When they left the small valley town, Samantha and Ashley both had dark circles under their eyes, clearly having not slept well.
On the other hand, Elureisha and Mike, being kids, were full of energy after a good night's sleep.
Roy drove his beat-up yellow Chevy Camaro down from the Utah plateau and into Arizona, then further into New Mexico.
The roads were desolate, and the conditions were pretty bad, but thankfully the Chevy Camaro held up.
Roy thought this used car was a bit magical. Ever since its exterior got damaged in the motel incident, it hadn't had any other problems. Even this long round trip of over a thousand kilometers went without a hitch, which was practically a miracle.
However, while the Chevy Camaro didn't have any issues, the GPS navigation went haywire, leading Roy to get lost in the remote areas of New Mexico.
Roy couldn't find a suitable place to stop for the night until much later.
To make matters worse, they were running out of gas. If they didn't find a town or a gas station soon, the car might just break down on the road.
By this time, Samantha had moved to the passenger seat because Elureisha wasn't just unhelpful, she was actively making things worse.
"Roy, the map says there's a gas station about a mile up ahead."
"How accurate is this map?"
American maps have always been unreliable. Because the country is so vast and sparsely populated, who's going to constantly update the maps? Gas isn't free, you know?
So, the more remote the area, the less accurate the map. Roy had been burned by this before.
Samantha flipped through the map to find the date.
"It says it's the latest one from this year, so it should be somewhat reliable."
"Let's hope so!"
Roy sighed. Everyone else in the car seemed listless, especially Elureisha, who looked like she was about to shrivel up from boredom.
Just then, Roy finally saw a glimmer of light in the darkness. The enhanced perception provided by his Assassin's Heart made his vision incredibly sharp.
"I think I see neon lights! Looks like the map might be right after all!"
Right by the side of the straight highway sat a gas station, but it was closed.
Next to the gas station was a peculiar little shop with flashing neon signs and a creepy clown mannequin out front. It instantly grabbed the attention of Elureisha and Mike.
"Mommy, can I go look in that little shop?"
"Daddy, I want to go see too!"
Just hearing those two sentences, anyone would assume Roy and the others were a family, even if the "dad" looked way too young.
Samantha thought for a moment. They had been driving for most of the day, and it had been pretty boring. Maybe Browse through the store would be a good way to change things up.
"Roy, I'll take the kids to check out that little shop."
Roy nodded in agreement and gave Elureisha a look that told her to behave.
"Go ahead. I'll knock on the gas station door and see if anyone's working the night shift."
Their spare gas was all gone. Roy needed to fill up all the gas cans. Who knew if they'd encounter another gas station on the road ahead?
Samantha practically dragged Ashley away. Ashley didn't really want to look at some shop; she would have preferred to stay by Roy's side. However, Samantha didn't want her spending too much time with Roy.
The four of them walked into the strange little shop. The display cases inside were filled with all sorts of bizarre things, like mummies, a jackalope, and some kind of fish-man.
This made Mike and Elureisha very excited.
Considering Mike's fondness for spiders, it was clear the kid had unusual interests. As for Elureisha, she was just curious about anything new.
Ashley, on the other hand, felt a chill run down her spine looking at these eerie creatures, and goosebumps started to rise on her arms.
The shop was empty. Samantha casually picked up a flintlock pistol from a shelf to take a look. It seemed to be some kind of decorative piece.
"Where's the owner?"
"Who knows? Maybe they stepped out."
Ashley rubbed her arms, feeling an inexplicable coldness. Just as she finished speaking, a middle-aged, overweight man with clown makeup walked out from the back room.
"Welcome to Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Madmen! Sorry about that, I was just using the restroom."
Mike jumped back, startled by the sudden appearance of the middle-aged, overweight man.
No wonder, the guy's makeup was pretty grotesque, and him popping out like that was definitely a little scary.
Samantha greeted the middle-aged man.
"Are you the owner of this place?"
"Yes, indeed! You can call me Captain Spaulding!"
Samantha put down the flintlock pistol and picked up a curved knife. It was surprisingly sharp, actually having a sharpened edge.
"How much do these artifacts cost?"
Captain Spaulding shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this.
"Artifacts? No, no, no. Captain Spaulding doesn't deal in artifacts. Captain Spaulding only has treasures!"
Hearing this, Ashley, who was in a bad mood, was a bit dismissive.
"Tch, you can't possibly be saying that mummy and fish-man are real, can you?"
Captain Spaulding gave Ashley an annoyed look, and Samantha also glared at her.
"Ashley, mind your manners!"
Ashley pouted and stopped talking.
Captain Spaulding immediately changed his expression and began telling everyone about the history behind the exhibits in the shop's display cases.
The guy was a natural storyteller and seemed to have some acting chops. He quickly had Mike and Elureisha engrossed in the bizarre and fantastical tales.
The two kids momentarily forgot about the fatigue of their journey.
However, stories always come to an end, and soon Roy entered the little shop.
"Samantha, there's no one at the gas station! Sir, could I buy some gas from you?"
Captain Spaulding looked at Roy, his eyes darting around.
"So, you folks are here for gas! Well, you're in bad luck. That gas station only operates during the day. But I do have some spare gasoline here that should get you to the nearest town!"
Roy immediately pulled out his wallet.
"How much?"
Captain Spaulding enthusiastically walked over and tried to put his arm around Roy's shoulder. Roy dodged it; he had no desire to be touched by this greasy middle-aged man.
This made Captain Spaulding a bit awkward, so he turned his head and called out for his "associate" to come out and cover up his embarrassment.
"Associate, go help this gentleman fill up his gas! Folks, I also have some interesting little performances here. Would you like to take a look? The ticket price isn't expensive at all!"
Roy frowned slightly, realizing that this was probably the owner's way of forcing a bundle deal, like how you might have to watch an energetic dance performance if you wanted to buy gas in the middle of nowhere.
However, if it only cost a little money, Roy didn't really care. It would be a good little diversion on their trip.
"Alright, how much are the tickets?"
"Hehe, that'll be a hundred bucks per person, kids are half price!"
That came out to $450. It definitely wouldn't cost that much to fill up the gas tank, but Roy was too lazy to haggle.
"Here you go. After the show, you need to tell me the quickest way to the next town."
"Of course, no problem at all. Please, follow me!"
Captain Spaulding led them to the back room. It turned out to be a small theater that could seat a dozen or so people. This must be where the guy put on his "performances."
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Welcome to the dusty old Museum of Monsters and Madmen, where all your darkest fantasies of the macabre can come true!"
Hearing this, Roy couldn't help but yawn. He had encountered several demon lords, and there was even a succubus sitting right next to him. This kind of line just didn't excite him at all.
On the other hand, Mike and Elureisha were pretty pumped up. Kids their age loved listening to slightly scary stories. Even Ashley showed a hint of interest.
"First up, we have Albert the Sadist!"
Captain Spaulding pressed a button, and a gaunt old man puppet appeared on stage.
"In his lifetime, his favorite thing was to beat his own butt with a mace. At the same time, he was a sadist who loved nothing more than eating the fresh, juicy flesh of disobedient little children!"
Captain Spaulding suddenly leaned close to Mike, his sinister tone startling the boy.
Samantha frowned slightly, but the story was actually pretty similar to the kinds of things parents often said to scare their kids, so she didn't say anything.
Ashley patted her younger brother's shoulder and giggled.
"Mike, were you scared? You big scaredy-cat!"
But soon, Ashley also got a taste of it.
"Next up, we have Ed the Girl Killer! He suffered from severe mental illness, and his greatest hobby was collecting the lower parts of young girls!"
Captain Spaulding looked meaningfully at Ashley, causing the young girl to instinctively grab Roy's arm.
Now, not only was Samantha frowning, but Roy was also starting to furrow his brow.
This kind of story probably wasn't suitable to be told in front of children, right?
The innocent Elureisha curiously asked Roy, "Daddy, what's a lower part?"
This question made Roy a bit awkward. Thankfully, Samantha, being a responsible mother, leaned over and whispered an explanation in Elureisha's ear.
"Oh, so it's where girls pee!"
Captain Spaulding looked at Roy somewhat strangely because Elureisha, this "daughter," clearly looked older than Roy, yet she was asking such a childish question.
However, Captain Spaulding didn't interrupt his performance and instead continued to introduce the third puppet.
"Third, we have Dr. Satan Quentin, a well-known figure in this town. He was once an authority on surgical procedures, capable of granting eternal life through brain surgery. Many years ago, he was found hanging from a tree outside of town, but soon after, his body disappeared. Everyone suspects that this guy used some kind of evil surgery to turn himself into an undead!"
Is this undead guy perhaps into kindling the First Flame?
Samantha finally reached her breaking point.
"Enough! These kinds of stories are not for children!"
Saying this, Samantha pulled Mike and Ashley up, preparing to leave the theater.
Captain Spaulding chuckled.
"In that case, I suppose the show's over."
Roy also took Elureisha and left.
"Captain Spaulding, could you draw me a quick map?"
"Of course, no problem at all!"
After the map was drawn, Roy's car was also full of gas. The five of them resumed their journey.
Captain Spaulding watched Roy and the others drive away, a bizarre smile spreading across his face.
They hadn't driven far when a torrential downpour suddenly began. Visibility became extremely low, and Roy had to slow down.
Suddenly, Roy noticed a woman with an umbrella standing by the side of the road, trying to flag them down.
In the middle of the night, a woman hitchhiking on the side of the road... this scene looked a little eerie!
Roy remembered the last time someone flagged him down in such a desolate area was during the Southern Demon incident. Hopefully, this wasn't going to be another situation like that.
On second thought, someone flagging them down wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Amy had once flagged down Roy's car because her own had broken down, and that was how Roy managed to unlock the Perfect Blood.
So, Roy slowly pulled over to the side of the road and lowered his window to say hello.
"Hey, ma'am, do you need some help?"
A hot blonde woman in denim attire saw Roy and her eyes lit up.
"Hey there, handsome. Could you give me a ride?"
Roy looked the blonde woman up and down, feeling like she probably wasn't a bad person.
"Ma'am, what are you doing out here alone so late?"
"I left my place to go into town to buy some things, but then it started pouring rain. I just happened to see your car and thought I'd ask for a ride. Handsome, could you give me a lift?"
"Alright, get in."
There were already five people in the Chevy Camaro, but if Mike sat on his sister Ashley's lap, they could make room for one more.
"Ma'am, what's your name?"
"Baby Firefly."
What a strange name. Baby Firefly, huh?
"Could you point me in the right direction?"
"Sure thing! Just take a left at the next fork in the road, and that'll take you to my place! Handsome, would you like to come in for a bit?"
Baby started flirting with Roy without a care in the world, causing Samantha and Ashley to both frown.
"Bitch!" ×2
The mother and daughter simultaneously blurted out the curse word.
After that, the car continued driving for another ten or so minutes before inexplicably stalling.
Roy looked at the dashboard in surprise, only to find that the fuel gauge showed empty.
"Roy, what happened?"
Samantha, in the passenger seat, asked curiously.
"We're out of gas!"
"How could that be? Didn't that associate guy fill up our tank?"
"I checked the gauge when we left, and the tank was definitely full then!"
"Huh? Could the fuel tank be broken?"
Roy unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car door.
"I'll get out and take a look."
It was raining heavily, and visibility was extremely low. Fortunately, Roy had a flashlight. He lay down under the car to take a look and sure enough, he saw gasoline dripping from the fuel line.
"Damn it, it really is leaking!"
Roy's expression was grim. They were in the middle of nowhere, and it wasn't even certain if a tow truck would come out here.
Just then, the blonde woman winked at Roy.
"Why don't you come to my place for a while? I'm sure I have some spare gas!"
Roy looked at the blonde woman, Baby, a thoughtful expression on his face.
To be honest, the things that had happened tonight seemed a little too coincidental. First, a weird middle-aged guy, then a blonde hitchhiker on the road, and now the car suddenly running out of gas due to a leak. It felt like a very common trope in horror movies.
Could he have accidentally gotten caught up in another horror movie plot?
The possibility was very high!
So, Roy put on a warm smile and looked at Baby.
"Sure! How much further to your place?"
Hearing this, Baby was very happy. Just a few more minutes and they'd be at her place!
"Alright, you take the others ahead first. I'll push the car and follow behind."
After saying this, Roy whispered a reminder in Samantha's ear.
"Be careful!"
Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon Zombie)
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