The long stretch of road was dusty with sand and dried tumbleweed being constantly blown across the desert next to it. A man in a gray wife-beater and black jeans was walking slowly but intently down the crusted concrete. His steps bounced in his black combat boots raising speckles of dust in the air every time he lifted his feet. Music glared from his earphones. He had just passed a sign that said he has 60 more miles to go. Every now and then he took a bored look back in hopes of seeing a car. His short, silvery hair shivering in the wind. The last car he had seen had passed him a day before without so much as slowing down to hear him out. Back then he looked at least a bit decent. He had a cut on the back of his left shoulder that probably needed medical attention. It was about two inches deep and was covered in sand and dust. The heat did nothing to better the situation.
Not paying attention he stumbled and fell. As his earphones fell out he heard a car approaching from behind. He kicked backed and raised a finger gesturing that he needs a lift. The car was a warm coffee color and without a roof. It reminded him of something Presley would drive. He couldn't remember the what the name of the brand was. The car slowly stopped to a halt a little further behind him. He got up slowly. Picking up his earphones as he did. He approached the car and leaned on the empty passenger door, hiding his wound, and looked up to find a young woman by the steering wheel, slowly inhaling smoke from a cigarette she was holding loosely in her slim fingers.
- So, handsome, what's your name?
She gave the man a slick smile, smoke dripping from between her gleaming white teeth.
- Andrew, mam.
He took a short pause.
- Mind giving me a lift?
Andrew gave the woman a cheeky smile.
It was visible that he was nervous. His face didn't show it but his fingers kept tapping a maddening rhythm on the door he was leaning on.
- Well.. Andrew, I think we can arrange something. You get a ride and I get a story. This trip is awfully boring. You might be my chance to spruce it up a little bit.
She inhaled the smoke again slowly, eyes fixated on the distance in front of them.
Andrew was a bit reluctant. He had never been much for talking. Even less so about his life. Especially his recent endeavors. He struggled to swallow but finally worded his response.
- You got a deal.
He opened the door and got in. He'd always wanted to jump into one of these roofless cars but he was tired and didn't want to risk damaging the car with a failed attempt.
The woman dropped her cigarette and started the car. Andrew moved his head to the side so that wind would cool his face. It whipped at his face but the air felt so much better against the heat that he didn't care. The woman unwrapped a cough drop and gracefully slid it between her thin, red lips. She gave Andrew a wink and stretched her neck exhaling deeply as she did. Then she began to speak.
- So, sugarplum what brings you out here and what's with that atrocious choice of hair color? You're not 80 years old are you?
She turned her head toward the silver haired man in the passenger seat and slid her sunglasses down on her nose revealing a deep gaze that seemed almost hypnotic. Andrew realized just now that he hadn't even noticed that the woman had sunglasses on the whole time. Or what her face really looked like. He'd been too fixated on everything else to even take a look. His face lit up red so he turned his gaze towards the desert they were speeding through. He could feel the woman grinning behind him.
- That's a nasty scar you've got there.
Andrew cringed as he felt a cold finger slide across the skin next his injury. At the very least he could avoid answering about his hair.
- It's nothing. I got into a little scrape a ways down the road.
Scenes of fire, shouting and a lot of gunfire blinked trough his mind like old motion picture frames. The fall, the unlikely survival, the man jumping after him. The knife.
- 'A little scrape' in the middle of the desert? You just happened to be wondering around here?
Her voice sounded smirk yet warm. The mixture unnerved Andrew. It felt as if he was sinking.
- No, it's my first time in this country.
As much as tried he couldn't hide it. She could sense just how lost he felt. His usual hard, go-to-town attitude didn't last even ten minutes with this woman.
- And you end up in the desert? Didn't even visit an airport.
She sounded puzzled yet sly.
- I guess you could say someone pulled an elaborate prank on me..
- That's a bit far for a prank don't you think?
- I've had worse.
The woman removed her 'passion red' chopstick from the purse lying next to her and proceeded to add a fresh layer of it over her lips. Andrew gazed at her completely mesmerized. He was a bit startled when she began to talk again.
-So I guess the gray hair makes sense now.
She gave him a quick glanced and continued.
- I suppose that little scrape has something to do with the plane that crashed?
- It crashed?
- So I struck gold again..
The woman gave herself a cat like smile in the mirror and placed the chopstick back in the bag.
- We'll be there soon.
- There?
- A place of a million lights.
- That's where your journey ends?
- No, but that's where our separate journeys begin.
Her words cut the conversation. They rode in complete silence. Andrew wondered who the woman was and what she was doing in such a place, wherever they were. But he didn't dare to ask. Somehow he knew he wouldn't get his answers. Not too long and he began to see lights in the distance.
- Las Vegas, baby! Woooooh!
The woman started laughing and turned on the stereo.
"Can you see the Joker flying over~" Blared from the speakers as they left nothing but dust behind them.
Not paying attention he stumbled and fell. As his earphones fell out he heard a car approaching from behind. He kicked backed and raised a finger gesturing that he needs a lift. The car was a warm coffee color and without a roof. It reminded him of something Presley would drive. He couldn't remember the what the name of the brand was. The car slowly stopped to a halt a little further behind him. He got up slowly. Picking up his earphones as he did. He approached the car and leaned on the empty passenger door, hiding his wound, and looked up to find a young woman by the steering wheel, slowly inhaling smoke from a cigarette she was holding loosely in her slim fingers.
- So, handsome, what's your name?
She gave the man a slick smile, smoke dripping from between her gleaming white teeth.
- Andrew, mam.
He took a short pause.
- Mind giving me a lift?
Andrew gave the woman a cheeky smile.
It was visible that he was nervous. His face didn't show it but his fingers kept tapping a maddening rhythm on the door he was leaning on.
- Well.. Andrew, I think we can arrange something. You get a ride and I get a story. This trip is awfully boring. You might be my chance to spruce it up a little bit.
She inhaled the smoke again slowly, eyes fixated on the distance in front of them.
Andrew was a bit reluctant. He had never been much for talking. Even less so about his life. Especially his recent endeavors. He struggled to swallow but finally worded his response.
- You got a deal.
He opened the door and got in. He'd always wanted to jump into one of these roofless cars but he was tired and didn't want to risk damaging the car with a failed attempt.
The woman dropped her cigarette and started the car. Andrew moved his head to the side so that wind would cool his face. It whipped at his face but the air felt so much better against the heat that he didn't care. The woman unwrapped a cough drop and gracefully slid it between her thin, red lips. She gave Andrew a wink and stretched her neck exhaling deeply as she did. Then she began to speak.
- So, sugarplum what brings you out here and what's with that atrocious choice of hair color? You're not 80 years old are you?
She turned her head toward the silver haired man in the passenger seat and slid her sunglasses down on her nose revealing a deep gaze that seemed almost hypnotic. Andrew realized just now that he hadn't even noticed that the woman had sunglasses on the whole time. Or what her face really looked like. He'd been too fixated on everything else to even take a look. His face lit up red so he turned his gaze towards the desert they were speeding through. He could feel the woman grinning behind him.
- That's a nasty scar you've got there.
Andrew cringed as he felt a cold finger slide across the skin next his injury. At the very least he could avoid answering about his hair.
- It's nothing. I got into a little scrape a ways down the road.
Scenes of fire, shouting and a lot of gunfire blinked trough his mind like old motion picture frames. The fall, the unlikely survival, the man jumping after him. The knife.
- 'A little scrape' in the middle of the desert? You just happened to be wondering around here?
Her voice sounded smirk yet warm. The mixture unnerved Andrew. It felt as if he was sinking.
- No, it's my first time in this country.
As much as tried he couldn't hide it. She could sense just how lost he felt. His usual hard, go-to-town attitude didn't last even ten minutes with this woman.
- And you end up in the desert? Didn't even visit an airport.
She sounded puzzled yet sly.
- I guess you could say someone pulled an elaborate prank on me..
- That's a bit far for a prank don't you think?
- I've had worse.
The woman removed her 'passion red' chopstick from the purse lying next to her and proceeded to add a fresh layer of it over her lips. Andrew gazed at her completely mesmerized. He was a bit startled when she began to talk again.
-So I guess the gray hair makes sense now.
She gave him a quick glanced and continued.
- I suppose that little scrape has something to do with the plane that crashed?
- It crashed?
- So I struck gold again..
The woman gave herself a cat like smile in the mirror and placed the chopstick back in the bag.
- We'll be there soon.
- There?
- A place of a million lights.
- That's where your journey ends?
- No, but that's where our separate journeys begin.
Her words cut the conversation. They rode in complete silence. Andrew wondered who the woman was and what she was doing in such a place, wherever they were. But he didn't dare to ask. Somehow he knew he wouldn't get his answers. Not too long and he began to see lights in the distance.
- Las Vegas, baby! Woooooh!
The woman started laughing and turned on the stereo.
"Can you see the Joker flying over~" Blared from the speakers as they left nothing but dust behind them.
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