Chapter 36 oil prices have risen

Dak stood up, walked to the iron stove in the center of the room, and threw a piece of firewood into the raging fire.His chair leg scratched the wooden floor.It was going to be a cold, snowy night tonight, and he could already hear the north wind whistling the pines in the mountains, and the wet, heavy snow falling on the front window. Tonight is going to be a hell of a night for anyone trapped outside. Despite the heat from the fireplace, Dak felt a shiver run down his spine as he returned to the kerosene lamp to read a catalog that had arrived. He didn't hear the first knock, it was drowned out by the wind of howls.The second knock was louder and more urgent.Duck looked up from the two-page advertisement in surprise, which fool would go to such a wild place at such a night?

It took him a moment to pull the rusty latch, and the knocking turned to a thud.A figure rushed into the room in a burst of suddenly falling snowflakes. The man was wearing a gray narrow-brimmed hat and a light raincoat, and his once shiny leather shoes were now covered with mud and snow had soaked through the leather of the shoes.He went to the roaring fireplace and began rubbing his hands, soaking gratefully in the heat of the room.City people, Dark thought. "Outside...it's so cold outside. The man burst out a sentence through his trembling teeth. "Yes," Duck replied, and fell silent.Unless you know the person's intentions, there is no need to speak.The man began to take off his soaked raincoat. "My name is Khan."

"Oh, my name is Duck, what's the matter with you?" he asked. "Gasoline, my car needs gas, it's about eight miles away," Khan waved his hand, pointing in the direction he came from, "I walked over." "I see. It's a good thing you're coming this way. The nearest place in the other direction is Cedar Village. It's twenty-five miles away. You'll freeze to death before you get there." "I know," Khan said, "we stopped at Cedar Village on the way, but gasoline" "Why do you think I'll have gasoline here?"

"Why, I saw you had an oil tank outside, and I thought..." It's a pity you didn't see it during the day, "Dark shook his head and said, "Both are in a mess of rust, and haven't filled a drop of oil in seven years.I was out of business when the state put a six-lane boulevard down there by the country side.Sometimes I don't see a car for two or three weeks, especially in winter. " "But..." Kehan ​​looked panicked, "but we must get some gasoline." Duck scratched the short beard on his face, and took out a squashed cigar from his pocket, "That's the trouble for you city people," he said, scraping a match on the table, before lighting the snow, "There's always a rush, now it might be a week or two before a car comes by and they might drag you along."

"No, you don't understand, I must have gasoline now, just tonight." "I know," Darke gave the visitor a sly look, "why are you in such a hurry to leave tonight?" "My wife, She's waiting for me in the car, and she might freeze to death before dawn." "Well," Duck said after a few seconds of consideration, "then we'll have to think about it." "Look, man," Khan said displeased her, "if you have gas here, I need two gallons, if not..." He reached for his raincoat. "It won't do you any good to get out of here," said Dark, "especially if the snow falls like this, and Cedar Village is twenty-five miles away, as I said." "Then, I'll go on go forward."

"The nearest place on this road is Destin," Duck said proudly: "He runs a small airport, so he may have the oil you need." He smoked the snow slowly, "But there is a distance Seventeen miles." Kehan ​​looked around like a beast caught in a trap, "I—I'm going to go back and bring Helen here." He said in a trembling voice. Duck got up from his chair, walked leisurely to the window, and said softly, "You'd have to walk sixteen miles back and forth that way. You might go to the car, but come back? I don't know, especially with a Have you ever seen people freeze to death, lady?" "But I have to do it, I can't move," Khan moaned.

"That's true," Duck said. "Huh, maybe—just maybe I've got some gas in a container behind me, and I might be willing to sell you some, anyway, because my truck has a flat tire and the cooler is gone." "Do you have gasoline?" Kehan ​​let out a long breath, his tense body relaxed, "I'd like to buy some, two gallons are enough." He reached into his pocket and took out a wallet. "Wait a minute, sir." "What's the matter?" "Have you ever wondered how you take gasoline? You can't just pour it in your pocket."

"Why, can't I borrow a jar or something?" "I don't have much in stock to borrow," Darke said, "but I might sell you one, like one here." He bent down and took a glass container from under the table. Kehan ​​smiled with his face crooked: "Okay, buddy, I think you also need money for this game, how much?" "Five yuan." "Well, that's quite expensive, five dollars a gallon, especially since I need two gallons. But I think when you're in the wilderness, you'll take advantage of the opportunity to blackmail tourists." Kehan ​​took out ten dollars from his wallet and handed it to him. .

Dak refused to accept it, and looked directly into Kehan's eyes. "I don't think you understand what I'm telling you," he said. "The five yuan is for the can, not including gasoline." "What, five yuan to buy that thing, no gasoline. Why? I can buy it at any store for twenty-five cents." "That's the truth, which store are you going to buy tonight?" Dark asked with a sneer. Kehan ​​stared at the window, which was covered with snow. He clenched his fists angrily and helplessly, and finally asked, "How much gas—gasoline?" Dak stared at his wallet, "Hey, it looks like you understand this whole thing so well, and it's so painful. How about it, fifty dollars a gallon." "Fifty dollars, fuck you, that's blatant robbery. "

"Oil prices have gone up." Dark said calmly. "That's not a joke." "It's not meant to be a joke, it's just stating the facts." Desperately, Khan counted the bills in his wallet and finally said, "Damn it, I only have sixty dollars here." "Well, you can buy a gallon, plus a can, and you will have five yuan left," Dark said with a smile, "I won't charge you for warming up by the stove." "Then you are really noble," Kehan ​​said disdainfully. Say, "But I want two gallons." "But it looks like you can't pay," Dark said, "unless your wife has money on her, and she's freezing to death in the car." "Two gallons, please, and I'll give you my watch. ’ Khan began to untie his watch.

"No need for a watch, time means nothing here. But if I were you, I'd bring gas back into the car, the snow seems to be falling more and more, and then when you get back here, you decide whether to buy more gas, Or park here until someone passes. I can provide cheap board and lodging for a daily or weekly fee." Duck didn't wait for an answer, took the can and went back inside to top it up from a large oil drum.When he returned, Khan had put on his raincoat. "This is your money," Khan snorted, handing over a roll of bills, "I hope you die." "It's not right to say that about a person who saved your life." Dark said, he took the money and counted it carefully, "Fifty-five dollars, it's a pleasure to do business with you, I hope I can give you a ride, but I said Well, my truck is parked for the winter and can't take you. I guess I can see you back in two or three hours, right?" Kehan ​​cursed loudly, pushed open the door and stepped into the snowstorm. When Dak heard the sound of cars outside the door, it was almost midnight, and the wind and snow had stopped.He opened the door, watched Kehan ​​get out of the car, and then came, followed by a woman whose coat was so thin that it could hardly resist the wind and cold.When they entered the house and leaned against the stove, Dark saw that their lips were black with cold. "This is Helen, my wife," Khan introduced. "I told her about the gasoline. You are kind." "Happy to oblige," Darke said, smiling. "Have you two decided to buy another gallon?" "I have some money," said his wife, "and we will." "Okay, just one thing, the price of gas has gone up again. Now it's sixty-five dollars a gallon, and of course you use the cans you've already bought, so that can be saved." Helen opened the purse, "Should this be enough?" She said, throwing a small stack of banknotes to Dak, which fell to the ground. Duck bent down to pick up the stack of bills, and Khan heard him gasp in surprise, "Why, all this money—" "That's what you want, isn't it?" Helen asked. "Yes, but...wait a minute, the note on it says..." Dak raised his head in surprise, and pointed at Khan's muzzle. "It's marked Cedar Bank, isn't it? Dude," Khan said, "I've got a lot of those wads in my car, and I told you we'd been to Cedar Village, but I didn't tell you What are you doing?" "You, where are you robbing the bank?" Duck shouted suddenly, "But when you came here earlier, you said you didn't have any extra money." "Do you think I'm crazy enough to walk with that much money?" Khan grinned. "I don't know who I'm going to meet on the road in this goddamn place." "Look, Mr. Khan," Dak stared at the muzzle of the gun with wide eyes, "no one knows you've been here, I—I can keep it to myself." "How much, brother, I'm sorry, your price is too high, I'd better kill you. Helen, take the rope off the wall and tie him up." "Shall we gag him?" Khan shook his head. "Let him call. He himself told me that no one will pass this road for at least two days. We have plenty of time to get out of here." Within minutes, Dak was strapped firmly to the chair.He could feel the wire digging into his wrist, and he knew there was no way he could get out without help.His feet were strapped separately to the rungs of the chair legs, effectively preventing him from standing up. "Now we're going to get the oil," Khan looked down at him, "and get what we need." Dak said nothing. "Two gallons," Khan mused, "that's all we need." "What do you mean?" Dark asked. "When we were planning this, we knew about the flight you mentioned earlier," Khan said. "A pilot friend of mine would be there waiting for me to get out of the mountains before anyone approached us." " "But before you act, you forgot to refuel." Helen mocked him. "Yeah, so we're out of gas. Dude, if you'd sell us two gallons of gas, we could go straight to the airport and never have to come to you again. But you're so greedy, so we had to drive back here, or We might still not get there. Meanwhile, how do we know you didn't hear about the robbery on the radio?" "But I swear, I didn't hear anything," Duck said, "I don't even have a radio. " "I'm sorry, man, but we didn't know it before, and it's too late now." The car was quickly filled up and Helen went outside.Khan checked again that the copper wires were securely bound to his captive. "Mr. Khan," Dark called. "What?" It's cold on the mountain. " "I know, what's the matter?" "Sometimes the temperature is below freezing and the fire in the stove only burns for a few hours." "You're right." "I'm going to freeze to death." "You don't seem too concerned when my wife is out in the cold." "It's too high a price to die to pay off a gallon of gas." "Huh, man, remember what you said yourself?" "What?" "The price of gas went up."