Stuck Chronicle (Part 24 - Run-In)

[Xavier B]

After a long winter, it was finally April, and spring had set in; the snow had melted, and the rains had come to the quiet town—it was the perfect season for mudding.

Mick woke up, got dressed, and decided to head out. As soon as he set foot outside—his boots squelched lightly in the mud beneath his feet.

“It really came down last night”, he remarked, as he entered his Jeep.

He went through the usual dirt trail which lead to the road, but that trail had become saturated from last night’s storm, and he didn’t even make it halfway before his back tires started spinning.

Mick enjoyed every moment of the slick, bumpy run; it wasn’t until he reached a muddy hill that he finally put the Jeep in 4WD. He horsed around until he made it to the asphalt, then sped down to one of his favorite spots—the Shortcut.

Before heading in, Mick got out of his Jeep to take a quick look at the Shortcut’s condition. Just like his trail, it was very soft; a RWD vehicle could easily get stuck and sink into the ground like quicksand. However, he could see that there were tire treads going into the path—FRESH treads! Mick smirked, and heart started to race.

“Looks like I might get to battle someone today!” he remarked.

With that, he got in his Jeep, and drove into the muddy path. It was so slick that it had all four of his tires spinning. With a little steering here and there, Mick adapted to the path and continued through. The further down the path he went, the deeper the treads dug into the mud.

His own Jeep started to struggle, and eventually Mick hit a ditch.

“Dammit!” He shouted, and revved his engine roughly. His tires spun and squelched in the ditch; it took him three attempts to break free.

“There’s no way that driver isn’t stuck, if I’M having trouble...” he muttered. He slowly trekked down the path, until he heard the faint sound of revving. He pounded his boot on the gas, forcing his Jeep down the mired road.

As the revving got louder, Mick realized two things: A, it was definitely the motor of a truck....and B, the driver wasn’t spinning his tires—he was just revving his engine. Almost as though...he was luring Mick to his location.

As Mick got closer to the origin of the motor, the path became more and more solid. He finally made it to a clearing, where the mud had mostly dried. Facing him, was a large grey truck—a Dodge Ram. The driver got out when he saw Mick’s Jeep, with a grin on his face.

Mick got out of his SUV, and sized up the guy who lured him. He was slightly taller than him, yet definitely younger....muscular, booted, and had a nice truck—definitely his favorite type of opponent.

“I wanted to challenge you sooner or later”, Mick said, scratching the back of his head, “but it looks like you had the same idea. Go figure...”

The man replied, with a deep southern voice: “Got that right!” He walked up to Mick. “Rumor has it you’re well-known in these parts.”

Mick looked confused. “You mud in these parts, yet you don’t know who I am? 🧐”

“Cut me some slack; I’ve only been here for about six months!” The guy laughed, and extended his hand to Mick. “It’s nice to meet you formally. I’m Joel!”.

Mick grinned back, and shook Joel’s hand.

“Well, they call me Slick Mick around these parts”, he replied proudly, before gripping Joel’s hand roughly.

“You ready to sink, Joel? ” he said with a gruff tone.

Joel gripped Mick’s hand roughly as well, before replying, “Suuuuuure. After YOU, Mickey! ️“

Mick suddenly turned red, and yanked his hand away. “Mick!” He shot back. “SLICK Mick.”

They got into their trucks, revved their engines, and took off into the muddy path—Mick taking the lead, with Joel following.