#this cassette walkman is like the cadillac of walkmans

[brenna]

both of these still work! the cassette walkman had an issue at first where it wanted to switch from forward to reverse on its own before the side was over, but after a bit, I got it to stop. Patsy sounds great on tape. the B headphone jack definitely works better than A.

the discman works well. at first I thought the bass boost wasn't working, but I was plugged into the line out rather than the headphone jack, which fixed it. the max volume on this one is not very high, but I can flip her any which way and she doesn't skip!

[lovelyknifes18]

Chapter three: On the road again

(And running from the law)

Erin had no idea what... Well she wasn't going to call the spaz dad, (Elwood) or what's-his-face (Jake) anything, but she didn't care what music they had on the radio. Since she was smart enough to pack her walkman and cassettes. It was a temporary pull back into reality instead of whatever world she was in now. "Whatcha listening to back there?" Jake asked, looking back at Erin, to which she looked up pulling one earphone away from her head. "Music, I don't think you'd like it."

"It can't be that bad, unless you're listening to posh, fancy white people's music." Erin raised her brow at Jake's comment, but instead handed her headphones over. "Yeah, no." Jake grabbed the headphones, his expression going through the facial definition for the five stages of grief. Elwood glanced over, and leaned in to listen. The strange noises they've never heard clashed greatly with the soul, blues, and R&B they have grown with. "What in God's name are you fucking listening to?" Erin had her headphones passed back to her. "You never heard of rappers delight?"

"What exactly is it?"

Erin rolled her eyes at Elwood's question. "It's called Hip-hop, God your old school."

Just a block ahead, the owner of the diner the brothers had stopped at when they were released from prison, waited by his pickup truck. Once he spotted the bluesmobile, he reached into the front seat. Pulling out a shot gun as he took a swig from his flask. "This is for wrecking my restaurant, and for not paying you socialist commies!" By some divine intervention, he missed. Instead the bullets from the shotgun hit a passing school bus tire, causing the driver, and the children to tumble over as the vehicle swerved into a light pole.

Erin looked back in disbelief of what she just saw. "Did you not see that? That guy could've almost shot us!"

"Yeah, but it looks like he has a terrible aim." Jake chuckled.

"How are you guys not freaking out? We almost died."

"Keyword "almost" we ain't dying from that."

"We're on a mission from god."

Erin just stared back, baffled by how nonchalant the brothers are taking the fact they almost were shot. "That's your answer, just because of a mission from god, nothing is going to happen to us?"

"Yap." Erin shook her head, scoffing at Elwood's response. "God, you're such a fucking spaz."

"Hey, nobody makes fun of my brother. Except for me." Jake said defensibly.

"How does that make any sense?"

"It's a mutual understanding between siblings, you wouldn't understand." Elwood explained, while Erin shrugged her arms and turned her music up louder. "Whatever." Jake just shook his head, turning to look ahead as he lit a cigarette. "She's a little asshole isn't she?"

"Yeah, but she's a teenager. We weren't any better at her age." Elwood replied, pressing his foot down on the pedal as the car briefly flew over the pothole. "God no, but I think we were a little better."

"You took a shit in the Morrison's closet before they sent you back to the orphanage." He reminded Jake, of the time where his brother was briefly adopted. Before being returned back, which wasn't the first time. Just the last time Jake was too big to be brought back in the same basket he was left in as a baby. "They deserved it."

December 15th

A Cadillac parked outside in the countryside of Nebraska, as a group of four men looked around. Hoping they were heading in the right direction of what the news report said. "Man, this looks nothin like Chicago." The shorter thug, named Riley complained.

"How would you know? We ain't ever been out of the hood." The tall one, called Lee asked. "I have a cousin from there." Riley replied

"Man, that's the fifth time you said you got a cousin from this place, or this city. You ain't got that many cousins, dumbass!" Lee argued before Andre, the gang's leader interjected. "Will you two shut the fuck up?! The little girl ain't even in Chicago anymore, we gotta get to Wisconsin."

"Why?" Riley asked.

"What do you think is the closest to the goddamn state? Iowa." Andre declared.

"... Where the fuck are we?" Another man poked his head up from the back seat, just waking up. Andre just groaned, handing the map over to Smokey. Who was the only one out of the five of them able to tell where exactly to go.

Meanwhile, our trio had stopped for gas in Madison WI. Just right inside, as Erin passed by without suspicion to use the bathroom, was a woman in her mid-forties in one of the isles. Grabbing some snacks for herself (and three children obviously) the sound of her low heeled flats echoed from the Isle as she traveled to the cashier. "Just these, thank you."

As her items were scanned. And Erin passed by unnoticed again, as the radio once again broadcast her "kidnapping" and reward for her return. "Tsk, I swear. What has the world come to." The woman grumbled to herself, pushing a strand of her hair back, when something caught her eye. The girl that's missing looked a lot like the one currently outside... Those men she was with. Karen's eyes grew as wide as saucers when she recognized Erin's description. "Oh my lord..." The suits those men she was with could only mean one thing, Erin had been kidnapped by some satanic cult and that's what their recruitment members wore.

"Didn't fall in did you?" Jake teased, as Erin rolled her eyes.

"We should be good for another hour or so." Elwood started the engine, as the woman from inside the store came out. Yelling as she stood by the nearest payphone. "You hear something?" Jake asked, to which Elwood shook his head. "Nope." The bluesmobile pulled away, as Karen dropped the phone and tried to run after the car. "Stop! You're not going to brainwash an innocent child, you satanists!" She groaned in frustration, stomping back to the payphone. She hung up on the police and quickly dialed another number. After the line was picked she spoke."Patty? Hi, it's Karen. Get the ladies together at my house ASAP. This involves the safety of our children and America's."

The rest of the ride was relatively quiet and smooth sailing, until Elwood had passed by a police car parked on the side of the road. Checking for anyone going past the speed limit or just a good excuse to rough someone up. "Hey, isn't that one of those old police cruisers?

"And they're going past the speed limit."

A beat of silence followed, before the two officers cackled and hollered. "Let's go get'em!" The engine revving up as they pursue the blues brothers.

"Uh-oh," Elwood said, looking back through the rearview mirror at the incoming police car.

"Oh great, they just can't get enough of us can they?" Jake pulled out a cigarette and lighter. "You have any plan to shake them?"

"Of course I do."

Elwood applied more pressure to the gas pedal. "Hold on to something back there kid, we don't got seatbelts."

"Hold on to what-"

... There was the sound of children running around, some of them petting the reindeer whilst they're parents smiled at the memories being made, and a few other guests capturing photos of the lovely manger. A woman and her daughter were next in line for Santa. "It's alright, just remember. There's nothing to be scared of. Okay Susie?" The little girl looked down, before smiling and nodding at her mother's encouragement. There was nothing to be scared of. "Okay, mommy!" She beamed, running up next as she climbed into Santa's lap.

"Well hello there, little lady. Now what would you like for-" The Santa was interrupted, when the bluesmobile crashed through the stable holding the reindeer. Everyone ran out of the way, one boy who was petting one of the deer, got kicked in the face when the poor animal was startled. Santa's eyes widened as the police car was coming right up behind the decorative stand. "Oh shit!" He jumped from his seat, pushing poor little Susie to the side like a ragdoll.

"Look, they even got reindeer." Elwood pointed out. "A damn winter wonderland." Jake chuckled, as they hit a gift shop stand and the gingerbread houses. On the other hand, due to the car having no seatbelts. Erin was practically flying around in the backseat. "What the hell are you doing?!" She exclaimed, before letting out a grunt as she hit her head against the roof. "Ow!"

"Told ya to hold something."

The police were catching up behind the bluesmobile, at this point loving the thrill of the chase too much. "Oh, I'm gonna ram them. I'm gonna ram them!"

"Agh, ow! You know, maybe you can just explain that I'm not being kidnapped instead?" Erin suggested, figuring it was the most logical thing anyone would do.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Jake answered. "You really think we're gonna play this nice and easy? That's not how we do things."

"But they're gonna arrest us!"

"They can't arrest anyone on a mission from God."

"I don't think God has a say in that!" Erin yelled, as she jerked back into her seat. "Stop being so negative, will ya? Here's an exit." Elwood made a sharp turn towards the entrance, as the cops tried the same, only to spin towards the crowd. Crashing right into the Christmas tree. Which fell over onto what remained of the entryway for what was Santa's wonderland. And directly hitting the manger display, leaving the adults confused and the children traumatized.

"We should check out that place again, there's always next Christmas." Erin didn't even register what Elwood said, feeling a little queasy. "Hey, if you're gonna yak-" Too late, as Erin stuck her head out and vomited outside the window. "Bleh..."

"I was gonna say we can stop somewhere, but that works... You okay?"

"No... Hrgh!" Erin stuck her head out again, till her stomach was empty.

It was official, this was the worst time she's ever had in a car. She was going to die, in the back of a car In the middle of nowhere. If she hadn't made the prayer nothing would harm her during the travel back home, that didn't mean it would be an easy or normal trip.

After more hours, our trio stopped in at a shady hotel. It didn't look the best, but better than sleeping in a car. Before any sleeping arrangements could be made, Jake was the first to crash. Diving head first into the couch, and leaving an awkward air of silence between Erin and Elwood. "Does he always fall asleep like... That?"

"Yap, ever since we were kids."

Erin let herself fall on one of the beds, her mind still stuck on the day's events. Staring up at the ceiling, as she took a deep breath. Elwood wanted to step over and join, but kept a reasonable distance since Erin wasn't that comfortable with them just yet. "You doing okay?"

Erin sat up, trying to understand what Elwood said. Since he was on the other side of the room near the kitchen. "What?"

"I said are you doing okay?" He said a little louder.

"... Yeah, I guess." Erin shrugged her shoulders, she swore that so far on this trip she feels like she's in some kind of comedy movie with how everything is going. As if it couldn't be more absurd, She had to do a double take. This man, whom she still refused to admit was responsible for being her sperm donor, pulled out a slice of white bread from his pocket. Placing it in the only cooking appliance there was in the dingy room. A toaster.

"Maybe I died and fell in a coma." Erin groaned, grabbing her pajamas and went to change in the bathroom.

"Hey, you want anything?" By the time Elwood had turned around, Erin was already sleeping in one of the beds. His shoulders slumped down, and he gently stepped over. Noticing Erin was shivering a little, so he pulled the blanket up closer to her chin.

"Sleep tight, Missy."