This Isn't A Game Anymore (VenturianTale fan fiction)

Chapter 9- A Short Drive

        Toast slammed the car door closed, turning the key in the ignition with such speed that he almost broke it. Mumbling to himself, he glanced behind him to make sure the siblings were inside. Seeing that they were(relatively) safely seated in the back, he slammed his foot on the gas pedal. The van shook for a few moments before lurching forward and then backward, zooming out of the driveway in a haphazard sort of way. Toast muttered a short apology and rocketed onto the empty street.

        A few short intervals passed in awkward silence. Ghost whistled to the tune of “Still Breathing” in the passengers’ seat, propping his legs up on the dashboard. He’d always had a liking for the “louder” variety of music, whereas Toast prefered the classics. He’d tried taking up the violin, but Ghost found it annoying and Toast quickly put an end to that hobby.

        Toast glanced at Johnny Ghost for a moment, expression unreadable. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel, clutching it as if his life depended on it. Jordan reasoned that it was most likely because his life might as well be on the line. He was sitting right next to a serial killer, after all. Well, the host of one.

        “Where are we going, anyway?” Ghost asked all of a sudden, his voice making Toast jump. “I mean, we have no idea where Casket’s going.”

        “Good point,” Cierra said. She recieved a look from Bethany, which she ignored.

        “Where would he go to find a gateway between realms?” Ghost asked to no one in particular. “An anomaly, maybe. A place where dimensions ripple and crack, and- Whoa, I just got all Shakespeare right there. Write that down. I wanna remember that I said that if I ever write a book.”

        Toast rolled his eyes.

        “Y’know,” Ghost continued. “I was thinking about birds a few seconds ago and that reminded me. Do you recall the call we received last week? Hey, that rhymed.”

        Jordan noticeably shivered.

        Ghost either didn’t notice or didn’t care, because he continued mostly unfazed. “With the interdimensional microwave?”

        “It was not a microwave,” Toast said, not even taking his eyes off of the road. “It was a-”

        “Doesn’t matter,” Ghost insisted. “Not my point. It looks like a microwave. Anyway, don’t you remember what happened?”

        Unexpectedly, Jordan was actually the one to reply. “A rift to the Thirteenth Dimension opened and Officer Maloney sacrificed himself to save everyone.”

        Ghost’s face was twisted into a question mark as he looked at Jordan. “How did you know?”

        Toast took five seconds and explained it all in a tense tone. None of the siblings could actually understand the jumbled words that tumbled from his mouth, but Ghost evidently got the jist of it.

        “Well alright then,” Ghost said, not the least bit of astonishment or even surprise in his tone. “That clears things up. Now we know what Casket wants.”

        “And what would that be?” Toast asked, sarcasm lacing his words. His mood was sour.

        Ghost was about to respond, but a sudden throbbing pain in his head caused him to cringe and gasp. Toast’s eyes widened and he swerved the car off of the road, hitting three trash cans in the process of pulling over.

        “Sir, are you alright?!” He asked.

        Ghost opened his eyes, weakly smiled and nodded. “Y-yeah. I’m fine. Just a headache. No big deal.”

        Toast didn’t seem convinced. “Sir, take some medicine and try to calm down. I-”
        

        “I’m fine,” Ghost insisted stubbornly. “Now, I think I know where Casket went.”

        “How?” asked Toast, unamused.

        “Well, he took Isaac somewhere, right? Somewhere where there would be an anomaly? Do you recall where we dumped the portal to the thirteenth dimension?” Ghost said, rolling his eyes as if it were obvious.

        Toast facepalmed. “Of course! I don’t know how we didn’t see this before.” Toast slammed on the gas and floored it onto the road just as the owner of the toppled trash cans went outside to see the commotion. The guy who owned the cans(a grumpy old guy) started shouting at Toast as they drove away. Ghost scowled.

        “Children, please turn away.” He said, then proceeding to make a rude gesture to the angry man. The man barked a few more insults and then disappeared as they rounded the curve. Toast voiced his disapproval, but Ghost wouldn’t hear it. “He insulted you,” Ghost said simply. “And that won’t fly with me. Now! Kids, have you ever heard of Creepypasta High School?”

        The siblings shared a smile.