Drive to freedom.

Author’s Notes: In this chapter, hopefully Lennox will see what looks like Dreads but it was dusk when he sees them and the chances that they are them is high but he will probably visit Optimus later to let him be aware of the possibility that the Dreads are in the area and to keep an optic out for them. But who knows what this chapter will bring.

 

Chapter Six.

 

Teri and Lennox came out of the theatre five hours later, giggling about the last movie that they saw. They strode towards the stairs leading to another level and walked towards Coldstone Creamery, an ice cream parlor to get some ice cream. Lennox and Teri stood there looking at the endless list of items that they could put into their ice cream. Teri smiled as she looked at Lennox. “Have you figured out what you are going to get?”

“I think so,” Lennox replied, as he looked at her and then to the ice cream expert behind the bar.

“Can I help you?” The girl asked.

“Yes, I’ll have the coffee ice cream with the additions of Oreo cookie crumbs, banana slices and hot fudge please. Two scoops please and in a bowl, please.” Teri stated. She glanced over at Lennox. “It’s my favorite combo. It is sinfully delicious, usually I have it with vanilla ice cream but coffee ice cream adds another twist to it.”

“Sounds yummy,” Lennox replied, as he watched the expert mix and mash the ingredients together before she placed it in a bowl and placed it on the counter before turning to him. “I’ll have the same but with vanilla ice cream, please?”

“Coming right up, sir,” She started to get the ingredients together and started to mix and mash them together, before she placed it in the bowl and carried them over to the cashier. She noticed that the man that walked to the counter had an army uniform on. “Do you know we have a special price for military men and women?”

Lennox raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

“Yes, fifty percent off the full price of your ice cream with proof of your military service,” She replied.

Lennox pulled out his military card and noticed that the girl was looking for Teri’s card. “She’s not military, civilian. I’m out on a date,”

The girl nodded and took a look at Lennox’s card before typing a code into the computer and spoke, “The price of both ice cream is nine dollars and eleven cents please?”

Lennox cringed at the number - he added another penny to the money he passed to the cashier. “I never did like that amount,”

The cashier nodded as she pushed the two bowls of ice cream to them. “Same here, hope you enjoy your ice cream.”

“Thank you, we most certainly will,” Teri stated, as she picked up her bowl and led Lennox to the booth and sat down intending on enjoying her ice cream.

Half an hour later, they walked out of the ice cream parlor and walked back to the jeep where they climbed in and drove back to the house. It was there when Teri started to growl softly under her breath.

Lennox noticed where she was looking at and saw a woman standing on the walkway dressed in white. “Who is that?”

“My mother,” Teri replied.

“What’s wrong?”

“She is the one who wants me to sell him and get a nice safe car,” Teri glanced back at her mom to see her standing there tapping her foot. She turned to look at Lennox. “There is still daylight out, lets go for a walk in the park?”

“Sure,” Lennox replied, starting the jeep up and backing out of the drive again and driving off.

When they got to the top of the road, Teri told him to go left till they got to the fork in the road. Teri told him to turn right and continue till they got to the main road. Then, she told him to turn right onto the main road. They drove past a sharp curve.

Teri directed him to turn at Turkey Pen and they could walk the trail there since it was not regulated like the main park was.

“Like the main park is, what do you mean by that?” Lennox asked, as he parked his jeep.

“Well, Ha Ha Tonka state park is regulated by sunrise and sunset. The main park like the castle and the water tower is regulated by that time but this and the overlook isn’t as its not blocked off by the gate.” Teri stated, as she climbed out of the jeep. “I’ll show you the gates later, lets walk.”

“Let me grab some flashlights we might be getting back after the sun sets for the day,” He said as he grabbed his backpack and stuffed it with couple of flashlights and placed it on his back. They headed down the path just listing to nature and their footsteps as they went down the path, enjoying each others company and the walk that they did.

It was couple hours later, they headed back to the jeeps.

“Lennox, I want to show you something.” Teri stated.

Lennox glanced back and noticed she was pointing up towards the road. “What’s wrong there?”

“That road is the same road we drove on, but part of the curve does not have a guard rail on it. If you were going fast enough and you didn’t know the road very well, you would have an accident there and tumble down the ravine.” Teri replied.

“Have you driven him on that road yet, Teri?”

“No and I don’t intend on doing so, unless I have no other choice,”

They headed towards the jeep, when Lennox noticed that there was couple of black SUVs parked off to the further side of the small parking lot. He wondered if the hikers had gone down a different path, he mentally shrugged as he climbed into the jeep but something in his mind told him to look at them both carefully.

Teri noticed that he was looking at couple SUVs as they slowly drove past and then got onto the road and drove away. “Did you know them?”

Lennox shook his head. “No, not really, thought the vehicles looked familiar.”

“Oh,” Teri glanced in the rear view mirror and noticed that the vehicles were not moving. “They might have gone to the cave instead of going on the same trail as us. That does happen a lot, people realize that the spot they parked in is not where the cave is at and they walk down the road to where the cave is,”

“That cave sounds fun. Maybe we’ll go see it next time around?” Lennox replied, with a smile on his face.

“I would love to show you the entire park, as it was once considered by my own dad to buy this place and turn it into property for people to build their homes on.”

“Really?” asked Lennox.

“Yeah, but he toured it with his business partners and they said not worth the effort of buying and making into properties for sale,” Teri stated. “But the owner sold it to the State for . . . I think two million dollars,”

Lennox whistled as he turned down Post Office road and drove back to Teri’s home in silence. As he drove past the pond, he noticed that the woman in white was not standing there. “Looks like your mom isn’t outside waiting for you to come in, Teri.”

“This time, that is. I know she’ll be inside waiting for me to come in, so she can berate me some more about my job status and stuff like that,” Teri unbuckled her seat belt after the jeep pulled to a stop. She reached under the seat and grabbed her package of CDs that she bought. “Thanks for a great day, Lennox. I had a really good time.”

“Same here,” Lennox replied with a smile on his face. “I’d like to do it again next week if at all possible.”

“I would love to. See you next week,” Teri smiled and watched as he drove away before heading into the house to contend with any possible fight with her mother.

~~~~~~~~~

Lennox drove just past the pine trees and parked the jeep on the road to the garden, just out of sight of everyone. He went racing to the pasture and to Optimus who opened his driver’s door to him. About five minutes later, Lennox went racing back to his jeep and drove back to base, knowing that he had to convince the government that what they made the Autobot do was shameful as the Decepticons were still out there and one day soon, they’ll be needing the Autobots’ help and they have placed them around the states with orders to remain in vehicle form. The lone one who refused was Ratchet and he was stuck at the base where Lennox worked at.



TBC. . .