The Gruffs and the Ice Cream Princess

Part Three

One week later Gruff's General was all packed up. They'd used the little money in the register to rent three trucks to caravan for the move to Greenville. Lance expected to feel emotional as they pulled away from the now naked store and the apartment they'd lived in their whole lives, but was surprised to feel excitement instead. From Sam's whoop and Mason's giant smile he gathered his brothers felt the same.

Each box truck was filled with goods from the store and their meager belongings: clothes, noodle pan, and a book of fairy tales their mom used to read them when they were little. Sam led the way, followed by Mason. Lance brought up the rear. They started out slowly through town, but it didn't take long for Sam to get comfortable behind the wheel of the big truck and really start moving. Lance had never left the town he was born in. He found himself enchanted with the scenery. More than once he had to remind himself to keep his eyes on the road.

But by mid-afternoon there was a noticeable change in the scenery. The farms and their wholesome beauty vanished, and Lance knew they had arrived at the most dangerous road in the territory: Bridge Street. Cuss words and crude graffiti peppered the buildings. The few buildings scattered around were boarded up, and between them were enormous piles of ashes, evidence that there had been a city there once, before the notorious criminal, Darwin Trolman and his henchmen burned it to the ground. Even nature seemed to retreat from this area. The lush farmland stopped abruptly at the city limits and was replaced with cracked concrete, weeds, and shards of glass.

There were no other vehicles on the road. Lance knew nobody else was foolish enough to travel this road. Going around the town meant going through the mountains which added hours to the trip, but most travelers were happy to do it if it meant they wouldn't have to face Darwin Trolman. Lance would have loved to take the mountainous route himself, but with the trucks full of inventory, the mountains would be impossible to navigate.

Up ahead he saw Mason's brake lights. His heart slowed until Lance was sure it wasn't beating at all. Men emerged from the remnants of the buildings on either side of the road. Some wielded weapons, some snarled wickedly. They lined up in front of Sam's truck like a disturbing spirit tunnel. The Gruff brothers had planned for this. Lance watched as the man he assumed was Darwin Trolman approached Sam's truck. He was enormous. Taller than Lance, even, who could never find pants long enough to cover his ankles. Apparently Darwin Trolman couldn't either. Rather than pants, he was wearing a black hooded robe. Lance was thankful to make out some kind of shoe on his feet. That was all he needed to see.

Sam's truck rolled on through. The henchmen looked disappointed, but they were already eyeing up Mason's truck. Stick to the plan, Lance willed his brother. Darwin Trolman listened to Mason, looking back at Lance several times, before waving him on as well. Lance was up. He forced himself to push gently on the gas. The guns Trolman's thugs were toting hadn't gone unnoticed. Lance rolled up to Darwin Trolman. He was shocked to see a perfectly normal face. Darwin Trolman's eyes were blue, and a blonde curl snuck out from under his hood. He couldn't be much older than Lance. Darwin Trolman cut to the chase.

"Your brothers said you're carrying the money. I'll be taking that now." He held out a palm, his long, slender fingers resting on the open window.

"Certainly," Lance agreed, pulling an envelope out from the glove compartment. "I have to say, you really live up to the hype. Scary bunch of guys you've got out there."

"Just give me the money and maybe they won't kill you."

"Right." Lance began handing it over, then paused. "You interested in a little deal?" He used his most conspiratorial voice.

Darwin Trolman squinted his eyes and leaned toward the truck.

"Tell you what. If I can tell you where you got your shoes, I keep the money and drive through unharmed." Darwin Trolman inspected his face.

The long, slender fingers tapped the door thoughtfully. He looked down at his worn shoes. "Okay. Deal." He sounded more curious than dangerous, but Lance knew better than to let his guard down.

Lance peered over the window and made a show of inspecting Darwin Trolman's feet. "Ah. I see." He looked directly into the blue eyes, threw a prayer upward, and blurted, "You got your shoes on Bridge Street." For a moment Lance thought he saw amusement flash over Darwin Trolman's face, but then he let out a roar that knocked his hood off. The henchmen charged forward. Lance pushed the gas pedal down with gusto. The truck leapt into action, and the shocked henchmen dove out of the way. Lance heard shots and thumps at the back of the truck. There was a warlike scream and an ax smashed his side mirror, but the truck was a plucky thing, and powered on.

Moments later Lance spotted his brothers pulled over on the side of the road waiting for him. He couldn't see the angry mob in the rearview mirror anymore, but he wasn't willing to stop. He flew past his brothers pumping a fist out the window to signal victory. Sam gave a triumphant beep beep on the horn, and the three brothers rattled along until they could finally See Greenville's skyline emerge from dust and sand. They'd made it.