Chapter 14: Practical Experience
Feeling no discomfort in his body, Chris gave up on figuring out what that white energy was.
According to his gut feeling, he'd be heading back to his own world in a few days, and then he could investigate it properly.
He'd have time to research this kind of thing later.
With a plan in mind, Chris looked at the still-stunned group and, after a moment's thought, said, "Well, since this business is taken care of, we should head out. Don't want to impose on you folks any longer."
Old Taggart snapped out of his daze and wanted to invite Chris and the others to stay for supper—to properly celebrate the destruction of the monster that had plagued these parts.
However, seeing that Chris was determined to leave and that they weren't exactly close friends, he nodded and said, "Fair enough. You all seem like capable folks, but driving at night can be dangerous. I won't keep you."
With that, Old Taggart turned to his eldest son and said, "Jackie, go grab another can of gas and help them top off their tank, so they don't run into trouble on the road."
Chris looked at the man with surprise, not expecting him to be so hospitable once you got to know him. He hadn't even thought about the gas gauge running low.
But since the man had shown such consideration, how could he not return the favor?
However, he was currently broke, and the Jenner siblings probably couldn't scrape together two hundred bucks between them—which Taggart wouldn't accept anyway.
Remembering how the father and son had exhibited the Creeper's body in the original timeline, Chris immediately had an idea.
"Since you live out here, you probably know there's an abandoned church down the road in that direction, right?"
Taggart followed where Chris was pointing, thinking about the building, and nodded, not quite following.
"That church is the Creeper's nest. That creepy truck it drives is parked there, and there are human remains from its victims in the church basement."
Hearing this, Taggart thought he understood Chris's meaning and asked for confirmation, "You want me to collect those remains? I can take Jackie there tomorrow. Should I call the sheriff?"
"No, I mean you can haul that truck back here. It's got some kind of dark magic on it, and you could use it for exhibition or sell it to a collector. Consider it payment for your help.
As for the human remains in the basement, if you don't want to deal with them, just call the cops. If they ask you anything, just tell them the truth."
With that, Chris led the Jenner siblings and turned to leave.
He nodded to Jackie, who was finishing up with the gas, and after checking everything was good, the three drove off.
Leaving the farmer and his son speechless and stunned.
Sitting in the car, Trish asked doubtfully, "Won't having the police know about you cause problems? What if that farmer tells them and they track you down?"
Now that his mind was completely at ease, Chris was in much better spirits.
With a beautiful woman by his side, clearly worried about him, Chris's mood was even better.
It was practically the best day he'd had since arriving in this world.
Therefore, Chris calmly explained, "You're overestimating the efficiency of rural law enforcement. There's no way they'll find me, and it's unlikely they'll even track you two down."
Looking at the girl whose eyes were full of doubt, Chris smiled and said, "That farmer doesn't know our names, and he'll be busy dealing with the Creeper's remains, so he won't remember the license plate number. Trying to find us would be like looking for a needle in a haystack—total waste of time!"
Hearing Chris's explanation, Trish nodded, half-understanding, seeming to relax.
She wasn't worried about herself, since they hadn't broken any laws, but Chris had said it was inconvenient for the police to know about him, which was why she was so concerned.
But she had no idea that Chris had just been bluffing earlier; he didn't actually care whether the cops knew about him or not!
He was leaving soon anyway.
However, in the few days before he left, he could try to gain some... practical experience.
He'd always been book-smart but inexperienced, and the original Chris had been all theory with no hands-on practice.
And now, with a beautiful woman clearly interested in him, wasn't this the perfect opportunity for him to get some real-world experience?
Thinking this, Chris's arm subtly draped over Trish's shoulder, then he casually said, "I left in such a hurry that I didn't bring much cash with me. I was wondering if it might be convenient to crash at your place for a few days?"
"Of course!" "No!"
Two voices rang out simultaneously, leaving Chris caught off guard.
The one who agreed was Darry, and the kid's face was now lit up with excitement, clearly thinking he'd have more time to hang out with Chris and hear his stories.
And the one who objected was Trish; her face was flushed red, as if she was thinking of something she couldn't say out loud.
Then the siblings realized their answers conflicted. Darry immediately wanted to ask his sister why Chris couldn't stay.
But before Darry could speak, Trish quickly interjected, "You forgot that Mom and Dad are home. It would be really awkward for Chris to stay at our house."
"Then..." Darry still wanted to argue, saying Chris could bunk with him, or he could sleep on the couch or something.
But Trish didn't give him the chance, directly cutting him off and speaking again, "So, we should just put Chris up at a motel. That way, it'll be much simpler. Won't be an imposition on our family, and Chris won't be uncomfortable either."
As Trish spoke, her eyes kept darting to Chris, afraid he might take it the wrong way.
However, by the time she finished speaking, Chris hadn't objected, suggesting he likely agreed with her plan.
"Alright! I guess that makes sense."
After hearing Trish's arrangement, Darry couldn't think of a better solution and agreed somewhat reluctantly.
Seeing her younger brother quiet down, Trish turned to Chris and asked softly, "Chris, what do you think?"
After all, if Chris didn't agree, whatever she said would be pointless.
Chris, who had been watching Trish the whole time, now understood the girl's plan.
If he really stayed at her family's house, with her parents and brother around, she definitely wouldn't have a chance to spend time alone with Chris.
Therefore, this American girl's mind had quickly come up with such a solution.
You could only say that American girls were forward, and when it came to going after what they wanted, they were genuinely bold.
So Chris, who was equally interested in Trish, naturally agreed wholeheartedly.
"Sounds perfect to me."
Thus, the lodging arrangements were settled, and time passed as the three chatted. The car slowly pulled up in front of a motel not far from Trish's house.
Then, Trish used the excuse of helping Chris check in to take all the cash from Darry, and sent her completely clueless brother home.
Before Darry left, he tried to ask when she'd pick him up, but Trish shut him down with a look, making him swallow his words.
So, as night fell, under the pretense that she was scared to walk home alone in the dark and didn't have cab fare, Trish finally checked into a room with Chris.
As for what happened next? Let's just say it was mutual and passionate.
Chris's hands-on education was thoroughly covered in one night, directly making up for his previous lack of practical experience in matters of romance.
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/Soulforger (advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01