Awake Page 3

  “Cool, I’ll do that in a minute and then I’ll drive us out,” Ben said, not pressing the subject. They could read each other well.

  While Ben was showering, Lee cooked scrambled eggs on the burner in one of the new pans. He’d been delighted to find that the RV had come with a full set of pots, pans, dishes, silverware, and the like. He hadn’t even thought about it. When the eggs were finished, he sat in the front passenger’s seat and ate, while studying the GPS to plot the day’s drive.

  “Did you figure out where we’re at and where we’re going?” Ben asked, coming out of the master bathroom in fresh clothes.

  “Apparently we’re in some place called Frenchtown,” Lee said. “If we make good time today we can make it to Custer’s Last Stand, I’ve always wanted to see it.”

  “Custer’s Last Stand? Is that the place where that dude got attacked by a bunch of Indians?”

  “Yeah, we’re like four hundred miles away from it. If we drive through the day we could be there by late afternoon or the early evening, according to the GPS.”

  “Sounds good, let’s do it,” Ben said.

  Lee went out and disconnected the RV from the park’s electricity, and they were off. As they got back onto I-90, he went in the back and took a few of his pills. Chasing them with a sip of water, he returned to the passenger’s seat. He put on his sunglasses and reclined his seat back so that he could try to rest, hoping he could take over some of the driving later. The thrumming of the diesel engine and the pills helped and before long he was dozing lightly.

  He awoke briefly when they passed through Missoula, but then passed out again. If he had any dreams, he didn’t remember them.

  He snapped to again some time later, sitting up with a start, suddenly fully awake. “Oh man, sorry about that, how long was I asleep? It felt like forever,” he said, rubbing his neck.

  “You were out for four hours or so. It’s no problem, you needed the sleep,” Ben said, keeping his eyes on the road.

  “Where are we at now?”

  “We just got through Big Timber, coming up on Billings in a couple of hours. I stopped for some food a while back, but you didn’t wake up. There’s a breakfast sandwich in the fridge for you to nuke later if you want it.”

  “Cool. I can take over driving now if you want to pull over at the next rest station or something.”

  “It’s alright, I can keep driving until Billings and then you can take us to Custer’s Last Stand,” Ben said. “Just sit back and relax.”

  “Thanks. I’m going to go grab a coke, you want one?”

  “Sure.”

  Lee got the drinks from the fridge and they sipped them while they made small talk. A while later, Lee cooked them some TV dinners in the convection oven for lunch. When the food was ready, they pulled into a rest stop, ate quickly and hit the road again, anxious to get to Custer’s Last Stand.

  It was the early afternoon when they got into Billings. Ben was still hungry, so he pulled the RV into a burger shack and went to grab some food while Lee switched to the driver’s seat and tuned the radio.

  “This is awesome! Local burger places are the best,” Ben said as he climbed back in, munching on a cheeseburger. “You sure you don’t want me to go back and grab you something?”

  “Nah man, I’m fine. When I get hungry I’ll find something in the fridge.”

  “Your loss.”

  Custer’s Last Stand wasn’t far from Billings and a little over an hour later they were pulling into the site’s large parking lot. Lee parked in the large spots at the rear of the lot where trucks and other RVs were parked and they got out.

  The place was packed; Lee saw people of all sizes and varieties walking around. Old grannies, fat hairy bikers, young couples pushing befuddled-looking babies around in strollers, it seemed that the whole country had come out. It was a beautiful, cloudless day, but it was also extremely humid. The sun beat down on them.

  “Holy crap, I can see why they call it big sky country,” Lee said, looking up.

  “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Though I’d almost forgotten what humidity like this is like: it sucks,” Ben said, grabbing his shirt by the chest and shaking it back and forth to circulate some air.

  “Aw, man up you wuss. I’m sure you’ll be fine hiking around in this for an hour or two.”

  “I didn’t say I couldn’t, I was just saying I hate the humidity,” Ben said.

  There was a veteran’s cemetery by the parking lot, so they toured that first. The amount of headstones was amazing; Lee didn’t think he’d seen such a large cemetery before.

  They didn’t stick around long. It started to make Lee depressed to think about all the lost lives and loved ones they’d left behind. It made him start to think about how, before long, he’d be in the ground himself. “Let’s head to the battle site,” he said, trying to shake off the bad thoughts.

  The walk towards the battle site was up a long incline, to the top of the small hill that Custer and his men had met their fate on. Lee started to sweat profusely on the walk. He had to wipe his face on his shirt over and over again, as the humidity kept the sweat from evaporating.

  “Fun exercise, eh?” he asked, turning around to Ben, who was huffing and sweating as much as Lee was.

  “It’s not too bad,” Ben said between breaths. “The history and everything is really interesting.”

  “Yes, it’s strange how you can read about a place in books over and over again and think that you understand it, but it’s not until you visit the place that you really do,” Lee said, “I can’t tell you how many books I’ve read about Custer and the battle, but now that we’re here everything is completely different than what I had in my head.”

  “I know what you mean, I didn’t know much about the battle but it’s light years different than what I had in my head too.”

  At the top of the hill, at the center of the spot where Custer and his men had fallen, there was a large obelisk, memorializing the event and the men who had died. There were also individual markers all around where men had fallen in battle, white ones for the US soldiers and red ones for the natives.

  “Look over there Ben! That one is where Custer himself went down. Look at it - ‘George Armstrong Custer,’” Lee said, pointing.

  “Holy crap!” Ben said after reading the marker. “Do you think that he’s buried there?”

  “No, look over there,” a random fat man said in a rude, arrogant tone. He was pointing to a sign by him that Lee and Ben hadn’t seen yet. “That sign says that they moved his body to Arlington,” the man’s contemptuous tone suggested that everybody should know what he had probably only just found out.

  Lee and Ben looked at each other incredulously, until the rude interloper walked off. “Man, what a fucking asshole,” Lee said when he was out of earshot.

  They walked around the hilltop a bit longer, noting each of the many markers where warriors from both sides had fallen. Almost hidden behind the hill, there was a memorial to the natives who had died and they explored that too. It was a semicircular wall, engraved with the names of the native dead, as well as quotes from prominent Native Americans about the battle.

  When they’d seen all there was to see on the hilltop, they made their way down and into the museum at the base of the hill. It was a relief to get out of the humidity and into the air-conditioned museum and gift shop.

  Inside the museum were various relics that had been taken from the battlefield and other related items. Lee and Ben browsed Custer’s dress uniform and sword, Sitting Bull’s bow, and a number of other interesting items. If it hadn’t been for the model of the battle, the trip would have been nothing but good memories.

  The model was behind a glass case. It was a scale replica of the hill they’d just been on, with tiny, immensely detailed figurines of cavalrymen, Indians and horses locked eternally in the height of the battle. When Lee and Ben came upon it, they were both taken with it, staring wordlessly.

  Lee had been just about to turn
and make his way to the next exhibit when he noticed a strange, red figure at the back of the battle, standing behind the Natives. He leaned in for a closer look. It was a perfect miniature of the demon, dressed ridiculously — looking like a native and pointing towards Custer and his men at the top of the hill. There was a look of euphoric glee in its eyes.

  He gasped. “Do you see that at the back of the model?” Lee asked Ben when he could find the words.

  “No, see what?” Ben asked, looking around the model.

  “Right there, see?” Lee said, pointing at the demon figurine.

  Ben tilted his head to follow Lee’s point, but didn’t focus on the figurine. He looked around the model more but couldn’t see it.

  “Uh, never mind. There was a bug but it’s gone now,” Lee said, embarrassed. He wondered if he was losing his mind, but every time he looked back to the model he could still see the demon.

  “Okay buddy, should we hit the road?”

  Lee looked over to the model one more time and saw that the demon had turned and was now pointing at him.

  “Yeah, let’s get out of here.”

  3

  Lee hurried back to the RV, while Ben struggled to keep up. “What’s the deal, why are you going so fast?” Ben said. “You’re acting like back at that grocery store.”

  “Nothing’s wrong, I just want to get out of the humidity,” Lee said.

  “It does suck,” Ben replied, wiping his brow as if just remembering.

  When they neared the vehicle, they saw two beautiful women, one blonde and one brunette, standing next to the parking lot, holding a sign that simply read “east”. They were both in their late twenties, approximately the same ages as Lee and Ben. They were dressed in hippie attire and carrying backpacks.

  “Holy shit, do you see those girls? We gotta pick them up,” Ben whispered as they walked by the women.

  “I see them, they’re hot. I know what you’re thinking and if you want to see if they want a ride, I’m down,” Lee said, completely forgetting about the demon figurine. He had never been the best at picking up girls, but if Ben wanted to do the work, he’d gladly reap the benefits.

  “Fine, stay here and see how it’s done,” Ben said, walking over to the girls. He spoke to them for a minute, gesturing over to the RV. The girls looked impressed with the rig, and soon they were walking over with Ben.

  “Lee, this is Stella,” he gestured to the blonde, then pointed to the brunette, “and Ivy. They said they would be happy to accept our offer of a ride.”

  Lee shook each of their hands lightly, repeating his name awkwardly and saying that it was good to meet them. He was particularly taken with Ivy, she had an intelligent look in her eyes that he found quite becoming. Ben opened the door of the RV and gestured them in. When Lee went to follow, Ben stopped him.

  “Before we get going we have to figure out which girl we want. It’s your RV, so I figure you get dibs,” Ben whispered. “It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other, they’re both hot.”

  “Uh, I guess I like the brunette one more,” Lee said awkwardly, also keeping his voice down.

  “Sounds good, blonde for me it is,” Ben said, and took his arm away from the door so that Lee could board.

  The girls were standing in the living room, looking around the RV with amazement. “Oh wow, this thing is even nicer on the inside,” Ivy said to Lee when he entered, Ben at his heels.

  “Yeah, how much did it cost?” Stella asked.

  Before Lee could come up with a reply Ben blurted out “Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”

  Both of the girls looked over at them with surprise. “So… did you guys rent it for your trip?” Ivy asked awkwardly. Lee didn’t think that she cared about the money as much as Stella did, she just seemed curious.

  “Lee bought it,” Ben said, answering again before Lee could say anything.

  “What do you do?” Stella said, looking at Lee like she wanted to jump on him then and there.

  “I’m a writer,” Lee said without thinking. As soon as it was out of his mouth he regretted it. He hated the attention he got from his career. It was just a job, after all.

  “What’s your last name? Maybe I’ve read some of your books,” Ivy asked.

  “Fenton. Lee Fenton.” Lee didn’t mean to say his name like he was some sort of secret agent, and felt his face get hot.

  Ivy’s eyes widened and she got that look of awe people got when they found out who he was that he usually didn’t like, but found he didn’t mind from her. “You’re Lee Fenton?! I’ve read almost all of your books, I loved Trapped! I had no idea what you looked like because you don’t put your picture on any of your works, and I couldn’t find any pictures of you on the internet either.”

  “I like to keep my life private. I am just happy that people like my work,” Lee said. He knew it probably sounded to them that he was just trying to impress the girls, but he was telling the truth.

  “I didn’t read the book, but I saw the movie version of Trapped and really loved it,” Stella said, not one to be left out.

  “Well that’s cool. I hated the film version myself,” Lee said, and Ben and Ivy laughed. Stella rolled her eyes and turned away from Lee.

  “So where are you guys heading to? We want to get to the east coast,” Ivy said.

  “Well you’re in luck, because that’s where we’re going,” Ben said.

  “Awesome, you guys want to take us along for the whole way?” Stella asked.

  “Sure,” Ben said. “We’d better get going soon though, so maybe you can sit in the passenger seat next to me, and Lee and Ivy can sit in the back.” Stella didn’t seem enthusiastic about that plan, but Lee and Ivy agreed before she could say anything.

  Stella was sulky at first, but she started chatting once they got back onto the interstate. Lee and Ivy sat together, reclined back on the couch, watching TV over the in-motion satellite, sipping on beers from the fridge, talking like old friends.

  “This is just so crazy. I can’t believe I’m sitting next to Lee Fenton watching South Park in an RV,” Ivy said after they’d been talking for over an hour. She was sitting much closer to him than the size of the couch required.

  “Well believe it,” he said, and gave her a grin. “I can show you my ID if you’d like.”

  “Ha, well I believed you from the start. I can just tell. It’s something about the way you talk. You sound like your books do.”

  “Well I suppose that makes sense. What about you? Where are you from, what brought you and your friend on this trip?”

  “Stella and I are from Oregon. Portland. We worked at a bank together, but it got bought out by a rival and shut down. We both had money saved up and had talked about hitchhiking to the east coast before as kind of a joke, but when we lost our jobs, we decided to just go for it.”

  “That’s really cool, much more daring than Ben and I driving in this giant RV to the coast.”

  “What’s your guys’ story? Are you doing this trip to research for a book or something?”

  “Yes, something like that,” Lee lied, seizing on the excuse she’d given him. He didn’t want to talk about his condition so soon after meeting her.

  “That’s really cool, maybe a character based on me will end up finding her way into the story now,” she said, and smiled at him while discretely inching even closer to him on the couch.

  “It’s quite possible,” Lee said, returning her smile. He could sense that she wanted him to kiss her, but he was terrible at making the first move in situations like this. Luckily, she seemed to sense that, and dove in for the kiss herself.

  Many drinks and more kisses later, Lee and Ivy moved into the master bedroom. Afterwards, Lee discovered that he’d found another treatment for his condition, as he fell into a deep sleep with his arms around Ivy’s naked body.

  An hour or two later Ben pulled the RV over and stopped it. Lee woke up when the RV slowed and then halted, but quickly went back to sleep. Ben must have g
otten lucky as well, because Lee was woken up several more hours later by Stella’s loud moans. Lee smiled, nuzzled the top of Ivy’s head, and then drifted back into slumber.

  The next morning Lee and Ivy cooked a breakfast of hash browns, sausage and eggs for everyone. They had to be careful not to wake Ben and Stella up until the food was done, as the fold out bed in the living room wasn’t far from the kitchen. If there was any question as to whether Ben and Stella had hooked up, it was answered by their lack of any clothes, save their underwear.

  Ben had a beaming look of pride on his face when Lee and Ivy woke him and Stella up for breakfast, but Stella seemed embarrassed at having been caught. Her mood quickly brightened as the group ate their breakfast and chatted gaily. Lee and Ivy stood and ate from the kitchen counter, sitting on stools that pulled out from it, while Ben and Stella sat at the small table that came out from the wall opposite the kitchen. While they ate, Ben kept winking at Lee every time the girls weren’t looking.

  After breakfast, Lee took the wheel and Ivy climbed into the passenger’s seat. Stella went to take a shower in the main bath. Ben converted his bed back into a couch and started watching TV, as Stella had loudly rejected his offer to accompany her in the shower.

  Ben had parked the RV in a truck stop in a town named Gillette. Lee pulled out of the station and let the GPS guide him back onto I-90 East.

  As he drove, Lee started to notice numerous billboards along the interstate advertising a place called “Wall Drug”, with signs saying such odd things as “Wall Drug: Free ice water! 180 miles.” He’d seen them a few times before and had noted them, but they were appearing more and more frequently as the mile countdown on the billboards ticked down.

  “What the hell is this Wall Drug place?” Lee asked after he’d seen three signs in forty miles.

  “You’ve never heard of it? I stopped there with my parents once when I was a kid, when we were heading to a family reunion in Iowa,” Ivy said. “It’s this giant store in South Dakota, with lots of separate shops and restaurants within it. It’s a huge tourist trap I think, because they put those billboards up for hundreds of miles in each direction from the store.”