Maximum Overdrive: based off a true story?
On a chilly Spring evening, I save my parents garage from being burnt down by a haunted 6-wheeler.
All of Friday was meant to be fun. My wife and I had a busy day planned. We would be finding out the sex of our baby, getting groceries from Costco, and then having dinner at my parents. Little did I know I’d be putting out a large fire that saved my parents’ garage.
It was after our gender reveal party (we’re having a primal baby boy) my wife and I were visiting with my parents. My dad had taken my two sisters off to hitting practice at the school for the upcoming softball season. I was enjoying catching up with my mom for about an hour or so. I got the urge to go outside and get some fresh air. Mainly I needed to take a piss. What better place than the great outdoors?
I go outside and immediately see flames erupting from the south side of the 2-car garage. I yelled at my mom and wife, “Hey something is on fire out here!” I ran over to get a better look and it was my dad’s 6-wheeler, an ATV he used to haul lumber from the property. The 6-wheeler was completely engulfed in flames. The siding on the garage was melting and my dad’s old King Ranch F-150 was nearby as well.
My mom is frantic calling my dad. My wife is calling 911. I am yelling at them to get a fire extinguisher from the house while I try to put this fire out. I quickly grabbed the water hose from the house and sprayed the 6-wheeler and surroundings, just hoping to contain the fire. It seemed to help as the water was cold and preventing more flames from arising. But the fire persisted.
My wife ran out with a small fire extinguisher. I used that and to no avail, the fire kept eating away the ATV. My mom hollered at me, “There’s another one in the garage!” She opened the garage door and I ran over to my dad’s workstation and ripped the industrial sized extinguisher off the wall. I pulled the pin and sprayed the retardant near the engine and gas tank. After a few minutes of spraying the fire finally ceased.
My body was covered in soot and material from the fire and extinguisher. Just minutes after the fire was dispatched my dad came down the gravel road going mach-5. The fire department had pulled in as well. I explained the situation and they assessed the aftermath. My dad told them that he had replaced the ignition and battery on the 6-wheeler and it still would not start. That was over four months ago. The ATV had been sitting idle since late fall of 2023.
Disaster averted.
My dad and I strapped the ATV up with some chains and drug it down to the back property. During this I had to straddle the machine and steer it with the truck. Which got me even dirtier than I had desired. During this ride down the ATV built up too much speed and fortunately the brakes did not work. I didn’t want to hit the truck so I steered it around the bed. My dad sped up to mess with me and this jerked the ATV in the opposite direction. I was standing on the ATV while it was only on 3 wheels. As it was tipping over I jumped off in the nick of time.
When the vehicle came to a thud on it’s side, my dad jumped out of the truck to ask me if I was okay. Right after he spoke the 6-wheeler ignition started to turn as if it wanted to start. We stood there, puzzled at what we had just heard. My dad got back in the truck and I flipped the ATV back on it’s wheels. I hopped back on, we only had a little farther to go before I could ditch this pile of junk.
As we started to get closer to the back end of of the property I heard the engine start to turn again. I said to myself, “fuck this” and jumped off the left side. We drug it another 50 meters or so before my dad said, “yep, that’s good enough for today.” Once I got the chain off, the engine started to turn again and the headlights even came on. The 6-wheeler was alive. It kept going for a few minutes, then it went silent.
All I could think about was the smell of gasoline soaking my clothes.
Once we got back to the house we all chatted about the recent events. That’s when I brought up, “it almost felt like that movie Maximum Overdrive.” For those that don’t know this book or movie, look it up. It’s scary and hilarious at the same time. My family all agreed that the possessed 6-wheeler was going to drive back up over the hill and finish what it started.
It took a while for my adrenaline to slow down. I’d never had to use a fire extinguisher before. But I knew exactly just what to do in that moment. My brain saw fire. All I could think about was how lucky I was to step outside at that moment and see the fire. When it comes to moments like this, you cannot waste time. You must take action immediately.
…
That same thing can be said about life. You must take action. How many goals do you think are achieved by inaction?
ZERO.
You’re looking for a raise at your job. You must take action.
Action - Work hard. Be creative. Lead. Prove your worth.
You want to fit in your wedding dress. Take action.
Start exercising and focusing on your nutrition.
You want to read more and learn new things. TAKE ACTION.
Go to the library and check out books that interest you. Read fiction before bed. Take notes on what you read.
I could go on for days about taking action. The fact is, most people either act or they don’t. In that moment when I saw the fire, I could have frozen and panicked. I could have called 911 and waited 15 minutes for them to arrive. Instead I acted and put the fire out myself. I do the same thing with my daily experiences. You have to live a life of ACTION. Always thriving and pushing yourself to be better.
You can’t settle for what you have. Why? Don’t settle. Get out of your comfort zone and change. It’s difficult and it sucks. But the process is what shapes you into the person you’re destined to be. Everyone fights the good fight. We all struggle. Seek adversity and embrace it.