"I bit off more than I could chew making it to Queens. I'm going to have to stop overnight again, there's no way I can make it having to get through twenty miles of junkyard maze. I might have to be creative here. There was a small truck stop about a mile back. Might be able to use a big rig to push cars out of the way to save my back. Means I leave my bike behind until I'm done. Not like I can carry all those supplies for Mom on my Ninja anyway. I'll just find a ride back with a truck that has a big bed and load my bike up to get to Mom's lab again. I've got to be getting close, but the sun is dropping fast. No clue how crazy it might get at night, so I better seek shelter."
Not knowing the full extent of anything after the crazy skies and eyeball like moon Griffin Folklore was still on edge. Sure, he had discovered some interesting things such as the entire population, at least suspecting as much, were flipped inside out in the sense of altered dimensions. Not truly dead but ghosts on his end of the spectrum. He had the ability to bring folks back, but the inability to keep them longer than an hour or three under conditions. His DNA assisted in keeping someone around, but he couldn't supply that forever and exist himself. It didn't appear to be harming anyone when he brought them back more than once but there was really no way of knowing the long-term effects, he might have on them in repeated resurrections. All he could honestly hope for was that he was not intentionally harming anyone.
"I think I have enough daylight left if I hurry to grab that semi. Pretty sure I can drive it but again first time for everything right? It had a sleeper cab, so I'll just bunk in it after I move a few cars. Kind of spooky in the city at night knowing I'm the only living breathing being on the face of the planet. At least that I'm aware of but I guess I'll know when I run into someone that hasn't been touched by me in some way." Circling back on his Ninja, Grif headed for the truck stop. Eight minutes later he stashed his bike out of any weather just in case, the sky was gloomy so he really had no idea as yet what might happen overnight.
After sorting through multiple rigs some were dead from running too long, or out of gas. Luckily, he had gas pumps should he require a refuel. Fortunate for him his final choice was a massive Peterbilt tractor that sat lifeless but had the keys in the ignition. Worried at first, he might set on some driver and bring him back he used his mother's compact mirror to check first as he had prior trucks. It hadn't dawned on him what it might be like should he just jump right into a seat and literally share the same space with another who had been ghosted. For that matter just walking around he could step right into someone. At that moment he knew he needed to be more careful. It was haunting! Daunting too.
"Okay! No driver behind the wheel that's good." He ventured up into the driver's seat and turned the key on. Firing up instantly he puckered his lip at good fortune. "Guy must have filled his tank before blinking out. Good job!" Looking up at the rearview mirror which displayed what was going on in the cab he spotted movement and froze. Turning in his seat he expected a real person out of fear, but no it was simply the driver with a pleasant visitor. "Great! Driver Bob hooked up with a lot lizard." Forced to use the mirror to watch he realized the hooker was pretty hot, definitely young. That unsettled Grif a bit. "She can't be more than fifteen. What the fuck dude? I'm not perfect but that's so not right."
Mulling over the dilemma he considered his options. Her purse was next to the bunk so Grif carefully reached over and snatched it up. In the mirror he noticed the girl looking at him with a sad expression as he held her purse. "She's sensing a connection to her bag. Let's see who you are." He locates a bus pass with the name Tiffany Loomis on it. "Hey there Tiffany. You can so do better than selling your body. ID says you're sixteen, too young for that fifty year old you're riding. Someone pimping you out?"
It was then Grif realized that he did see clothing outside on the ground and presumed it was the driver. "Bet those clothes belonged to your Pimp. How about I get you out of this mess?" He knew touching Tiffany would bring her back, but in her skin on skin with the driver her own DNA might chain react to the driver too. He didn't want to explain the situation so chose to lure her off of him instead. "Step at a time here. Want your purse, Tiffany?"
He opened his truck door and steps down on to the paved lot. Using his compact he observed her following him like a lost pet. It seemed strange to watch an ethereal ghost climb down when it had no physical limbs to grab anything. It was almost like watching a sheet flutter to the ground. Once on the concrete she stood lost until he waved her purse in front of her eyes. "That's it Tiffany follow me to safety."
Mirror in hand he checked out the terrain leading to the restaurant. With no ghosts in his path, he coaxed her into the restaurant and to a booth in the diner. Sitting her purse along the wall he used his mirror to watch Tiffany take a seat beside her bag but look totally confused. "At least you're safer in here should you..." He sighed tempted to touch her hand and bring her back. "Better not! Hold on a minute, I'll be right back."
Using the mirror as navigation he passed by waitresses and people moving about. Next to the diner was a souvenir shop where he swiped a NYC t-shirt off the rack that he concluded would fit her. Taking it back to the booth he sat it on the table for her to find should she revive in some unexplained way. "Guess I should have brought your clothes from the truck. Kind of in a hurry Tiff I'm really sorry. If you find your way back..." He notes a waitress order pad on the floor with a pen. Easing around the waitress uniform on the ground he took her pad and wrote a note to Tiffany. Why he bothered he didn't know. Sympathy?
Jotting down his number and first name only he left it with the shirt. On it he also wrote, "Do something with your life. Call me I'll help you if I can. P.S. I'm not a Pimp!" Returning the pad to where he found it he decided he needed to remove the truck driver too. Sick bastard deserved to be hijacked. Mirror in hand Griffin got his first look at the Pimp up close. Wallet lifted he saw the man's ID as Viktor Cozekov. "Russian pimp at that. Let's just put some distance between you and Tiffany Vik the Dick!" Holding on to his wallet and fancy diamond and gold ring from the ground laying amid his clothing, Grif coaxed Viktor away from the Peterbilt. Free to open the passenger door now Griffin found personal items that aroused the driver into following Griffin out of the truck. Tedious when only using a small compact mirror to keep track of everything around him, he managed better than expected.
With both men loitering without direction, they merely stared at their belongings as held by Griffin at arm's length. "I know I shouldn't waste time like this, but I can't help myself. Both of these fucks deserve what they get." Carefully arranging their clothing and personal items Grif paused to examine their close proximity images while they faced one another yet didn't seem to understand the others presence even up close. "Hmmm? I wonder..." Leaving them standing there idle Griffin sifted through the driver's cab and found a pair of thick leather gloves. "Experiment time you asswipes! If this works you bastards can keep each other company for a good long while."
Stepping behind Viktor with a large gap between them Griffin put the gloves on and reached a single hand out to touch the Russian man's shoulder. Using the mirror to guide him Griffin applied pressure, presuming his hand might simply just phase through the guy, but as long as his DNA wasn't handy, he might not turn human again. Almost as if compliant Viktor dropped to his knees and rested there without reacting to Griffin's touch any other way. "Well now... that's interesting, I can touch them but as long as it's not skin on skin I'm not offering them anything but guidance. That's a huge help going forward I'm thinking."
With Viktor remaining immobile Griffin turned his attention on the driver. "Okay Pedophile Pete... why don't you pick on someone your own age." Having blinked out of existence during sex the driver had a hefty erection still going on. It was obvious that whatever and however they were before the blink their bodies remained in that state. A cautious nudge forward into Viktor the driver's intangible dick touched Viktor's face. Like a sculptor Griffin lifted Viktor's chin until his mouth was over Pete's pecker. A leather finger encouraging Viktor's mouth wide a simple nudge forward it appeared as if Pete's dick had driven home inside Viktor's mouth. "Put Pete's money where your mouth is Vik the Dick. Selling young girls for your benefit you deserve nothing but the best Buddy. Not my buddy!"
Simply leaving them in that position was priceless enough. "Gotta go! You two enjoy each others company until Hell freezes over. Peace out! Not so much!" Up into the rig he went. Restarting it he attempted his first time driving a big rig. The good thing was if he took out anything he couldn't be blamed with no law enforcement to pull him over. "Mad Max me!" He chuckled and pulled out. Brakes locked he had to figure out how to disengage them then set out just as dusk was creasing the horizon. Headlights shining bright he ventured out to the point where he turned back in favor of Pete's paddy wagon.
