The Universal Collide

Home at Last

We hit the ground hard, not having a force field like in Thrae. The breath flew out of my body as I heard my father groan. A second later I cautiously sat up, checking myself for injuries.

"I'm good" I winced.

"Me too," my father replied. I looked over to my left, catching sight of the brown hair I had come to recognize during my adventures in Thrae. Ten feet away lay Oak Smith slumped against the ground. I hobbled to my feet, slowly walking over to him. I knelt down, poking at the still boy.

"You okay, Oak?" I asked. No movement. "Oak? DAD! OAK'S NOT MOVING!"

"Son calm down!" My dad exclaimed. "We are in a park for heaven's sake." I nodded as my dad walked over. "He's just been knocked out. Like you were when you entered Thrae."

"Oh," I sighed. "Will he be ok?"

"He'll be fine." my dad assured me. "How about we get him somewhere more comfortable, like the house?"

"Ok." I nodded. "How can I help carry him? We need to pretend like he's just drunk or something."

"Grab his arm." my father directed. I nodded, grabbing Oak's arm and carefully lifting him up. My father followed my lead, wrapping his arm around Oak's waist.

We walked out of the park, only getting a few curious glances. Thankfully no one asked any questions. My father and I walked toward the parking lot.

"OH MY GOD! I'm SUCH AN IDIOT. I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT." I shouted as a black '67 Camaro entered my view.

"COLE! Be quiet. Are you trying to attract attention?" my dad scolded.

"Sorry. But I found an easy way home."

"And that is?" my father asked. I smiled as I pointed to the Camaro.

"That's my car. I forgot I had driven here."

My dad shook his head, before looking over at the vehicle. "Wait... Isn't that my car?"

"Um...yeah. I've been driving it since you disappeared." I explained. I looked down as my father cast a glance at me

"I'm glad you took it. You know, it was gonna be yours anyway." My father smiled at me. I looked up in shock

"What?"

"Your 16th birthday. You were gonna get this car." My father explained as we walked towards the car.

"I was?" I asked as we worked together to get the unconscious form of Oak into my car.

"Yeah. Your mother thought it was a great idea." Dad smiled. I smiled back as we got into the front seats, me in the driver's seat.

My dad looked at me and laughed. "I'm not used to this. I'm usually in the driver's seat." I laughed.

"Not today dad. Not ever. This baby's mine." My dad laughed at my enthusiasm. I started the car, before pulling out of the parking lot. I navigated the familiar roads of my hometown as we made our way towards my house.

"I took over the house after mom..." I informed my father. He went quiet, before smiling at me.

"I'm glad you kept the house. And the car." My dad sighed. I smiled and nodded, focusing on driving.

Before soon we pulled up to the broken up concrete of a well-used driveway. I pulled in, driving through the tall willow trees that surrounded the property. I stepped out of the car as Oak started to stir in the back seat.

"He's waking up. Let's get him inside." I informed my dad. He nodded as he walked around the car. I opened the door, helping Oak stumble out. The young adult had a dazed look on his face as we helped him gain his footing.