BFDI Prequels | A BFDI Fanfic

Chapter 25: A Ride to the Other Side

A faint memory from childhood was the only thing guiding her from the grips of death charging towards her. It was the last choice; the only choice she had if she wanted to survive. Even at full throttle, she was only barely able to outpace the wall of bugs. She could feel the ground shake with the force of a million tons of assassins, pounding the earth like a living sledgehammer.

Flower didn't know how much longer she had to drive. Heck, she didn't even know if she was going down the right path. The saltiness of tears still stung the edges of her lips, but she didn't care to wipe them off. More would come anyway. There was just too much to take in, yet ironically she had nothing at all. She had tried to focus on simple things—the soft, rolling, purple hills, the endless groves of berry bushes—but everything she saw only led her back to her family, or lack thereof. Not to mention the hellish abomination she would be reminded of every time she looked in the rearview mirrors.

Suddenly, a strip of blue came into view over the horizon. As she got closer, she could see the roof of a small house poking over the edge.

"YES!" Flower cried, pumping her fist in the air.

The closer she got to the sparkling azure water, the more of the small house was visible. To the front of it was a small floating dock with a couple of watercraft close by. A small wooden rowboat, a white speedboat with racing stripes, and even just a flat board with some stubby oars on top. The boats bobbed up and down with each wave sweeping onto the sandy beach. Next to the house, a rusty old pick-up truck was packed with some fishing poles hanging out the back end.

Flower looked back at her predators. They were close, but not as close as before. She estimated that she had—at most—less than 5 minutes before they caught up.

Okay Flower, you've got this. Just walk in there, grab a boat as quickly as possible, and leave.

She slammed down on the brakes, jumped out, stuffed as much as she could into her handbag, and ran into the boat-renting house.

"Hello? I need to take a boat right now. Here's my card, there should be about a hundred dollars left on there. Take it all," She instructed the only other person in the room, who did not appear to be paying attention to her.

"Woah there miss, what's the hurry?" the other object asked.

He was an old sea captain's hat, with bits and pieces of fabric missing here and there. A pipe balanced in his mouth as he spoke. Between words, puffs of smoke came out the end and floated up until they disappeared into the air. A polished cane with a curved top rested in the palm of his left hand.

Flower gasped. She knew this man. He was the same person that her parents spoke to when they first went to the canal. And as she recognized him, he, too, recognized her.

"I remember you now!" he chuckled, "You're Flower Dewpetals, aren't you? Oh look at you, you're all grown up. The last time I saw you, you were still a little seed! So, how's the family doing?"

"They're..." she faltered. Tears had started to well up in her eyes.

"Did... did something happen?"

She coughed. Now was not the time to cry. The bugs were still coming for her.

"No," she asserted, "nothing happened. I just need a boat."

"Well, if anything does happen, you can always tell me." He paused. "About the boat, I will need to see your boating licence and proof of insurance."

"I don't have any of those. Just take my money and give me the boat."

Captain Hat looked hesitant. "Come on now, miss, no need to act like that. I'm just trying to make sure you're staying safe," he reasoned.

Flower's vision turned red. She could feel the ground shaking more and more with every second. If she stayed any longer, well, she didn't want to think about it. And the only thing standing between her and living another day was an old man with a cane. Her lips curled into a devilish grin. It couldn't be that hard to take down an old man, would it?