1. The boot ride of a lifetime

“One of you’s gonna have to jump in the boot.” said Jasper, as we piled around Wesley’s car.

“Why us?” asked Michael, peering inside the small car boot.

“Because we have to bring Nan with us and she’s not going inside the boot and neither are we.” Chimed Wesley, dropping into the front passenger seat.

“Why don’t we all just cram in the back?” I pressed.

“Because we need the element of surprise in case shit goes south.” said Jasper, slipping his keys into the ignition.

“Why would we need an element of surprise?” I asked more.

“Our uncle’s a bit funny about meeting new people. If he sees two of you, who knows what he’ll do.” Jasper said.

Michael scoffed, “I think we can handle that.”

Jasper shook his head, “Nah I don’t think you could. He’s been inside for manslaughter.”

Their grandmother cleared her wheezy throat, “You mind keeping that to yourself, Jasper? Fred’s a saint. He didn’t do it.”

“Well he’s not gonna do anything stupid unless he wants to go back.” Michael argued, slipping into the back seat.

“Looks like you’re in the boot, brosé.” said Wesley.

“Nah, fuck all that, move over Nan.” I said to their grandmother.

I squeezed into the remaining passenger seat, and buckled in.

“Alright, don’t blame us if you end up headless.” Jasper stated, starting the car engine.

We pulled off from the curb, and made our way towards the western motorway.

Wesley turned to face his grandmother, “Mind if I bludge a smoke Nan?”

His grandmother pulled out her 50 pack of Pall Malls and passed two to Wesley, “Give one to Jasper.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Wesley did as she did and off we went on our adventure up north. Through the western tunnels, over the harbour bridge, through the northern toll road and halfway through dome valley.

We didn’t talk for the majority of the trip, as could be expected. I mean I’d beaten the heck out of Wesley and Michael had staunched out Jasper. Sometimes something happens after two men get into a scuffle where they respect one another.

But that wasn’t the case with Wesley and I, at least not on my end. The guy had somehow gotten hold of our phones. I wanted to bring it up with Wesley but I felt that now was not the time.

Right now we were at the transportational mercy of Jasper, who could drive us to an early grave if he got agitated and swerved.

We turned off into a gravel road on the side of the dome valley, making way through a pass of mountains cloaked in pine trees as far as the eye can see.

I began to wonder how much further we had to go and just how serious they were about their manic uncle. Had he really been convicted of murder? Or were they just having us on.

I heard of sharp scratching sound ringing in my ears. The sound of finger tips running against something worn yet hard.

I peered into the front seat and suddenly noticed that Wesley was holding the rusty machete in his lap and that their grandmother was on her third consecutive cigarette.

There was not a soul in sight that would hear Michael and I scream before Wesley hacked our heads off. That remark that one of them had made about trying not to become headless was a sinister joke that employed foreshadowing.

I looked around for a shack, a shed, an abandoned house, a ditch or even a river where they would then hide our bodies to rot away.

My mind began to race as the gravel road turned to mud and the native bush became thicker and thicker. I wanted to check my phone but then I remembered that that was half the reason we were out here; To find the job contract and rescue ourselves from Marlon grade poverty.

Suddenly the vehicle veered off to the right and we continued up a long hidden driveway towards a slanting shack. Our resting place.

Michael and I didn’t exchange words, we simply sat in our seats frozen. But I could feel his rising pulse and even If he didn’t want to admit it, he was scared.

“Alright, get out.” Jasper said, pulling his handbrake up.

I swallowed a pool of my saliva, “Your uncle stays here?”

“Yeah, he’s off the grid. Kinda has to be.” replied Jasper, dropping the machete into the foot bay of the car and opening his door.

My pulse began to slowly subside, but it was still there. I thought to reach for the rusty blade, but I thought against it since I’d I did that then that would only cause their deranged uncle to become fierce.

I stood next to Michael as we waited for Fred to reveal himself.

Jasper looked at us, “Just so you know, I gave you fair warning that my uncle might flip when he sees you both.” He then turned to the shack and cupped both his hands around his mouth; “FRED!”

“Let me out, I need to see my boy!” the grandmother ordered, shoving my leg aside.

I looked at Michael, who looked at me, and then we both hopped out of the cramped vehicle.

I looked around at my surroundings. I could almost feel the presence of a strange being watching us from behind a tree.

My work boots sank into a light bog beneath us and then I noticed that the car's wheels were heavily submerged in deep puddles of mud.

“There he is, my sweet boy.”

“Sup uncle.”

I watched as a tall, horseshoe haircut, messy bearded man with green eyes shuffled towards his Mother from behind the shack door.

He had a large scar on the left side of his head, dark bags under his eyes, and the hair he did have left on the sides of his hair were messy and unkempt. This abomination was their Uncle Fred, he was more ghastly than I had imagined.

“What’s the occasion?” Fred muttered. Itching his grimey arm.

Jasper pointed his thumb back at Michael and I, “These two need to have a talk with that guy you’ve got in there.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because he tried scamming them as well. They said they’d give us jobs if we got them their truck back.” Jasper stated, folding his arms.

“You shouldn’t be here right now.” Fred replied.

“No, I get that. We’ll be outta here soon. Just need to chop shop with the guy in there for a quick moment.” Jasper insisted.

“That’s gonna be a bit difficult.”

“You didn’t kill him did you?” asked Jasper.

“Nah, he’s just in the woods somewhere inside the pine Forest.” Fred answered, spitting brown saliva onto the ground.

“He escaped?!” Jasper exclaimed.

“Yeah.” Fred laughed.

“Shit man that’s not good. He’s gonna run to the cops and you’ll be back in there!” Jasper cursed.

Would that be such a bad thing, I muttered under my breath.

“Do you still have shogun?” Jasper asked, looking over towards the slanted shack.

“I do.” Fred said.

“Grab shogun, we’re going hunting.” Jasper finished, following Fred towards his shack.