I have an unexpected dreamlike reality in my hands, and 797 horses to reign … all the way to New York.

This HEMI^®-powered journey has me flying down the PCH when the voice comes back on the radio and says…

“You’re not thinking of turning back now, are you? This is just the beginning.”

I’m in. So in, that I literally say it out loud. Three times. The voice answers, “Good. Your destination is in 30 miles. Now drive.”  

What the?

Okay, they can hear me. That’s a new development. I’ve got 30 miles and enough quick straightaways and ocean-hugging curves to get my mind right for whatever comes next.

It isn’t even 60 seconds before my two favorite sounds have set the ultimate driving soundtrack – that perfectly tuned 6.2L supercharged HEMI^® V8 engine and the hum of waves hugging the walls of the PCH. Balance and zen crash into the roar of ramping RPMs. Let the beast wind up, add a note of wind and you’ve got perfect harmony, amplified.

10 miles.

I’m on a covert mission to find who the hell knows what, and I’ve got waves of endless possibility crashing all around me.  

20 miles.

So enough holding back. I’ve got plenty of horsepower in my hands, a killer stretch of highway and a seriously savage journey in front of me.

I’m hitting mile 30 before I realize it when the voice interrupts.

“As you come up toward the Santa Monica Pier, turn right in 100 yards and pull into the Viceroy Hotel parking lot.”

Okay, I’m parked. Now what?

“Open the glove box, take out the contents.”

Click.

Open.

I reach in and pull out the only thing inside – one antique Dodge Brothers emblem keychain with a shiny locker key on it.

Okay, I’ve got the key.

“Exit the vehicle and go to the blue building just past the hotel. Go in through the side door on the left. Find locker 426. Get the contents, leave the building immediately and get back into the car. You don’t have time to waste.”

As I walk toward the building, all I can hear is my heartbeat. Man, I miss those crashing waves and shifting gears that were singing so beautifully to me earlier.

I open the door to flashing lights and laughter filling a long hallway lined with lockers. It takes me about 30 seconds to get oriented to this madness. As I inch forward, I realize the flashing lights is footage being projected on the wall. But it’s no ordinary movie. I recognize that voice, that laughter and that scenery. It’s a home movie I haven’t seen in decades, and in front of me is my dad teaching me how to practice cutting a good light in our driveway when I was barely old enough to drive. Suddenly, a flash and the wall changes scenes. I’m watching clips from Roadkill that I’ve seen a thousand times, wishing I was in the driver’s seat. Yep, I’m definitely being played with.

Walking through this haze of memory, fantasy and bizarre reality, I arrive at locker 426.

Insert key.

Turn.

Hold breath.

Open.

Relief. No snakes or laughing clown faces, just a single invitation.

“You are our Roadkill VIP today and your presence is requested at 3 p.m. Directions are waiting in Uconnect® and your helmet is in the trunk. Now drive.”

What the?

I check my watch. I’d better get moving.

The door slams shut behind me.

My pace is hurried and excited heading back to my SRT Hellcat Redeye, but I stop dead in my tracks when I see…

Previous chapters:
The Mission – Chapter 1
The Mission – Intro