Wrong Bride, Right Groom (part 1)
#1 of Wrong Bride, Right Groom
This is my very first story, and I would like it if you wouldn't mind giving me comments and constructive criticism at the bottom. All responses are welcome, fully appreciated, and will be taken into consideration for my next story. And you can reach me by email if you have any ideas or suggestions you would like to tell me, I'm at [email protected] And now that we have finished with the formalities, just enjoy the story that I have created for you, the loyal reader. I hope that the tale I have weaved will keep you on the edge of your seats be it for suspense, or for....other reasons. (hint hint....wink wink)
This story is dedicated to one of my best friends Soul Hunter. I wish you only the best and that Jason, who was tragically taken from us, will be missed terribly. I only hope that you will be able find a sense of peace at some point, for I'm sure that's what he would have wanted. Please always keep a smile and that sparkle that has touched so many. And to all my other friends who gave me the courage to do this...you know who you are.
Sincerely an enthusiastic writer,
Cyan Spirt
Wrong Bride, Right Groom
Horns flared in the night air as a small rust orange car flew at break neck speeds down the nearly disserted highway. It cut through the sparse traffic as it ziged to the right and zaged to the left, trying to get away from all the other vehicles in its path. Its high beams flashing off of the reflective mirrors from the large trucks moving around it. But it easily maneuvered around any obstructions as it zoomed on ahead into the unknown.
It soon made it's way out of the loose pack of cars that had surrounded it and into an empty patch of road that lay ahead. The only company that the small car had was the constant light from the streetlights that were spread out every 300-400 feet or so. Which gave these consistent gaps between the lights, creating little patches of pure darkness on the road ahead. It seemed to turn the street into a trick of the eyes as the road seemed to stretch and contract the longer one viewed it.
There was a bright flash of light that illuminated the car as it passed under the rays from the bright bulb ahead. In those seconds it could easily see that the bumper was hanging on to the back of the car as if tied on by twine and left by a careless mechanic. The license plate was held on to the scrap of forsaken metal by a single loose rivet. Though even if one could get a clear view of it, they would have a hard time deciphering the numbers as most of the paint had chipped away.
Then darkness again enveloped the small orange car as it zoomed along on it's path. It was if it had vanished for all that could be seen was a small glow from the windows, created by the lights on the dashboard. A pale green and orange mist was shown around the car as the light refracted off of the water in the air and gave a sort of ghastly appearance to the space. And so the ghostly presence zoomed on down the empty stretch of road as it soon became just a blur in the night time air.
Flash! It moved into another lighted section as the beams made reflections off the numerous dents present on all sides of the car. Some quite large as though they had been formed by some sort of blunt instrument. Others much small and shallower as though an angry fist had beaten the car into submission. The crevices ranged from the rear fender and trunk, all the way over the top and down onto the hood of car. There appeared to have been so much force on the front end that the hood caved in slightly to form a valley where condensation had acuminated.
And back into the blackness of night for another round of near silence. The only clues to hint that there was something moving in the void of light was the thumping of the old tires against the new pavement. And the rattling of the exhaust pipe from the back side of the car as though it was searching to find a means of escape from its run down host.
Flash! The orange blur moved into another lighted sector as it trailed along, ever constant and ever mindful of its surroundings. The rays of light for those instants, flickered through the small holes positioned through out the vehicle. And even in such poorly lighted conditions, one could make out the several bullet holes that spread over the car. Though most were imbedded in the trunk and car doors, a couple of the persistent mounds of lead had moved all the way through the material and formed little tunnels that the light now used to enter into the interior. Lighting up the two occupants residing within the small and cramped space of the old rust bucket of a car that they were driving.
As the light passed over the car and through the windows into the cabin and revealing its occupants. The driver turned his head as he stole glances at the passenger. His eyes fell over the face of the canine, as he laid asleep on the seat, his body angled a bit toward the driver. And in the quick flash of light he could easily make out the small but numerous cuts and bruises along his face and arms, and could only imagine what horrors laid under his torn and somewhat soiled white t-shirt.
But as his eyes were focusing on his companion in the light, the clearness was abruptly cut off as the car continued to travel, though now entering a scene of darkness once again. His eyes adjusted quickly just as they were made to do, and he continued to scan over the form of the other. But now instead of the detail he was able to view earlier, all he was able to make out was a faint outline. The head of the wolf laid off the side as his arms were strewn across his chest, though his legs remained hidden under the overhang of the dashboard. He could barely make out the messed up hair that lay in matted clumps atop the other's scalp. His tail hidden behind his back as he labored to take in his raspy breaths.
The buggy moved on and passed into another section of bright light as the driver was forced to close his eyes for a moment as they adjusted. He then opened them quickly to take advantage of his renewed sight, but for the first few seconds, could only make out spots of light. The blurry colors and shapes finally blended into focus as he listened to the shallow breaths his passenger was taking deep into his lungs. His ears sharpened a bit as he was able to make out small barely audible whimpers and whines made from his muzzle. His whole body shuttered as he was finally able to hear those sounds yet he could not force himself to remove his gaze. His eyes scanned the canine as he watched the rich brown fur the color of aged drift wood, thick with tight curls, shift from every tiny movement the car made. He let out a small sigh himself, but caught it soon enough as he clamped a single paw over his own muzzle to stifle it and make sure the sleeper did not wake.
He then turned his attention back to the road just as the car shifted into darkness in the never-ending cycle. He could feel the engine and the pistons vibrating only a few feet in front of him as he tried to relax himself and get comfortable. His mind attempted to push the vision that he had just witnessed from his thoughts as he felt the tires spin below him. Just then the car lurched forward as it traveled over quite an expansive pothole hidden in the void of light on the road. He suddenly felt a pressure on his shoulder as he turned slightly, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the canines head nestled against him. He could only sigh again and wipe the bit of moisture that had formed in the corner of his eyes as he tried to return his focus to the road. But this time the breaths were in a much closer proximity to his ears, and he became constantly distracted by the noise as his attention was split between the road and his friend. But in the end his companion won out as he turned more to face him and just stared into the closed eyes of the canine.
Light came again as he marveled at the twitching nose, the whiskers that every so often ran up against his neck, and the ears that now lay limp on either side of his head. But the features that kept his attention from wondering were the many injuries that layered his face. Though most of the cuts had now since scabbed over and were on their way to healing, he couldn't get over just the sheer number of them. His gaze then fell on his one blackened eye that now rested against his shoulder, as if it was simply to heavy to be held up and caused the head to simply tip over in response. As he looked down his head from the messed up hair that now lay encrusted over with blood and other liquids that he wouldn't dare try to guess at what they were. To his ears that had small cuts on them as well and lay in a submissive manner against his head. Past his blackened eye and messed up fur and when it became time to focus on his mouth, he gasped in horror. For there against his whiskers and soiled fur, were the obvious signs of rope burns. He cringed as he beheld the sight of the reddened marks encircling the muzzle as he restrained himself from reaching over and running a finger over them.
While in his advanced sate of anxiety, and with his eyes permanently glued to watching the air enter and leave his passenger's lungs, he failed to notice the car's movements. For as he became ever more distracted, the car began to drift across the road as it slowly crossed the white dotted line. But being that there were no other vehicles on the road in his lane he didn't take notice. That is, until he saw the bright headlights blearing at him through the front windshield, and the deafening noise of what sounded to be a fog horn. For it seems not only did he cross the white lines, but the center divide as well and was now moving into oncoming traffic. Or a large oncoming truck to be more exact, with no intention of stopping or slowing down.
In those first seconds of realizing that their lives were in immediate danger and that they had a high probability of never making it through the night, he did absolutely nothing. For his body had seemed to instantly freeze and clam up at the sight as his mind was going into overdrive and trying to send its pulses to the extremities, hoping that they would respond. Then, as if all of a sudden life was thrust back into his body, he made frantic movements to try and regain control of his vehicle. He was in a constant state of dishevelment as his boots tried and tried again to find the break pedal as though all memories about ever having driven this car were thrust from his head. His world became blurry and his life flashed before his eyes as he tried to regain his concentration that had been torn in to shreds and left on the back seat. When finally he picked up with little focus he had left, he fearfully looked out the window in front of him as his mind was forced to take in the sights.
His eyes went wide as his paws gripped the steering wheel as if it were the rim on the last helicopter out of a bombed base. He gave numerous loud yelps as the truck barreled down the highway at them. The fact that his friend was sleeping right next to him was pushed from his mind as he began to turn the wheel back in the direction they came and hoped to god that it didn't spin out of control. The little orange junk pile of a car instantly responded as it moaned with a couple of angry puffs from it's tailpipe and the screeching from its tires as it skidded across the old and broken tar. After a few heart wrenching seconds, and with the truck only about 100 feet from their position, and them still like sitting ducks in the middle of the lane, the car turned around and got in the right position to speed back across the middle yellow lines that would bring to salvation.
With out another moment of hesitation he punched the gas pedal down as far as it would go, and if it came out through the floor he couldn't have cared less. The buggy then lurched forward as his head snapped back with the sudden application of force. He could see the yellow lines the meant safety coming up fast in front of them as he turned to his left and out of his window saw the truck ever closer. He estimated in his head that the truck would reach their position in about ten seconds as he then calculated the distance to the divide, and was shocked when he realized that they wouldn't make it.
Five seconds passed as they closed on their goal with the tons of moving steel flying only feet behind them, its horn still ringing in his ears. Two more seconds passed as he could almost feel the heat radiating from the headlights of the large beast on their tail. With only about three seconds left he estimated, he stomped on the gas pedal with his other foot as the car jumped again, sending more frustrated moans from the rickety metal. Another second passed as he could see the cracks in the paint on the stripes and could smell the fumes being issued forth from the truck only feet away while still making no attempt to slow down.
His vision began to get blurry as he realized that he was shedding tears, but had no time to clear them and tried to see through them. With one second left he felt the front tires pass over the center lines as he gave a small yelp when he felt the sudden change in the response of the wheels. But he then resumed holding his breath as he realized that the back was still in the path of the giant truck. But as the last second slowly clicked away he felt the rush of air pass over the car as the vehicle rushed onwards in the opposite direction. The color of the monster was only a blur of monotone shades as he couldn't believe what had happen. But as the front passed his view, he felt a tug coming from the rear as it struck him that he was not completely over the line. The car began to be dragged back a bit but was suddenly thrust forward with a new sense of passion as a creaking sound can be heard from behind.
As the car rushed into the correct lanes he finally summoned up enough courage to peer into his rear mirror and was startled by his luck. For there, laying right where the car had been only moments before, was the rear bumper now completely flat. He continued to hold his breath until he steadied what was left of the car and drifted over to the shoulder before stopping. He let out his breath slowly as he wiped the droplets from his eyes and gave a couple of yips of joy. He raised his paws into the air as he hoped up and down in his seat, forgetting that his passenger existed until he heard, over his shouting, a fait moaning.
Hesitantly he turned to his right as he caught sight of his partner' s eye struggling to open and take in the light that was cascading down from the street light above them. He was instantly captivated as he saw the brown lens begin to focus on his surroundings. He watched the burnt umber colored orbs scan the dank inside of the car where their owner now reside. The body of the canine shuffled in the seat as he sat himself upright and unfolded his arms as he looked curiously around; he seemed to be in a state of shock. His muzzle became agape as he stared out of the driver's side window and recognized the flat piece of metal as their prior back bumper now laying over four lanes over. Finally summing the energy required, he spoke in a bit of a shake, "Wha-what happened Maxi?"
Maxi became suddenly relived as he heard the other spoke, his face became relaxed as he spoke in the best voice he could manage. "Oh....that, nothing. Don't worry about it Jason." He then raised his paw as he brushed against it the cheek of the canine as he felt the bumps of the scabs. Jason gave a small whimper of discomfort from the pressure, and hearing this Maxi instantly pulled back his fingers and stifled a gasp as he nodded solemnly. "H-How are you feeling?"
Jason ran his own paw over his face, gently touching his puffy eye and feeling the swelling of the nice bruise. He winced as he rubbed his ears in an attempt to get them alert as he didn't even bother trying to fix is distraught hair. He checked his face out thoroughly, though he made sure to stay clear from the rope burns on his muzzle, not wanting to cause them to sting again. He only nodded as he looked over to the driver, "I'm alright, considering..." as he let his voice trail off. He watched his friend hang his head down as placed his paw on his shoulder that was closest to him and gave it a small friendly squeeze.
The driver stared down at the pedals for some time as he finally choked the words from his dry throat and spoke with the hint of a tremor in his voice. "I...I...was so worried, I'm so sorry. I..." as his talking stopped and his body began to shake and convulse in sobs. He felt the first few droplets roll over his cheek and down his chin only to fall on his paws positioned below. He barely noticed when the canine had taken him in his arms and pulled his chest even though he felt Jason wince at the added pressure.
The canine wore a worried look on his face as he cradled the upper half of his friend, his paws gently running along the back of Maxi's head. What ever noise the other made was muffled by the crumpled t-shirt that he was wearing. He spoke in a calm voice as he grunted a bit once and while from having to adjust himself to get more comfortable. "Shhh...it's alright, let us not speak of such things now, okay?"
Maxi grunted a bit in acknowledgement as he slowly lifted his head from against the other's chest and had a much better look at the cloth the covered his companions torso. There were numerous tears and rips in it that he imagined had gone through to touch flesh but pushed that thought from his mind. He could see the stains of many different colored dried liquids spread across the neck line. The splatter pattern was consisted of a child that tried to drink to much with one gulp. After a few minutes he realized that he was staring and looked up at the other's face and into the kind eyes he knew so well as he nodded swiftly, wiping the tears from his eyes and smearing them on his sleeve. "Yes.....you are absolutely right. It's neither the time nor place for such a conversation.."
The canine only nodded solemnly as he leaned over and gave a gentle peck on his friends cheek. His paws then went to rest back on his lap as he leaned into the back of the seat. "Maxi.....you have been driving for hours, why don't you let me take the wheel...please.." as his right paw went to jiggling the handle on the door as he strained to open it.
The other let out a small gash of astonishment, as he shook his head vigorously and sounded in a half pleading manner. "you are in no condition to drive....you can barely move without hurting yourself. I'll be more attentive from now on, I promise. Okay?" as he rested his paws back on the wheel and readjusted his seatbelt that had become loose during his tearing episode.
Jason said nothing as he released his grip on the door handle and settled back into his seat. He adjusted his seating arrangement as he stretched out his legs to get the blood flowing again. Maxi was able to get a quick glimpse of the canine's legs as he lifted them up to relieve some pressure and get the feeling back in his joints. He could see through the tears and rips in the black jeans, the battered and bruised fur that lay beneath. He could see the edges of cuts and blisters as he turned away quickly, determined to keep concentration on the road ahead.
Maxi slowly turned the key in the ignition as he heard the car rumble and sputter a couple of times before dying out. He let out a string of profanities a mile long as he clenched his paws into fists and started banging the steering wheel for all it's worth. Suddenly Jason's voice cut through his thoughts with a loud, "Maximillion! Stop this right now and calm down..." as his voice then became horse and he started coughing violently. The canine put a paw to his mouth to stifle the eruptions as he lifted it back he could see a small amount of blood on the top of his fur. He quickly wiped it away and stared out the window so that the other couldn't see his condition.
Maxi halted instantly as he turned to his passenger with sorrow in his eyes as he saw the other refusing to look at him. He stayed silent as he turned the key again and heard as more sputtering happened, followed by a small purr as the car rebounded back into life. slowly he turned the wheel and set the vehicle into motion as he moved back into the regular lanes and continued on the dark road.
After some time had passed his paw reached over and began fumbling with the radio as he tried to figure out how to turn it on, hoping some music would calm them down. He got more aggravated when he couldn't find the button that he began to clench his paw into another fist and was ready to beat the information from the car itself. But the oak colored creature gently placed a paw over his to lower it back to the steering wheel, "here....you are doing enough...let me get the music..." as he adjusted the settings before pushing the power button.
After a bit of static, what sounded to be country singers yodeling with marbles in their mouths, and some talk show on the benefits of an all cheese diet. He finally settled down on a channel that was already half way through a song. The car continued to travel down the barren road as the tune was in the middle of a music cord, when finally words were spoken from the grate that was the radio. In a gruff voice and obviously male they screamed over a loud rock/punk sounds. "It's a nice day for a....white wedding!!"
From the time that the chorus was spoken and for a couple of seconds afterward, time had seemed to stop again for the passengers in the car as all fell silent to the sounds of the road. Slowly the Jason turned to the driver as his voice sounded soft yet full of a mild surprise at the accident. "I'm...sorry, I didn't mean..."
Quickly the passenger was interrupted by the shaky yet stern voice of Maxi as he peered over the steering wheel as he concentrated on the road ahead. "Please.." he said quickly as his paws vibrated on the leather, "turn it off...I don't want any more music.." he then let his voice fall away as he pressed hard on the gas, making the car thrust forward into the bleakness of the pavement ahead.
Jason only nodded slowly as he moved his paw slowly over the far knob and pushed it in with a little click to signal that the music was stifled. He then laid back in his seat as he shook a bit to try and get comfortable, distributing his weight around so that he wouldn't apply any more pressure then needed to, to his sore areas. Each time the car hit a pot hole he would bounce on his seat, causing him to cough and one again produce a small dribble of blood from his mouth. He quickly wiped up each thread of liquid before it became visible and wiped it on the back of his already heavily soiled shirt.
Maxi could see none of his motions as he was fully determined not to loose sight of the road again and let history repeat itself. But those words to the song, even though he heard them for only a split second, ringed in his head like a gong. Wedding....wedding, he even began to whisper out loud as he could feel himself drift a bit, "wedding...white wedding" He then caught himself in the act as he honked the car's disturbed horn. His ears ringed with the bleating noise as he instantly snapped out of it but was sagging in his seat.
Jason's head turned slightly from his most recent expulsion of blood from his mouth as he shoved the red film on his shirt. His face too, sagged from the distress from the earlier in the day as his eyes were half closed against the dank background of the car. He gave a small sigh as he tried to straiten in his seat before talking slowly. "hey....we are both at wits end, so how about we stop for the night...what do you say?" as he rose his voice at the last part to give a glimmer of excitement.
Slowly the driver's head angled toward him as he nodded slowly before turning back to face the road as he began to talk in a tired voice. "alright....the next exit I see...there must be a place with vacancies somewhere around here. I really don't want t sleep in this hunk of junk.." as he gave the car door a swift hit with his paw, making the metal rattle from the vibrations. "how much money do we have?" was his next question, as he reached into his pocket and drew forth some crumpled bills and a flea ridden wallet and tossed it to the passenger.
The canine caught the wallet with a single paw as the bills drifted to fall in-between the seats as they fell into the darkness. Jason stuffed the leather pouch behind him as he reached over to bend as his fingers wiggled inside the crack as they tried to find the currency. "hold on....let me dig deeper.." he stated as he struggled. Suddenly he heard a audible crack as he felt his back give out on him, and his mouth opened up to howl in pain as he instantly sat up and laid into the back of the seat. He panted as he rubbed his aching spine and looked painfully at the driver.
The driver's ears instantly perked up as he heard the scream right next to him. He let his right paw drift from the wheel as he ran it along under the seat as he found the money and folded back into his pocket. He then took in a deep breathe as he could only guess at what time it was since the clock in the car had been busted a while back and he never had a inkling to fix it. "alright, I'm sure we can think of something if we don't have enough....just hold on...there should be an off-ramp somewhere around here..." as he looked back and forth across the road as he tried to see a sign that would point them to their next stop.
After a couple more minutes without success in locating their new destination, they finally found salvation. A barely lit highway sign reflected the headlights from the car as Maxi was barely able to make out the letting from the faded paint. Slowly he read the sign to his companion who had his eyes closed as was whimpering silently. "next left...Split Infinity Hotel...vacancies.." he then let out a sigh as he drove past it. "well...looks like that's our stop."
Jason nodded slowly though he kept his eyes shut and tried to get comfortable. "thank you, Maxi...this way we can get a fresh start in the morning...besides...they'd never look for us here.." as he wiped his brow of sweat and laid back on the seat, careful not to hurt his sprained back. His tongue rested out of his muzzle as he panted from being stuck in the car with another person in the hot weather.
The driver kept his face hidden in the darkness as he drove for another mile or two before seeing the turn and sweeping over into the lane. He removed his right paw from the wheel as he braced his friend to his seat. "hold on Jason....I'm making the turn." As he urged the car to follow his will and turned onto the side road. The nice smooth pavement instantly vanished as the wheels bounced along on the dirt road.
The dog grunted in response to each movement as his body hoped slightly off the seat from each pothole the tires ran over. He opened his eyes slightly as he took in the dark soundings as he tried to get his mind off his throbbing body. The only source of light that could be seen as they made their way over the forsaken path was the headlights from the car. He could see the bleak wilderness that seemed to starch like a thick black ocean for all the eye could see. He could make out shapes of creatures in the distance as they scampered over the branches and through the brush at the forest floor.
Maxi too kept his eyes focused on the immediate area as he scoured the road for any sign of where they were supposed to go. He noticed the many tracks in the mud below as they drove ever onwards to their place of rest. Finally out of the corner of his eye he saw what looked to be a very well kept sign hanging from a long tree branch. "alright Jason...here we are, just hold on there buddy. I'm going to turn in, so brace yourself again.."
And with that the canine gripped tightly the handle on the door as the tires bumped up off the dirt road an onto the new turf of gravel. The small rocks made the car vibrate and clank with every inch of movement as he surveyed the soundings. Both occupants were taken back as they drove into the parking lot of the motel. The large two storied building towered above the surrounding trees as its veneered wood finish shimmered from the light of the orange buggy.
The multi story warehouse was colored a light beige in color as the wooden boards were fastened tightly to one another. There were rhythmic brush strokes of greens and reds all across the side of the building that added a fantasy like depth to the structure. Multiple doors lined the side that they were facing as a window on either side accompanied each entrance way. The shinny brass numbers the stood out like beacons against a cloudy sky could easily be seen from the car. They finally drove into an unmarked parking space as neither one of them said a word and just stared at the large hotel right in front of them.
This is only the first part of my story, with plenty more to arrive soon. and i plan on making things get a bit more intresting as time goes on. so i want to thank you....the loyal reader...for reading all the way to the end, and i would aslo really like it if you could leave some comments...good or bad...i respect all opinions.