Date: Sun, 24 Nov 1996 12:10:07 -0600 From: Danny Lloyd Subject: Re: INT:Highway 41 This story has seen some twists and turns, and maybe even a few car wrecks beside this unpredictable road. But, now that the list seems to be going again, I'll rev up my engines and begin cruising down the lane again, and see what happens. It's an interactive story, so please, anyone wanting to jump in, please do. To sum up the situation so far: * Wanda ran out of gas and started walking down Hwy 41, in the desert, alone. No one stops to help. (that's the 90s for you) * Mark, by coincidence, had been hitch-hiking and was pushed out of his last piece of transportation when a crazed truck driver decided to be funny. He walks down Hwy 41 also, at first unknown to Wanda. * A third figure stands in the shadows, off the road, looking, waiting, eager. * Meanwhile, thanks to some carefree writer, ANOTHER person, Morgan, runs out of gas and starts walking, not far away. She, it turns out, has a split personality and her other-self, Shirly, is a psychotic killer, currently at bay thanks to medication, but the medicine lasts only 12 hours at a time - it's been about six hours since her last dose. * The two women, Morgan and Wanda, happen across each other, hug, smile, cry, happy, thrilled, thankful, relieved, etc.............. and then Mark happens on the scene and to his horror and theirs, he turns out to be an ex-boyfriend of each, at different times, years before, and the women somehow find the situation not-so-funny and indeed begin screaming, yelling and such at Mark, who stands there, open-mouthed. Meanwhile that other figure - the one in the shadows - starts to make his move. They see him. * Cut to Chicago - where FBI agent Dale Cooper is having a strange dream as he sits in his office. He finds himself atop a mountain and looks to the west and sees another moutain top - identical to the one he's own. He is then awakened from his mysterious dream of the twin peaks - by his boss, who tells him of an escaped killer on the loose in Arizona. Cooper jumps on a plane, lands in arizona, rents a car, and finds himself on Hwy 41. He sees a figure ahead, crawling along the side of the hight - the evil one from those shadows who had tried to attack the three lost souls - but whom Morgan had apparently used her pepper-spray on - and he now lay dying on the road as Cooper pulls over. The half-dead man says "She's cr--" and dies. Cooper, with his new clue, 'she's cr---', heads on down the road. * He soon sees four figures ahead in the now-nighttime Arizona desertlands. They walk down the side of the highway, except for one off the road, seemingly cowering and keeping a safe distance from the others. There are FOUR such figures all together. (I still don't know where the fourth one came from - but we worked it into the story). * Morgan and Wanda yelled and screamed at Mark, who walked, wisely, off the side of the road. Their new cohort, Margaret, who had apparently had car trouble and was stranded as they were, helped them yell and scream. Margaret said she didn't know Mark, but was glad to help. Now it has been 10 hours since Morgan took her medicine. Margaret looks at the others and thinks, "Hmmm, there is a bloody evening in store for us all" (or words to that effect) as she smiles at the others, who, by now were suspicious even of each other and everyone. No one seemed to trust anyone else. No one could understand why so many of them, including some who knew each other, became stranded out here at the same time. Meanwhile, Margaret smiles. * Cooper begins pulling over to the side of the road. And here's the last 'snip' from the last episode. Anybody who would like to jump in and write some more on this, please do. Of course, needless to say, if someone decides to be really mischievious and take this story-line to some weird destination, perhaps another highway in Istanbul, then, well, the next writer can just ignore all that. Writers who have participated so far are me (yep, it's true) and Robyn Alyson and briefly, Phanny. Someone else popped in, it seems, very, very briefly - sorry, can't remember who it was. It's been awhile since this story unfolded, so I'm unclear on all the past history of it (memory-wise), but, nevertheless, here's that last paragraph from the last installment: ---- Margaret meanwhile wondered. She could make her move now or later. It would be simply divine. So much blood and so much violence. She could hardly wait. Now? Ummmm, it was tempting. But, no, later. Yes, later. ----- So, anyone wanting to, jump right in. - Danny ------------------------------ Once upon a time there was a planet called earth and people called humans. And a writers' list called the Writers' List. On this list were many writers. And writing was the theme of the list. And writing was the purpose of this list. There was also, within this list, a phenomenon known as the signature. And this signature often contained much profundity and wisdom. All this is not myth. It happened. Once upon a time.