18 A Senseless Attack

Chapter 18 A SENSELESS ATTACK It was getting late, and everybody was hungry. Just down the block from the Birthplace of Pepsi was Captain Ratty's Seafood and Steakhouse. The McDonalds decided to splurge on a rare sit-down dinner. The grown-ups took their time eating and really enjoyed the meal. By the time the family was finished, it was close to nine o'clock and nobody wanted to start out on another long drive. Fortunately, the Moonlight Lake RV Park was also in New Bern, right across the bridge. Mrs. McDonald checked in at the office while the twins gathered some sticks to start a campfire. Pep hadn't done much talking during dinner, and her brother could see that she was still

visibly nervous and upset about what had happened in the basement of the Birthplace of Pepsi. The twins had just been getting used to the idea that they were safe from danger, and now they realized how wrong they were. Somebody was out to get them, again. It wasn't Archie Clone. He was dead. Mrs. Higgins was working at Luray Caverns. The bowler dudes were into jousting. Dr. Warsaw was away on his honeymoon with Aunt Judy. Now they had another nemesis. Evil Elvis. "Don't worry," Coke told his sister. "I'll protect you. Remember, I'm Ace Fist." He did his spinning karate kick. Pep appreciated the support, but it didn't give her much comfort. What would her brother be able to do to protect her? With crazy people like Evil Elvis running around loose, a thirteen-year-old brown belt is only so much help. The twins gathered a load of wood, and their father used it to build a nice little fire. Mrs.

McDonald had come back from the campground office with some marshmallows, graham crackers, and Hershey bars. It wasn't long before the whole family was sitting around the fire making s'mores. "So how do you kids like North Carolina so far?" asked Dr. McDonald. "It's great, Dad," Coke said. "We love it," said Pep. In fact, the drive through North Carolina had been a horrible experience, at least for Pep. A chest of drawers had been dropped on her in High Point. A giant brain had almost brained her in Raleigh. She had fallen into a hidden hole in the ground in Kinston. And then, of course, there was the encounter with Evil Elvis at the Birthplace of Pepsi. She couldn't wait to get out of North Carolina. Go to Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/).

Click Get Directions. In the A box, type New Bern NC. In the B box, type Rose Hill NC. Click Get Directions. It was July 7. In the morning, Pep did a little fishing in the pond near the RV, but her heart wasn't in it and she didn't catch anything. She couldn't shake the sense of impending doom that had taken over her. It was a relief when they got on the road again, heading west on Route 70. It would be a three-hour drive to the South Carolina border. Coke thought it would be a good time to take inventory of what he and Pep had in their backpacks. They emptied them out on the seat between them. A jar of bubbles. A can of Spam. A couple of yo-yos. A can of Silly String. A Frisbee. Some other miscellaneous stuff they had picked up at gift shops along the way.

"How are we supposed to defend ourselves against Evil Elvis with this junk?" Coke whispered to his sister. "We need to get some real weapons, and we need to get them soon." "How are we going to get real weapons?" Pep asked. "Don't you have to be eighteen or twenty-one or something?" "How should I know?" "You know every other stupid thing in the world," Pep told her brother. "It would be nice if you actually knew something that mattered." "Shut up." "You shut up." "Knock it off back there!" Dr. McDonald turned onto Route 11 South, and then onto an even smaller road, Highway 117, which eventually becomes North Sycamore Street in Rose Hill, North Carolina. The first thing you see when you enter the town is this sign....

Welcome To ROSE HILL HOME OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST FRYING PAN "You gotta be kidding me," Coke said. Dr. McDonald pulled over and parked the RV. "This seems like a good place to stretch our legs," said Mrs. McDonald, grabbing her camera. "It is not!" Coke complained. "You know we're only stopping here because you want to see that frying pan." "Frying pan?" asked Mrs. McDonald. "I don't know what you're talking about." They walked across Sycamore and turned left on Main Street. That's where Mrs. McDonald stopped. "Wow! Drink it in, you guys!" she