Prologue (The Backstory)
Kyle, Jon, and Kyle’s best friend Sam all work for the same security company, PBI Security. It is a small local company offering the standard uniformed services as well as other security related systems, consulting, and training. Currently the owners are trying hard to land some government contracts which will greatly expand the company’s profile, opening promotional opportunities for several of the company’s employees.
In the last couple years PBI has expanded several times. PBI’s newest office is a refurbished warehouse located in the heart of downtown St. Louis, this facility is the new official headquarters. They recently relocated to it in order to accommodate the company’s future growth potential. It will house all the administrative offices, training, and once the license is approved, an official training academy.
Though the main office is located in the heart of St. Louis, PBI has contracts throughout the metro area (with their sights set on national and international prospects). Kyle, Jon, and Sam all work at Jobsite Thirty Seven, located in the St. Charles area. They are the primary crew on the night shift, eight pm to six am, four ten hour shifts a week, plus mandatory overtime as needed. From a company point of view this has been a lucrative contract. Despite the fact it is a small location, it was their first after the company was formed. The positive customer satisfaction reviews are directly responsible for their ability to acquire other contracts.
If things go well with the key contract bids it could mean some good things for all of them. Kyle, Jon, and Sam were part of the original crew, back when the company was founded. So far things have been going very well.
Molly, her childhood friend Heather, and Molly’s younger sister Stacie all attend Mizzou University in Columbia Missouri. Molly and Heather are wrapping up their master’s studies while Stacie is still working on her bachelor’s. All are taking a full load, the classes occupy a lot of their free time, especially during finals. Of course they do try and get back to St. Charles whenever they can.
Molly and Heather have known each other since the dawn of time, before preschool even. Though they have had their differences and many a quarrel over things quickly forgotten, they have remained fairly close. Both went to community college before transferring to Mizzou, their sophomore year. They have been roommates for the past several years. Playfully the two have competed for everything, grades, boys, attention… But Molly never took things overly personal.
Stacie’s dorm room is small and shared with a quiet business major, Julia. They met during their first year and have been roommates ever since. Together they decorated their room, a clash of artistic meets the professional world. Every semester they collect new posters, whoever gets the lower grades must buy. So far the room has remained evenly balanced.
All are from the St Charles area, some might say just a quick drive down Highway Seventy. Actually it depends on traffic, and the speed you choose to travel, it takes about two hours. Many would say it’s a nice drive others find it rather boring. No one will deny, it isn’t a convenient trip when you’re in a hurry.
Highway Seventy might be one of America’s main veins connecting east and west, however, it is also a frustrating experience for those who must rely on it. With several communities, a couple dangerous curves, and even a few speed traps all delaying a traveler’s progress.
Then of course you can’t forget the large transport trucks, vacationing RVs, and other drivers whose main goal is safe arrival not a quick one. This stretch of highway has a life all its own. Volumes could be written of dreams made, lost loves, and lives forever changed. All while travelling this stretch of blacktop. But for those from this part of the State, Highway Seventy is as natural as taxes, rain, and the inevitable question… “What high school did you attend?”
