2. Road Trip

The prearranged meeting spot for the group is on South West Street - midway between the Science Hall and Robert Carter Memorial Hall. When you get there, you see two Chevrolet Model Ks and a large Ford AA truck standing by. A gaggle of other students mill around the vehicles.

Robert Blaine waves you over.

As your luggage is loaded onto the truck, he introduces you to the others.

"This is Clarissa Thurber. She's a chemistry major." He points you to an attractive young woman, with long, brown hair styled in the latest fashion, hazel eyes, and an athletic physique. She's wearing a nice dress of a conservative length.

"Yes. If you're wondering. She is the daughter of Professor Theodore Thurber." Robert says with a slight smile.

"Don't hold that against me." Clarissa says with the slightest hint of a lisp. She smiles, but you can see she is sizing you up.

"This is Jason Trent. He's a history major." Robert points to young man with dark brown hair and eyes, thin lips, and a round face framed by large thick-lensed glasses.

Trent looks up, his eyes magnified by the thick lenses. "Hi." He says, lifting his hand ever so slightly as if to wave. He puts it down quickly and looks down at his feet.

"This is Little Rod." Robert says clapping a large young man on the shoulder. "He's a geography major, and on the varsity football team."

"Howdie." He says with an easy smile and a slight southern drawl. His broad, pleasant-looking face is only marred by a small "U" shaped scar on his chin. He proudly wears his football jersey and jacket.

"Louis Gibbons." Robert says, "is a Botany major." He points to a young man with striking blue eyes, blond hair, and perfect teeth.

"Well, hello." He says. A heavy Boston accent signals that he might be local. "A pleasure to meet you." A broad smile crosses his face and produces dimples that probably drive the girls crazy.

"Harry Higgins is geology major." He points to a thin, frail-looking youth with reddish brown hair and green eyes. He has a silver dollar sized birthmark on the right side of his face.

"Whoah! More people?" He asks Robert with a big smile. "You've got a full-on search party here." He nods to the group and doesn't wait for a response, before heading off to joke with the others.

"William Noakes is a ..." Robert gives the big, strapping lad with curly auburn hair, blue eyes, and freckles a confused look. "What is your major, Will?"

William smiles "Undecided." He says. A slight blush coloring his cheeks. He nods a welcome. "Nice to meet you." He says.

"And finally, Terrence Laslow, the psychology major." He says pointing to a young man with a sour look. Terrence has a thin, sharp face, black hair and a thin moustache that hasn't filled out well. He is dressed in a very fine suit that looks like it cost a lot of money.

He looks you up and down, but doesn't say anything. He turns to the group and states loudly. "I will be driving. There is no way I'm going to get crushed in the back."

Blaine calls the group together. He explains that everyone will be lodging in a farmhouse about three miles outside of Cobb’s Corners. It's going to take about a half day to get there, so get comfortable.

With the luggage stowed, he signals for everyone to load up.

Little Rod gets behind the wheel of one of the Chevrolets, and Terrance gets behind the wheel of the second. Robert looks at your group and asks "Do any of you know how to drive well?"

Marcus is taken slightly aback when no-one volunteers for truck driving duty.
"I g-guess that leaves me to do the driving. I'm quite good with cars, but never tried one of these. You folks don't drive too fast, alright?" he says to the other drivers.

He gets in the cabin, gulps at the size of the steering wheel. He tries to familiarise himself with the gearbox, pedals, adjusts the mirrors. This was designed for bigger men than me! he thinks, sliding the seat closer to reach the pedals.

"OK, I have room two here in the cabin. And plenty for cargo in the flatbed."

"Shotgun!" Calls out Harry Higgens.

He raises his hand and runs towards the truck, looking over his shoulder as if expecting a race with one of the other students. He slows when he sees no one giving chase. "Alright. I guess that was easy enough."

He clambers up into the cab and leans out the window towards Marcus. "So, Marcus. Care for a sip?" He produces a small flask and shakes it. Without waiting for a response, he unscrews the top and takes a quick pull.

"You know, if the government'd pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting anybody from learning anything, in five years we'd be the smartest race of people on Earth." He grins and holds out to flask.

Louis Gibbons strolls up to the truck. "Do you mind if I join you two?"

He gives the flask a momentary look of surprise, then a broad smile spreads across his face, producing those trademark dimples. "Well. It appears I joined the right group."

Marcus notes something familiar about Louis. It takes a moment to place him - you shared a handful of lectures in Marcus's time at Miskatonic. Classes aimed at students with an eye towards Medicine. But he hasn't been in any similar lectures this year.

"Just a taste, thanks. It will help me loosen up. You know, I've never tried to drive one of these before." He pats the steering wheel, than takes the flask from Harry for a brief sip.

As he returns the flask he acknowledges the second passenger, "Hey Louis. Saw you around in classes. Right. We'd better get going..."

He starts the truck engine, and looks up at the other cars, then glances at his stuff that he secured on the back of the vehicle.

"Ellis Hardy, undergraduate Astronomy," Ellis responds by way of introduction to the group. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"I can maybe start and stop a car, I'm not a driver. I'll get in the rear with the gear," Ellis replies to Robert good-naturedly. In the hubbub he missed his chance to grab a seat in the truck, so he starts eyeing the Chevrolets.

He already deposited his gear into the truck - warm clothes, his old rifle in a carrying bag, a small telescope, a printed star guide, and flashlights with red covers. On his person he keeps a small notebook, pencils, and a map of the Cobb's Corners area.

ELLIS
William Noakes drops into the front seat and the car rocks gently. He turns around, arm hanging over the back of the seat. "So, Ellis - Astronomy? That sounds interesting. Why did you choose that major?"

Jason Trent settles into the back seat directly behind William. He shrinks back slightly as the big man's arm drops behind the seat, near his leg. He sneaks a peak at Ellis, then returns his gaze to his lap without a word.

Terrence pulls the car door shut and turns to give William a sharp look. "Keep to your side, please." He waves William's knee back from his side of the car.

William shifts, pulling his knee back. "Oh. Sorry, Terrence." A slight blush colors his cheeks. He turns back to Ellis, recovering with an easy smile. "Astronomy?" He continues.

MARCUS
The truck lurches forward, rocking back and forth as it nearly stalls a twice. The gears grind and scream as Marcus wrestles the stick into second.

"Jeez!" Harry exclaims in his broad Irish lilt, knuckles white on the dash. "Never drove one of these - did ye mean a Ford truck, or automobile in general?" He barks a laugh at his own joke, and punches Marcus lightly on the arm. "Ah, don't worry about it, old man. I'm sure you're doing a much better job than I would've."

Harry turns to Louis. "So, taking some medical classes on the side, eh?"

Louis smiles at Harry, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "No." He says, with a low chuckle that carries a trace of his Boston accent. "I started out in Medicine. Spent a year at St. Mary's actually. But it just wasn't for me." He adjusts his jacket cuff. "Botany suits me rather better."

Louis turns back to Marcus. "So, what made you go into Medicine?"

"Sorry Harry," he replies to the Irishman. "I'll... I'll get the hang of it, I'm sure."
The truck bumps harshly driving over a pothole, as if on cue. Marcus grins embarrassed.

At Louis's question, he ponders for a moment how much to reveal to someone he's just met.
"Well... my family in Boston are practitioners... Have been for a few generations, so... I didn't get much of a say in the matter. Had to continue the legacy, I guess."

He tries to lighten the atmosphere, "but Medicine is alright. Just... there's SO much to learn! Struggling with the damn enzymes, at the moment. There seem to be thousands of types!"

He looks ahead at the other cars.
Hope Blaine is in the lead, being the only one who knows how to get there...

Jocelyn heads for the second car. She is surprised at the size of the expedition so keeps her thoughts to herself as she arranges herself in the vehicle. She has brought her father's old hunting rifle besides some basic provisions for a couple of days in the country.

MARCUS
"Family business." Louis says his smile fading. He shifts in his seat uncomfortably and gets quiet. "I understand."

He watches the road, his expression distant. When Marcus mentions the workload, Louis seems to snap out of it and nods along. "Yeah, it just wasn't for me. I couldn't see myself practicing Medicine for the rest of my life."

He smiles and turns to Harry. "How 'bout a sip from that flask?" He asks, holding out his hand.

Harry smiles and passes it over. "I knew I picked the right vehicle."

---

JOCELYN
Little Rod climbs into the driver's side. Robert Blaine takes the front passenger seat and immediately produces a map. He spreads it open on the dash, jabbing a finger at Arkham.

He traces one of the lines heading out of the city. "We need to get onto the 25 south to Boston. Then it's the 57 west." The discussion that follows drones on about highways, traffic patterns, and stops along the way - Little Rod nodding patiently as Robert talks.

Clarissa Thurber slides into the back seat beside Jo and turns to give her a warm smile. "A graduate student - at Miskatonic, no less." She raises an eyebrow with genuine appreciation. "I'm impressed."

She glances at the front seat, where Robert and Little Rod are still debating the merits of one highway over another, and wrinkles her nose at the two arguing in the front. "Fools." she says quietly, the word carrying more amusement than malice.

She turns to Jo. "Archaeology. Now that sounds exciting." A sparkle hits her hazel eyes. "Are you planning to attend any of the famous digs? My goodness, what about Tutankhamun? Are they still out there? I can't imagine anything more thrilling."

"Oh, it's natural for me," Ellis replies. "I've always been interested in the stars, ever since I was a child. I'd go out on dark nights and look for constellations. My parents got me a book of star charts for my birthday one year and I went out and marked it up with all my observations. I checked out all sorts of books from the library about the night sky."

After a moment's thought, Ellis continues, "I understand that you haven't decided on a major yet, do you have any leanings in any particular direction, Will?"

Addressing both Louis and Harry, he asks, "so... about this missing students business... Blaine wanted to propose to the missing girl... no wonder he is so invested in this. But he told me that a Miskatonic professor tried to stop the funds for the original expedition. Who could that be? Any ideas?"

He switches to a lower gear as the road gets more uphill, beginning to get a grasp on the temperamental gearbox...

"My line of work is more about finding bits of pottery or arrowheads in riverbeds right here in the good ol' U.S. of A," Jo replies to Clarissa, finding herself utterly unable to convey the fascination she herself feels with the topic. All that egyptology is far more glamorous, something of a pipe dream for a girl like me."

"What about you? Why a chemistry major on a field trip to Cobb's Corner?"

That came out wrong..."What I mean," she says quickly, "is why are we taking a football team?

ELLIS
"I don't know." Will says, shifting slightly in his seat. "I was happy enough on the farm, helping my pa. But Uncle Bill said I was a bright kid and I ought to give school a shot."

He shrugs his big shoulders with an easy, self-deprecating smile. "I like Anthropology well enough. History too. It's just ... a lot. More than I was expecting, I suppose."

He glances over at Jason Trent, who has not looked up from his lap during the entire exchange. "You're in History, aren't you Jason?"

The young man looks up startled - surprised to find himself included. "Uh, yeah." He says looking from Will to Ellis, blinking behind his thick lenses. A moment passes. The silence seems to drag.

Will draws in a breath to fill the silence, but Jason speaks up first. "I think we might find evidence of Witches up there." He says quietly, almost to himself. Then pushes his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and stares at Ellis.

MARCUS
"Proposal!" Harry burst out laughing. "That's crazy. I was wondering why he was so fired up about getting this whole search party together."

Louis cuts in sharply, nudging Harry with an elbow and giving him a disapproving look. Harry sobers quickly, muttering something under his breath before taking another pull from his flask and staring out the window.

"I wasn't aware he had proposed." Louis says, turning back to Marcus. "I just assumed he felt ... responsible. Guilty about having to miss the field trip himself."

JOCELYN
Clarissa looks over at Little Rod, a wry smile playing at the corner of her mouth. She looks back at Jo. "It is quite a big group, isn't it."

She glances at Robert, who is still bent over his map and her smile fades. "Honestly? I'm not really sure why I'm here."

She leans in and keeps her voice low. "I didn't know anyone from the initial field trip. I mean - I do feel terrible that they've gone missing, of course. But I hadn't planned to search for them."

She studies Robert. "He was very insistent." She pauses, remembering. "Almost ...like he would cancel the trip if I didn't come along." She shrugs again. "Which is flattering, I suppose, in a puzzling way."

She turns to Jo and smiles again. "At least I've met someone interesting to spend some time with."

Something in the way Harry & Louis interact with each other seems strange. They gave no indication during introductions that they knew each other during introductions, nor when they climbed into the cab. Yet, the way Louis silenced Harry just now, and the way Harry accepted it without protest, spoke to a friendship older than just a morning.

And then there was Louis's reaction to Marcus's question about the Mistakonic professor. He seemed to know more than he was letting on. Was he holding something back?