So�This Is Montana Ch. 3
�Man�can you believe this weather.� The concern was evident in JC�s voice as they waited for the car rental agent to hand over keys to a large suburban. The group looked out through the large windows of the car rental building at the rain that was falling heavily outside. There didn�t seem to be any let up on the way.
�You boys sure you wanna tackle this weather? We could find ya�ll a hotel room somewhere.� The boys looked at each other.
�What do you think Lance?� asked Joey.
Lance looked at the others. �I really think we can make it okay guys. The road out there is in good shape and I know pretty much where we�re going.�
�You�ve got a map don�t you,� asked JC.
�Yeah. We�ll just go ahead and head on out then.� The rest of the group nodded their heads in agreement.
�Okay�just show us where the car is,� Joey said to the rental agent who handed over the keys to the young man.
�Go to aisle H, number 13 and drive safely boys.�
�Thanks.� The group of young men picked up their various bags and headed outside to the covered walkway leading to the parked cars.
Chris raced ahead of the group with Justin on his heels. Both young men were screaming shotgun at the tops of their lungs.
�We kept them cooped up too long,� laughed Joey as he watched them reach their dark blue suburban.
�You�re both wrong. Joey has shotgun. He can read a map better than the two of you.� Lance laughed at the pouty looks that Chris and Justin were sporting. The group quickly loaded their bags into the back of the vehicle and piled inside.
�Buckle up for safety,� sang Joey as he opened the map to glance over it. Chris and Justin were sitting directly behind Joey and Lance. JC had the rear bench seat to himself and had plans to take full advantage of the empty space.
�Wake me up when we get there,� he said as he lay down on his side.
�Knew he wouldn�t last long,� Joey whispered to Lance who chuckled at the statement.
After more than an hour of driving in the heavy downpour, Lance�s nerves were beginning to become a bit edgy. Instead of lessening in intensity, the storm seemed to be intensifying by the minute. The silence in the vehicle was almost as deafening as the thunder and lightning outside. He was silently cursing his decision to let Joey sit shotgun with the map, especially when the group had discovered that they should have taken a turn almost 20 miles back.
�What do you mean we missed the turn?� hissed Lance, not wanting to awaken the sleeping JC and Justin. He felt Chris� hand on his shoulder.
�It was a simple mistake Lance that any one of us would have made under the same circumstances,� the older man said in an effort to smooth Lance�s ruffled feathers.
�I�m sorry Lance, but the signs must have been blown down or something.� Joey felt terrible about his mistake and knew that he would be feeling the same frustration if he had been in Lance�s shoes.
Lance took a deep breath and kept his eyes on the road.
�Joey�I�m sorry. I didn�t mean to blow up like that. I�m getting tired and this weather is not something that I�m used to driving in.�
�You�re doing a great job Lance.� Joey tried to make his voice sound reassuring, but he was beginning to feel just as nervous about the situation as the man he was trying to comfort.
�Do you want to pull over and let me drive?�
Lance dared a quick glance at Chris in the rearview mirror and shook his head no.
�I�ll be okay. We�ll be there in another hour or so. Thanks though.�
�Okay, but if you change you mind��
Lance just nodded his head and the group fell silent once again.
What happened, minutes later, would later be a complete blur to the three young men who had remained awake in the vehicle.
Lance was still concentrating on the dark, wet road ahead of him. The lightning that periodically flashed would light up the surrounding area, giving everything an eerie look. Joey had turned around in his seat and was quietly speaking to Chris who had shifted in his seat so that Justin had more room to spread out in his sleep. Chris stopped speaking long enough to take a quick look over the back of his seat at the still sleeping JC before again turning to speak with Joey. No one expected the sight that they suddenly came upon. Lance had taken his eyes off the road for just a split second and in that instant they came upon a large number of cows standing in the middle of dark road.
Chris was the first to shout out a warning to Lance, who quickly looked back up to the road ahead of him.
Lance instantly hit the brakes and lost control of the vehicle as it careened across the slick, wet road. Chris and Joey braced themselves as the suburban barreled through a wooden fence and slammed head on into a large oak tree.