6 Festus Cab Service

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Goal:

$50/$500

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The decision to walk all the way there wasn't one that Chion found very appealing, so he took the safer option, figuring out how to call a cab using the landlines provided by the hotel.

The youth didn't know how far the trek was nor how long it would take him to get from point A to point B. He also would more than likely run into numerous creatures of the unsavory type during the course of his adventure, which was a hard pass. Taking on an unknown human assailant sounded much more plausible than engaging a swarm of pidgeons or a mechanical tank, especially since the human would be focused on driving. That was even if the driver was looking to start a conflict, which was such a low percentage that it was almost negligible. In any way Chion looked at it, the cab was the best route to pick in the current situation.

The cab pulled up a few minutes after the youth made the call, arriving in a bright yellow car reminiscent of a banana.

Clambering inside, Chion closed the door and whipped out his map of New York. Without the driver having to say a single word, the youth tapped the circled spot and handed it to the middle-aged driver. With cigar clutched in hand, the man took it and gave it a brief glance over. After a few moments, he handed it back.

Leaning towards the front, the smoker pulled out a lighter. "It's gonna take us around 2 and a half hours to get there with traffic. 350 up front, cash, or debit."

Chion didn't even blink as he handed the man a whole $500. The man merely gave the kid a look as he counted the bills, an eyebrow raised with a questioning expression. Giving the driver an affirming nod, Chion leaned back in his seat and buckled up.

"You sure you wanna head there kid?" The driver asked, brown hues glancing at the teen from the rear view mirror. "There's nothing there but strawberry fields.

"I'm not sure," Chion answered honestly. "I guess I'll figure it out when I get there."

After that, the man fell silent, pulling out of the hotel parking lot and beginning the long drive to the requested destination. Chion zoned out, thinking about the possibilities awaiting him when he got there, trying his best to forsee an outcome that could help him. Really, any outcome at all that wasn't a dead end, be it good or bad. This was one of the only clues he had to work with aside from the two other visions that didn't offer any more than the talking pine tree had.

Eventually, some twenty minutes in, it began to rain. A light drizzle quickly became a torrent that blurred the passenger side windows quite considerably.

"So, what's troubling you if you don't mind me asking?" The driver was the first to break the ice. "Don't mean to pry, but a young man travellin' alone with a backpack? To the middle of nowhere?"

Chion pulled his gaze away from the window. "Let's me ask you something instead."

"Okay."

"Let's say you were being hunted by monsters that wanted you dead to rights, and you had no memory of who you are or what was going on. How would you handle it?"

"Like, literally? Or is this a metaphor for something?" The drivers eyes were focused on the road, but Chion could still see the confusion written on his face. "I imagine most people would be dead in that situation if you mean literally. No memories? Monsters? I can't exactly run away fast enough. Just look at how I'm built. Would probably just lie down and give up or get crippled from the stress of the situation."

"Just like that?"

"Well, now. There isn't much anyone can do under normal circumstances. Unknown attackers and no memories that might help. I have a drive to live, but it takes more than that to truly do something that badass." The driver glanced briefly at the youth in the rearview. "If one could survive that situation and even defeat the monsters then they would have to be a different beast altogether. It greatly depends on the type of monsters but I reckon most people would be dead in a matter of minutes, maybe a day at the most. Now, if we're talking metaphorically-"

The driver fully launched himself into the topic, putting his whole chest into the question. Instead of giving a short answer and getting back to the question he had initially asked, he went in depth on what he thought. For the next 30 or so minutes, Chion listened to the man as they drove through the wide stretch of Long Island, rain coming down in sheets. Though the man was chatty and gruff looking, he was actually quite wise and well versed in the ways of life, no doubt something that stemmed from years of experience. Even with the youths situation being what it is, he managed to detract some words of encouragement and genuine advice from the man's long-winded speech.

It was only after they had traveled more than two thirds of the way to their destination that the driver asked the real question.

"Why did you want to know about it though? Being chased by monsters?"

Chion let out a small laugh, a nervous one that didn't quite come out all the way. "Of course not. It was just a hypothetical my friends came up with. The answer supposedly tells a lot about one's personality."

"And what about my personality?"

"Heck if I know," Chion smiled bitterly. "I didn't get the chance to ask them."

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It took a while, but the cab finally reached the intended destination, or at least what Chion believed to be the destination. With how hard it was coming down, it was difficult to discern anything except rows upon rows of strawberry fields in the far distance.

"This is the place. You sure you wanna get out here kid?" The driver unlocked the door, glancing back to the youth with a concerned look. "I can take you someplace else if you want. My treat."

"No, this is far enough." Whether or not it was the location, Chion had already made the decision to keep the man as far from himself as possible, unwilling to drag the stranger into his problems. "Thank you for the ride, as well as the explanation. It helped me out more than you might think."

"Don't mention it." The driver smiled, putting another cigar into his mouth. "You take care kid. Also, take this."

Reaching into the cup holders next to him, the driver pulled out a stack of cards slung together with a rubber band. Slipping one out, the gruff looking man handed it to the youth. Chion took it and gave it a once over.

FESTUS CAB SERVICE.

Forging A Path To Your Destination

"If you ever need a ride, no matter where you are, just dial the number on the card, then hang up. It's good for three uses. For now, it's the most I'm allowed to do. You have your struggles ahead of you, and the path you walk might be a long and painful one. Believe in yourself and persevere, drive towards your own destiny, and forge it with your own two hands." The drivers voice became a lot more serious, and a lot more powerful, as if something big was behind it. "There will be things you don't understand and things that you may not WANT to understand. Just know that things had to happen the way they did in order to keep the balance of everything and everyone in check. It's no fault of your own, but you'll have to suffer the consequences of another. I'm sorry."

"What are you-"

"If you go straight from this spot, you'll find a large Pine tree about half a mile into the woods. Pass that, and you'll be safe." Festus smiled, one filled with bitterness and sadness. "Good luck, Chion Pagos. Your father would be proud."

The youth in question wasn't even sure how to process everything he had just heard, let alone properly formulate any sort of response. All the white-haired individual could do was thank the man and step out of the cab, Festus having already dismissed him from the vehicle. He wanted to stay, to bombard the man with question after question, to empty the mountain of inquiries that were rapidly taking root in the forefront of Chions head. Still, even if he wanted to, the youth would only be wasting his breath since the man would have explained everything already if he had been able to.

Giving the man a bow, something that just felt right in the moment, Chion closed the door, shouldering his backpack. The cab revved up and drove off into the rain, disappearing completely in the thick sheets of descending liquid.

A bombshell. That's the only way the teenager could describe what had just happened. An explosion of information that Chion hadn't prepared himself for, that he hadn't expected to happen in the slightest. For what felt like the longest, the youth merely stood in the road, being doused from head to toe in rainwater, his clogged brain halting for the first time since regaining consciousness a day prior. Too many unanswered questions. Too many mysteries that remained unsolved and were no closer to ever being solved. It was only when Chions palm began to itch that he snapped out of it, adrenaline shooting through his system.

Despite having been braindead, the white-haired amnesiac quickly took a battle stance as he looked around, prepared to either fight or flee.

It was hard to see in the pouring rain, but the youth could FEEL something watching him, and that's what had triggered his bodies adrenaline, sensing the approach a dangerous entity. Once again, just like back in Canarsie, Chion was once again back into the midst of something sinister.

There truly was no rest for the wicked.

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