18 Wheels of No Return

Chapter 10

The harvest had arrived and the official was getting a hankering for some fresh produce. He pleaded with some new cadets to take him the market. The cadets refused for it was one of their paid holidays. This holiday was added last contract. The holiday was called “The Sixth Day of the Harvest” holiday. This holiday was proceeded by “The First through Fifth Days of the Harvest” holidays and followed by “The Seventh through 24^th Days of the Harvest.” By the time the official would be able to get produce it wouldn’t be fresh anymore. He decided to take matters into his own hands. The official concocted a scheme that involved him borrowing one of the sector’s tractor trailers and getting the fresh vegetables and fruit himself.

“So you wanna borrow one of my trucks?” the tractor trailer clerk asked steadily “Well I’m sure we could work something out.” The official saw an opportunity and politely assured him. “I promise it’ll be returned to you in a week. I swear as your official.”

The clerk nodded, “I’m sure you won’t go back on your swear.” Secretly, the official had no intention of ever returning the vehicle. Soon enough, tons of fresh produce would be loaded up in the back of his new tractor trailer.

The official sped away looking back in the rear view mirror he quietly uttered, “So long sucker! This baby is all mine now!” The official’s driving skills were a little rusty and he was a little tentative at first. He got a little hungry and decided to stop for an ice cream cone. This seemed innocent but he specifically told the produce stand attendee that he would be there at 9 forty-five and it was pushing 8 o’clock and the stand was a good two hours away.

The official didn’t care, for he was a sucker for any frozen confection. He stepped out of the rig and approached the girl behind the glass. “What can I get you sir?” The girl asked. “I’ll take a baby cone, light on the cone, heavy on the baby.” The official jokingly responded. “What flavor?” The unimpressed soda girl shot back. Sheepishly the official asked, “You got chocolate rat rocky road?” “We certainly do not!” She shouted back. “We have chocolate and vanilla and apple cinnamon twist.” “Anything but the cinnamon, I’m allergic you know.” replied the official. Oh how the girl wanted to lace his cone with cinnamon but then was afraid the allergic affliction would be traced back to her so she gave him a vanilla cone. As the official was walking away she shouted, “Hey whose wheels are those?” The official proudly said “I’m the one driving it ain’t I?”

The official noticed he was running behind and began to pick up the pace. Immediately sirens began to sound. The official pulled over ostentatiously began to berate the policeman. “Do you not know who I am?” he asked.

“License and registration.” The officer said in a monotone voice.

“I’ll have you thrown in the brig!” the official screamed back.

“I’d be scared if we were in your sector, but we’re not, so license and registration… today sir!” Sweating the official handed over the paper work and humbly questioned, “What is it I have done to deserve getting pulled over?”

“Nothing sir, don’t be alarmed, I noticed that your trailer has quick freeze capabilities and we are in urgent need for refrigeration.” The policeman explained.

“I’d gladly help, but why do you need refrigeration?” said the official curiously.

“A truck delivering a heart for transplant broke down and time is of the essence!” The cop shouted.

“I will gladly deliver the heart!” The official proudly exclaimed. The cop looked at him puzzled. With a push of a button the trailer had an inch of ice encrusted inside its metal walls. The container with the heart was placed securely within and the official was on his way.

In his zest to finally taste the reward of his name being synonymous with heroism, the official hastily forgot to ask the where to deliver the heart. He got on the CB radio and almost hyperventilating yammered, “No one told me where to deliver this heart! Where does it go?” The dispatcher responded, “Take the heart to the fresh produce stand! An important person is waiting for it.” The official became curious as to who the heart could be for and was thinking what a coincidence it was the heart was to be delivered to the very destination he had set out for in the first place.

The official started sounding the horn and commanding that he have an unobstructed route to the produce stand. When he finally arrived he jumped from the cab and boastfully announced, “I am here to save the day! I have the heart that will bring life to the nearly dead.” A limousine with the VIP was waiting and out of which appeared a long time rival of the official, the official of Sector 23. “What are you doing here? You better not be here to steal my thunder, this is my time to shine!”

The rival official stated, “Steal your thunder? What do you think is in that container, a heart?”

“Yes, I was told it is a heart for transplant.” The official reciprocated.

“It is a heart, an artichoke heart, my plant died and I am going to transplant this one. You just hand delivered it to me.” His rival said. The official went into a rage and stomped on and smashed the container and the heart. His rival official took out an envelope and tore it up.

“Aren’t you a big shot tearing an envelope after I smash your container and heart?” The official said with a smirk.

“You blooming idiot! That container was a family heirloom and was worth thousands! I had a check for $5,000 to whoever delivered this to me.” The rival retorted. The official got great solace from ruining his rival’s artichoke heart, only wishing it was his life giving heart instead of some prize vegetable.

Ignoring his rival’s yammering, the official walked up to the produce stand and said, “Give me all the fresh produce you can fill in my trailer.”

“I’d love to sir but I have been authorized not to sell any produce for fear of E. coli contamination.” said the sales clerk.

“What official is in charge of this sector and who gave the decree to halt the sale of produce?” The official demanded.

“I got my direct orders from that man over there sir; this produce stand is in Sector 23 and that man is our official.” The official jumped in the 18 wheeler and crashed into the limousine.

“First you destroy my heirloom, now my limo?!” The official of Sector 23 aguishly cried “Can’t you do anything right?!” he yelled at the blue reptilian official.

Upon hearing this insult, he slowly turned the mighty vehicle around. “Out of my way.” he uttered with a growl.

“Who’s gonna make me?” his rival replied.

Clenching the steering wheel with his scaly blue fists, he came up with the answer, “Me and my 18 wheels.” Then he let out of mighty roar. He roared so thunderously that he scratched his scaly throat and was now coughing. The official’s rival began to laugh at the sight of this blue creature struggling to even insult him. A crowd gathered and they soon all noticed this official that was making a fool of himself. The official desperately tried to redeem himself by making fun at the official from Sector 23, but it was too late. He had completely lost his voice and was merely squealing.

The official didn’t even bother cowering in humiliation. Looking like an idiot was becoming much too common for him. He silently made an exit in his big truck, which seemed worthless now that all his produce he was going to haul in was contaminated. He drove away from the produce stand, already thinking up his next plan to get his revenge.

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