Chapter 3 ~ Always Lock Your Doors ~
The sun hit Junior right in the face as he rolled over in his bunk. It felt warm and inviting. After groaning and a stretch he suddenly noticed his hang over was gone.
“Woo hoo!” He cheered to himself as he threw his legs over the side and jumped down.
It was going to be a long day but he was ready for it. He would apologize to Steve, Tell Nascar and win the damn race! After putting on a pair of baggy Tommy Jeans and a plain white t-shirt, he jumped off the bus and briskly headed for the garages.
It was about 9 in the morning and the garages were in an uproar. Everyone’s car seemed to have a problem except Juniors. His boys were checking and re-checking things but all in all it was in perfect condition.
“Hey guys!” he said happily as he took a peak around him to see everyone else’s cars.
“Hey Dale… Thought you’d be sleeping till driver instructions.” Tony Jr. said while popping the cap off of a bottle of soda.
“Naw… I feel great today. What’s goin on?”
“Nothing…”
“Nothing?”
“Nope... cars great. I’m excepting the break with open arms.” He smirked and gulped down half the soda.
“Oh… Well that’s good I guess. Happy lounging.”
“Thanks.”
“Hey by the way. Have you seen Mike Helton or Steve around here this morning?”
Junior got a curious confused look before an answer.
“Umm… nooo?”
“Well I gotta go talk to them. I’ll tell you about it later. Hey... uh have you noticed if I was being… well… an asshole this weekend?”
“When are you not an asshole.” Tony Jr. said dryly reading the back of his can.
Junior stood and looked at him with a shocked hurt look that would have made ANYONE laugh. Tony Jr. turned to look at him with a smirk.
“I’m kiddin Dale! Don’t look at me like I killed your cat or something! Seriously. You have been a little Preoccupied and short tempered this weekend but nothing we can’t handle. Is that better?
“I guess…” Junior muttered back as he did a scan over the garage area.
“Why do you ask? Piss someone off lately? Mike? Steve?”
“I was a little snippy with Steve. I’m gotta apologize. And like I said before. I’ll tell ya later about the Mike thing.”
“Alright Dale. Oh and Danny was looking for you. Wanted do get Breakfast. We have some time if you two wanna go.”
Junior thought about it for a second. He REALLY needed to find those two… but breakfast! He’d have time afterward. Steve would be at drivers’ instructions at 11 and if his luck held out so would Mike.
“Yeah I’ll go. Where is he?”
“He went looking for you. Go look in the bus.”
And with that Junior made his way back to his bus in search of his Uncle. Breakfast sounded like a beautiful idea!
~~~~~~~~~
On his way back to his bus he ran into Jeff Gordon.
“Hey Jeff.” He said while stopping to chat with the point’s leader.
“Hey Dale what’s up?
“I’m looking for Danny. Seen him?
“Naw sorry.”
“Ok thanks.” He was about to walk away when Jeff continued the conversation.
“I saw your car in practice. Its FAST.”
“Yeah it’s working great.”
“That’s good.”
All the sudden a horde of Fans swept across the pit area. It was like a rush of wind hitting them in the sides as they scurried over to the two drivers and stuck pens and paper and hats and t-shirts and anything else they could think of under their noses. Neither driver showed annoyance and signed everything gratefully.
“The pit area filled up quick today!” Jeff said while signing a little replica of his car.
“Yeah… Sure did.” Jr said.
They started walking and singing as they headed back to their bus area to try and get away from the fans. They didn’t mind singing… but if they signed every one their fingers might fall off. Suddenly… like a dream, someone whooshed by Junior and handed him something. They didn’t stop and Junior couldn’t see where they had went or even came from. He looked down in his hands to see a black rose. He turned it over and looked at it closely.
“What the hell?” He whispered just loud enough for Jeff to hear.
“Is that a black rose?” Jeff said.
“Looks like it.”
“Dale that’s not good. I heard they are bad luck.”
Out of nowhere, a fan that over heard the conversation jumped in.
“I heard they mean death.” She said as she handed over her hat.
Junior stopped to stare at her and then started to laugh.
“Ok! I don’t believe in bad luck flowers he said as he tossed it to the ground.
After signing the girls’ hat he said good luck to Jeff and went straight to his bus.
He made it back to the bus and hopped up into it.
“Danny?” He said checking the whole bus. He was nowhere to be found.
“I guess I’ll wait.” he said out loud to no one.
To pass the time he headed to the back of his bus to where his TV was and sat down for a quick game of Nascar 2001.
The black rose incident was sticking in his mind. Who would give him a black rose?
~~~~~~~~
After about ten minutes of running around a computerized track, Junior heard the door of his bus open up and shut.
With his back still to the door, he continued his game but shouted out.
“Danny? I heard you wanted breakfast. Lets go! I’m starved!”
But he never got an answer.
“Dan?” he said again as he stood up to shut off the game.
There again was no answer and he went to turn around to see who entered when he felt a hard shove that sent him into the TV.
“What the hell!?” he said out loud as he tried again to turn around.
That was a mistake. He felt an other hard shove that sent him head first into the wall behind him. Stars filled his eyes as he started to slide down the wall.
He didn’t have much of a break to get his blurred vision fixed when he was lifted up again by his arms. Juniors head was swimming. He wanted to just let unconsciousness take him but he wanted to see the bastard who was hurting him. He lifted his chin slightly to catch a glimpse.
All he saw was a VERY large man dressed in dark clothes. His head covered by a Bud hat. The sight of that made him sick to his stomach as he let his legs give out on him only to be held up by his attacker.
“I’m not Danny…” The menacing growl of a voice whispered in his ear.
Juniors impaired vision caught something shiny in the man’s hand. He could hardly make out what it was till it came closer to him.
By then it was to late.
Suddenly, with one quick movement, the shiny object was thrust into Juniors’ stomach. He felt things rip and tear as tears came to his eyes.
The pain threatened to engulf him but he fought it as the shiny knife that had ripped through his flesh was pushed in harder.
His whole body felt numb as he was dropped to the ground.
He didn’t even feel the man’s hard boots kick him in the legs before the silence. The pain in his stomach was his focal point. The young Earnhardt could taste blood in his mouth as he tried to look down at his mangled self.
What he saw made him scared. More scared then the attack itself.
Sticking out of him was the shiny object. A knife no bigger then a hammer. Wedged deep within his body. His once white t-shirt was soaked in his own blood. The floor around him started to glisten from it as well.
He let his hands slide down to the handle of the foreign object. He grabbed a hold of it and let a whimper out as he pulled with the last bit of strength he had left.
And at that, the pain had won. Juniors body went limp. Still holding the knife in his hand, lying in buckets of his own blood.
~~~~~
“Hey Danny!” Tony Jr screamed over the loud noise of stock cars.
“Yo!”
“Junior went looking for you! I told him you might have checked his bus first!”
Juniors Uncle Danny thanked the young Eury and headed back to the bus. He had tried it first and then decided to walk around in search of him. He must have just missed him.
Five minutes had passed by the time Danny made it to the bus through the crowd. After passing Dale Jarrett who had set up his own camp next door, He entered the already opened door and peered inside.
“Dale?”
No answer
“You here? Tony Jr. said you came here looking for me.”
Danny headed back to the back room and it was then that he saw it...
A scream filled the bus and the area surrounding it.
~~~~~~~~
Danny’s hands came to his mouth as he fought the vomit tickling his throat. He didn’t even notice Dale Jarrett and Tony Stewart run onto the bus and grab him from behind.
“Oh my god…” Jarrett whispered as he ran over to Juniors side. Kneeling in the pool of blood checking to see if there was hope for his young friend.
Tony Stewart started shaking Danny to try and get him to listen.
“Danny! What the fuck happened!? ”
Danny couldn’t talk. Tony sat him down and ran out of the bus screaming for help.
