Any actual names, non original content, or likenesses of celebrities are used in a fictitious and parodic manner.
CHAPTER TEN: HOMECOMING! AMBUSH IN ANDREW! OR, IN WHICH DEAN RETURNS TO HIS OLD STOMPING GROUNDS AND ARIEL STOMPS A MUDHOLE IN THE LOCAL YOUTH GANG.
“There’s no place like home…” - Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz”
“I just whipped your ass son, and that’s the bottom line!” - Austin 3:16
“Do you think about me now and then?/Do you think about me now and then?/Cause I'm coming home again/I'm in home again/Do you think about me now and then?/Do you think about me now and then?/Oooh, now I'm coming home again/Maybe we can start again” - Kanye West and Chris Martin, “Homecoming”
“Why are you doing this again?” Karen asked Dean as made the turn off towards his old home.
While Kevin, Donnie and Sarah returned back to Vegreville to do initial lab work on the corn monsters, Dean and Karen – along with Ryan and Ariel – began their search for any pockets of survivors in the area. They initially started the search around surrounding farms near the Toroshenko homestead, but could not find anything of significant. Not even in the nearby village of Willingdon were signs of life found either. Though jokingly Dean suggested the area has been dead for years, and needed not a nuclear strike to snuff out its life. They were making their way to Andrew, another small town that was about ten miles west of Willingdon. However, on their way to Andrew, Dean again decided to stop at the farm of his youth. While it may have seem this area of Alberta has been spared from any of the fallout possibly going on in Edmonton, Dean thought maybe he and his family have been given a second chance.
Dean had just pulled up to the metal gate of the driveway. He had noticed the note he placed there before going into hiding was now gone. He stepped out of his Explorer and looked around the surrounding yard, noticing no movement at all anywhere.
Karen stepped out also. “Maybe they went into hiding as well” she said, trying to reassure Dean.
“Maybe you’re right. Or maybe he came out after we left and tore the note up.” Dean stated with a tinge of pessimism in his voice.
Ryan came out as well. “Can we go already? I’m hungry and Yosemite Samantha in there is giving me the heebie jeebies.”
“She didn’t make a move on you, did she?” Karen asked.
“Well, she keeps asking me about my family history. Like if there is a lot of chronic diseases and stuff.” Ryan replied.
Dean and Karen smiled at each other, knowing full in well that Ariel was sizing up the young man for the purpose of impregnating her.
“Just tell her you have a fever, and the only cure is more cowbell!” Dean said, trying hard not to laugh.
“Either that or, say you have the Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”, Karen also said, straining to keep a straight face.
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Well, I guess if it meant repopulating the human species, she would be third from our current crop of women, with Sarah being second and you being first” he said looking at Karen.
“Yeah, well, I think Donnie would object to you doing his wife, and Dean is on my top list of men I want in our group.” Karen came back with rather sharply.
“Aww crap!” Ryan muttered to himself as he went back into to the Explorer. Dean and Karen also made their way back there.
“Really? I’m flattered.” Dean said to Karen, planting a quick peck on her cheek.
Andrew, Alberta - home of the world’s largest mallard duck and the small town that Dean went to school in. It felt odd for Dean to drive through a town that had a lot of memories for him, despite only going to school there. Much like Willingdon, there appeared to be no sign of life at all in the town. As they turned down and headed towards the main street of the town, the business hub of the village if one could call it that, it looked different than the seamlessly ghost town that Willingdon was. They drove by the hotel and the Co-Op grocery store and noticed while the parking lot was empty, the store seemed open.
“Can’t we get something to eat?” Ryan moaned.
“I don’t think anything is open here.” Dean replied, but then noticed a big gaping hole in the side window of the grocery store. Even the entrance doors appeared to be victims of either vandalism or looting or even a simple break-in.
“Well it looks like someone too exception to that.” Karen said.
“If it’s every man and woman for themselves, I say we go in there and take what we need!” Ariel insisted.
“I… surprisingly agree with her.” Ryan said sheepishly, and kind of turned away when he noticed Ariel looked at him with a peculiar twinkle in her eye. “That and I am just freaking starving!”
“All right, fine, we’ll go loot the Co-Op.” Dean said. It was weird saying that as it was one of his weird dreams from his youth. Dean pulled into the parking lot and stopped as everyone made their way out and headed into the store, except for Ariel who stood outside and guarded the door. While Dean, Karen, and Ryan made their way through the store like a group of shopping spree winners, Ariel heard what sounded like a twig snapping. With her senses slightly heightened, Ariel moved towards the sound. She moved slowly like a hunter looking for its prey and headed towards a large garbage dumpster. She peaked behind the corner of the green metal container, hand on the trigger of her gun, but then pulled it off when she realized what was behind there. Two little girls were sitting there, huddled together and eating what appeared to be licorice sticks.
“Why hello there”, Ariel said as she approached them quietly and let her guard down. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. Where are your mommies or daddies at?” She asked. Both of the girls simply stared at Ariel and noticed the shotgun she had in her hands. They cowered in fear of Ariel.
“Guys with guns took them away” one girl quietly said.
“Are you taking us to them?” the other one sheepishly spoke up.
“Do you know where they went to?” Ariel asked
“They never told us. We were hiding in the school when they came.” The first girl said
“Then Butch told us to listen to him.” The second girl said nervously.
“Who is Butch?” Ariel asked.
“He is one of the big kids. He called himself the new leader since our mommies went away.”
“Please help us. We want our mommies back.” The second girl pleaded.
Ariel looked back and saw Dean and company loading up with foodstuffs. “I’ll talk to my friends there and see what we can do.” She told the little girls, who were slowly learning to trust Ariel, despite being still scared of her gun. Ariel motioned for the girls to follow her as they made their way over to the Explorer. Ariel explained in what little detail she was able to get from the little girls.
“Well, it’s a start.” Dean concluded. “But that does not make sense. Why would only the adults be evacuated and the children left behind?”
Karen was about to speak but then heard a sound in the not too distant surrounding. It sounded like one of those air horns they sold at hockey games, and then the shouts of children filled the air. Suddenly they were surrounded by about thirty or so youths – ranging from what appeared to be ages of eight to some in their early to late teens. One of the older looking children, a brown-haired boy with what looked like to be a fox pelt draped across his shoulders, approached Dean and his group, and looked like he wished to speak to them.
“I’m Butch, leader of this village.” The kid spoke. “Why have you come here? Did you bring the grups back too?
“’Grups’?” Karen whispered into Dean’s ear.
Dean shook his head in disbelief at Butch and whispered back to Karen “’Star Trek’ reference Kare Bear. One episode had Kirk and crew come to a planet where the adults were all dead and the children were infected with a disease causing them to age rapidly. They referred to the adults as ‘grups’.”
“Will you cut it out?” Ryan quietly protested. “Because I got a red shirt on and I know what happens to the red shirts on that show!”
“Silence” barked Butch. “Why are you here?” he demanded.
“We are survivors from Vegreville.” Karen spoke. “We are looking for others who may have survived as well. We will try and find your parents to restore…”
“… NO!” Butch interrupted with authority. “I control this town now! The grups will simply take that power away from me!”
“Then allow us to take some of the children here with us to find their parents.” Ariel requested.
“Out of the question!” Butch sneered. “No grups will take my people from me! In fact, you grups are prisoners!”
“On what charge?” Ryan foolishly asked.
“Theft of tribe property!” Butch said as he pointed to the groceries in the Explorer. By this time Ariel pulled her shotgun, which she had concealed under her jacket.
“So you like references, eh?” Ariel said as she pointed the gun in the air and let off a shot. The gang of youth all took a step back and the two little girls ducked and clamped onto the legs of Karen.
Ariel then went on: “Then listen here, fuckers! This is my boomstick! I got one and so do these three grups! Now we are taking what we have there, we are taking any kid who wants to come with us and there isn’t a goddamn thing you can do about it. And if you give me any lip at all, I’ll execute every last motherfucking one of you! Do I make MYSELF CLEAR?!” She then shot into the air again. Most of the youth scrambled away.
“Okay, you win! Jeez!” Butch said nervously and with a bit of a squeak in his voice.
“Huh. Phony toughs! Try and pick on little kids again and I’ll come back for the rest of your balls!” Ariel shouted as Dean, Karen, and Ryan all stood there shook and in disbelief.
“Uh, wow?” Dean said. “What was all that about?”
“Part of my street survival skills coming out again.” Ariel said. “Show that you’re the more dominant one in a gang situation and they’ll usually run off. Happens more so with freshly displaced youths.” She then looked at the little girls. “So, you want to come with us? We’ll do our best to find your parents, okay?”
The girls nodded their heads in agreement. Ariel opened the door on Dean’s vehicle and helped them in.
“Did you hear anything at all where your parents went to?” Karen asked.
“One of the guys with guns said something about Nameo.” The one girl said unsure of her answer.
“Doesn’t make sense,” Dean said. “Nameo is a military base near Edmonton. If Edmonton is a nuclear crater, why drag them into a potential hot spot?”
“I don’t know either.” Ryan said. “Looks like we got ourselves a little mystery on our hands here, huh Shaggy?”
Dean looked at Ryan as they both got into the SUV. Dean noted Ryan’s scruffy beard and loose blonde hair and said “Please, you are so Shaggy in this group! I think I’m Fred.”
Karen joined in the conversation. “I guess this makes me Daphne eh?” as she smiled.
“There is no way that makes me Velma!” Ariel protested. And for the first time a long time, Dean and company had a good laugh. Hopefully it would not be the last time they would.
While Kevin, Donnie and Sarah returned back to Vegreville to do initial lab work on the corn monsters, Dean and Karen – along with Ryan and Ariel – began their search for any pockets of survivors in the area. They initially started the search around surrounding farms near the Toroshenko homestead, but could not find anything of significant. Not even in the nearby village of Willingdon were signs of life found either. Though jokingly Dean suggested the area has been dead for years, and needed not a nuclear strike to snuff out its life. They were making their way to Andrew, another small town that was about ten miles west of Willingdon. However, on their way to Andrew, Dean again decided to stop at the farm of his youth. While it may have seem this area of Alberta has been spared from any of the fallout possibly going on in Edmonton, Dean thought maybe he and his family have been given a second chance.
Dean had just pulled up to the metal gate of the driveway. He had noticed the note he placed there before going into hiding was now gone. He stepped out of his Explorer and looked around the surrounding yard, noticing no movement at all anywhere.
Karen stepped out also. “Maybe they went into hiding as well” she said, trying to reassure Dean.
“Maybe you’re right. Or maybe he came out after we left and tore the note up.” Dean stated with a tinge of pessimism in his voice.
Ryan came out as well. “Can we go already? I’m hungry and Yosemite Samantha in there is giving me the heebie jeebies.”
“She didn’t make a move on you, did she?” Karen asked.
“Well, she keeps asking me about my family history. Like if there is a lot of chronic diseases and stuff.” Ryan replied.
Dean and Karen smiled at each other, knowing full in well that Ariel was sizing up the young man for the purpose of impregnating her.
“Just tell her you have a fever, and the only cure is more cowbell!” Dean said, trying hard not to laugh.
“Either that or, say you have the Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”, Karen also said, straining to keep a straight face.
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Well, I guess if it meant repopulating the human species, she would be third from our current crop of women, with Sarah being second and you being first” he said looking at Karen.
“Yeah, well, I think Donnie would object to you doing his wife, and Dean is on my top list of men I want in our group.” Karen came back with rather sharply.
“Aww crap!” Ryan muttered to himself as he went back into to the Explorer. Dean and Karen also made their way back there.
“Really? I’m flattered.” Dean said to Karen, planting a quick peck on her cheek.
Andrew, Alberta - home of the world’s largest mallard duck and the small town that Dean went to school in. It felt odd for Dean to drive through a town that had a lot of memories for him, despite only going to school there. Much like Willingdon, there appeared to be no sign of life at all in the town. As they turned down and headed towards the main street of the town, the business hub of the village if one could call it that, it looked different than the seamlessly ghost town that Willingdon was. They drove by the hotel and the Co-Op grocery store and noticed while the parking lot was empty, the store seemed open.
“Can’t we get something to eat?” Ryan moaned.
“I don’t think anything is open here.” Dean replied, but then noticed a big gaping hole in the side window of the grocery store. Even the entrance doors appeared to be victims of either vandalism or looting or even a simple break-in.
“Well it looks like someone too exception to that.” Karen said.
“If it’s every man and woman for themselves, I say we go in there and take what we need!” Ariel insisted.
“I… surprisingly agree with her.” Ryan said sheepishly, and kind of turned away when he noticed Ariel looked at him with a peculiar twinkle in her eye. “That and I am just freaking starving!”
“All right, fine, we’ll go loot the Co-Op.” Dean said. It was weird saying that as it was one of his weird dreams from his youth. Dean pulled into the parking lot and stopped as everyone made their way out and headed into the store, except for Ariel who stood outside and guarded the door. While Dean, Karen, and Ryan made their way through the store like a group of shopping spree winners, Ariel heard what sounded like a twig snapping. With her senses slightly heightened, Ariel moved towards the sound. She moved slowly like a hunter looking for its prey and headed towards a large garbage dumpster. She peaked behind the corner of the green metal container, hand on the trigger of her gun, but then pulled it off when she realized what was behind there. Two little girls were sitting there, huddled together and eating what appeared to be licorice sticks.
“Why hello there”, Ariel said as she approached them quietly and let her guard down. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. Where are your mommies or daddies at?” She asked. Both of the girls simply stared at Ariel and noticed the shotgun she had in her hands. They cowered in fear of Ariel.
“Guys with guns took them away” one girl quietly said.
“Are you taking us to them?” the other one sheepishly spoke up.
“Do you know where they went to?” Ariel asked
“They never told us. We were hiding in the school when they came.” The first girl said
“Then Butch told us to listen to him.” The second girl said nervously.
“Who is Butch?” Ariel asked.
“He is one of the big kids. He called himself the new leader since our mommies went away.”
“Please help us. We want our mommies back.” The second girl pleaded.
Ariel looked back and saw Dean and company loading up with foodstuffs. “I’ll talk to my friends there and see what we can do.” She told the little girls, who were slowly learning to trust Ariel, despite being still scared of her gun. Ariel motioned for the girls to follow her as they made their way over to the Explorer. Ariel explained in what little detail she was able to get from the little girls.
“Well, it’s a start.” Dean concluded. “But that does not make sense. Why would only the adults be evacuated and the children left behind?”
Karen was about to speak but then heard a sound in the not too distant surrounding. It sounded like one of those air horns they sold at hockey games, and then the shouts of children filled the air. Suddenly they were surrounded by about thirty or so youths – ranging from what appeared to be ages of eight to some in their early to late teens. One of the older looking children, a brown-haired boy with what looked like to be a fox pelt draped across his shoulders, approached Dean and his group, and looked like he wished to speak to them.
“I’m Butch, leader of this village.” The kid spoke. “Why have you come here? Did you bring the grups back too?
“’Grups’?” Karen whispered into Dean’s ear.
Dean shook his head in disbelief at Butch and whispered back to Karen “’Star Trek’ reference Kare Bear. One episode had Kirk and crew come to a planet where the adults were all dead and the children were infected with a disease causing them to age rapidly. They referred to the adults as ‘grups’.”
“Will you cut it out?” Ryan quietly protested. “Because I got a red shirt on and I know what happens to the red shirts on that show!”
“Silence” barked Butch. “Why are you here?” he demanded.
“We are survivors from Vegreville.” Karen spoke. “We are looking for others who may have survived as well. We will try and find your parents to restore…”
“… NO!” Butch interrupted with authority. “I control this town now! The grups will simply take that power away from me!”
“Then allow us to take some of the children here with us to find their parents.” Ariel requested.
“Out of the question!” Butch sneered. “No grups will take my people from me! In fact, you grups are prisoners!”
“On what charge?” Ryan foolishly asked.
“Theft of tribe property!” Butch said as he pointed to the groceries in the Explorer. By this time Ariel pulled her shotgun, which she had concealed under her jacket.
“So you like references, eh?” Ariel said as she pointed the gun in the air and let off a shot. The gang of youth all took a step back and the two little girls ducked and clamped onto the legs of Karen.
Ariel then went on: “Then listen here, fuckers! This is my boomstick! I got one and so do these three grups! Now we are taking what we have there, we are taking any kid who wants to come with us and there isn’t a goddamn thing you can do about it. And if you give me any lip at all, I’ll execute every last motherfucking one of you! Do I make MYSELF CLEAR?!” She then shot into the air again. Most of the youth scrambled away.
“Okay, you win! Jeez!” Butch said nervously and with a bit of a squeak in his voice.
“Huh. Phony toughs! Try and pick on little kids again and I’ll come back for the rest of your balls!” Ariel shouted as Dean, Karen, and Ryan all stood there shook and in disbelief.
“Uh, wow?” Dean said. “What was all that about?”
“Part of my street survival skills coming out again.” Ariel said. “Show that you’re the more dominant one in a gang situation and they’ll usually run off. Happens more so with freshly displaced youths.” She then looked at the little girls. “So, you want to come with us? We’ll do our best to find your parents, okay?”
The girls nodded their heads in agreement. Ariel opened the door on Dean’s vehicle and helped them in.
“Did you hear anything at all where your parents went to?” Karen asked.
“One of the guys with guns said something about Nameo.” The one girl said unsure of her answer.
“Doesn’t make sense,” Dean said. “Nameo is a military base near Edmonton. If Edmonton is a nuclear crater, why drag them into a potential hot spot?”
“I don’t know either.” Ryan said. “Looks like we got ourselves a little mystery on our hands here, huh Shaggy?”
Dean looked at Ryan as they both got into the SUV. Dean noted Ryan’s scruffy beard and loose blonde hair and said “Please, you are so Shaggy in this group! I think I’m Fred.”
Karen joined in the conversation. “I guess this makes me Daphne eh?” as she smiled.
“There is no way that makes me Velma!” Ariel protested. And for the first time a long time, Dean and company had a good laugh. Hopefully it would not be the last time they would.
No comments:
Post a Comment