The Hunt: The Final Chase (3) (Edited)

Chapter 30

That night Alex was more focused on finding the hideout than anything else. She was up until five in the morning, highlighting streets, circling highways, and marking off places they'd been with a red sharpie. She ended up playing songs by Group Love at two in the morning, while drinking a Coke to stay awake. "Did we pass it? Or am I going crazy?" Alex wondered, looking all over the map. The music woke up Marceline, who was in a deep sleep at the time. Marceline got up, trying not to wake up Bailey, who was passed out on the bed across from her. Marceline slowly cracked open the door, and saw Alex standing over the booth's table with the map spread out and marked on, while "Tongue Tied" by Group Love played on the RV radio. 

"Alex? Are you okay?" Marceline asked, standing in the doorway, wearing an over-sized sweatshirt and a pair of gym shorts with knee socks. Alex looked over at Marceline and sighed, "Honey, you should be asleep. You still have a gaping wound, you know. Also, where'd you get the sweatshirt?" Marceline closed the door behind her as she walked up to Alex. "Samuel gave it to me," she said, standing next to Alex. Alex smiled, "Samuel, that boy's a good one isn't he?" "How did you two know each other again?" Marceline asked. "Our parents were friends, and my mom would babysit him when he was around five or six. It was sad because two days before his sixth birthday, his family was murdered by that, that, ass hat! And part of why I want Michael to burn in Hell, is because I never gave up on finding Samuel, or wanting to find him," Alex explained, as she took a few sips from her Coke bottle. Marceline smiled, "You two were really close huh?" Alex nodded, "Yup. What about you and Isaac? You two would be talking like crazy at midnight every Saturday for as long as I've known you guys." 

"I met Isaac when I was in third grade. I had two friends, and I was like their mom friend of the group. They were both pretty bad friends because they were fake. They had fake personalities and they were fake friends. Isaac was held back the year I started third grade and he had zero friends. So, me being the awkward but social kid that I was, I went to him one day on the swing set and asked what his name was. He told me his name, I told him mine, and about ten minutes later, we were having the longest conversation I'd ever had that year. I left my toxic fake friends and hung out with Isaac the rest of that year, and until the day we die. We met Jeff when we moved to Utah from Oregon. Jeff's only friend was his aunt and he was a bit of a bratty, lonely kid. So, Isaac and I became close friends with him, hell, he even had a crush on me all throughout seventh grade, and the summer before eighth grade. But, we've stayed just friends ever since," Marceline explained as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. 

"Hey Marceline, you have good vision right?" Alex asked. Marceline shrugged, "Sure? Why?" "I can't read this tiny print on the map, you mind reading it for me?" Alex asked, pointing to the writing. Marceline nodded and walked over to the map and looked where Alex was pointing. She looked closer at the print and read aloud, "Highway 55. Is that it?" "How far is it from Love Lock Bridge?" Alex asked. Marceline squinted as she tried to read the tiny print, and once she found what she was looking for, she grabbed a highlighter from the corner of the table and said, "Right there. It's four miles north from here. What highway are we on?" "Highway 54. Holy fuck we're closer than I thought!" Alex blurted. Marceline smiled with a tired look on her face, "If you take this road to Highway 55, then turn right, Love Lock Bridge is to the left." "Sweet, you going back to bed, hun?" Alex asked. Marceline nodded, running her fingers through her short, messy tangled hair, "Yeah, I feel like I'm going to pass out on the floor." Alex smiled, "Alright, night Marceline." "Night Alex," Marceline called from the bedroom. 

Alex took one last glance at the map before circling the location of Love Lock Bridge to make sure that she knew where to drive. She had one last sip of her Coke, threw the bottle on the floor, and walked up to the driver's seat and began to drive on the road to Highway 55. As she drove, Alex kept wondering why Michael would never show himself, it was always Peter. But, thanks to Samuel, Peter promised to stay away from them if he hurt anyone ever again. She shrugged it off, but got a feeling that Michael was planning something that would end them all. Alex continued on the road until she got to a highway sign. "Highway 55, this is it. And only four more miles to go, we should get to Love Lock Bridge in three or four minutes. Sweet," Alex said to herself as she continued to drive.  

Isaac woke up soon and looked out the window, it was still dark out. He looked to his feet and saw C.J. fast asleep with his hat covering his eyes. He looked across at Samuel's bed to see him asleep like a baby, Clancy was the same way. Isaac could hear Jeff tossing and turning in his bed, so he looked under his bed to talk to him. "Hey man," Isaac whispered. "Isaac, the hell do you want?" Jeff asked. Isaac shrugged, "Can't sleep." Jeff nodded, "Same." "You know what'd be cool Jeff?" Isaac began, lying on his stomach, while his head faced the bottom of his bunk bed. Jeff shrugged, "What?" "If we ever get back to living normal lives, you wanna be in a band?" Isaac asked. "Isaac, once we get back to normal lives, I'm leaving to find Trevor. I've decided that I've questioned things, one being what I like. I do like girls, but I really liked Trevor too. More than a friend after he left," Jeff said. "What do you mean?" Isaac asked. "I think I'm bisexual, you dumb ass," Jeff blurted. "Congrats man, but what came over you to feel like this for Trevor?" Isaac asked. "Isaac, we spent every, single, Sunday morning together. We'd ditch church to hang out at the old park and drink grape flavored Crush soda. I miss those days man, I miss the fuck outta Trevor," Jeff said, staring at the ceiling. Samuel woke up with a groan and asked in a much raspier voice, "You guys doing okay?" "We can't sleep, go back to sleep man, you need the rest," Isaac said, turning his head to face Samuel, who was bundled up in his blanket. "Can I talk to you for sec Isaac? It's about Marceline," Samuel asked, sitting up, still wrapped in his blanket. Isaac nodded and sat up to make eye contact with Samuel. Jeff sat up and climbed onto Isaac's bed and said, "Oh do tell my good man." in a British accent. 

Samuel scooted closer and said, "I really want to tell her, but with all this going on I don't know if it'd be a good thing to do." Jeff inhaled, then said in the tone of a parents voice, "Samuel, we love you, and we love Marceline, why don't you tell her when you want to? Makes things better sweetheart." "Jeff I don't  know when it's a good time!" Samuel whispered. Jeff inhaled again, and asked Samuel a series of questions, each went on like a three-word statement.

"Samuel," Jeff began, "do you like this girl?"

"Yes."

"Do you love her?" Isaac asked.

Samuel nodded, "Yes."

"Do you wanna kiss the girl?" Jeff asked.

"Already have, on several occasions."

"Do you want to be her boyfriend?" Isaac asked. 

"Yes."

"Do you wan to make out with her?" Jeff asked, leaning in closer, too close to the edge of the bed, desperate for an answer.

 Samuel shrugged, but blushed as he said, "Fuck, uh... yeah."

Jeff leaned over the bed very close and said in a very sadistic voice, "Do you wanna sex her up?"

Samuel's face went from a pale pink to a deep red in seconds, he shrugged and said, "Haven't thought about that at all, but maybe. I don't fucking know because she was almost raped and I feel like she'd be scarred for life from that."

"True," Isaac said, grabbing Jeff's arms to make sure he didn't fall off of the bed. But Isaac lost his grip and Jeff came tumbling down, slamming his face into a pile of dirty laundry. Samuel jeered, "You had it coming, you had it coming, asshole!" "Shit, does nobody wash their clothes except Sam and Isaac around here?!" Jeff said, as he inhaled the fumes of dirty laundry. Isaac laughed and said, "C'mon man, I'll get you an ice pack to put on your head," "Thank you kind human," Jeff said in an alien voice as he got up fro the pile of clothes. Samuel laughed out loud as he laid back down on his back and buried his face in his pillow to muffle his contagious laughter. After Jeff got an ice pack on his forehead, and Alex took a break from driving to play Uno with Marceline, the sun began to rise over the mountain ranges that stretched for ages and the promontory with the last hide out was in plain sight.