I wake up around 7:30 A.M. and start to getting ready for the day by brushing my teeth, taking a shower, and getting dressed. After I got done with that, I looked down at my watch and saw that it took me a couple of minutes to get all of that done. That was faster than I had anticipated, I thought as I reached for my bag and began to head out the door to return my room key to the front desk. When I got to the lobby, I went up to the front desk and turned in my key to the man that was working last night at the front desk. “Did you have a nice stay?” he asked with surprising genuine care. “Actually, I did,” I said as I handed him the key and the the pay for the day, which is $. I also handed him a $5 tip and said, “Thanks for the service.” Then I headed towards my car to start the second day of my journey. Before I got in though, I went to the trunk of my car and grabbed the fifteen gallon gas container and started pouring in the gas into the tank. About thirty seconds later, I grabbed the near empty container and went towards the trunk of my car to put away the container. After that, I got into my car, revved up the engine, and started heading towards Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.

About an hour later, I stopped at the Road Ranger gas station to refill my tank and grab some breakfast while I’m at it. As I walked into the station, I see that there are a couple of donuts near the register and that there was a bottle of milk in one of the coolers in the back. I walk towards the back and opened the door and got hit with a gust of cold wind. I shivered a little as I grabbed the milk and headed towards the register for the donuts.

“Is that all?” the man as the register asked in a bored tone. “Yep,” I said holding the donuts and the milk. “With gas that’s $64.29,” he said, still looking bored. I handed him the pay and headed toward my car. When I got to my car, I sank my teeth into the first donut and ended up scarfing the rest of it down along with the other one I bought. After I was done eating my breakfast, I took a swig of the ice cold milk I bought. After I was done, I revved the engine up and was ready to continue my journey.


About three hours later, I stop at a Dutch themed restaurant by the name of Das Dutchman Essenhaus. This looks interesting, I thought as I looked down at my watch and noticed it was 12:00. Might as well see what they have, I thought as I pulled open the door and walked inside. Once inside, I was seated at a table near a window, where I ordered a lemonade to drink. A few seconds later, I’m sipping on an ice cold lemonade as I read quickly through the menu.

“I’ll have the creamed chicken and biscuits, please,” I said to the waitress. “Alright, it will be out in about five to ten minutes,” She said. “Great,” I answered back. Sheesh, that’s faster than I would have expected it to be, I thought, but she could be just guessing. Turns out, she was telling the truth because in about seven minutes, my meal was brought before me. Geez that was fast! I thought to myself as I smelled the mouthwatering scent of the chicken. I stabbed the chicken with my fork and started tearing into it. Before I knew it, I ended up scarfing down the biscuits and mashed potatoes. The dish lived up to its name, I thought, the chicken was as creamy as the mashed potatoes and the gravy complimented the biscuits. The waitress was standing next to my table and handed me the bill. I paid $13.65 for my meal and handed the waitress a $3 tip. After that, I headed towards my car and kept on trucking towards Nashville.

About five hours later, I stop again at a Speedway gas station in Ohio to refuel for the trip to Nashville. When I put the pump into the tank, I noticed that there was what appeared to be a holdup at the station. The person causing the holdup had short brown hair and a slight build. He looked like he wasn’t afraid to shoot.

What should I do? I thought until it hit me. I saw the person causing the holdup leaving a black pickup that was near the exit of the gas station. Let’s have some fun, I thought. I grab the jack that was in the back and I sprint towards the pickup and start to raise it off the ground with the jack. In a couple of seconds, I was able to loosen the bolts off of the back right wheel and end up taking of the wheel. After that, I loosened the bolts on the other wheels and bolted back to my car and I throw the wheel and the jack in the back. I crouch behind my car and see that the person causing the holdup was sprinting towards the pickup and peeled out of the station seconds later. I called the cops and told them about the situation.

“What is this person driving and how will we know if it’s the vehicle that he’s driving?” said the officer on the other end of the line. “This person is driving a black pickup and you’ll know that it’s him because he’s missing a wheel,” I replied. After the brief discussion, I hung up and went inside to pay for the gas. The man at the register just stared at me with shock at what I did. “Pump 4,” I said. He told me the price and I handed him $43.20 for the gas as I solemnly walked out of the gas station and into my car. That was.... something, I thought as I drove out of the station and continue on my way to Bloomsburg.

About three hours later, I arrive in Cleveland, Ohio, where I spent the night in the Holiday Inn Express for the night. I was so tired that I didn’t even bother with dinner that night. I practically fell asleep as soon as my bed hit the pillow.

Thinking back to this morning, I remember how insignificant it was and that I was finally glad that I made it to Bloomsburg University. I leave the parking lot. I started walking toward the registration building to see what I can find out about the university. I hope they can at least give me a map of the university, I thought to myself as I was walking to the building.

“Here’s a map of the campus with a bit of information on it,” said one of the registration workers, “considering you found this place, I think you won’t have a problem trying to find the locations you’re looking for,” she replied. “You have no idea,” I said with a quick smile as I wave goodbye and head out the front door. When I step out of the door, I start speed walking to the upper campus to check out the housing in that area. I didn’t check the lower campus because I knew that it basically consisted of seven residence halls and I wanted to live on the campus year long in a space that isn’t too big or small. That is if I don’t get accepted in the other colleges. When I got to the complexes, checked an empty room that was like any other room in the apartment and thought, this space is perfect to live in. After that, I ran down to the center of the campus to check on the buildings that held the classes. When I got to the Student Service Center, I saw the the many classroom buildings that taught the subcategories and main categories of the college. There are four main categories: Education, Liberal arts, Science and Technology, and Business. This is kind of a big campus, I thought to myself as I was walking past the many buildings to the parking lot where my car was.

When I got to my car, I noticed that there was a little note that had a message scribbled on it. It read, “I know what you did to me and I am coming to get payback.” I didn’t have a clue about what it meant, until I remembered the holdup from yesterday. This guy is still running around, I thought to myself as I started to sweat with nervousness. If he finds me, I might be done for. I started the engine and drove down to the nature reservation that is about half an hour away from the college.

When I got to the center, I grabbed a map and started heading down one of their many trails. As I kept on walking, I kept on trying to convince myself that it wasn’t the same guy, but I knew that it was him all along. I tried to forget about it as I saw a couple of hawks and raptors fly overhead and over the woodland. At this point, I’m on top of a hill that let’s me oversee the whole area. I grab my camera from my pocket and start taking pictures of the hawks, raptors, scenery, and a couple of plants that I saw that were pretty and very hard to find. After I was done taking pictures, I made my trek down the rocky way that I had come up. I believe I made the right choice coming here, I thought as I now have forgotten about the man who was out to get me. After a couple of minutes, I made it back to my car, started my engine, and headed down towards Norman, Oklahoma.

The drive lasted about forty-five minutes as I stopped at a Great American Grille for dinner. I walked inside and seated myself at a booth. Minutes later I waitress came by and took my order. I ordered a mobley burger, fries, and a lemonade. I knew that it was going to take a while because the place was packed like crazy. I sat there waiting for my order when a tall man in an overcoat came up to me and asked if I was Alec Harrington.

“Yeah, I’m Alec,” I said a little worried where this was going. “How can I help you?” The man took a seat opposite the table and explained that he was looking for me since yesterday. “Why?” I asked, even more worried than before.

“My name is Dave Wes, and I am a police detective,” he said in a deep voice that was mixed with authority. That was when I was about to panic. “Did I do something wrong?” I asked as I felt a couple beads of sweat form on my face. “No, but you are in danger,” he said with a grave tone. “I already know that,” I said as I gave him a recollection of what happened earlier today. “The man that you tried to arrest is James Smith, a thief and a murderer,” he continued, “we’ve been trying to catch this guy for two months now and have had no success.” Dave told all the crimes that James has committed and told me that I should be careful. “Alright, thanks Mr. Wes,” I said as he got up and left.

My food arrived, but as I was eating it, it was practically tasteless and was hard to swallow since I heard who and what I was up against. What have I gotten myself into? I thought as I paid $10.43 for my finished meal. With that I headed to the Days Inn for the night.

When I got to my room, I looked down the hallway and made sure that I wasn’t being followed. Once, that was done I locked the door and got ready for bed. After I brushed my teeth, I got into bed and fell asleep with the thought of being in danger.

I got up around 6:30 A.M. and started to collect my belongings in a fast manner. After throwing everything into my bag, I ran down the hall, returned the key to the front desk, and paid $85.60 for the night. Then I hurried to my car and started heading towards Norman, Oklahoma. I need to be alert at all times, I thought to myself as I revved up the engine and headed down the road. I stopped later at a Waffle House and ordered waffles and eggs for breakfast. I started to calm down, knowing that I was away from that place. My order came in a matter of minutes and I grabbed a fork and a knife and began to cut through the soft waffles. Each bite was soft and delicious. The eggs were also fried to perfection as I finished them in a matter of seconds. When the waitress came by I had chugged my water and paid the $5.03 and left in a slightly hurried manner. I got to my car and started up the engine and looked around. I kept in mind all the cars and license plates that were in that parking lot. I was keeping track of which car might follow me. With that I started the engine and headed down to Vanderbilt University.

I stopped two times down the way to buy gas for my car and a Subway meal. It costed me $49.52. A little time after getting my gas though, I stopped at Fort Loudoun State Park and walked through the original fort that was used during the French and Indian War.
When I think of forts, I usually think of a house or two to three linked together. I realized that my idea was way off since the fort housed a whole town. I walked through the town and took as many pictures as I had time to while I thought about why this was here in the first place. I remembered that settlers had moved here from different areas to expand land for other countries or to take control of the land. These forts were used to protect them from their enemies because there was the French and Indian War at the time. Besides the fort, I knew that the remnants of the Tellico Blockhouse are still around, but it was only the lower part of the walls that were left. I didn’t really feel like seeing the remnants, so I just drove down to Vanderbilt as soon as I was done.

Later that day, I step onto the campus of Vanderbilt University and begin to explore the campus with the map in my hands. I walked through the campus; however, I didn’t go throughout the whole campus. Mainly because I knew that the commons was on the left side of the campus and that the sports facilities are in the northern part of the campus. What I was walking towards was the class areas and the hospital, where students who work towards a degree in the medical department can learn about what it really is about by volunteering and working with the doctors and nurses. I got there in a matter of minutes and saw that the medical courses were right next to the hospital. I also saw that east of the college is the student recreational area. This was one of my top three colleges I wanted to go to because of it’s great medical program. I did see the commons area, the forms of housing, and the athletic facilities along with the Kirkland Hall. I saw these areas along the way to the hospital.

On my way back to my car, I tried to remember what was important about Kirkland Hall. Then it hit me, it held most of the classes, labs, and seminars of the college. Once I figured that out, I was at my car and I headed towards the nearest restaurant and the nearest hotel since the sun was beginning to set and I began to see the moon.

I stopped at Jack’s Bar-B-Que for dinner and I did what I usually did, I go sit in a booth and pick out what I want before the waiter or waitress comes by. The waitress who came by seemed to recognize me and said that I’m famous in parts of the country now since I was on the news.
I said “I am, however, in danger since I did that.” The conversation ended by me giving her my order.

My order came in a mere matter of minutes and I began biting into the juicy pork and remember the pork that Dad made a night when we had company. Difference is, his pork is way better. I finished my pork and my water with it. I was finishing my corn when the waitress came up to me with the bill. I paid $7.70 and apologized for my blunt behavior.

“Don’t worry about it, I’d probably act the same way to,” she said with a smile as she walked away. With that, I walked out of the restaurant, got into my car and started heading to a Holiday Inn Express hotel.

When I got my key moments after I got there, I headed to my room and listened for footsteps that might belong to James. Fortunately, I couldn’t see, or hear him. With that I locked my door and did my normal getting ready for bed routine. After that was done I got into bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

When I woke up, it was 7:30 A.M. I got ready for the day and packed up in less than five minutes. I had no time to waste and I just grabbed two bagels on the way out of the hotel. Before I left, I heard the front desk talking on the phone. I heard the man at the desk talking to a Mr. Smith. At that point I sprinted up to the desk, returned the key, and paid the $160.50 for that night. After that I sprinted to my car, revved up the engine a little too much, and with a screech of tires on the pavement, I was gone.

On the way to Oklahoma University, I had to stop three times. During two of these times, I had to get gas. The other time I went through the Sonic Drive-In to buy a chili cheese dog and a bottled water. All together I paid for forty-two gallons of gas, a chili cheese dog, and a bottled water that costed me $162.41. I had so much gas because I brought an extra container of gas with me and I needed to fill it up. I know it’s not safe, but I do it so I don’t have to stop as much.

After thinking about all that happened this morning, I stepped out of my car and stretched. I can feel my stiff muscles pop and my bones crack as I go through some basic stretching. I think it’s time that I gave Mr. Wes a call, I thought to myself as I grabbed the OU campus map and started exploring the campus.

I know most of the campus and what the college has to offer because I was studying OU when I was at my cousins’ house. Because of that studying, I know where the multiple forms of housing are, some of the class buildings, and some of the museums. The college has an incredible high ranking for it’s dance, advertising, and meteorology courses and programs. That’s not why I’m here though. I’m here because of the medical program and the many fine arts programs that they offer as a subclass or as an organization.

As I run through the campus, I make notes about the many museums of history and art it has along with the many courses and organizations it owns. As I am observing the college and taking notes on it, I pull out my phone and call the number Detective Wes gave me. I told him where I was and where he may be able to find James.

“Alright, thank you for your help,” he said, before he hung up. I finally don’t have to worry about that killer anymore, I thought to myself as relief flooded my body.

After I was done at the college, I got into my car and I headed down to Legends Restaurant to celebrate what I had accomplished.

I got to the restaurant in a couple of minutes and I seated myself at a booth right next to a TV. When the waitress came by I ordered the crispy pork tenderloin medallions and a sprite. I was in a pretty good mood and I didn’t have to worry about whether or not I was going to get killed or kidnapped.

My food came about five minutes later and I didn’t hesitate to dig right in. I grabbed my fork and knife and started cutting the medallions into tiny little pieces and I was shoveling the pieces into my mouth as I was cutting. The pork lived to its name because it tasted juicy, tender, and crispy. To my surprise, I was done in less than three minutes. I was sipping my sprite when the waitress came up and noticed that I already had the exact pay next to the plate. She picked up the $22.63 and went to the cash register to put it in. With that I got up and walked out of the restaurant towards my car. I got into my car and turned the key until I could hear the hum of the engine. I got on the road again and went to Country Inn and Suite By Carlson for the night.

I paid $86.67 for the night and went to my room and hit the hay right when I got there.

I’m sitting in my car one of the Dixie State University parking lots as I’m thinking back on my day so far and I thought about how uneventful it was. That was the way I wanted it to be. A day without being hunted. However, it did cost me $252.02 for gas and food.

I step out of my car; I begin to start my walk throughout the campus. I saw the many buildings that held the many classes and organizations and I saw the different kinds of housing throughout the college. Besides the classes and housing, I also saw students going back and forth from building to building as though they were trains on a scheduled route. The walk only took me about twenty minutes to finish. Mainly because I didn’t walk through the lower part of the campus since that was where all the athletic facilities were. Once I was done, I got into my car and headed to the nearest hotel I could find because it was getting late.


Half and hour later, I’m sitting on my bed eating a six inch turkey sandwich and drinking a sixteen ounce lemonade that I paid $5.00 for. These are all good colleges, I think to myself, but I think Luther, Vanderbilt, and Oklahoma are my top three. With that, I finish my sandwich, drink, and I fall asleep on the bed without a worry in the world.

I get up the next morning and got ready for the day by brushing my teeth and putting a fresh change of clothes on. When I got done, I headed to the front desk, returned the key, and paid the price of $85.60. With that out of the way, I headed out the door and to finish my journey.

I didn’t leave the town right away. In fact, I stopped at a little cafe called the Bean Scene. I only stopped in briefly to order two blueberry bagels and a bango bash fruitshake for $8.31. Once I got my order, I took some time to relax by eating my breakfast outside. I sat under an umbrella and took a bite out of the bagel. It was soft and tasted like the greatest thing in the world. Maybe it was because I was in a good mood. I finished my bagels in no time and then I started to drink my fruitshake. It was so creamy and fruity, that I practically inhaled the whole thing. However, I got a brain freeze. Ahhhh, I was thinking, but that thought ended minutes later. After I threw my stuff away, I was back on the road again and ready to finish my journey.



A couple of hours later, after buying twenty-eight gallons of gas for $105.76, I am standing in front of the worlds largest open pit copper mine, Bingham Canyon. I saw all the drilling that they were doing to get the copper out of the rock. I also saw that there were a couple of, what I thought, were little houses in the mine. I was wondering why that was until I remembered that there are a couple of little villages in the canyon and I also remembered that multiple companies have used this mine. With all of that in mind, I turn around and head towards my car. When I got to my car, my phone rang I looked at the number and saw that it was Detective Wes.

“Hello?” I said in a confused voice. “Alec, this is Detective Wes,” he continued, “James got away and is headed in your direction.”

Next minute I knew, I was standing in a world where everything was frozen in time. “Are you sure?” I said in a shaky voice. “Yes, I’m absolutely sure,” he continued, “we’ll send people down there ASAP.” With that, the line went dead and the same black pickup from the holdup parked right by my car.

“I’ve been waiting so long for this,” said a rough and scratchy voice that I knew was James. He stepped out of his car with the same 9mm pistol from the holdup in his right hand. He still looked the same as he did from the holdup, except he shaved his head and had the look of a wild animal in his eyes. “You have two choices, kid,” he continued, “either you jump in the canyon, or you get shot.” He was about fifteen feet away from me and I knew that he can shoot me right now if he wanted to. I looked around and saw that there was a rusted chunk of metal sticking out of the ground behind me. It was probably an old piece of a machine. I’ll use this, I thought to myself as I distracted him by shouting, “Cops!” He turned around and I grabbed the chunk of metal and threw it at him. It struck him right in the back of his head and he fell to the ground out cold. I walked towards the gun that slid out of his hand and threw it into the canyon.

I walked to my car and right when I was about to open it, the apparently out cold James came out of nowhere and slammed my head into the side of the car. THUD. That was all I heard after my face made contact with the car. After that everything was covered in a red haze, like the fist that was coming at my face. I was knocked to the ground from that hit and I felt a bruise starting to form on my left eye because of the way it started to throb. He was over me and tried to smash his foot down on my face, but I was on my feet right when his foot touched the ground. I gave a couple quick jabs to his face and he seemed daze. This is my chance, I thought as I got on top of the hood of his truck. He ran at me like a wild animal. Big mistake. I lifted my foot back and shot it straight into his face. The blow caused him to stumble a couple of steps backward towards the canyon. I grabbed him by his jacket and threw him more towards the parking lot. After that he fell to the ground unconscious.

I heard the sirens and saw Detective Wes run towards the unconscious James and cuffed him. Two officers came and grabbed James by both of his shoulders and put him in the nearest cruiser.

“You did well, kid,” Wes was saying in an encouraging voice, “but what are you going to do now?” “Go home,” I said as I got into my car and drove away from the canyon.

About ten hours later, I am in a hotel room that belongs to the Northern Johnson Inn North Platte eating my second cheeseburger and sipping on a twelve ounce sprite. During those ten hours from the canyon to here, I spent $52.98 for eleven gallons of gas, a prime rib sandwich, a sixteen ounce powerade, and now two cheeseburgers with a twelve ounce sprite from McDonald’s. After I finished my food, I fell back on the mattress and was out. It’s over, I thought to myself.

It was 7:00 A.M. when I woke up and I walked straight to the lobby because I left my possessions in my car for the night. When I got to the lobby, I ate three well done waffles and drank a glass of ice cold milk. After that, I grabbed three bagels and some jams. I was going to eat them on the way home. I got to the front desk and paid the man the $56.21 that I owed him along with the key. With that out of the way, I went to my car and drove back to my home.

About six hours later, I stopped at a gas station and filled the tank with fourteen gallons of gas. I paid $56.18 at the pump and once again, began my drive back home.

It wasn’t until midnight that I made it home and I wasn’t sure how I was going to tell my family about my whole experience. I’ll just tell them every aspect of my trip, I thought as I got out of my car and walked up to the front door. I was finally home.

The one thing I want for someone to get out of this writing, is that if you have an idea that may seem insane, but you really want to carry it out. Then do it. Don’t let someone or something stop you from doing what you want to do.