his spare flattening a pedal in order to escape from fault, blame, and every culpability faster, hinting at a homecoming pulled the concrete out from under fleeing hooves.

"Your son?" Glen bleated, once again stunned until details about last night unearthed from mountains of immeasurable ordeals. "Oh, him. I mean, s-sure, of course! If that's what you want."

There was a lengthy travel anywhere in any direction, though after experiencing several lifetimes worth of adventure together, chauffeuring for eternity would be the least an aging sot owed for unearned, unbroken compassion. Out of all his many friends, Lucid was the onliest. Also the first.

Too bad camaraderie was not enough to shake off impending doom. "But, um, should we really go back?"

As tranquilized composure dissolved, so did a smooth ride. Deviating from right lane to hit sleeper lines and cause instant mini earthquakes, Glen was spiralling into panic too rapidly to notice the sandy highway edge scraping his wheels. "What if that woman framed us?" he further divulged, delusions spilling out as frenzied drivel. "They'll find out we were involved, right? And those other crooks, th-they must know who did it. What if they're waiting there?"

Spending his final days stuffed in a prison cell was not an ideal ending, neither was getting curb stomped by boots with a smile pearlier than his. "What if they're already coming for us?"

 

[Axel1313]

"Whoa there big guy! Don't run us off the road!" Lucid's hand snapped out to grab the steering wheel. Guiding the car back to the proper lane. "Look at it this way my aging compadre, the only direction we've got to move from that situation is forward!"
He shifted to a more upright position in the seat that was slowly consuming him in a deathtrap of velvet.

"The cameras in that run down little joint were burned to a crisp and I wouldn't worry too much about that woman. She was off her rocker but highly doubt she'd turn us in. Doesn't seem like her style. Not unless she could somehow get us all in the same prison and y'know. Form a gang, shank bitches and take over the joint." He snorted. "The biggest worry is those chumps back there, but they wouldn't dare do anything in a bigger city as long as we stay near brighter parts. Trust me. They won't be coming for us for some time too. They got what they wanted for now so shouldn't be a problem." Letting out a deep breath he ran a hand through his gilded locks. Spiking them up messily.

"It's worth a try isn't it Glenny boy?" The bright young man playfully punched the old timer in the shoulder. "We don't have to stay too long either if you don't want. Just long enough to restock, get that new car and explore a little. I swear I'm gonna get your sorry ass the most top of the line shit to wear too and some nice new pearly whites. Shave and a haircut. The works!" His arms shot up into the air enthusiastically. "We'll be the fanciest bums."

 

[egghead]

Worries palliated by honeyed promises, a scrunched up grimace eased into a less crumpled frown. "Oh jeez Lucid," he blanched at the razzing arm jab, wincing despite no actual threat, "I sure hope you're right. Not that I still think going there is a bad idea. Or anything."

In the distance, past the welcome sign and billboards, a sickly glowing haze stained the night, an already garish presence magnified by artificial luminescence. There was no wiggling a way out of this predicament. Glen could barely wait to be a spectacle once he paraded his mutilated ugly mug around town. "Like you said, it's worth a shot."

Brick buildings, jutting out from pavement almost as crooked as the gnashers of a junkie. Crude graffiti, the only splatters of verve against lifeless filth, screamed profanities at passersby while neon bunny girls sitting outside pubs winked, inviting everybody for diluted drinks. Thrill-seekers, cheap bimbos, delinquents, all were in need of release and flashing arrows threading the streets told them where to find it. With each face appearing more pathetic than the last, Glen's insecurity about his own faded.

"Well, isn't this nice," he muttered before catching himself whinging. "N-nice place, I mean. It seems really, um, cozy."

Discreetly locking the doors, he continued once silence became insufferable. "So, does your...Does the boy live around here?"

 

[Axel1313]

"Glen. I understand and respect your opinion, but we'll be fine. Alright? Just trust me on this." He offered a comforting smile to the old man. Retaining that smile as he reached over Glen carefully to double check his door was locked tight, following up with checking his own and checking all others in the car as they rolled into the seedy underbelly.

"Yeah, uh...niiiice? Least if you compare to where I grew up in La France~ That place was a true dystopian festering pit." He chuckled nervously as he hit the button to roll the top of the hot rod over them. "Just keep driving M'kay? We gotta get out of this part of town. We'll find nothing but Hepatitis and a bathtub full of ice to wake up in here." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"At least you can rest easy my man. My boy does certainly Not live in this part of town. No way in Hell I'd allow it. We gotta go across town to the nice little suburban area. He's currently living with my Step-mom, shoulda started second grade about a month ago? Maybe third? Tough to tell with him. Smart little brat haha, watch your back when ya meet him a'right?" He teased mercilessly, kicking the seat back to stretch out his leg.
"Anywho!! We can wait for that little excursion! Head to the shopping district, we've got some things to do! Gotta get you and me all dolled up and lookin fresh! I'm thinking. Spa day? How does that sound Glenny?"

 

[egghead]

There it was again. That elusive word: spa. Forever hesitant about exactly what he was getting dragged into, the ex-working stiff forced a visage marred by years of desolation to liven up, though his tremulous smile was empty, corners twitching with perpetual worry. "Sounds...good. I, um, can't wait."

Locating the nearest shopping mall was easier than finding a vacant stall, thanks to every ritzy street sign advertising the exact directions. After wedging between two family-sized SUVs and barely vomiting his own intestines trying to shimmy a way out of the car, he freed a sigh as well as a slight beer gut. Sweeping away stringy hair wads in one last pitiful attempt of making himself look presentable, Glen resisted an urge to check his reflection in the window, too afraid of who might stare back.

Instead he soaked in unfamiliar surroundings, more than stunned by champagne glimmers emitting from the glass entrance. Even from outside he could decipher vending machines, illuminated storefronts, mannequins flaunting expensive fashion and swarms of juveniles wearing the same overpriced trends. The deluging spectacle of youth and wealth was a drastic change from the city's first impression. Similar to his stalwart companion, he was an expert on festering pits, and typically they stayed a pit no matter where anyone tried to escape, but this place was exclusive, an upscale oasis in the middle of sewage.

"A-are you sure we should go in there?" he paled envisioning brushing shoulders with strangers. "We can always return later. Or tomorrow. I mean, when it isn't so, um, busy."

Somehow already anticipating his objections would be negated with positivity beams, Glen expelled another quivery breath before pressing the lock button on his new keys. An electronic chirp trilled. It resounded throughout the parking lot, letting the entire world know that the doors were secured shut. "Just kidding, ha ha. Lead the way."

 

[Axel1313]

"Glad to see you exactly zero percent on board old man!" The bright young man jeered merrily as he squeezed his way out of the car. Snaking between their hotrod and massive SUVs with barely any effort. "It'll be fun, trust me! You'll feel fresher than you probably ever have in….decades now?" He chuckled. Hobbling alongside Glen as his leg kept catching on him.

The mall was a sight for sore eyes. Civilization!….decent civilization! God how he had missed it's comforts and sights. "Sad to say pal but there is no less busy time for a place like this. It's always going to be busy so best push our way through the crowds. I know this great little place on the south side of the stretch. Best spa in town and more modest shops. Nothing super fancy but very good looking and quality. Spa is definitely first on the agenda though buddy boy! We need to get feeling clean and refreshed before we creep around any shops." The youth flashed a chipped smile bright as the sun.

"Don't worry bout the price though. I've got that covered. They only took my cash. I got all my cards tucked away inside my leg that they didn't even come close to finding and a shit ton on said cards accounts as well. I ah," He scratched the back of his short black locks. "May have looked like a ragamuffin when you picked me up but trust me. We don't have any money worries…unless some certain things go awry but doubt you need those details so come on!" He spoke with the speed of an auctioneer on coke to avoid further questions. Instead hooking his arm around Glen's and dragging the old timer, to the best of his abilities of his miniscule stature, towards the south side plaza.

 

[Axel1313]

(boop to keep active while life gets in the way. lolz)