She stuck her thumb out into the wind, making the gesture that is so familiar but, she thought, when you look at it unbiased, seems silly. The dirt clung to her boots like it always did, taking refuge from the sun in the little cracks engraved in the sole. It was a long road, but most roads out there were. They stretch out through the flat land like a black river of dead water. No life grows along the shore, just the discarded trash of travelers long since gone.

It was getting much hotter; the sun beating down on her tanned skin from almost directly above now. Nearly noon. She squinted her eyes and looked far off down the road at what she knew was still nothing. The pavement turning into water, the water blurring the line that separated road and horizon, its' waves being the only movement around. She stopped and squatted at the side of the road and dug around in her backpack. Finding what she was looking for, she pulled the now well-heated bottle of water out and took a sip. Like drinking from a hot-tub, she thought, and put the bottle back in her bag.

"Hmph," she sighed and leaned back on her hands. The sun beat down mercilessly. Nothing but the waves of the road moved.

Then a low, far-off rumble. Something stirred. She looked up from the patterns she had been making in the dirt and looked off down the road in the direction the noise was coming from. Recognizing the sound of a motor, she stood again and stuck her thumb out.

"Please let them stop. Too damn hot to be just walking today," she mumbled. Slowly, the wavy image of something metallic revealed itself coming towards her down the road. It began to take form--a large car, covered with dusty and worn off blue paint. She stared hard at the car as it came closer and closer to her. It slowed, and then stopped, directly in front of where she stood. A woman peered out and smiled.

"Hey there, in need of a ride I suspect?" she asked cheerily.

"Yes. Thank you."

She climbed in, threw her backpack into the back and settled into the cheap leather seats. The woman forced the beast into gear and they rumbled off down the road.

"Name's Kit. Pleased to meet ya," the woman said, extending her hand while keeping one on the wheel and looking straight ahead.

"Liz," she said and took Kit's hand to gave it a quick shake.

"Liz, eh? Where ya headed?"

"Nowhere really. The city I suppose," Liz answered as she fished around in her pocket for a stick of gum.

"Just wanderin', eh? I can relate. Used ta do that m'self. Well, I'll get you as far as the city then," Kit said, still smiling. Liz found her gum and tossed it into her mouth. It was extremely dry, and at first she couldn't even get the gum to wad up like it should. After working hard to get the salivary glands going, she was successful and began chewing contentedly. The road flew past them in a constant blur of grayish-black. Nothing seemed to be changing though; the scenery out there being fairly unvarying.

After a lengthy silence, combined with the hypnotic flowing of the road, Liz began to nod off. Slowly, the rhythmic chewing of her gum stopped and her head dropped down until it rested on her chest. She was so exhausted she could have slept for hours but suddenly she snapped awake.

Kit had popped a tape into the tape deck, and though it wasn't blasting, the music was loud enough to prevent Liz from getting any more rest for a while.

"I hope you don't mind? I'm a big jazz fan," Kit inquired as she tapped her fingers against the steering wheel in time with the song.

"Not at all," Liz said groggily. "I rather like jazz."

"Good good," Kit said and looked pleased. "Well, I guess I can trust you then, being a fellow jazz fan." She laughed and nudged Liz playfully.

Another hour passed before they came to a small, downtrodden gas station. Kit got out and began pumping gas from the antique-looking pumps. Liz wandered inside in search of a bathroom. The old man behind the counter handed her a key attached to a hubcap and Liz grumbled as she walked out back to the bathroom.

"Mmm, smell the fresh air," she commented to no one when she breathed in the atmosphere of the unisex washroom. She wasn't quite sure what the original colour of the paint was supposed to be, but the predominant colours were now off-yellow, brown, and the black of the ink on the walls from the various messages that had been written on them. The toilet seat didn't look very inviting, but she sat down anyway and began to do her business, letting her mind wander.

So how did you get here? This toilet seat is probably giving you some strange trucker disease. Read the wall, that? always entertaining. "Free blow jobs, call 555-1212." Heh, I could go for a good blow job. I wonder if anyone actually calls the numbers on bathroom walls? "The world will end not with a bang, but with a whimper." Hmm...bathroom philosophers quoting Eliot. Cute.

She finished up and headed out to give the man back his key. He looked blankly at her. Kit was waiting outside in the car, listening intently to the music that came drifting from the speakers. When she saw Liz approaching, she gave an anxious gesture for her to hurry up.

"Quick, you'll miss the best part," she said, staring at the radio. The music gave way to a massive drum solo as Liz stepped into the car.

"I used to play the drums," Liz commented quietly. She didn't say it to anyone really, just so that it was said.

"Really? Sweet. I've always loved the drums. Were you any good?"

"Yea, I think so," Liz paused to think, almost surprised that someone had responded. "I loved to play."

"Why did you stop?" Kit asked. Liz looked down at her feet and didn't answer for a moment. Her mind wandered back through the years. Give her a simple answer.

"No drum set. Can't exactly carry one with ya when you're hitchhiking." Kit chuckled halfheartedly.

"Good point. Well, we're off again," and she turned the ignition.


The sun began to sink below the far off horizon line, sending brilliant and unnatural colours racing across the sky. The tape of jazz music had ended and now only silence drifted through the car as Liz slept and Kit drove on ahead, kept company by her own thoughts. The calm was broken when she noticed something in the road up ahead. It was too shadowed to see what it was exactly, but it was small and metallic, that she could tell. As if she had felt the shift in mood, Liz woke up and gazed out the windshield. A blank look settled across her face.

"Stop."

Kit looked startled.

"What?"

"Stop, please," Liz asked quietly. Kit pulled the car to the side of the road, not far from the object, and turned the engine off. Liz moved out of the car and walked slowly towards the thing in the road. Kit looked on, perplexed, from the car.

"I can't believe this is still here. I never noticed it before," Liz thought as she bent down over the object and examined it. A muffler, rusted through and weather-worn. She picked it up and turned it over in her hands.


"It's a long way across the desert; you may as well just go to sleep to pass the time." Liz looked sleepily at her mother and nodded a tired agreement before laying her head down to take a nap. It had been at least two months since she had last seen her mother. Her mom had gone to stay at her sisters house while she had the treatments done because it was close to the hospital that had the best care. When she got better, Liz had flown out so she could stay with her and her aunt for awhile. The two of them were now on their way home, crossing the great stretch of desert that separated the two cities.

"So the doctors say it's all gone?" Liz asked her mom wearily.

"Yes. About time too. I didn't think cysts could be so pesky," her mother chuckled. "But it's all gone now. No more worries." She rumpled Liz's hair.

"Oh mom, you make me feel so childish when you do that," Liz mumbled.

"Pfft! You're never too old for some good ole motherly love," her mom said playfully. Liz giggled and sat back up.

"Guess I can't sleep," she paused. "It? really pretty out here; pretty, but desolate. I imagine it wouldn't seem so nice at high noon though, eh? Only in the evening when things are cooling off and that brilliant sunset is going on."

"The sun is always more beautiful out here. Probably because there's nothing to get in its way," her mom remarked. The hum of the road droned on beneath them.


"Liz! I don't suppose that muffler has put some sort of spell on you, eh?" Kit said jokingly. Liz snapped back from her thoughts and began to wonder how long she'd been staring at the muffler. Gathering herself up, she said,

"Heh, ah, no...not really. Sorry." She carried the muffler back to the car and put it into her backpack.

"Did you two get attached?" Kit smiled. Liz smoothed out her jeans and situated herself back into the cheap leather seats. Kit shrugged and started the car back up and they continued down the road.


The stars were out, shining brilliantly in the night sky. The moon was near, but not quite, full and directly overhead, its corona attempting to recreate day. Liz had pulled a small pad of paper out and was sketching mercilessly in it. Kit glanced over at her work.

"That's really good."

"Thanks," Liz said absentmindedly. The form of a woman had taken shape on the page. It was rather good.

"You take classes ever?" Kit inquired, mostly just trying to make conversation to fill the lonely night.

"Nope. Never had time. I've just always sorta done it. There...." she paused to finish up. "What do you think?"

"I think it's very good. Very realistic.....almost haunting, if you don't mind me saying."

"Not at all. Thank you," Liz said and stuffed the pad of paper back into her pocket.

"Was it anyone in particular?" Kit asked. Liz turned her head to look out of the passenger side window. The low hills rolled passed in the distance, shrouded in shadows. The moons' glow fell across everything, giving the landscape a silvery tint.

"No," Liz said quickly and rested her head on her shoulder and closed her eyes. Kit looked back ahead at the road, guessing she had tread on forbidden ground. She reached for a new tape and slid it into the player. Quiet, smooth blues floated out and filled the car with the sort of mood that the blues tend to create. Liz felt her body grow warm and comfortable. B.B. King. Good stuff. Her mind drifted again, and slowly gave way to sleep.


"See that?"

"What?" Liz asked and looked in the direction her mother was pointing.

"I think it was a coyote."

"It is getting dark. I wouldn't doubt it," she replied as her eyes strained to try and see it in the distance. They had stopped at a small gas station to refill the tank in the car. They sat on the hood, waiting for it to finish, when her mom had spotted the coyote.

"Gas is really cheap here. Kinda nice," her mom said as she brushed a bit of dirt from her slacks. Liz smiled and gazed off into the distance at the small rolling hills. No moon tonight, she thought. The pump finished its job, signaled by a slight jerk of the car, and they hopped down. Liz climbed back into the car while her mom replaced the nozzle and tightened the gas cap.

"No moon tonight," her mom said as she sat down in the drivers seat. She pulled the door shut.



"Good morning, hun," Kit said, cheery as always, when she saw Liz opening her eyes and then squinting because of the glare of the sun. "You slept kinda hectically, but no bother." Liz pulled herself up and looked around. For a second she forgot where she was.

"We still headed east?" Liz asked groggily.

"Of course! You think I turned around for some reason during the night?" she giggled. Liz shrugged.

"Naw, sorry. Just checking. How long 'til we hit the city?"

"'Bout an hour. What do you plan on doing when you get there?" Kit asked as she pulled a cigarette out of its package and placed it between her lips.

"Dunno."

"Want one?" she said, the unlit cigarette dangling precariously from her lips as she spoke.

"No, thanks," Liz declined and stretched. Kit grabbed the lighter from its socket as it popped up to let her know it was done heating. She put it to the cigarette, lit it, and took a deep and long drag.

"Smart girl. Wish I'd never started. Oh well, I'm so far along now I just assume not bother trying to quit!" she chuckled. "Silly logic, I know." Liz shrugged.

"What do you plan to do when we get to the city?" Liz asked, figuring some conversation would do her good.

"Me?" she took another drag and then held it between her fingers and out the window.

"I'm just meeting up with a friend. Then I'm heading back this way. Back across the desert again," she lamented.

"The desert's not so bad. I think it's rather pretty, actually. I guess I'm just weird like that though." Kit looked at her oddly.

"Sorry. Never found it all that attractive. I'm not looking forward to crossing it again." An awkward silence followed. It was broken by Liz turning around to unzip her backpack and pull the muffler out.

"Oh! I forgot you even still had that!" Kit said, surprised. Liz smiled to herself and stared at the rusty metal.

"Just one more artifact," she commented.

"Wha'?" Kit said curiously. Liz shuffled through the backpack again and pulled out various, very used, car parts. Most were also rusted through.

"You collect road trash?"

"Sorta. I'm very selective though," Liz answered, beaming over her treasures.

"How do you select them?"

"Well," Liz paused. "It's a secret." Kit considered inquiring further but stopped when she noticed the far-off look in Liz's eyes.


"It's so dark I can barely even see where the headlights shine on the road!"

"No moon," Liz said. Her mom strained her eyes to see ahead. The night sank in around them, surrounding them with an inky, dark blanket. Liz had her sketchpad out and was doodling fiercely in it.

"Whatcha drawing?" her mom asked, still looking ahead and desperately trying to see the road.

"The desert. I figure I won't be back here any time soon, nor do I have any desire to come back, so I'll draw it; just in case I ever want to see it again, for some odd reason, and don't want to actually come here," Liz replied, giggling. Her mom laughed.

"Good idea."


"You still with us Liz?" Kit asked, waving one hand in front of Liz's face.

"Huh? Oh, yea. Heh," Liz said, drifting back to reality. She put all of her "artifacts" back into her bag and then noticed the small black silhouettes of buildings in the distance.

"We're almost there," Kit said happily. "One leg of the trip across the great void that is the desert done with." Liz nodded absentmindedly. "You still not sure what you're gonna do when we get there?"

"Dunno."

"Family?"

"No."

"Friends?"

"No."

"Work?" Kit asked, getting a little more desperate with each negative answer.

"Nope."

"Why on earth then?"

"Just to go, really," Liz answered.

"I see, just the eternal wanderer. I dig."

The city loomed in front of them, getting bigger and bigger as they got closer. Liz stared hard at one of the larger buildings.


When she finally saw the car, it was too late. It didn't have its headlights on and it had swerved into their lane. It was coming right for them, and the collision was inevitable. All Liz could do was wait in terror through the few seconds remaining before it happened to pass in that slow motion haze that occurs when something awful is about to take place. She glanced over at her mother in the last second, who was trying desperately to turn the wheel and get out of the way of the other car. Her features were gripped by a terrible fear, eyes panic-stricken and glazed.

In the moment when the cars slammed into one another, causing a hideous symphony of sounds to explode in the night air, Liz's mother looked over to her. Her eyes were sad and terrified, as if trying to say something soothing to her daughter. The message conveyed was simply "Be strong, I love you," and Liz got it. She gripped her seat and shut her eyes tight.


"Liz!" Kit shouted. The car was stopped, the engine idling. They were in the parking lot of a gas station on the outskirts of the city. Liz jumped in her seat.

"Liz! Snap out of it! We're here! Thank God."

"Oh, yea, sorry," she mumbled and rubbed her forehead.

"You ok?" Kit, concerned by the hitchhikers numerous daydreams and the fact that this time Liz had actually let out a sharp cry, asked. Liz looked down at her hands. Still there.

"Uh...yea. Fine. Thanks. This the end of the road?"

"Yea," Kit answered, slightly relieved. "We made it. I'm supposed to meet my friend at a motel not far from here. You wanna come along, have a drink, chat for a while?" she offered. Liz shook her head.

"No thanks. This is my stop."

"Suit yourself. It was nice meeting you, Liz," Kit said, extending her hand again. "I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for." Liz took her hand and shook it. What she was looking for? How had she known that? What am I looking for?

"It was good to meet you too, Kit. Send my regards to your friend," Liz said, smiling weakly. She flung her backpack onto her shoulders and stepped out of the car. "Thanks for the lift," she added, and stepped back so Kit could go.

As her car rumbled off down the street, Liz stopped and breathed deeply. She looked at the gas station and then at the sun, then off down the road where they had come from. The desert lay waiting.


"You gave a ride to a perfect stranger?"

"She looked trustworthy," Kit said as she drove down the road, back across the desert.

"Looked trustworthy? You can't tell just by looking," the woman who sat in the passenger seat remarked.

"Yes you can. I mean, if you really look. She did seem a little lost though. Said she didn't really know what she was gonna do once she got there, and she kept dazing off into these daydreams. The last one was the worst. All of the sudden she just let out this piercing cry. I nearly drove off the road."

"Damn," her friend said and took a drag off her cigarette.

"Yeah, so I collected myself and woke her up. Poor thing. Seemed kinda troubled. Says she just wanders. Wonder where she's been. Actually, kinda curious as to why she's wandering. Must be looking for something is what I figure."

"That's what most of 'em is doing. The hitchhikers who just wander all over the country like that. Had an uncle like that." Kit gazed far down the road. There was someone walking alongside it.

"Another one."

"Would you not pick up this one?" her friend said, half teasing.

"Oh, pfftt. You know I won't, what since I already have a passenger. God knows why the hitchers choose this road to walk. Damn long and damn hot I imagine."

Kit's car came up on the person. As they passed alongside, not slowing, she glanced at the hitchers face. Her heart nearly stopped.

"What's the matter, Kit? You look all flushed," her friend said, noticing the change in Kit's demeanor.

"That was her," she whispered, stunned.

"Who?"

"The girl...the girl I gave the ride to the city. She's headed west! She's walking back again!"



Through the torn and twisted fragments of car, she could just barely see a face. Pale. A trickle of red coming down the forehead. It wasn't her though. Mom was gone, that was just a body.

Red lights flickered through and into the car, reaching her stifled senses. She was almost totally numb. She didn't blink. She just stared at the pale form that used to be her mother.

They're too late. Goddamnit, they're too late. Oh mom, they're too late!


The road lay stretched out in front of her, the sun almost completely overhead now. Almost noon. Back across the desert again. Maybe I'll find another piece that they missed and forgot to pick up. My bag is getting heavy though....